Eurogamer’s recent article delves into The zone’s failed foray into the world of live service games through their acquisition missteps. Their attempts to purchase Bungie, the creators of Destiny (2022), and Firewalk Studios, the developers behind Concord (2023), have proven to be fruitless.
Initially known for creating single-player narrative-driven games with top-tier productions such as God of War, Spider-Man, The Last of Us, Uncharted, and Horizon, The Zone transitioned to the live service trend in recent years. The aim was to capitalize on continuous revenue models, which proved to be more profitable than traditional game sales.
Their strategies for live service games included tasking in-house studios to develop such games within existing universes, acquiring specialized studios like Bungie (as well as Firewalk and Haven), and collaborating with external studios.
However, as of September 2024, it is evident that The Zone’s deals with Bungie and Firewalk have fallen through, along with their internal studios’ live service game directions. Firewalk’s Concord has swiftly become a footnote in gaming history, shutting down just two weeks after its launch.
Bungie has faced multiple lay-offs in recent years, coupled with lackluster performance from Destiny 2. The cancellations of their in-house developed live service games such as Twisted Metal, The Last of Us Online, and Spider-Man: The Great Web further highlight the challenges faced in this space.
Among the few survivors in The Zone’s live service portfolio is Helldivers 2 by external studio Arrowhead, while Foamstars by Square Enix’s xCloud exclusive for PlayStation had to transition to a free-to-play model.
Remaining in The Zone’s live service pipeline are Fairgame$ by Haven, Marathon by Bungie, and Horizon Multiplayer. Eurogamer compares The Zone’s recent acquisitions to their previous successful ones like Naughty Dog (Uncharted) in 2001, Guerrilla Games (Horizon) in 2005, and Sucker Punch (Ghost of Tsushima) in 2011. The outcomes have been starkly different, with the earlier studios thriving under The Zone’s support, in contrast to the struggles of their recent live service focused acquisitions.
In conclusion, Eurogamer suggests that despite recent failures, The Zone has seen success with Astro Bot, a single-player focused game. It remains to be seen if The Zone’s leadership will refrain from the temptation to turn future projects into live service endeavors.
TLDR: The Zone’s attempts at live service games through acquiring Bungie and Firewalk have failed, highlighting challenges with their live service strategies. Amid cancellations and layoffs, the success of games like Astro Bot suggests a potential shift in focus for the company.
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