Last week FFG dropped a teaser trailer (embedded below) on YouTube for a new Star Wars collectible card game (ccg) called Star Wars Unlimited that is coming out in 2024.
And you know what the world needs is more opinion based on the very scarce information that is out there from the over represented demographic that I am part of.
I know nothing about the game play, price model, etc. So what follows is pure speculation and blue sky thinking.
FFG are not strangers to the ccg model (Star Wars Destiny, Keyforge) despite being more known for creating the lcg model and using that.
But there are a few hurdles FFG need to over come to make Star Wars Unlimited a success that isn’t just a flash in the pan.
These are the same hurdles that the Disney Lorcana ccg will also have to overcome when it comes out later this year.
The first hurdle being supply of the initial release. FFG have not had a good record on this front. Grossly underestimating demand, and long delays before getting more produced and into shops will damage the sales and take up of the game. It happened to Star Wars Destiny and also to some extent Keyforge. New players need to be able to easily get their hands on the game after trying it. FFG haven’t had a great record on this front so far.
Next up is the release schedule of the sets/expansions. Another area FFG did not have much success with in the past. But then neither have Plaid Hat Games with Ashes, or Wizkids with Dice Masters. Wizkids and FFG had delays that clashed with the following set. So you ended up with small delays between sets, no time to explore the new stuff. It ended up messy and expensive. With Ashes it was long long delays between sets that helped kill it off.
FFG also need to get the number of sets released in a year right. Which I believe is going to be three. WotC in their attempt to gauge more money from players have been releasing a ridiculous amount to product in a year. For me and my wallet I think FFG have hit the right amount to release.
Organised play (OP) is one area I think FFG have always been weak. But going from the YouTube video (below) it looks like they have learnt a lot from WotC.
I’d like to see more about the prize support. But with pre-releases being a thing now, draft, limited formats. We are in for more of an MtG experience I hope.
I’ve yet to see what the Lorcana plans are for OP. But OP is the life blood of the game that along with the availability will determine if the game has legs (if we assume the game play is good).
Rotation. There has to be rotation. Which sets are legal for the Unlimited version of standard and for how long. Obviously there has to be their eternal format as well where all cards can be played. Plus how will they handle bannings? But I’m sure they will release those details in the following months.
I think if they can solve these issues then we should have a hit on our hands that won’t be more than a flash in the pan.
I have some thoughts on the first look video contents but they are for another day.
I am in agreement with you for the most part. The one thing that I have to mention in regards to “killing off” Ashes with Plaid Hat is that this happened because Plaid Hat was acquired by Asmodee – coincidentally the same giant that now owns FFG. Now, after Asmodee decided that Plaid Hat didn’t fit into its grand scheme, they sold it back to the original owners after essentially trying to destroy Ashes. If you look at Ashes: Reborn and its release schedule, you can see that they have bounced back and are doing quite well with continued production of content. The issues you are describing are a systemic issue with Asmodee, not just with FFG.
The point of all this? I am skeptical about FFG going back into the TCG line. I was not happy with KeyForge, and the company (and Asmodee as a whole) have a habit of abandoning key properties with zero warning (I give them a pass on Netrunner – it was a licensing issue with WotC) and overproducing entirely too fast on properties that are doing well, often at the expense of quality.
You also touched on a major issue I have with TCGs/CCGs – the constant rotation. Essentially, instead of a growing card pool and ever emerging strategies, there is a planned obsolescence to effectively “kill” old cards, often replacing them with new cards with different names that function identically. Overall, between this and chase rare cards, the entire enterprise seems criminal. I wish they would stick to high-quality big-box games and cooperative LCGs. And, you know, maybe have an original idea once in a while instead of relying on existing global IP.
Steve, thanks for the great reply. I can’t disagree with any of the points.
All I would say about Ashes is has it bounced back? Doesn’t seem to have much of a following apart from the odd hardcore player. No one is playing it in my local area.