Live Service
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MMO Week in Review: Way too early access
This week's MMO news covers the early access launch of Stars Reach, which some consider premature. Other highlights include a look at Guild Wars 3's Kodan, Daybreak's acquisition of Cold Iron Studios, new content for EverQuest Legends, and an analysis of the survival game Stormforge. The article also touches on various other MMO updates, rumors, and industry discussions.
Helldivers 2 Has Reached Nearly 23 Million Players in Its Lifetime
Helldivers 2 has surpassed 22.9 million players across PlayStation 5 and PC since its February 2024 launch. Sony Interactive Entertainment highlighted this milestone, noting its success as PlayStation's most profitable live-service title, despite Arrowhead Game Studios not being a first-party developer. The game also recently arrived on Xbox Series X/S in August 2025.
Riot Games tag-fighter 2XKO to shutter development later this year
Riot Games has announced that active development for its tag-fighter 2XKO will cease by December 2026. Despite a dedicated community, the game has not achieved the player engagement necessary for long-term sustainability. While new content, including two champions, will be released through the end of 2026, the game will remain online with servers supported after active development concludes.
The First Descendant launches S4E1 with a new storyline, mega dungeon, and Descendant Raven
Nexon has launched Season 4 Episode 1 for its multiplayer title, The First Descendant. This update introduces a new storyline focusing on the final showdown with archenemy Karel, a new mega dungeon called Karel's Mothership, and a new playable character named Raven. The season also brings a new Conquest mode, transcendent weapon system, roguelike Trials mode, and character revamps.
'I would love that but we're cheap and poor': Jeff Kaplan speeds through everything players should know about his upcoming cowboy survival game, The Legend of California
Jeff Kaplan provided details about Kintsugiyama's upcoming open-world survival game, The Legend of California, set in gold-rush-era California. The game will feature a sandbox world with activities like trading, fishing, and ranch building, supporting up to 100 players on public servers with monthly resets. Kaplan also discussed potential future features like holiday events and pets, while acknowledging the game's current financial limitations.
Fallout 76 is launching The Slasher and legacy seasons on September 15
Fallout 76 is introducing a new content structure starting September 15 with 'The Slasher' event, which includes hunting clues, fighting fanatics, and a chance to earn unique Power Armor. The update also brings improvements for Xbox, unique weapon crafting, and 'Legacy Seasons' allowing players to revisit and earn rewards from past seasons.
Tactical co-op title Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being retooled after disappointing feedback
Sony Interactive Entertainment is reportedly retooling the tactical co-op title Horizon Hunters Gathering due to negative feedback from playtests. The game, initially planned as a live service multiplayer experience, will have its scope reduced, and there's a possibility of cancellation if it doesn't meet Sony's expectations by year's end. Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMORPG from the same IP, is also in development by NCsoft.
Former Arkane vets' new studio isn't going to try 'trend chasing', and in hindsight, thank God
Harvey Smith and Ben Horne, former Arkane developers, have founded a new studio called Black Pony Immersive. They aim to avoid chasing industry trends and instead focus on creating immersive sim games that excite them and their target audience, citing the continued cultural and financial success of titles like BioShock and Dishonored as evidence of the genre's viability.
ARC Raiders Update Brings The Second Chapter of Its Phantom Targets Project
ARC Raiders has released update 1.42.0, continuing the Phantom Targets Project with the second chapter. This update introduces new information regarding mysterious Phantoms and erratically behaving Wasps carrying unidentified tech. The game also celebrated strong Q2 2026 sales numbers and is progressing towards its next major update, Frozen Trail, scheduled for October 8th.
Konami’s Castlevania relaunch will be delisted and removed before the popular side-scroller gets the chance to…
Konami is delisting Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls from Apple Arcade on September 3, 2026, after which its servers will shut down, rendering the game unplayable. The action-RPG, which launched in September 2021, featured live-service elements like co-op and PvP. The article also briefly mentions the upcoming Castlevania: Belmont's Curse.
