Once-Popular Live Service Games That Are Now Almost Dead

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by Jacob Solomon Jun 4, 2023 News
Once-Popular Live Service Games That Are Now Almost Dead

Live service games allow developers to create constantly evolving experiences for players. In order to stay relevant in a cutthroat industry where everyAAA developer is trying to make brilliant live-service titles, companies need to ensure that these games are updated frequently with new and interesting content to keep audiences engaged. It's important to keep a steady stream of content going so that players don't get bored, something that many successful live service video game developers have nailed to great effect.

Even if the game initially commanded a powerful presence in the industry, failing in this crucial goal can lead to player burnout and ultimately lead to the game being forgotten. Many titles in this genre were sent to the shadows because of lackluster updates and key issues that remained unaddressed. In today's gaming landscape, it's essential for live service games to keep up with the competition and deliver fresh and exciting content to stay relevant, and it's a shame that the following games didn't do this.

6 Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite Master Chief

The Halo series is one of the biggest sci-fiFPS series around, with a lot of titles with captivating stories that have proved to be quite engaging. The previews for the title weren't very promising but it was highly anticipated. The single-player was a decent upgrade from the usual fare, but it was the live-service model that failed to keep players interested.

The game's lackluster customization options and limited content at launch left players feeling underwhelmed and led to low player counts in the months following release. The game's battle pass system has been criticized for being too grindy and not offering enough meaningful rewards, with 343 industries trying to patch out the more contentious parts of the design. The damage had already been done, and the single-player campaign of the game is abysmal.

Promo art featuring characters in Tom Clancy's The Division

The most unfair pick on this list is Tom Clancy's The Division since the majority of the player base shifted over to the sequel. It didn't help that The Division features the classic false marketing approach by the company, with the game's reception being pretty poor upon launch because of missing features.

The game's live service model failed to keep players engaged, with many complaining of a lack of engaging content and a confusing loot system. Even if it left The Division struggling to maintain a decent player base, the decision to release a sequel that fixed all of these issues was a good one.

splitgate space screenshot

Splitgate is the best title on this list by a country mile, with its unique combination of portal mechanics and first-person shooting earning it a lot of attention. The developers behind the scene found it difficult to scale up their server to meet the huge demand for the game.

1047 Games decided to stop working on Splitgate because they realized how much work it would take to keep the game alive. The change was understood by the wide gaming community, but that didn't make it any less disappointing that this amazing game wouldn't get the support it deserves.

Knockout City Ball to the Face

The idea of playing a wackier and more action-packed version of dodgeball in memorable levels and environments sounds like a recipe for success. The game gained a decent player base that loved everything the title had to offer.

It was clear that Knockout City didn't have the means to survive as a successful live service game despite its strong launch. The private server will allow fans of the game to mess around with their friends as they bash and knock players around with a lot of unique and interesting balls.

battle in Star Wars Battlefront 2

The first two Star Wars Battlefront games were great, but it was clear that they had a long way to go to live up to the success of the original series. The first game was reviled across the board due to its lackluster content and pay to win mechanics.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 was plagued with controversy from the beginning. The game's implementation of loot boxes and lack of any meaningful content angered fans and led to a response by anEA developer becoming the most disliked comment in history. Despite efforts to improve the game's live service model over time, including the removal of microtransactions, the damage had already been done, and player counts remain relatively low for a Star Wars game to this day

red dead online player on a horse

Expectations were high for the online component of Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that is one of the best single-player open-world games of all time. This was the same company that made Grand Theft Auto Online, a game that is jam-packed with content.

Red Dead Online's live service model has not been able to keep players engaged. The game's slow pace of updates left players bored and uninspired, leading to low player counts. The fact that the game makes headlines for its in-game protests is a testament to how bad the title was.

There are PS5 games that are ranked.