Multiplayer games are entering their nostalgia era

digitaltrends.com:

Live service video games are starting to get nostalgic about their humble beginnings.

The groundwork for this trend started years ago with World of Warcraft: Classic, which brought the MMO back to its original form. As more live service games have gotten older, we’re seeing more of them embrace “Classic” or “OG” modes that reset the look, feel, and balance of the game back to its earliest days. We’re currently in the midst of a Fortnite season that brings the battle royale back to how it was in Chapter 2, and in December, Fortnite OG is coming back as a dedicated mode. Meanwhile, Overwatch: Classic is running as a limited-time mode to remind people of the good old days of Blizzard’s hero shooter.

A game embracing self-reflexive nostalgia might seem paradoxical, but it’s not that surprising. Just as single-player games and series evolve with each new entry, live service games like Fortnite and Overwatch grow with every new season, update, or balance change. Players yearn for gaming experiences they are nostalgic for, and we’re seven to eight years removed from the beginnings of Fortnite and Overwatch at this point. As more live service games stick around for long and longer, expect this practice to become increasingly common.

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Creating nostalgia

When it was released in 2016, Overwatch took the world by storm. It perfected the hero shooter formula and gave Blizzard its first grand new franchise since StarCraft. Overwatch also hopped on the live service trend as it gained momentum and became the golden goose every AAA gaming company attempted to chase. The game evolved over time with new heroes, maps, modes, and mechanics, but there was something truly magical about the early days of Overwatch.

Meanwhile, Fortnite capitalized on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds‘