This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:21:57
The video critically examines the state of live service games, focusing on the challenges and failures many titles face in an oversaturated market. Despite the industry's attempts to replicate the success of titles like "Destiny 2," many games fall short due to lack of innovation, poor engagement, and disappointing updates. Examples discussed include Capcom’s "EXO Primal," Ubisoft's "Skull and Bones," and Square Enix's "Foam Stars," all of which struggled with player retention and saw significant drops in their user bases. The video also mentions games like "Multiversus," "Redfall," and "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" that faced similar issues, highlighting the importance of continual quality content and effective marketing.
The speaker contrasts these failures with successes such as MiHoYo’s quick accumulation of downloads and Ubisoft's "X Defiant" which managed to achieve notable milestones. Sony’s ambitious plan to release multiple live service games was also scrutinized, particularly the mixed reception of "Concord" and the shutdown of "The Last of Us" online project. The video concludes that many traditional single-player game studios, like Naughty Dog, struggle to transition to live service models successfully and praises their decision to refocus on story-driven experiences.
The overarching theme is the difficulty live service games face in standing out in a crowded market, requiring a balance of innovation, consistent updates, and quality to succeed.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker reflects on the state of live service games over the past year and a half since they first discussed the issue in early 2023. They note that despite the industry’s continued efforts to emulate the success of games like Destiny 2, many live service games fail due to a lack of innovation and competitiveness. The speaker highlights the recent shutdown of Capcom’s EXO Primal, a dinosaur shooter that failed to capture enough interest. The speaker criticizes the trend of prioritizing recurring monetization over genuine, inspired ideas. They also mention the decline of Multiversus, which experienced a significant drop in player numbers shortly after its release, mirroring a previous downturn shortly after its 2022 launch.
00:03:00
In this segment, discussions focus on the decline of player engagement in various online games. The video highlights how “Multiversus” is seeing a dwindling player base, raising concerns for its viability without significant changes. Its final release was less feature-complete than the beta, causing disappointment among players. Similarly, Ubisoft’s “Skull and Bones” had less than 1 million players, including trial users, suggesting a bleak future unless a major recovery occurs, akin to Ubisoft’s prior successes with other titles.
The segment also mentions “Redfall,” which failed to capture interest due to poor marketing and disappointing reviews, leading to the shutdown of Arcane Austin by Xbox. Lastly, it notes that “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” is being given away for free on Prime Day shortly after its launch, indicating desperation and poor engagement levels for a premium live service game.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the declining player base of a game over 24 hours and mentions that recent updates have not been substantial enough to retain players. The Season 1 and Joker DLC failed to impress, revealing the developers’ struggle to maintain the game’s live service requirements. Next, the video examines “Foam Stars” by Square Enix, a game inspired by “Splatoon.” Despite not being a bad game, it lacked the refinement and personality of “Splatoon,” leading to a severe drop in its player base by April 2024. There’s speculation that an announcement regarding its service termination might be imminent.
The speaker then mentions “Rocket Arena,” a game from EA that lasted a couple of years but was shut down on March 21, 2024. Finally, they discuss Tencent’s announcement of shutting down its free-to-play shooter “Synced,” exactly one year after its release, on September 8, 2024.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the challenges faced by new games in the oversaturated market, particularly live service games. They mention “The First Descendant” as an example of a game struggling with mixed reviews and lackluster player engagement, citing statistics like a 53% approval rating on Steam and a 4.9 user score on Metacritic. The game’s competition with well-established titles like Warframe means it must continually provide substantial updates to stay relevant. The speaker contrasts this with “Destiny 2,” which remains successful and continues to draw large player numbers, highlighting the importance of consistent, high-quality content.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the success of several games and companies in the gaming industry. MiHoYo is highlighted for its ability to quickly accumulate a large number of downloads, establishing it as a reputable company. Hell Divers 2 experienced initial success with high player counts but is now seeing a decline due to infrequent content updates. X Defiant from Ubisoft has achieved notable milestones, with 11 million players, contrasting the underwhelming performance of Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones. The speaker emphasizes that for live service games to succeed, they require either excellent marketing and quality content or a unique and exciting concept to maintain player engagement.
00:15:00
In this segment, the speaker discusses the uniqueness and initial success of Helldiver, attributing its appeal to its self-aware identity and chaotic fun. However, the game’s momentum waned as the developers were unprepared for the content demands that came with its unexpected success. The topic then shifts to the genre of live service games, highlighting concerns about Sony’s game, Concord, which is seen as well-crafted but possibly arriving too late to captivate the market. The mixed reception of Concord emphasizes the challenge for live service games to capture and maintain an audience from the start. Sony’s ambitious plan to launch 12 live service games was deemed impractical, leading them to halve the number, focusing on fewer releases to avoid oversaturation. The segment concludes with an example of Sony pulling back on its online games, specifically mentioning the shutdown of The Last of Us online in December 2023 due to quality issues.
00:18:00
In this segment, the speaker discusses Naughty Dog’s decision to focus on single-player, story-driven experiences rather than shifting to live service games. The speaker reflects on the historical failures of studios specialized in single-player games when they have tried to enter the live service genre, highlighting examples like Bioware and Crystal Dynamics. They commend Naughty Dog for backing off from a large-scale live service project for The Last of Us. The speaker also critiques Sony’s ambitious plan to release 6 to 12 live service games by March 2026, suggesting this approach is overly optimistic and likely to result in many failures. They speculate that the success of upcoming projects like Concord may determine Sony’s future strategy in this area. The segment concludes by commenting on the oversaturated and risky nature of the live service market.
00:21:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the oversaturation of the market with live service games, making it challenging for any single game to stand out and succeed. They express curiosity about the future of these services and invite viewers to share their thoughts on the recent release cadence of live services, their viability, and opinions on why some succeed while others shut down. The segment ends with a call to stay tuned for more gaming news, reviews, and discussions on the channel.