Recent reports have shown that 65% of game studios are now working on live service titles. With that being said, 68% of game studios have said that they don’t have a proper pipeline for development and that they are struggling to keep up with the latest technology that is being released. Making live-service games can be a challenge for developers, but the current demand for them is providing studios with the motivation they need to expand.
What is a Live Service Game?
A live service game revolves around a multiplayer component. A lot of eSports titles are considered live service, but the scope is often very broad. Live service games also receive updates so that more content can be added, or games can be refreshed over time. Online games often have these features too, with red door roulette at Paddy Power being just one example.
The game is live, and you’ll be connected with a live dealer. The game can also be adapted over time, with different dealers. The setting can be changed on a whim, too. Games like this often come with a lot of potential, as they’re not set in stone, like a lot of traditional games. With the opportunity to add more content over time, it’s also easier to keep up its trends, meaning a single game can gain users over several years, as opposed to the steady decline often associated with new titles. With 65% of studios seeing live service games and live titles as being key to success, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them dominate the market.
Source: Pexels
2024 Could be the Year for Live Titles
2023 was rather unstable for live games. Some of them even went offline after a couple of years. Studio layoffs didn’t help either, as it caused a downward spiral for the sector. Nevertheless, there could be some positive changes happening within the market. Studios like Naughty Dog have said that working in live service is a full-time gig, and that it is difficult for a studio to do both traditional games and live variants. With that being said, this has helped to pave the way for live-only studios.
Developers who put all of their time and energy into live titles could well pave the way for the future, providing endless content for new titles while ensuring that there is a steady stream of users flooding the market.
Source: Pexels
As many game developers become more niche in their approach to developing games, due to a saturated market, it wouldn’t be surprising to see 2024 be the year for this gaming niche. Online gaming is on the rise, and when you look at broadband speeds, which are increasing by the year, the market’s primed and ready for it. eSports taking off is also fuelling the live gaming sector, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see more live developers surface in the coming years.
It’s an interesting time for the gaming sector, and by the looks of things, live service games are to become the new norm.
