Atomic Mass Games goes into a bit of damage control after the recent Star Wars: Shatterpoint announcement.
In case you missed the news, there was a big studio announcement from Atomic Mass Games about their core game line-up. In that announcement they talked about a shift in their focus. Moving forward, Marvel: Crisis Protocol and Star Wars: Legion are considered “flagship games” while Star Wars: Shatterpoint was going to be transitioned to “a specialist core game line.”
Needless to say, fans of the game (and a lot of folks who just wanted to watch the drama) were quick to go to the “AMG kills another Star Wars Game” narrative. So, AMG is firing back with a clarifying statement.
Let us be perfectly clear. Shatterpoint is not going anywhere.
We remain fully committed to supporting and shepherding this game that continues to captivate players and bring action and excitement to their tabletops. Shatterpoint will continue to receive regular game rule updates and an annual character balance to ensure players the most enjoyable and fun experience possible. With a preview of the next Shatterpoint character rebalance to be presented during the AdeptiCon Roadmap presentation.
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Below I’m going to provide a screenshot of the entire post but I wanted to point out this particular section. AMG is saying that Star Wars: Shatterpoint is going to continue to get support and rules updates. They also talked about how they want to continue to support the global Shatterpoint community with more Organized Play support and other things like the Galactic Legends and Key Operations.
Shatterpoint’s Not Dead …Right?
On the one hand I don’t agree with the whole “Shatterpoint is Dead” narrative. On the other hand, I don’t know if I this is enough to convince me that Shatterpoint is in a healthy state either. What I mean by that is that Shatterpoint is in a really tough spot right now and I can understand why everyone is very much “doom and gloom” for the game. I’m worried about availability of Shatterpoint moving forward and I’m worried that it’s going to fade away slowly.
According to AMG, they are saying “Sequel Trilogy provides both us and the players a fantastic celebratory bookend to an incredible era.” There’s over 130 characters in the game and they are wanting to slow down the pacing and re-focus on sustainable growth for the game. Which is why they are shifting it to this “specialist core game line.”
To me, that sounds like they are mostly done with introducing new characters. And, to their credit, I think they tapped that well pretty hard. Sure, there might be more to mine but I also wonder about the process it takes to get everything approved from Disney. That’s the problem with using IP that’s licensed from another source. If you want to add a new character (or characters) it’s going to have to go through a process. And I’m betting that can take a year or two for just ONE approval.
Shoot, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were loads of things that are sitting on ice for Star Wars and Marvel: Crisis Protocol. Just waiting for the green light from Disney. And I think that’s probably a big reason why their focus has shifted. At the end of the day, if you’re a business, you need to prioritize the things that are working (Legion and MCP) and de-prioritize the things that are less effective.
Now you can make the case that “less attention from them means less attention from the customers” and yeah, it’s a whole “chicken/egg” thing. But, to continue that analogy further, if you’ve got two chickens that are laying eggs and one chicken that’s scraping by, which one are you going to feed if they each eat the same amount?
New Releases For Shatterpoint Still Planned
That said, they DID have a bunch of Shatterpoint announcements during the Ministravaganza. I noted at the time that the Shatterpoint news did feel a little light. But now we know why.
It looks like we’re getting three packs from the Sequel trilogy, and one other pack from the prequels. What’s after that? Well…I think AMG is telling us that now.
Could Star Wars: Shatterpoint be saved? I don’t know. There would have to be something big to change the perception of the game at this point. I also think AMG would have to devote a significant amount of resources to do that. There would have to be a Shatterpoint 2.0 at minimum. And I don’t even know what that would look like.
In any case, it’s fair to say that the Shatterpoint community is pretty shaken-up right now. If the game isn’t dead it’s sure not in a great spot. Will it recover? CAN it recover? Those are questions we’re going to have to wait on answers for and that waiting can be unpleasant. AMG is trying to put a positive spin it and reassure the community that the game isn’t dead. They’ve got their work cut out for them.
Atomic Mass Games Shatterpoint Transmission
Shatterpoint isn’t dead. But it’s going to need some major help if it wants to survive.
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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