One-Third of AAA Developers Are Working on Live-Service Games – GDC
In a new report about the current state of the gaming industry by the GDC (Game Developers Conference), it appears that live service titles are still a big thing for companies. One of the key takeaways from the report, aside from many others, is that one-third of all AAA developers are currently working on live-service game.
While the live-service market has proven volatile at the best of times, with only a few games managing to maintain a large enough audience to ensure profitability, and most live-service titles either getting shut down shortly after release (as was the case with Concord), or just being cancelled outright (like The Last of Us Online).
“One in every three AAA developers surveyed (33%) noted that they are working on a live-service title,” says the report. “Across the entire survey base, 16% are currently working on a live-service game, and while 13% noted they are interested in developing live service games, 41% expressed that they were not interested at all.”
The report also notes that opinions on live-service games are quite different depending on which developer you talk to. Some developers appreciate the financial and community-building affects of a successful live-service game, while others are concerned about things like creative stagnation, microtransactions, and predatory practices.
“One of the biggest concerns surrounding live-service gaming was market oversaturation, with many developers noting how hard it is to build a sustainable player base,” says the report.
The survey also gave us a few other bits of interesting data, including the fact that development of PC games has gone up since the last survey. Compared to 66% of developers confirming that they were working on PC games, this time around, the number of PC game developers has climbed up to 80%.
The report notes that this was likely thanks to handheld gaming PCs becoming popular, and especially the success of the Steam Deck. A similar jump was also noticed in the popularity of
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