The whole “games as a service” thing is a pretty hot-button topic in gaming circles, but there often isn’t a lot of discussion about what it’s like from the developers’ side of things. One such developer, content manager Yannick Banchereau for The Division 2, offered his insight into what the dev team of the shooter has used to see them sail the stormy seas of live games operation.
One of the first points is proper use of community feedback. While feedback collection shouldn’t be new to live games devs, Banchereau mentioned that work is being done to change the method of getting feedback. “Forums are great, but [they’re] competitive,” said Banchereau. “We want to make sure every player has a chance to give us their feedback directly to us without having to get into an argument with other players and feel like that feedback will be used and leveraged the proper way.”
The other point is related to content cadence. According to Banchereau, small things like a new weapon are just as interesting to players as raid-sized content updates. “It’s important to try to keep your game alive with new things to do. [That] doesn’t mean you need a new game mode every week,” he says.
Finally, things are kept updated and interesting with the use of supporting studios and a head studio. Often, updates to The Division 2 feature missions from supporting studios as well as pieces from Massive itself. Not only does this maintain a steady flow of new things in-game, but also prevents developer burnout — another important topic in the hearts and minds of many gamers recently. It’s an overall insightful piece of interview that really is worth your attention.
Of course, if you’d rather just dive into the game itself, you can do so: Ubisoft has announced a free weekend for the game starting today, coupled with a big discount for players who stick around.
