What Happens When Live Service Games Shut Down?
For now, you just lose what you "owned"
Live Service Shutdowns: Why It Hurts More Than You Think
The Stop Killing Games initiative was started by Ross Scott, and while it faced controversy thanks to a fraud (an egotistical person), it has—thankfully—managed to get enough signatures that the E.U. government might debate on it. It’s a good initiative with good intentions that no one with their right mind would be against. After all, these companies have enough money and personnel to do what’s right. I mean, if they care about the consumers, that is.
Or maybe we’re headed toward a digital graveyard of dead multiplayer games.
What Are Live Service Games Taking Away?
You know, if there’s something I’ve thought about after spending hundreds of dollars on League of Legends, and even more on Steam—which is another story—it’s that one day, it will all be gone.
Sure, private servers are a thing, and I did venture into that area as a child who couldn’t afford World of Warcraft’s subscription, but now that I’m grown and can spend money on games, it sucks that many games I enjoy are live service.
Outlast Trials | My Game of The Year May Be Gone In The Future
Developer/publisher: Red Barrels
Outlast Trials is, for now, my game of the year. I don’t care that it came out last year. It is a fast-paced first-person horror game, where you become a victim of horrible experiments alongside three other poor souls, and it has:
Monetization After Purchase: After you buy the game, there’s DLC you can purchase that is thankfully only cosmetics.
Always Online: If you don’t have an online connection, even if you play alone, this game will not function.
Constant Patches/Updates: They have a roadmap teasing upcoming features, and with the weekly change of levels, there’s always something new, in a way, to look forward to.
Evolving Game World/Mechanics: New big villains, new maps, new characters, and the story progresses, sometimes changing key mechanics of the game (such as the reborn system).
Retention Strategies: You have to do your dailies, weeklies, complete the battle pass, and timed events, which do have F.O.M.O.
But I can’t help it, this game is a blast and deserves my continued support.
That’s a live-service game, and I’ve been enjoying the twists and turns the game’s taking in its narrative, the cool levels, and jarring cosmetics. I’ve bought all the DLC they’ve released purely because they look cool, and I’ve enjoyed everything they’ve pushed out.
But one day, whether I’m still playing it or not, it might be gone. I won’t be able to run any trials, customize my room or character, arm wrestle people, or get upset that someone is crouching everywhere. Because, usually, after official support ends, that’s it. They haven’t said there’s a planned offline mode or preservation plan.
I may be a lurker on the Discord server, but I do watch people talk about the lore, read their excitement, and it's bittersweet to know it will all reach its end. But what makes it bitter is that it’ll end one day, with no possible way to relive any of it (besides YouTube).
Red Barrels hasn’t said anything regarding offline support, but I’m pretty sure that it’s possible and feasible. But it’s that uncertainty that I think many of us are used to, or don’t care for. I mean, until it happens to you.
The first time something like this happened to me was with a little game called Rumbleverse.
Games You Can’t Play Anymore
Live service game shutdowns that hurt me
Rumbleverse | A Loss That Hit Close
Developer: Iron Galaxy
Publisher: Epic Games
Rumbleverse was a pretty hype battle royale (don’t roll your eyes at me!) where everyone was a wrestler. Instead of running around a realistic or sci-fi world, grabbing guns and armor, you were running around getting grapple moves to suplex people off buildings. I loved the cartoony aesthetic, the unique gameplay in the battle royale scene, and it was just a blast. I also played the game with my young nephew, which is a factor in how I feel about its shutdown.
When I heard about the Rumbleverse shutdown because of the lack of players, it was heartbreaking. I understand that someone has to keep the servers up, but the game was genuinely fun. It’s hard to compete against the giants, but it didn’t mean it was a bad game, just that it didn’t get people’s attention. And after six months, the game was closed down; though everyone was eligible for refunds, and they made the battle pass free and a couple of cosmetics.
Wildstar | Ratchet And Clank Look-Alike MMORPG
Developer:
Publisher: NCSoft. The people behind City of Heroes
Wildstar was a sci-fi MMORPG that looked like Ratchet & Clank. The movement system was fluid, the housing was cool, and I love that you had to aim everything. Nothing was lock-on in that game, making PVP and PVE dynamic. Well, of course, I say this from the perspective that I was a kid at that time, so I couldn’t afford it, and when it went free-to-play, which was for 3 years, I didn’t have a good enough computer, or I was in the Army doing what every young private does.
As a big MMO fan, who is also a fan of cartoony art-styles, this sucks. The short amount of time I was able to play it, even below 20 fps, it felt fun, and it looked cool. I still wish I were able to play this game, just a little bit.
Battlefield Heroes | We All Tried It, Right?
Developer: DICE, Easy Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts, EU: Aeria Games
I’m not sure how many people knew that the was a F2P third-person shooter cartoony battlefield game, but here it is! It had a class system, a vibrant cartoony art style, and let you get that shoot bang fix.
I was able to play this game, though it didn’t matter because I couldn’t afford anything from the cash shop. The game wasn’t able to generate enough money, although it lasted 6 years. On the bright side, you’re able to hop on this game through here.
What’s the takeaway?
Or, what are they taking away?
It’s pretty hard to imagine Fortnite, Roblox, or Call of Duty dying. They have millions of players, generate millions per month, and have figured out the formula, with the help of tons of personnel and money, to pursue indefinite growth. But not every game is lucky enough, or has enough resources, to be like them.
But with this initiative, it creates a pathway into the conversation of video game preservation and ownership. We spend money on these games, whether it’s the full product or the DLC, we should be able to play, even after it stops receiving support.
As a person who holds onto books and video games they want to pass down to their future children, it’s pretty rough that there are some games I wouldn’t be able to share. And it’s not that I won’t be able to purchase it, but because it’s just not possible.
The wildest situation with preservation and ownership is with The Sims 2, because before they remade it, you just couldn’t get it. And that wasn’t even a live service game. But again, that’s another story.
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I hope the stopkillinggames movement continues because though I rarely play live service (mostly apex but if it dies i don't care haha) I think that when you build such a strong connection its sad to see it all go away.