Est. US Sales: 1.5M-1.7M units (as of October 16, 2020)
18-54 M/F
Console ≅ 79% (PS4/XB1)
PC ≅ 21% (Epic/Steam)
Announce to release ≅ 3 1/2 months
Star Wars: Squadrons is a good example of the shortened, digital only announce window that is always discussed when planning a release, and we should expect to see move of this from market leaders moving forward. Had there been no physical SKU the rollout window would’ve likely been even shorter.
Given the June announce timing it’s clear that there was an initial desire to capitalize on E3 , and with Covid-19 cancelling the show they decided to stay the course. Physical retailers use pre-orders to gauge their D1 demand and typically ask for at least 6 months lead time so shifting to a Gamescom announce was probably never a serious consideration when the news of E3 cancelling hit.
In our opinion, EA/Motive did a phenomenal job adjusting to the pandemic and the leak by Microsoft. They were clearly prepared and responded to the leak with level heads.
The key takeaways from this rollout are the assets, particularly the announce/gameplay trailer. Simply put, it’s best in class. It utilizes in-game footage, conveys the emotion of the Star Wars pilot experience with stunning graphics and music, and it provides all of the information a prospective player needs to understand what the game is about. If you’re in need of a reference for an announce asset, this should be at the top of your list.
Outside of the assets the rollout is very straightforward and a good execution. EA/Motive continued the conversation on a regular cadence to keep the game top of mind and ensured that the information was always fresh. Nothing was over promised in their messaging and they stuck to the October 2nd launch date. Never positioned as a “big” game, players responded well and EA/Motive has likely captured a better than expected portion of their target launch segment.
ROLLOUT OVERVIEW
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