What are Live Service Games?

If you have been in the gaming scene for a long time, you might have an idea of what a live service game is. With the growing gaming craze in the 21st century, developers have also developed an opportunity to make fun changes in their creations and earn good money by adding features to the game that can be monetized. In this blog, you will get a deep insight into what are live service games and some of the top live service game examples. So, let us get started!

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What are Live Service Games?

A live service game is one for which a video game publisher intends to keep releasing fresh material that is charged to players at increasing prices. These video games, commonly referred to as Games as a Service (GaaS), are made to keep gamers engaged for a long period.

To persuade players to keep making in-game purchases, games developed under the GaaS model generally receive a lengthy or endless stream of monetized content over time. Even though these games frequently release new material, the content in question can differ from game to game. The primary reason is that GaaS doesn’t fall into any fixed gaming genre. Therefore, we will also discuss how live service games make money and explain if GaaS is bad.

What are Live Service Games Examples?

Before getting down to whether GaaS is bad or not, let us take a look at their examples. Even more recent and one of the finest live service games, like Fall Guys, which has climbed to an unfathomable position on the list of the top GaaS, are included in the category of live service games. It is proof that the year of release plays little role in making a game fall into the category of a GaaS.

Some live service games examples include:

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These were some of the most famous examples that might have helped you get an idea of what is GaaS. That makes us arrive at the most asked question online: Are live service games bad? Continue reading to get amazed by how live service games work.

Are Live Service Games Bad?

Some live service games might disappoint you, and we will discuss those below. But first, let’s discuss whether the live service games are bad because of some of their characteristics. It may include:

Abandonment: GaaS fear getting abandoned as they might eventually shut down their servers. This most often goes bad in case you have already paid for the monthly subscription.
Time Consuming: As GaaS make drastic changes in the game from time to time by incubating new features at a very fast pace, therefore, keeping up with the game story and functions takes away quite a lot of your precious time.
Cost Ineffective: As discussed earlier point about drastic changes, it is also to point out that these changes do not make the game better every single time. Depending on one’s liking, they might feel the cost is not justified.
Obligation to Play: It’s a psychological phenomenon that when we pay for something, we become obliged to use that material, even if we no longer have a liking for it.

A lot of players have also argued that some GaaS give those who are prepared to pay extra money a pay-to-win advantage, which makes multiplayer games objectionable and imbalanced. On another note, any game can be disappointing, even in the case you were a fan. As GaaS come up with drastic changes which can be ranked anywhere from best to worst. Therefore, the game’s past has little role in deciding its future. The GaaS is bad club includes games such as:

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How Live Service Games Work?

Now that you know what are GaaS, let us take a look at how they work. Usually, with time, the games get boring, and we start to lose its upward audience graph and even lose the loyal player base. To counter this problem and keep a game’s legacy alive, the makers or developers make many additions to the game.

The game’s creators must regularly provide fresh content over the game’s lifecycle. If effective, having more material will encourage more gamers to play and spend money, which may bring in millions of dollars for publishers quickly. And that is how GaaS work.

How Do Live Service Games Make Money?

The GaaS make money through a business strategy that enables developers to earn money from games after they are released or as a constant source of income for games that players can play for free.

Here GaaS developers have two ways of monetizing their games:

Microtransactions: These include in-game purchases that provide a player with exclusive features and accessories. These kinds of microtransactions help the developers keep the game as F2P (Free to Play). Example of such game includes Fortnite and Apex Legends, which work on the F2P model.
Monthly Subscription: Another way GaaS make money is through a monthly subscription. It is a one-time cost to bear that provides access to the game and a spot in the game to a player.

Both these revenue sources help a developer in different ways, which range from covering production costs to launching some great additions in form of accessories and features to keep the loyal gamer base happy. It might have given you an answer to how do GaaS make money.

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We hope that you learned what are live service games. Feel free to reach out to us with your queries and suggestions via the comments section below. Also, let us know what you want to learn about next.