1、SEPTEMBER 2025REDEFINING LIVE SERVICEFrom Monetization to CommunityINTRODUCTIONSome players want a video game with a beginning,middle,and end.Others look for experiences they can grow withwhich,in turn,will grow with them.During the pandemic,live service was touted as the future of game development,

2、accelerating an already growing trend.Publishers invested millions in developing new franchises(Concord,Redfall)and expanding their popular IPs to include live service experiences(Suicide Squad:Kill the Justice League,The Last of Us).Many of these no longer exist.The same publishers that embraced li

3、ve service wound up abandoning it,leaving thousands of developers without jobs.Live service games can be a place for new adventures,like-minded companionship,and the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself.They can also be inconsistent,buggy,and predatory toward their user base.Weve

4、seen headlines about online harassment,gambling mechanics,and cancelled games and shuttered servers(leaving players feeling like their own communities abandoned them).But theres still a future for this industry.One that truly values the player experience,instead of just cashing in on it.So,where do

5、things go from here?A Deeper DiveTo better understand the current state of live service games and their future,we conducted in-depth interviews with several industry expertsexperienced in both mobile and core live service on everything from best monetization practices to addressing creative burnout.

6、We reviewed the past two years of GDC talks on live service to assess ongoing trends and future predictions.We also took a deeper dive into our 2025 State of the Game Industry data,examining how developers who work in live service(or dont)feel about its impact on players,creators,and the industry as