The developers and publishers of *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* have firmly stated that they are not aiming to transform the game into a "full live service" model, following a backlash from the community regarding events that were perceived to promote "FOMO" or the fear of missing out. FOMO is a common strategy employed by live service games to drive player engagement and spending on time-limited virtual items, suggesting that if players don't acquire these items during their availability, they will miss out forever.
This approach is often criticized for fostering an unhealthy relationship between games and their player base. A 2021 study commissioned by the UK's GambleAware charity pointed out that many games use psychological tactics, including the fear of missing out on limited-time offers, to encourage purchases of loot boxes. While *Space Marine 2* does not include loot boxes, it introduced community events to unlock exclusive cosmetics, sparking controversy and prompting some to label the game as adopting live service elements.
AnswerSee ResultsIn response to the community's concerns, Space Marine 2's publisher, Focus Entertainment, and developer, Saber Interactive, acknowledged the "cold feedback" received since the introduction of these events. They emphasized that the items offered during these events would be made available to all players at a later date, clarifying their stance against turning the game into a full live service model. Here's their statement:
We have noted that the Community Events have received cold feedback since we introduced them as an additional way to unlock cosmetic items. We saw that many of you mentioned FOMO generated by the events. Rest assured, we are not looking to transform Space Marine 2 into a full live service game. The items available through events WILL be available later, for everyone. We want Community Events to be a way to unlock the items in advance, for the most dedicated players, and not to be a source of frustration and stress for everyone.
However, that means we must provide a smooth experience in unlocking said items, which has not been the case so far. We deeply apologize for the trouble, and are currently working on a simplified process to unlock the items, to make the experience less constraining.
To address the issues, Focus Entertainment is offering the coveted emblem-less Mk VIII Errant Helmet for free to all players who link their PROS account to *Space Marine 2*. This helmet was part of the Imperial Vigil community event, which concludes on March 3, and was previously only obtainable by achieving a victory with each of the six classes in Operations Mode before the deadline.
Players are eagerly awaiting the upcoming 7.0 update for *Space Marine 2*, which promises to introduce a new weapon, a new Operations map, and PvE Prestige Ranks. Last month, Focus and Saber addressed the community's growing frustration over content scarcity and outlined their plans for the game's future updates.
*Space Marine 2* achieved a record-breaking launch late last year, selling 5 million copies and becoming the fastest-selling Warhammer video game to date.
