- Live services are a popular method of monetizing video games.
- In a recent report, their part in boosting the games industry was highlighted.
- Due to this report, it seems likely that more and more games will use the model for monetization.
Live services are something that gamers just have to deal with these days. Despite not doing much to move the industry forward, the monetization model is pretty much everywhere.
Even during the recent pandemic, the games industry has continued to grow. Part of this is due to the popularity of the Nintendo Switch. But, another part of it is due to the success of live services.
If you thought that this monetization model was popular before, then get ready for it to explode everywhere.
Live Services Are Too Successful
Arguably, the first truly successful live service game was World of Warcraft, even though it wasn’t called that at the time. Many other companies tried to create MMOs with subscriptions that could leach off of WOWs success.
If you’re not aware, almost none of those games succeeded. There’s no room in the world for that many endless games that require you to give them money constantly. You might start to understand the problem that live services now face.
This latest report is sure to entice more companies into trying out this model. And that’s almost certainly going to lead to oversaturation, especially once the pandemic is over.
The Gaming Landscape Is Going to Change
The report highlights the effect that the pandemic has had on the market.
I think it really shows the power of live service games, and how the market is positively reacting to titles that continue to do content updates and those that support social activities, particularly at this time.
If that last part is true, then when the world gets back to normal, things are going to swing back in the other direction. This would be bad enough in a typical scenario, but if there’s a surge to invest in live services, we could see a massive crash.
Hopefully, developers and publishers will be cautious with their approach to this monetization model. If not, we might end up with another ‘Crash of 83’ situation on our hands.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.