Running a live service game, there are typically three types of issues that crop up, but it’s hard for players to know the difference (nor should they be expected to!)

The first is the “quick fix” issues. Something that might take a dev anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 day of work. Something like changing a value on a champion or fixing a bug caused by a simple variable error. These issues provide quick wins for the devs and players, and help continuously improve the quality of the game. Even these issues may have to deal with distribution timelines (Patch schedules), but you can get these out to players fast and it’s a win win! If you wait too long to do these, players think you aren’t listening or acting quick enough.

The second is the “big update” issues. These are things you know are good for the game, but might require you to redo a system or change a fundamental part of the game that wasn’t built in that way. These can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months of dev time, and these can be frustrating for both players and devs. Players see an issue that should be addressed quickly (and they’re right!), and devs have to invest a good chunk of time to get it to players. The frustrating time between the acknowledgement of an issue and the delivery of the improvement can be very painful. This is usually where, without proper communication, player pain can reach a boiling point and it feels like devs aren’t doing their job, but devs get frustrated since they are doing their best to deliver. These kinds of issues need a really good comms strategy to let players know it’s coming, but not over commit to something that isn’t done and may have risks. These I believe are the toughest for live service games.

The third is the “innovations” challenge. This likely involves and incredibly large change to the game that the devs are super excited about and will improve the game for players, that players may not even be asking for. This could be something like an expansion pack, a new major systems update, or more. The Summoner’s Rift season updates are a good example of this. These have the highest payoff as they create exciting moments for players to get hyped about the game and blow away their expectations…but also can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years or even more to deliver. Planning out something so far in advance when the needs of players may change between now and then can be very tough. This is also the stuff players don’t realize is being worked on. When they ask why your 100+ person team isn’t doing much, they don’t realize 70 or more of them are working in this space.

To be a successful live service game, you have to be able to tackle all 3 problem spaces, and you have to do it while building trust with players so they can give you the time you need. If done well, you have a game that continually gets better every year, and players happy to play! That’s the dream.

Ok, time to start the week. Have a great week, and take it easy!