Over the years, there’ve been various red flags in gaming, for me at least. Multi-media. Full-Motion Video. Day-One DLC. Microtransactions. The latest one is Live Service Game. I find the idea repulsive because it immediately tells me this is an online-required affair, even if it doesn’t warrant it. There’s no reason for some games to require an internet connection when the vast majority of activities they provide can be done in a single-player fashion. So I suspect Live Service Game to be less of a commitment to truly providing updated worthwhile content and more about DRM. Instead of imposing Denuvo or some other loathed 3rd party layer on your software, why not just require internet regardless of whether it brings value to customer?
What do you think about Live Service Games? Do you prefer them to traditional games that ship finished, with potential expansions and DLC to follow later?
Very much so, because to me it openly announces that the game is centered in its design about something between:
- Microtransactions
- Extrinsic motivation
- FOMO
None of those are a good story, great characters, good world building or good intrinsic gameplay design. And they don’t need to be for a live service game, but it also means it’s inherently worse as a game than the same underlying idea not developed as a money squeeze service.
I find the word “service” off-putting. I want to buy things outright and own them. I do not want recurring fees.
Live service comes across as life service. A game made to monopolize my time and become a significant part of my life by using addictive systems. By the very nature of enjoying the variety of games, it will immediately turn me off a game.
I don’t mind if they need to patch the game after launch to fix issues. you can only find so much with a QA team, the mass market is really helpful for finding issues you’d never be able to find as a team of 20 or 50 if they’re being generous.
I do absolutely despise live-service games with no choice for offline play. Diablo 4 is a more recent, prime example of this. servers went offline for a day or two IIRC, no one could play the game they payed money for, at a premium price at that. the biggest issue is that it puts a life-span on your games and I don’t think any media should have that.
I simply don’t buy live service games. I hate them
On one hand constant updates and continuing a games longevity can be nice, but in reality it usually just means fomo which I despise.
I have nothing against mmo/live/gaas games but the quality is never there to justify it. If anything gaas have less content than a singleplayer offline game. It’s a total bait and switch.
I don’t have a problem with the core concept since it can technically be done well (Fortnite, despite it not appealing to me personally) but since everyone wants the “live service” staying power and money without putting in the “live service” effort it’s become a red flag to me to prepare for an unfinished, buggy, likely money-grubbing “game” with a shaky future - case in point, Halo Infinite’s campaign pretty much going nowhere and being Act 1 of what will be pretty much nothing now since all the campaign staff went bye-bye.
Man, Infinite’s campaign was such a disappointment. Halo to me was always about the big set pieces and new locations. Infinite had 2 locations essentially the whole game, not to mention the non story that happens mostly off screen. It’s too bad because the grapple hook was one of the best additions to Halo since Bungie but you don’t have anything fun to actually play with it.
Honestly 99% of the time “early access” is just a red flag now
In anno 1800 (which is the only game I’ve played with denuvo) it still needs to have a connection to the ubisoft servers to run, so live service isn’t just about dodging 3rd party drm
That’s terrible. :(
its perfect really, they all should put it front and center! cause it tells me right of the bat i i never should touch said product, its a money saver really.
Theoretically it’s not a turnoff: for example, I was fine with paying the subscription for World of Warcraft back in 2007. But in practice I know what it means today, and that means being psychologically manipulated and crit in the wallet, so hell freakin no.
I actually am in favour of government legislation against them since they generally appeal to the young, who are essentially psychologically defenceless against most of the trickery. I don’t quite think they’re “spiritual opium” as the PRC would say, but the line was crossed long ago
After Destiny, yup. The term’s become synonymous with “increasingly-higher wallet drain with increasingly diminished returns over time, and we’re still gonna need a fully-staffed cosmetic shop and battle pass to get the last couple dollars we didn’t hoover out of you with the season pass’s cost”.
I don’t have the long term attention span demanded of live service games, since once I’m done with a game I move on.
Live service games/ games a service are an automatic no from me. Too many have little to no content, constant delays on content, a dying community, or ridden with predatory monetization. Not to mention I dont like to pay for games that i cant play when the servers go down.
I just stopped buying main stream games for the most part. Indie games is where it is at. Often better gameplay loop and comes at a better price and I would rather see my money going to creative people instead of some greedy CEO.
Live service is a no from me.
Well said, I definitely lean towards indie with the occasional Fromsoft/Larian/Bethesda purchase
