The Ongoing Shift to Live Services: A Challenging Transition

For years, the conventional wisdom in game development has been that the introduction of new hardware would lead to increased costs due to higher fidelity assets, new technical solutions, and changing consumer expectations. However, the current transition to live services is presenting a different set of challenges. Ubisoft's recent announcement of cancelled games and revised financial forecasts highlights the difficulties of shifting a company's focus towards live services. The move to live services requires a significant cultural and creative transformation, as companies must adopt a new approach to design, development, operation, and support. This transition is not just about bringing over the player base, but also about acquiring new competencies and unlearning old habits. Many companies have attempted to bolt live service components onto existing games, but this approach can lead to bloat and inefficiencies in game design and development resources. The emphasis on live services is driven by the potential for significant revenue, but it also poses risks, including the potential to alienate existing fans and fail to attract new ones. The coming years will see more companies attempting to make this transition, and the results will be closely watched by investors and gamers alike. The question of whether live services can be sustainable in terms of development resources and costs remains unanswered, and the industry will be closely watching the outcomes of these experiments.