It has been a month into 2023 and we are witnessing a spate of live-service games announcing their closure. Live-service games are those that are updated constantly and are known for their longevity and revenue generation capabilities, such as Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone, Genshin Impact and others. However, in the past week alone, we have seen announcements of closures from games such as Apex Legends Mobile, Battlefield Mobile, Rumbleverse, CrossfireX, and Knockout City. This is not an isolated trend, as several other live-service games have been shutting down since the start of the year, with Marvel’s Avengers planning to follow suit by the end.
It is difficult to see these games that had developers who put in so much effort and care into them, close down. The letter written by the Iron Galaxy developers for the Rumbleverse community highlights the passion and dedication that goes into creating these games and the hope of creating a vibrant online multiplayer gaming community. But live-service games are crucial for the survival of large publishers who rely on a constant stream of revenue from a successful game.
The CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, recently acknowledged the industry’s shift towards mega-brands and everlasting live games, and the company’s strategy to transform its biggest brands into global phenomena across platforms and business models. However, not all live-service games can become the biggest brand, and many games like Babylon’s Fall are closing quickly after launch. This puts immense pressure on live-service games to perform and become long-lasting, leading to the closure of many games that did not meet these expectations.
Whilst it is disheartening to see these games disappear into gaming history, it is important to remember that not all games have to be forever games. We hope that some games can have the chance to survive and thrive for the communities that connect with them, just like Back 4 Blood has (despite development being halted on this game too). The closure of these games raises questions about our ability to preserve and commemorate the medium and highlights the need for a sustainable and more patient approach to game development and support.