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 ongoing decline of live service games, highlighting a trend of new releases failing to match the success of established titles like "Destiny 2." Various games, such as Capcom's "EXO Primal," "Multiverses," Ubisoft's "Skull and Bones," "Redfall," and "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League," are cited as examples of this trend, each suffering from issues like lackluster updates, competition with better-established games, or failure to meet player expectations.
Games like "Foam Stars" and "Rocket Arena" from Square Enix and EA, respectively, are discussed, having faced player base declines and eventual shutdowns, mirroring the challenges faced by Tencent's "Synced." The video stresses the importance of quality updates and strategic marketing, mentioning successful models like "Destiny 2" and MiHoYo's "Zena Zone Zero." Titles such as "The First Descendant," "Hell Divers 2," and Ubisoft's "X Defiant" are analyzed for their potential sustainability issues amid fierce competition.
The strategic approaches of companies like PlayStation and Naughty Dog are questioned, particularly PlayStation's plan to release multiple live service games, which the speaker fears might backfire due to market saturation and quality issues. The video ends on a reflective note, suggesting that the future of live service games depends heavily on developers' ability to produce engaging and sustained content.
00:00:00
In this segment of the video, the creator discusses the ongoing decline of live service games, noting that the situation has not improved since their previous video in February 2023. Despite the industry’s rush to replicate the success of games like Destiny 2, many new releases fail due to either uninspired concepts or an inability to compete with existing standards. The recent shutdown of Capcom’s “EXO Primal,” a dinosaur shooter game, serves as a case in point. The video highlights how this trend is detrimental, often leading to wasted time and resources, particularly at the expense of developers. The creator then shifts focus to the game “Multiverses,” which has experienced a significant decline in player numbers, indicative of a broader pattern affecting live service games.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the discussion focuses on the declining player base of live service games and their struggles. Multiverses is highlighted as an example, with its player count dropping due to a final release that was less feature-complete and more problematic than its beta version. Issues raised include insufficient improvements and its inability to compete with games like Super Smash Brothers.
The segment then shifts to Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones, which had less than one million players, including free trial players. There’s skepticism about its longevity unless Ubisoft can engineer a significant comeback akin to For Honor or Rainbow Six Siege.
Redfall is next, with its final update and the shutdown of Arcane Austin signaling the end of the game. Despite adding an offline mode in its last update, the game was largely unsuccessful, attracting negative reviews and insufficient player engagement.
Lastly, the segment touches on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League being offered for free on Prime Day, which is seen as a desperate move for a premium-priced live service game with a low active player base.
00:06:00
In this segment, the creator discusses the challenges and failures faced by several online games. They mention a particular game struggling with updates that fail to engage players, resulting in a decline in the player base. The Season 1 and Joker DLC for this game were poorly received, highlighting the developers’ inability to produce substantial content. Next, the creator talks about “Foam Stars” from Square Enix, which was inspired by Splatoon but failed to capture players’ interest, leading to a significant drop in its player base. They speculate that the game might soon be discontinued. Following this, “Rocket Arena” from EA is mentioned; despite lasting a few years, it was shut down on March 21, 2024. Finally, the segment notes that Tencent announced the shutdown of their free-to-play shooter “Synced” just a year after its release, with the closure scheduled for September 8, 2024.
00:09:00
In this segment, the speaker discusses the challenges faced by the game “The First Descendant” in the saturated market of live service games. They note that despite some marketing efforts, the game has received mixed reviews (53% on Steam, 57% from critic reviews on Metacritic, and a 4.9 user score on Metacritic). The game’s struggle is attributed to its grindy gameplay and tough competition from well-established games like “Warframe”. The speaker suggests that unless “The First Descendant” can release high-quality updates consistently, its player numbers may decline quickly. The segment also mentions “Destiny 2” as a successful example in the genre, highlighting its peak player numbers and the positive reception of its latest DLC, “The Final Shape”.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the discussion focuses on the strong position of MiHoYo as a game developer, highlighting the success of their games like Zena Zone Zero, which garnered 50 million downloads rapidly. The speaker mentions Hell Divers 2, which initially saw a high player count but is experiencing a decline due to insufficient content updates. They suggest an expansion is needed to rejuvenate player interest. Additionally, X Defiant from Ubisoft is covered, noting its 11 million player reach, with an emphasis on how well it could do if Ubisoft supports it similarly to Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor. The segment concludes by discussing the challenges and strategies of entering the live service game market, emphasizing the importance of quality content and effective marketing.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the game “Helldiver,” highlighting its unique identity and the fun chaos it brought to play sessions, along with its unexpected success and subsequent decline due to developers’ unpreparedness for sustained content release. The speaker then transitions to “Concord,” expressing concerns over its late entry into the market and mixed reception. The fear is that if a live service game does not stand out and capture an audience immediately, it risks failure. PlayStation’s strategy is also examined; originally planning to release 12 live service games, they have since scaled back, realizing the saturation from a single company could be detrimental. An example of this shift is noted with the shutdown of “The Last of Us” online in December 2023 due to quality issues.
00:18:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses Naughty Dog’s decision to focus on single-player, story-driven experiences rather than venturing into live service games. They highlight the pitfalls encountered by studios like BioWare, Crystal Dynamics, and Arkane Austin when transitioning to the live service genre, which is dominated by companies with extensive experience in maintaining these types of games. The speaker questions Sony’s strategy of planning to release 6 to 12 live service games by March 2026, expressing skepticism about the success of such an approach. They suggest that attempting too many projects without careful consideration is likely to result in failures, referencing the upcoming game “Concord” as a potential indicator of whether this strategy might work. The segment concludes with a reflection on the saturation of the live service market and the likelihood of many projects failing.
00:21:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the increasing saturation of the market with live service games and the resulting challenges for individual games to stand out and succeed. They express curiosity about the future of these services over the next few years and invite viewers to share their thoughts on the viability of the current release cadence of live services, which ones are successful, and opinions on the numerous shutdowns. The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to stay updated on gaming news, reviews, and discussions on their channel.