Live service games that became awesome while everyone moved on

Live service games are quite a contentious topic of discussion as over the years many games have suffered closures and cancellations for a variety of reasons. There is a lot of pressure to release more and more content and potentially sequels, or in some cases some games come out broken or unfinished, instead choosing to promise improvements and updates over time rather than having a polished product at launch.

This resulted in many games receiving a wave of initial hype that quickly faded as the player base moved on, either due to a lack of new content or dissatisfaction with the current state of the game. However, with a dedicated team of developers behind them, many titles can grow and blossom into a pretty amazing product months or years after their initial release, regardless of whether players choose to stick around or not.

5

Fallout 76

Survive the Apocalypse together

Details:

• Launched with technical issues and a lackluster world

• Many fixes and updates have solid performance and changed the game to multiplayer Fallout it was promised

Fallout 76 it entered the live services space under enormous pressure and was marketed as multiplayer Fallout a game that many fans have wanted for over a decade. After launching with stability issues, thin narrative content, and a lack of NPCs, the world felt empty and a departure from many of the core elements that people loved about the franchise. The concept was ambitious, but the execution was poor, forcing many to move on, leaving the future of the game uncertain.

However, over time, the game has evolved dramatically as major updates have brought with them many features and systems that the world had previously lacked. Content edits like Wastelanders, Steel Dawn, and The Pitt reintroduced NPCs and brought with them much more immersive questlines that brought the game closer to the original vision. There were also substantial performance improvements and consistent quality-of-life adjustments that further stabilized the experience, turning Fallout 76 into a much more polished product.

4

Sea of ​​Thieves

Almost Lost In The Wave

Details:

• Repetitive actions at startup despite a compelling world

• Now a full sandbox with further progress and quests to follow

Sea of ​​Thieves it initially attracted a lot of attention for its charming art style and more approachable approach to pirate simulation, but the amount of content at launch remained very much out of reach. A lot of good concepts like sailing mechanics and basic treasure hunts were already in place, yet it struggled to keep players looking for more variety and more things to do later in the long run.

Fortunately, years of constant updates have transformed the experience from a promising prototype into a thriving live stream title. Each new season brought with it a lot of additional content, ranging from new world events to simpler system updates, bringing the game more in line with what was expected at launch. There were even several cross-over events that brought with them new story lines for players to discover and made the world feel more alive and not just an empty sea.

3

For honor

Premier PvP Swordfighter

Details:

• Strong basics but limited modes along with connectivity issues

• Improved stability and improved set of mechanics beyond the usual fixes and content additions

For honor it came with an innovative melee combat system that immediately set it apart from everything else in the genre, but despite the initial hype, the game was riddled with connectivity issues and inconsistent balancing that hindered the overall experience. There was clearly a long-term plan, and Ubisoft positioned the game as its Middle Ages Rainbow Sixbut it took considerable work to get there.

Within a year, the game was shaped into a product that could survive for a longer period of time, mainly due to server improvements that made it easier and less tactile to get into the game. And while the first wave of players may have passed, Ubisoft was still pushing for new players, revamping the tutorial to give newcomers a better place to start their journey, while giving long-time fans enough content through characters and modes to keep them invested for years to come.

2

Tom Clancy's The Division 2

As good as PvPvE can be

Details:

• Similar feel to the original but lacks late game content

• New season structure and a crackdown on cheaters to improve the overall experience

Division 2 it wanted to build on the impressive foundation laid by its predecessor and give players a whole new world to explore with all the same systems they've come to know and love. However, once players completed the campaign, there was nothing else to do and many felt they were done, with a lack of end-game content to keep them invested for more than a few hours.

But the developers didn't give up, working on big expansions like Warlords of New York that revitalized the progression in a big way, as well as smaller updates that brought new modes like Countdown. These changes gave the game much more replayability by reshaping the late-game loop, while also giving players more things to do outside of the more intense PvPvE Dark Zones. The game may have suffered from a plague of cheaters and the cleanup process is still ongoing, but the whole experience feels like night and day compared to what it was at launch.

1

Warhammer 40k: Darktide

A reboot of the Horde Shooter genre

Details:

• Missing features, technical issues and bad progression path

• Reworked systems and rework led to a more refined core gameplay cycle

Darktide entered the market with huge expectations and delivered Warhammer universe into an even rougher link-built format Vermintide. However, the launch was riddled with performance issues that immediately turned many early players away, and those who stuck around quickly found themselves on the wrong path to progress despite the game having great and satisfying gameplay.

Over time, patches and overhauls have reshaped it Darktide it should have been in the game. The class overhaul introduced more distinct playstyles that encouraged players to create secondary characters, and just a few years later performance issues were almost nil. For fans of horde shooters, it's easily one of the best in the genre, and with constant additions from new weapons to brand new arenas, there's more content to enjoy and a more elaborate overall loop that will keep players hungry for more.