Recently, Frontier, the company behind Elite Dangerous, announced an operating loss and a drop in share value. This has raised concerns about the future of the game, with speculation that it may enter a period of quiet in 2024 due to financial struggles and a shift in focus towards other game genres.
Frontier, the company behind Elite Dangerous, recently announced an operating loss of 26.6 million pounds for their current fiscal year. This has resulted in a significant drop in the company’s share value, causing concerns about its future. Frontier has been facing challenges, such as lower-than-expected sales for their game F1 Manager 2023 and the underperformance of their publishing arm, Frontier Foundry. The CEO of Frontier, Johnny Watts, acknowledges that the company has made poor decisions in the past and is now re-evaluating their business model.
While Frontier has expressed confidence in the future of their other games like Warhammer Age of Sigmar, there is little information about the future of Elite Dangerous. Player numbers for the game have been declining throughout 2023, reaching the lowest point in the game’s history in July. Despite the upcoming release of update 17 in October and an unconfirmed update 18, there is uncertainty about the future development of the game. Frontier is focusing on management games, and it is unclear if Elite fits into their plans.
Given the financial concerns and decline in player numbers, it is speculated that Elite Dangerous may enter a period of quiet in 2024. While it is unlikely that the game will be shut down, it is possible that update 18 could be the final update for a long time. Frontier needs to focus on profitability and may not see Elite as a top priority anymore. However, there is also a possibility that Frontier could surprise players with ongoing development and updates, as they have done in the past.
Overall, the future of Elite Dangerous is uncertain. Frontier’s financial struggles and their focus on other game genres suggest that Elite may not receive significant updates or attention in 2024. However, there is still a chance for surprise announcements or further development, which would be welcomed by the game’s dedicated community.