Live Service Games
Ongoing coverage on Live Service Games.
Latest coverage
Highguard (XS) Review | VGChartz
This review of Highguard criticizes the disproportionate amount of hate directed towards games, particularly live service titles, by players who claim not to care. The author argues that this negativity, seen across both single-player and live service games, has a more detrimental impact on the industry than developers creating more live service games.
Marvel Rivals executive producer pushes back on idea that live-service scene is running out of room
Marvel Rivals executive producer Danny Koo believes there is still room for growth in the live-service game market, despite the crowded landscape. He argues that the hero shooter genre is a niche within the larger shooter category and that global markets offer ample opportunity for new titles. Koo emphasizes the importance of unique offerings, strong live service support, and thorough player testing for games entering the competitive space.
Marathon Review-In-Progress - Incredible Highs, Painful Lows
Bungie's Marathon is a highly engaging extraction shooter that excels at creating tense, personality-filled battles. The game features a deep faction and loot system that encourages character progression, even after losses. While the user interface can be overwhelming and the single-contract system frustrating, the core gunplay and overall experience are strong, with future content updates expected to further enhance the live-service offering.
Fortnite is making its original Save the World mode free-to-play as Epic readjusts prices and tries to deal with dwindling engagement
Epic Games is making Fortnite's original Save the World mode free-to-play starting April 16th due to dwindling engagement. This move aims to revitalize interest in the game, which has seen its battle royale mode's popularity slowly decline despite ongoing expansions and collaborations. Rewards are being offered for player registration milestones.
Bungie’s Latest Marathon Patch Reduces NPC Difficulty After Player Feedback
Bungie has released patch 1.0.0.4 for their extraction shooter Marathon, reducing the difficulty of NPC enemies following player feedback. The update also increases the spawn rate of Med Cabinets and Munitions Crates on the Perimeter map, provides more starting ammo for daily loadouts, and improves the visibility range for contract objectives. These changes aim to create a fairer gameplay experience and address community concerns.
Marathon's latest update fixes just about everything you had on your wishlist (no, seriously)
Bungie has released a significant update for Marathon, addressing player feedback on difficulty and resource management. The 1.0.0.4 update increases the spawn rate of Med Cabinets and Munitions Crates, boosts starting ammo for certain kits, and reduces enemy health and shield values. Additionally, weapon range adjustments have been implemented to improve player experience in this extraction shooter.
RE Requiem's Launch Day Can't Match The Live-Service Heavy-Hitters
Resident Evil Requiem's launch player numbers did not reach the heights of established live-service titles like NBA 2K26, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike 2. While the game charted on PC and consoles, its performance was outshone by games with consistent player engagement, with the Marathon Server Slam test also appearing on multiple platform charts.
Games Inbox: Should Capcom remake Resident Evil 6?
This collection of reader letters discusses various gaming topics, including the potential for a Resident Evil 6 remake, the rising cost of amiibo figures, and the future of Xbox's hardware strategy. Other points of discussion include the design of Nintendo's Virtual Boy games, the marketing of Fortnite, and the perceived lack of major releases from Naughty Dog this generation.
Marvel Rivals devs couldn't help but "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard: "It's not guaranteed"
Developers at NetEase expressed 'panic' about releasing their live-service hero shooter Marvel Rivals in 2024, given the recent failure of PlayStation's Concord. The team is focused on avoiding the pitfalls that led to the demise of other live-service games.
Why did Dispatch's devs push through to make it despite initial disinterest from investors? "Arrogance and stupidity"
AdHoc Studio's creative directors Nick Hermand and Dennis Lenart discussed the challenges of funding their narrative-heavy singleplayer game, Dispatch. Despite investor disinterest in the genre, the studio proceeded with development, driven by their belief in the project and their experience from Telltale Games.
