Squadron 42 releasing this coming year
- Thread starter Shadow Reaper
- Start date
Well I've been disappointed in the past so if they actually hold true to their release date, I'll be pleasantly surprised.
They better not release in November though. That's when GTA VI comes out.
They better not release in November though. That's when GTA VI comes out.
Richard Bong
Space Marshal
I seriously doubt it, for several reasons, like we've been told this before. Most importantly, though:
GTA6 is launching in October so sometime March through May GTA 6 is going to start their marketing blitz.
Before anyone says "But GTA 6 is an entirely different genre so not really a competitor." Yes, that is true, however GTA 6 is going to soak up all the limited Marketing bandwidth starting around Early April, late March. Launching a game when everyone is looking at something else and your marketing gets swallowed up and/or ignored, means the only people that will know about the launch are people that have already bought the game. You can't have a successful launch if nobody knows you launched. Spring 2027, at the earliest. The more likely answer though is "two years."
- CIG has said they want to have at least 6 months of marketing to build hype before release. (From a marketing standpoint that is about right.)
- CIG has said they don't want to launch around the time GTA 6 launches.
GTA6 is launching in October so sometime March through May GTA 6 is going to start their marketing blitz.
Before anyone says "But GTA 6 is an entirely different genre so not really a competitor." Yes, that is true, however GTA 6 is going to soak up all the limited Marketing bandwidth starting around Early April, late March. Launching a game when everyone is looking at something else and your marketing gets swallowed up and/or ignored, means the only people that will know about the launch are people that have already bought the game. You can't have a successful launch if nobody knows you launched. Spring 2027, at the earliest. The more likely answer though is "two years."
Competing for those ads would be a good way to double the marketing spend for both companies while getting half the ads. The only winner there would be the advertisers.
Agreed. I don't think we are getting SQ42 in 2026. Possibly a closed beta/evocati? test near end of 26, then another 6 months minimum.
But as we know, CIG keeps saying things then not acting on it.
The only way I can see them launch before GTA 6 is if they changed their minds, and hoping to pull the same "shadow drop" that most of the actually good games did this past 1-2 years.
I'm leaning heavily on the side that CiG will not risk it like this, they will stick to a lengthy standard ad cycle, pushing it further into 27 or even 28.. Or they might just announce a week before that it drops on May 27th lol
Well as they said, they are not planning “a long, drawn-out ad campaign”. GTA6 does not affect them. They are not spending the money on ads because everyone knows who they are and the gaming community will buzz enough all on its own.
Never understood the "no loading screens" take. Imagine spending a decade over a promised deadline to deliver a feature nobody asked for.
They'll release it this year but in 'chapters'. Like they'll not give us the whole SQ42, it'll be a sales drive for chapter 2.
That's the only way I can see it panning out, everything they've ever done seems to be an attempt to draw out development. So yeah, why change now.
"Chris the technologies you need for your game won't exist for another decade, do you just want a loading screen to meet our 2016 deadline?"
"Nah, 10 years to save 5 minutes worth" - Chris Roberts
They'll release it this year but in 'chapters'. Like they'll not give us the whole SQ42, it'll be a sales drive for chapter 2.
That's the only way I can see it panning out, everything they've ever done seems to be an attempt to draw out development. So yeah, why change now.
"Chris the technologies you need for your game won't exist for another decade, do you just want a loading screen to meet our 2016 deadline?"
"Nah, 10 years to save 5 minutes worth" - Chris Roberts
Last edited:
Richard Bong
Space Marshal
GTA isn't direct competition, but it will soak up all the gaming marketing bandwidth. You can't have a successful launch if nobody knows you launched.
I’m inclined to agree. Apparently CIG is not. I think the difference may well be that there are so many people already playing SC, they expect a successful launch, given the term actually applies.
It may be they decided against a marketing budget entirely, because there are so many players and because they know GTA6 will, as you say; suck up the and market space.
One thing is certain. They need to launch Sq42 in ‘26.
It may be they decided against a marketing budget entirely, because there are so many players and because they know GTA6 will, as you say; suck up the and market space.
One thing is certain. They need to launch Sq42 in ‘26.
Richard Bong
Space Marshal
A successful launch means new money, not just the people that already paid for it.
They needed to launch SQ42 in 2014, then 2016 then 2018. There isn't lots of money in the current player base. After all this time they need to launch right, and be successful more than release before they're ready.
My choice would be a beta/soft launch at IAE. Then do a proper launch in 27.