The upcoming Star Wars Squadrons game will launch for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam, Origin, and Epic Games Store) on 2 October 2020, but unlike previous EA Star Wars games like 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 or 2019’s Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, it won’t be selling at a premium AAA title price.

In the US, Star Wars Squadrons only costs US$40, while here in Malaysia, it’s already available to pre-order at just RM159 on both Steam and the PlayStation Store.

In an interview with GameSpot, COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen explain why it’s cheaper than recent Star Wars games.

“We always look at the games and we want to make sure we are providing the greatest value for our players.

And, you know, games all have [a] different scale, and most of our games right now have [a] huge scale.

We designed [Squadrons] to really focus on what we heard from consumers, which is one of their greatest fantasies, and that’s to be able to fly an X-Wing fighter, a Tie Fighter, and be in a dogfight.

And so it doesn’t have the breadth of some of our games, but it is still an incredible game, and so that’s why we chose to price it at a slightly lower level, to also allow access to as many people as possible who have that Star Wars fantasy.

I think you’ve seen us over the years differentiate pricing on lots of games.

We’ve differentiated pricing on things like Plants vs. Zombies games because we knew that they were skewed to younger audiences, for example, or maybe didn’t have the depth of all of the game modes that you might see in a FIFA or Madden.”

Essentially, the game won’t feature the same amount or scale of content as other more expensive games, as it is more focused on a specific experience; that of piloting a starship in dogfights. The price will help players keep their expectations in check, though it’s clear how smaller the experience will be at this point in time.

In Star Wars Squadrons, players can look forward to 5v5 multiplayer space battles and a singleplayer campaign, where players will learn what it means to be a pilot as they battle from the alternating perspectives of two customizable pilots, one serving in the New Republic’s heroic Vanguard Squadron, while the other fights for the Galactic Empire’s fearsome Titan Squadron.

They will also be able to visit new locations like the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan. The game will feature cosmetic and gameplay customization options with rewards and bonuses that are earned solely through gameplay. As players move up the ranks, they’ll earn components such as weapons, hulls, engines and shields to customize the performance of their starfighters; and gain cosmetic items to customize their cockpit, ship exteriors, and appearance of their pilot.

In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0eRkhR1z6A&w=560&h=315]