Making Dispatch was motivated by 'a mix of arrogance and stupidity,' its creative directors say
Creative directors Nick Hermand and Dennis Lenart of AdHoc Studio discussed the development of their successful narrative superhero game, Dispatch. They admitted that the project was driven by a mix of 'arrogance and stupidity' as the industry was skeptical of single-player games in the ascendant live service era. Despite industry doubts, Dispatch achieved over 3 million sales by the end of 2025 and maintains a 97% positive rating on Steam.
Overwatch senior dev says using Steam player counts to dunk on multi-platform releases like Marathon is "big…
Overwatch senior designer Dylan Snyder and Warframe creative director Rebecca Ford have commented on the scrutiny of Steam player counts for multi-platform games like Marathon. They argue that Steam player data alone is not a definitive measure of a game's success, especially for titles available on multiple platforms or through different launchers like Battle.net. The discussion highlights the increasing competition and saturation in the PC gaming market.
Marathon's Outpost is an extraction map masterclass that has me even more excited for Cryo Archive
The Outpost map in Marathon is highlighted as a masterclass in extraction shooter map design, featuring intricate POIs, a multi-layered layout with the Pinwheel area, and dynamic environmental hazards like Heat Cascade. This design sets a high bar for the upcoming Cryo Archive expansion, which is expected to further showcase Bungie's design capabilities with puzzles and a new boss.
Arc Raiders is handing out loadout refunds for last week's server issues: 'This outage impacted a large number of players, so we are making an exception'
Embark Studios is issuing loadout refunds in Arc Raiders due to recent server issues that caused players to lose gear after successful runs. The developer acknowledged the widespread impact of the outages and is making an exception for affected players. The latest patch also introduces new character customization options.
As the Marathon player count discourse reaches peak stupidity, Warframe and Overwatch devs speak up in solidarity: 'This is big unemployed, maidenless behavior'
Developers from Warframe and Overwatch have spoken out against the intense scrutiny of Marathon's player count on Steam, calling it "unemployed, maidenless behavior." Rebecca Ford of Warframe highlighted the increased competition in the market since the game's launch, while Dylan Snyder of Overwatch pointed out the limitations of using SteamDB for player count analysis. The discussion touches on the challenges faced by new live service games in a crowded market.
Is Marathon Heading for the Same Fate as Concord and Highguard? | Invision Game Community
The article analyzes the challenges faced by new live-service multiplayer shooters, using Concord and Highguard as examples of recent failures. It discusses how Marathon, Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter, faces similar retention hurdles despite initial testing interest, and its success hinges on Bungie's experience with Destiny 2 and creating a compelling gameplay loop.
Don Daglow and Rebecca Ann Heineman to be honored at 2026 GDCAs
Don Daglow and Rebecca Ann Heineman will be honored at the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards. The article also discusses Sony's shift towards live service games, leading to the cancellation of multiple projects, and speculates on the timeline for the PlayStation 6 and upcoming Xbox console.
The craft of voice acting with Jennifer Hale
Voice actress Jennifer Hale's work is discussed in the context of Sony's shift towards live service games, leading to the cancellation of multiple titles. The article also touches upon the speculated release timelines for the PlayStation 6 and Xbox's next-generation console, Project Helix.
EA confirms layoffs for Battlefield Studios, even with Battlefield 6’s record sales
Electronic Arts has confirmed layoffs affecting its combined Battlefield Studios teams, including DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect, and Motive Studios. Despite record sales for Battlefield 6, the company cited a "realignment" to better focus on community priorities. The scale of the layoffs is unknown, but the news comes amid broader industry trends of job cuts and concerns about post-launch support for live service games.
Bungie has learned its lesson about vaulting content in Destiny 2 and won't be so cruel with Marathon: 'It…
Bungie has learned from the controversial Destiny Content Vault and intends to avoid similar practices with its upcoming game, Marathon. Creative director Julia Nardin stated that Marathon's lore and world-building will not be removed, unlike chunks of Destiny 2. The studio is exploring how to manage seasonal content resets and a growing catalogue of contracts without alienating players.
