It’s been quite some time since I immersed myself in a milsim, but the recent efforts by Offworld Industries to breathe new life into its WW2 offshoot of Squad have me eager to clear my schedule. Post Scriptum (2018) has now been fully taken under the wing of Offworld Industries, the publisher and developer of Squad, who has rebranded it to better convey the experience: Squad, but set in 1944.
The revitalization effort goes beyond just a new name. In a substantial update released yesterday, two new factions—the Greeks and Aussies—have been introduced, along with a new map called The Battle of Rethymno and a variety of balancing changes. Seven new weapons, including the Brixia Mortar, FN1922 pistol, M1895 pistol, Männlicher 1903 rifle, Männlicher 1903 carbine rifle, Männlicher 1903-14 rifle, and MLE 1874 rifle, have also been added.
The positive feedback is already circulating around the update, with Squad 44 experiencing its highest player count in years. Notably, Squad 44 differentiates itself from the typical live service game model—no battle pass, no premium store, and currently, no plans to charge players for additional maps or factions, at least for now.
Squad 44 essentially provides the Squad experience with a WW2 twist. Although initially developed by an external studio, Periscope Games, Post Scriptum had always been a Squad game at its core, featuring a near-identical UI, logistic systems, and similar weapon handling as its modern-day counterpart. Despite its initial release in 2018, the game failed to reach the same heights as Squad and later faced competition from another WW2 FPS, Hell Let Loose. Under Periscope’s management, Post Scriptum had not received an update since early 2023.
With Periscope Games out of the picture, Offworld Industries, potentially occupied with its Starship Troopers co-op FPS, has enlisted Mercury Arts. This team, formed by members of the Post Scriptum modding community, is now in charge of Squad 44.
The rebranding may also indicate a shift towards Squad 44 adopting a model more akin to Squad. After years of pledging no paid DLC in Squad, Offworld introduced paid cosmetics this year to ensure ongoing development funding. While initially met with resistance from the milsim community, Squad’s player base seems to have adapted. It remains to be seen whether Squad 44’s players will undergo a similar adjustment.
Squad 44 is currently available on Steam.
