70% of Developers Believe Live Service Games Are Unsustainable

Expert Verified By

Due To Competition & Players Losing Interest!

Story Highlight
  • Game Developers conducted a survey where the majority of developers were concerned about this genre’s sustainability.
  • The two major reasons for the concerns were players losing interest and market competition.
  • Developers also expressed concern about monetization practices.

Live-service gaming is just as popular as single-player gaming today. For investors and publishers, the former is more lucrative, motivating the likes of Warner Bros, EA, and PlayStation to pursue the model.

However, it is no surprise that breaking into live-service is difficult today. According to a new survey, a large number of developers are also concerned about the sustainability of this genre.

Why it matters: Players are comfortable with the already existing live service games, so developers struggle to attract audiences for new projects.

Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 Is The Latest Live-Service Hit on The Market

A survey conducted by GDC asked 600 developers about different aspects of the genre, including business models and monetization.

In this survey, it was found that 39% of the developers were concerned about sustainability, while 31% were very concerned. In total, only 30% of the developers did not have any concerns about live service.

The survey suggests that two big reasons behind their perspective include gamers losing interest and the competition. This makes it increasingly challenging to keep a live-service game going after initial success.

A game like Palworld, while not primarily live service, serves as a great example. Despite its record-breaking start, it has lost most of the initial audience that tagged along after the buzz.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Skull and Bones
Two Major Games Have Already Failed In 2024

While teams behind games like Hogwarts Legacy and Days Gone may pivot to live service, they could find it difficult to stand out.

Therefore, survival in the market would require innovations from the developers’ end. Perhaps new ways to keep gamers engaged or pocket-friendly monetization could be potential solutions.

A game like Helldivers 2 is a great example in this regard, highlighting that a basic approach is often the best one. However, developers are right to worry since failures like Suicide Squad show how one misstep can be the end of all live-service ambitions.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

First-Person Ghost Recon Game Is In Development, Confirms Ubisoft

Ubisoft has just confirmed in a shareholders meeting that a new first-person Ghost Recon game is in development.

Ubisoft Says Microtransactions Make The Gaming Experience More Fun

Ubisoft says that microtransactions in gaming make the...

Ubisoft Says Star Wars Outlaws Failed Due To Shaky Interest In Star Wars IP

The Ubisoft CEO has pointed to dwindling interest in the franchise as a key reason for the failure of Star Wars Outlaws last year.

Ubisoft Bashed By Shareholders For Including Yasuke In Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Ubisoft's recent shareholders meeting has led to the French giant receiving criticism for including Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Ubisoft’s Charlie Guillemot Strikes Down The Nepotism Blame, Despite Having Average Portfolio

Charlie Guillemot from Ubisoft has struck down the accusations of nepotism to become CEO despite having an average portfolio.