95% of video game studios across the globe are currently developing or maintaining a live service game, according to a report published by Griffin Gaming Partners (thanks GamesIndustry.biz). This survey, in partnership with Rendered VC, was done on 537 studios worldwide.
Titled ‘The 2023 Game Development Report’, this document spotlights another interesting phenomenon that 66% of the studios agreed on live service games being necessary for long-term title success. As a yardstick, the report notes traditional game development to be two to three years long, while production of live service games lasts more than five years.
The report says,
“Multi-year game development forms production processes and pipelines that are intended to deliver a few key milestones in what is essentially a waterfall process. Production in live services, however, is a constant state of planning & adjusting game parameters to enhance player experience while designing and deploying new features to add new player value.”
The video game industry has largely pivoted into the live service direction in the last few years, with AAA game development being riskier than ever. Live service models have essentially helped corporations recoup their development costs far more easily than traditional one-time game sales. The biggest live service success stories like Fortnite, GTA Online, and EA’s FUT have shown the whole world what kind of revenue can be generated with this model.
However, there have also been exceptions to this. Last year, Baldur’s Gate 3 enjoyed monumental success without any live service tropes, and despite being a game in the largely niche CRPG genre. 2022’s Elden Ring also serves as a shining example of a traditional game that became a cultural phenomenon without anything like bi-monthly weapon additions and such.
