E95: The Challenge Of Live Service Games And How To Win with Ryan Scott

Are live service games truly dying, or are we just seeing a new era of evolution? 

In this episode, we sit down with game designer and product thinker Ryan Scott to unpack the difficult world of live service titles. Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge from his time working on major titles, sharing his unique insights on what makes a live service game thrive or fail. We dive deep into the concept of "switching costs," the importance of meeting specific player needs, and the delicate balance between mastery and novelty that defines a game's longevity.

🎮We talk about:

• Live service games - dying?

• The importance of serving real player needs

• Why a “better” game is not enough to win

• The elements to balance when updating live service games

• The 3 questions to consider before any update

• How elegance relates to design and complexity

• Who you are building your game for - and who you aren’t building it for

• Why every game is not “Esports-ready” even when the hype says they are

Here's the breakdown of the games and companies we talked about in this episode:

The Games:

• Apex Legends

• Battlefield One

• Battlefield Five

• Call of Duty (CoD)

• Concord

• Counterstrike (CS)

• Dota 2

• Fortnite

• Halo

• Hearthstone

• League of Legends

• Marvel Rivals

• Overwatch

• Path of Exile

• Rainbow Six

• Smite

• Specter Divide

• StarCraft II

• The Cycle

• Valorant

• Warframe

• World of Tanks

• World of Warcraft (WoW)

The Companies & Studios:

• Blizzard

• Epic

• Riot Games

• Sony

• Valve

• 343 Industries/Halo Studios

Learn more about Ryan Scott:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-scott-akamorello/

In today's complex and costly industry, planning and estimation matter more than ever but are often destructive rather than helpful. Elevate your studio's decision-making and collaboration by learning how to get more out of estimation in less time. Learn more in our Advanced Estimation Course: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/advanced-estimation-course 

Connect with us: 

Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw

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