Live service games are a new phenomenon this generation. Yes, MMOs have existed previously on PC before the PS4/Xbox One, but these past few years have marked a uniquely internet-dependent console generation. As a result, games likeDestiny,Avengers,Borderlands, andThe Divisionhave been able to exist and in some cases thrive.Destiny 2in particular has seen quite the resurgence despite its ups and downs, and is now one of the most successful live service games to date.
Multiple games have tried to replicateDestiny 2’s model and success as a live service game, to varying degrees of success. Ubisoft’s dipped into the efforts withThe Division, where the first game was a solid effort butThe Division 2struggled pre and post-launch.Borderlands3continues to do quite well under its current model, even among some ups and downs. Most recently,Marvel’s Avengersmade its debut and saw mild success at launch, but has seen a severe reduction in active players. There’s certainly a few reasons why.
Live Service Games Tend to Lack Enough Launch Content
Too many live service games nowadays launch with the promise of additional content, but are never bolstered by proper starting content. This has generally been the biggest issue with every game with loot-based progression to varying degrees, with games likeAnthemand more recentlyAvengerssuffering greatly from this problem.Marvel’s Avengerseven delayed its upcoming expansion and next-gen ports out of October, despite havinga severe player shortage on PC and consoles that’s causing matchmaking issues. By comparison, that could be seen asAnthemlevels of abandonment for a live serviceAvengersgame that launched in August.
Destiny 2has succeeded and resurged partially due to the fact that the game launched with plenty of story/gameplay content. Progressing through levels matches up relatively well with the story content each season, but when the game first released, there was enough story content to keep players involved.Destiny 2’s beginning sandbox had enough staying power by dividing players between Crucible, Strikes, and even a Raid that unlocked a week after the game’s launch.Avengershasn’t even released the official AIM Lab raid yet, despite being discovered in-game early. Ambitious post-launch content plans are perfectly fine, but the launch state of a game should reflect what’s coming in later updates.
Destiny 2 Answers The Question “Why?” The Best
Another big problem with looters is the often-asked question: What are we fighting for? For games likeDestiny 2, it’s a two-pronged approach. The key draw gameplay-wise is the rarity of loot, whether it’s looking for a god-roll on a legendary or finally finishing that exotic quest players have been working towards. On the flip side of that,Destiny 2also has an extensive background of lore and storiesthat continues to expand with every new update and expansion. That dual approach for gameplay and narrative enthusiasts arguably caters to the majority ofDestiny 2’s playerbase, and is part of the reason why the game continues to thrive after three years.
Now ask the same question about a game likeAvengers,Anthem,Borderlands, orThe Division 2. Obviously a live service game can have a definitive beginning and end, that’s not a problem.Destiny 2began and ended the Cabal/Ghaul storyline all in the base game, but not without bolstering the game with plenty of interesting loot and activities. Granted, the originalDestinyhas enough pedigree that fans stuck around despiteDestiny 2’s well-documented issues early on, butthe same can’t be said for a new game likeAvengersor even a lackluster sequel likeThe Division 2. Both are examples of live service games that aren’t varied enough in their repetitive offerings.
Live Service Games Need to “Go Big, or Go Home”
Frankly, a lot of the live service games with loot-based progression have a pretty consistent problem between each of them. As nearsighted as the “go big or go home” statement is, the truth is that a lot of these live service games simply aren’t bolstering their games enough to succeed early on.Avengersgot dropped like a rockby a majority of its launch player base because, once the main story was completed, there was a perception that there was nothing left to do. Even if that’s not entirely true, if there’s not enough long-form or engaging activities to take part in after completion, the playerbase is rightfully going to drop off if they’re not having fun anymore.
Running out of things to do is the bane of the existence of many looter games. Granted,Destiny 2in 2020 now has so many activities that Bungie is vaulting several of themto make way for more inBeyond Light, yet Live service games should be striking a proper balance between enough launch contentas well aspost-launch content. It’s hard not for players to see the irony in promising a ton of cool updates for the future when they’re having trouble connecting to a session due to a lack of players.
Destiny 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are coming at launch.
