'The party never ends' in Splatoon-like shooter Foamstars, except it does because Square Enix is pulling the plug on new seasons – but not before a Nier: Automata crossover

Foamstars, Square Enix's Splatoon-like shooter, ends seasonal updates on January 17th with a Nier Automata crossover and final gameplay enhancements, but remains playable online. The free-to-play title is currently available on PS5 and PS4.

Anyone remember Foamstars, Square Enix's attempt to dive into Splatoon's territory? Less than a year since its release, the bubbly shooter is ironically ending seasonal support with a season called "PARTY GOES ON" and an admittedly exciting crossover with fellow Squeenix sibling Nier Automata.

Once the festive season drops on December 13 and ends on January 17, the game won't be getting any more seasonal updates, meaning that, err, the party doesn't quite go on, it just fizzles out. Foamstars will thankfully remain playable online for the foreseeable future, and the team is even holding a series of "in-game events named after each character." Previous season passes are also coming back for anyone who missed out on them the first time, and you can even switch between them whenever you like.

Party Goes On is still finishing things off with a bang, too. "In this concluding update, expansions will be introduced to enhance gameplay, such as the ability to customise shots of each character, and new enhancement elements, such as Prism Gems, all aimed at ensuring players can continue to enjoy the game for the foreseeable future," Square Enix writes in its blog. That's without even mentioning the 2B and 9S costumes coming for Soa and Gito respectively on the same day as the last season. You won't even need to pay for the sick-looking skins - they'll be fully unlockable via in-game challenges.

"Thank you so much for playing Foamstars," producer Kosuke Okatani writes in his own letter to the community. "I don't want this to sound like a final message since you will be able to continue playing the game. However I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you all once again... Throughout both the development and operational phases, we have faced many challenges. However, the support of all of you who play the game, along with the incredible fan art, has been a constant source of encouragement for the team. It's because of this support that we've been able to overcome these difficulties, always with the goal of responding to your feedback."

Foamstars was a surprisingly fun multiplayer tug-of-war game that bought hero shooting abilities and some novel twists to the Splatoon formula, so I'm sad to see it ending seasonal support before it managed to migrate over to PC at the very least. For now, it's available for free on PS5 and PS4.

In the meantime, check out the very best shooter games available right now.