Interview: No Current Plans Of Paid Squad 44 DLC, Assures Offworld Industries CEO
Squad 44
Squad 44, formerly known as Post Scriptum, was initially developed as a mod to Squad, another title by Offworld Industries. Later on, it became a standalone title, under its former name, developed by Periscope Games and with the help of publisher Offworld Industries.
Unfortunately, the entire staff at Periscope Games was laid off, leaving the game supposedly dead with no studio supporting it with content updates. However, in November 2023, Offworld Industries acquired Post Scriptum, rebranding it to Squad 44, and puting its development efforts under the capable hands of Mercury Arts.
The studio has since released a massive content update, and plans on sharing a 2024 roadmap, giving a glimpse at the many things we can expect. Considering the change in direction and a promising future ahead as Squad 44, we decided to speak with Vlad Ceraldi, the CEO of Offworld Industries, to have some of our questions answered.
Squad 44 – via Offworld Industries.
Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your work on Squad 44.
Vlad Ceraldi: I joined Offworld two years ago as CEO. I have been in the game industry for over twenty years and have held many different roles. I’ve been itching to get closer to game development again, rather than just handling the business side of things, so this project was a fun opportunity for me to help out for the time being as the Producer for the project.
Since when did the studio plan on acquiring Post Scriptum?
Ceraldi: I approached Periscope in January of 2023, and we hashed out the terms pretty quickly. Unfortunately, the sale was complicated from a legal logistical perspective due to Periscope being in France, and it took much longer than either side wanted. Ultimately, it worked out, although we wanted to start supporting the game much sooner.
Squad 44 – via Offworld Industries.
Will Squad 44 become more similar to Squad in terms of content and a future roadmap?
Ceraldi: Squad 44 is its own game that, while clearly related to Squad, needs its own path forward based on its history and the community. Similar to Squad, we will ramp up the number of updates with content and quality-of-life updates including bug fixes, and potentially new features.
Speaking of a roadmap, one is planned to come soon and will contain details about what we will see throughout 2024. Could you give us an early glimpse at what we might expect there?
Ceraldi: We will publish a high-level roadmap soon so that the community knows what we want to tackle, but we also want to keep some cards held close. I am not a huge fan of specific dates, but rather offering insights into our process.
From what I know so far, there are no plans to release any paid DLCs. However, there was a similar situation with Squad, but in order to keep the game funded and the development alive, there was a change of plans in early 2023. Is there a chance we might see something similar here?
Ceraldi: I rarely say never, so I can’t say we would never consider it, but I can say there are no plans at this time.
Squad 44 – via Offworld Industries.
The studio received a lot of backlash for adding paid content in Squad last year. But fans no longer seem to be holding a grudge against, and seeing as how many studios fail to communicate with the community, how did the team rebuild that trust with the fans?
Ceraldi: We faced backlash for many reasons, including the fact that someone, at some point, said we would never do it, which puts you in a corner. We also did not do a good job talking to the community about it. Our community team has built up better relationships which has helped over time, and I think players understand the ecosystem that needs to be in place for maintaining a healthy game that can be operated for a long time. If someone loves a game and you can provide respectful ways for paid content that makes sense and can sustain that title, most players will be understanding and even supportive. If we ever consider it for SQ44, it won’t come as a surprise to the community.
Rethymno and Greek Faction had been announced for a long time but were temporarily canceled, only to be released now. Is there anything else that was discussed at one point that you would like to revisit now that the game is getting full support?
Ceraldi: Nothing jumps out except for server performance and lots of quality of life and bugs that need to be addressed which is a main focus for this year, on top of new content.
There have been many changes within Offworld Industries in recent years. What good things would you say have come about with these changes, and what elements of the previous Offworld have remained intact?
Ceraldi: We have focused on remembering what made us successful in the first place and renewing some of that energy, and I think our players are starting to see the results of these changes. We love what we do and want to continue doing so for many years, so we have also focused on ensuring the business is sustainable.
Squad 44 – via Offworld Industries.
Is Offworld Industries going to focus solely on Squad 44 for now, or are there other projects currently in the works?
Ceraldi: We have Squad, Starship Troopers: Extermination, Beyond the Wire, and now Squad 44. We are currently focused on nothing else, but that is a lot to shepherd. But we always look to the future with our current games or perhaps something new we can create!
Will the studio's next game also follow a similar war theme, or are you planning on exploring other genres?
Ceraldi: We are not a war simulation company. We are not even a FPS company. Our company focuses on cooperation, communication, and competition, which is genre-agnostic. Having said that, we are not currently looking outside of FPS since we love it and have experience delivering great games in that genre.
Anything else you would like to share with the readers?
Ceraldi: Just want to take a moment to thank the community for their support. Without them, we would not have a successful company or successful games, and we are focusing on renewing our connection with our players.
Squad 44 — formerly Post Scriptum — is a tactical FPS developed by Offworld Industries and Mercury Arts and published by Offworld Industries. The WW2-themed game was released on PC via Steam on August 9, 2018.
Shoaib Rashid is a passionate Gamer and an experienced writer who has been covering the Gaming Industry for over 3 Years. He started his career as a freelance journalist, writing reviews, previews, news, guides, and features for various industries. He joined VA Gaming as a Writer in 2022 and was promoted to Content Editor in 2023, where he oversees the editorial tasks and ensures the quality and accuracy of the content.
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