Amazon gives up on MMOs, hands Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty to the original devs instead of shutting them down like…
Amazon Game Studios is stepping away from live operations for the MMOs Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty, handing control back to their original developers, Smilegate and FirstSpark Games/NC, respectively. This transition is set to occur in early 2027 for Lost Ark and Q4 2026 for Throne and Liberty, aiming for a smooth handover with minimal disruption to players on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Crimson Desert getting a Switch 2 release, and Pearl Abyss sees "significant potential" for multiplayer, with "live service operation models" mentioned
Pearl Abyss has confirmed that Crimson Desert will be released on the Nintendo Switch 2, targeting the first half of 2027, and is exploring significant potential for multiplayer and live service operation models. The company is conducting extensive research into integrating these features, aiming to extend the IP's lifecycle. Additionally, a DLC for Crimson Desert is planned for release within the current year.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Review – Here Comes A New Challenger
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls offers a stylish and deep fighting game experience from Arc System Works, combining Marvel's characters with fast-paced combat. While the game features engaging mechanics and a compelling story mode, the PC version suffers from significant optimization issues and rollback netcode problems, impacting the overall experience. Despite these technical flaws, the game is recommended for its fun gameplay and presentation, especially the superior PlayStation 5 version.
After Stellar Blade: Blood Rain reveal, Shift Up says its other "AAA-class" game will be revealed this year, and as a "live-service experience" it's closer to its first RPG
Shift Up plans to officially unveil its AAA-class game, codenamed Project Spirits, in the second half of this year. This cross-platform live-service title is described as an 'Eastern fantasy' experience, building on the developer's accumulated live-service expertise from games like Goddess of Victory: Nikke.
Last Epoch drops a teaser trailer for October 1’s Season 5: Rage of the Frostborn
Eleventh Hour Games has announced that Last Epoch's fifth season, titled Rage of the Frostborn, will launch on October 1st. The season will feature an ice and blood-themed antagonist, though player reception has been mixed due to the two-month gap between seasons.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls gets new PC patch as game launch goes badly
Arc System Works has released a PC patch for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls to address performance and stability issues that plagued its launch. Despite the update, the game has received 'Mostly Negative' ratings on Steam, with player counts significantly lower than other major fighting titles. Sony Interactive Entertainment's PC port history and the game's live service nature are also discussed as potential factors.
Analyst: AI-focused M&A deals are "weakening" the games investment landscape
An S&P Global Market Intelligence report indicates a weakening investment landscape for the games industry, with capital increasingly directed towards AI-focused deals. Analysts note that investors recognize low revenue growth and compressed margins in gaming, leading them to keep funds on the sidelines. This shift, coupled with a focus on live services and play-to-earn models, could make it difficult for traditional PC and console development teams to secure financing.
Fans call out Star Citizen’s live preview of Siege of Orison as a bug-riddled and cringe-inducing mess
A recent Star Citizen Live preview of the Siege of Orison encounter was heavily criticized by players for its numerous bugs, poor performance, and unready state. The demonstration, featuring Cloud Imperium Games developers, suffered from low framerates, inattentive AI, and desync issues, leading to player concerns about the game's direction and the company's transparency after 14 years of development and over $1 billion in crowdfunding.
Why there’ll be no Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls review from us this week
Reviews for Sony's new fighting game, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, will not be available this week as reviewers, including the author, received codes at the game's launch time. Sony attributes the delay to the game being a 'live service title,' a description the author finds unusual for a full-price fighting game. While the PlayStation 5 version performed well in beta, the PC version faced criticism for performance issues.
Halo On PS5 Is Off To A Slow Start, Expert Says
Halo: Campaign Evolved is experiencing a slow sales start on PlayStation 5, with analyst Rhys Elliott estimating around 351,000 copies sold in July. Elliott attributes the slow uptake partly to the $50 price point for a graphical update of a 2001 game, especially without multiplayer. The game's performance on PlayStation 5 contrasts sharply with significantly higher sales on PC and Xbox, and also with the success of older Call of Duty ports on PlayStation.