Welp Snooze has finally lost it, I’m breaking loose and I’m writing an article that has nothing to do with sex AND is on the longer side. Think of it as trying to slide onto Santa’s nice list at the last second. I wanted to cover this update about the anime kinda soccer game Omega Strikers. Omega Strikers is a fast-paced, competitive spin on a traditional soccer game where teams of 3v3 battle it out on the field with strikers of their choice. It was released in September of 2022 and sometime shortly after that my friend showed it to me one day on a whim. While I sucked donkey dick at it, I could still appreciate the artistry behind the game. It had that feeling when I first played League of Legends where I didn’t understand what was happening or who exactly was doing what, but I could tell there was a deep ecosystem of character abilities and playstyles all coming together to make each match a little different. After playing the game with my friend though I later uninstalled it after a few weeks, because I could tell it would take some good effort for me to become decent at the game and fully enjoy it and I have enough training to do with fighting games. Fast forward to 2023 and on November 3rd the developer team, Odyssey, posted an update video:

For those not wanting to watch the whole thing, essentially the team has come forward to say the game is costing more to continue building and maintaining then they are earning from it, and that this November and December will contain the final main updates to the game (strikers, battle pass, skins) and that moving into next year only balance patches will release as they shift their focus to other games using the characters from the Omega Strikers universe. I was absolutely flabbergasted. While I didn’t follow the game closely I always thought it was doing great in the background in the same way I don’t participate in Rocket League but I always hear about its continued success. The devs were very transparent and stated that despite updates and a strong core community, they were having trouble attracting new players (and then KEEPING them). They claimed most people would download the game, try it out, and then drop it a few weeks later. So uh, I’m guilty as charged on that one I’m afraid. After hearing their perspective it made complete sense.

Like I said, I could tell from a few minutes of gameplay that this game offered a unique and quality experience, but an experience that would require weeks to even months of training and playing to truly build a competent understanding of the mechanics and strategies one needs to succeed. These days there are so many free fucking games that offer regular updates, most people find one or two to stick with and give up on the rest over time. I was playing Honkai Star Rail for the vast majority of this year, but about a month ago realized I had to pull the plug. There were just too many other free games that weren’t as grindy out there. And that was a game you could learn in a couple of days! I can completely visualize how many people couldn’t find the time to invest in Omega Strikers despite best efforts from the devs to promote the game. Odyssey collabed with popular streamers, worked with Nintendo, and even hired Studio Trigger to do their opening animation so it’s not like they were cheaping out on the marketing expenditures. It simply wasn’t enough to convince players to stick around for a few weeks to learn the deeper elements of the gameplay of the title when the gaming market this year has been so competitive both with free games and paid.

One good spike in May appears to be it.

I’m really sad to see progress halt on Omega Strikers because I can tangibly feel the passion and effort behind it. I want to live in an anime world where if you work hard and make a quality product, you are rewarded with a successful career. But this story reminded me that sometimes you just have to do your best and pray to get picked up by a TikTok algorithm. Odyssey is one of the most transparent and honest devs I’ve seen in a hot minute so I hope their next ventures are more successful for them and keep the employees, uh, employed. Have you heard of Omega Strikers? Did you realize they were struggling? Have you enjoyed a project that had to stop updating or shut down due to a lack of player interest? Pick your striker, steal the ball, and shoot to score in the comments below!