Former Trion Worlds CEO Scott Hartsman has a few words of advice for any studio contemplating the creation of a live service game: Maybe don’t? At the very least, he’s asking these companies to understand the complexity and purpose of such games before blindly jumping on board the “everything should be live service” bandwagon.
“If you’re dead set on trying it, you should ask the right questions before committing to that path,” Hartsman wrote on his personal blog on Medium. “Questions that could save you massive amounts of of time, money, and customer good will.”
These questions include: Is this right for the players? Is it right for the developer? And is it a good fit for the IP, players, and studio?
“‘Live’ is not something you just staple on to any existing IP, especially if they’re the ‘next’ game in a known IP that comes with its own audience and expectations,” he notes. “It’s a different way of thinking about what needs to go into games, the skills it takes to build them, what makes them compelling and to whom, how they get built and supported, and who plays them over the long haul. Essentially, the entire craft and business of making games.”
