A likeable live service

Like a lot of people I have been throwing a load of time into Helldivers 2. The game has been a blast but it has suffered from some technical issues (Lord knows those poor servers are trying their best!) However I noticed something about the game that I surprised me; I’m enjoying a live service game.

For those who don’t know a live service game is a title that has content produced for it regularly. Not in the form of DLCs (although that can be a thing) but micro-transactions and stuff like seasonal updates. This is to keep players engaged with the game so that will likely spend money in the cash shop.

A race to the bottom

I must admit, I have come to loathe this kind of business model. The concept on its face is fine. Make a good game, keep producing reasons too play it and reward the developers for doing so by buying stuff from them. However the reality is that the game design is often twisted to make the game feel more like a job with commitments and deadlines.

The concept of a battle-pass is like this too. This is where you have a track of rewards you unlock by doing something in game (usually just playing it) and there is always a second paid “premium” track. You can even pay to unlock levels. These disappear after whatever season or event they came with and with that you cannot unlock those rewards anymore. F.O.M.O. Or the Fear Of Missing Out is a tactic used by game companies to encourage you to play and spend so you get these time limited shiny rewards.

I’m deducting points for this.

I feel like I am being manipulated and I am to a degree. I don’t like it when the business of video games intrudes on my game. It encourages bad game design and can make the game worse. I watched some people play the new Suicide Squad game from Rocksteady and that game is choked by its business model. These incremental upgrades from loot, numbers and currencies everywhere. And then there is the grind. I have seen it reported that the game ends with a wall of a grind much in the same way Middle-earth: Shadow of War did.

If I ever hear an upcoming game has a live service model, it looses 2 stars straight away and its pretty hard to come back from that. I know the game will use every trick it can to get me to swipe my credit card. It will also make the game feel like an obligation. As someone in their late 30s I am playing games to forget my obligations not gain new ones!

Showing people how it is done

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Destiny 2, Diablo 4 are all examples of great games that are being compromised by their live service business model. Previously I’ve had only one good example of a live service game which was Warframe. Here the shop is fairly static (items do come and go out of stock) and you have no battle pass or any real pressure to buy. I’m glad to say Helldivers 2 is my new second example.

Yes there are micro-transactions, but the game is cheaper. Yes there are battle passes, but they stick around and are woven into the game so they don’t stand out. Yes, there is a premium currency, but you can earn it in game. These are true for Helldivers 2 and Warframe and I spent more than £200 on the latter!

I don’t feel like I must play the game otherwise I am going to be wasting my purchase. The game is fun (server issues not withstanding) and I am likely to buy the premium stuff as I continue to enjoy the game.

I hope the industry takes note of Helldivers success and rethinks its approach. I understand the need for a company to provide ongoing income but you can do it in a way that doesn’t make your product worse.