F2P Star Wars: Commander is not pay-to-win, promises developer

News by Dave Owen Contributor

Published on Aug. 22, 2014

Star Wars: Commander, a new free-to-play strategy game, is released today on iOS. Since its recent announcement there has been a great deal of concern from Star Wars fans that the game is simply a pay-to-win clone of Clash of Clans. Disney Interactive promises this is not the case.

They point to the fact that players can choose to be a member of the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. Rebels will encounter the likes of Han Solo and Princess Leia, while those who choose the dark side will take control of AT-ATs and Stormtroopers.

"What we really did want to do was continue the line of innovation in the [free-to-play combat strategy game] space," Disney Interactive executive producer Nathan Etter told GameSpot. "We could have just chosen to let people play one side [but] we really wanted to invest, and differentiate the two and really give people an authentic experience across both."

Commander will also put a strong focus on story, using characters from the extended Star Wars universe as well as fan favourites. "Often, in some of these games, I can't say in all of them, but in some of these games, story isn't really a prevalent piece of the game," said Etter. "But we know we're making a game for a broad audience of Star Wars fans, and story is absolutely essential to them."

Disney Interactive claims to have made Commander free-to-play so that it could reach a wider audience. Players can spend real cash on virtual currency and Crystals that allow you to speed up the game. Etter said that all of the game content can be accessed without spending money, and that it is not designed as pay-to-win.

"We don't want, and will not let this become, a pay-to-win game," said Etter. "A lot of our game design time is spent making sure that we do have a level playing field for players."

Items bought with real money will not affect attributes and in PvP mode the game will match you up with opponents based on their skill level.

Star Wars: Commander is available to download now from the App Store.