We’re only in February of 2023 but it looks like this will be the year where online only live-service games die. In less than two months, we have seen a good number of these games get canned, whether they’re on mobile, console, or PC.
Kotaku brought up how a staggering 15 live-service games will be ending this year, some of which aren’t even a year old. Titles like Apex Legends Mobile, Babylon’s Fall, Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights, and more have already ended their services.
EA, who famously tried to embrace online only games, is now going back to making single-player titles. While they did cancel a possible Titanfall 3, they’ve more than made up for it with the Dead Space remake, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and the upcoming Iron Man game. It looks like single-player games are in their genes after all.
Halo Infinite may have launched with some hype but it’s poor roadmap and uninspired content updates has led to it having a pretty small playerbase. It looks like things won’t be getting any better as Microsoft has laid off a number of employees, some of whom worked for 343 Industries.
Activision’s Warzone 2 has also been something of a disappointment. The online only shooter hasn’t matched the heights of its predecessor or even other Call of Duty games. Considering how everyone was talking about Warzone at one point, the lack of coverage for Warzone 2 speaks volumes.
Square Enix seems to be having the worst of it. Not only did they end Babylon’s Fall and the Bravely Default mobile title, but they also canceled their Final Fantasy 7 battle royale and a Dragon Quest mobile game. If you can’t make free-to-play titles based on Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest work, you know something’s up.
Read More: Ubisoft cancelled a Watch Dogs battle royale set in future Tokyo
Obviously, some online only games will live forever. Fortnite, Final Fantasy 14, World of Warcraft, and more will continue living for many years while making a ton of money. But not every live-service game can match those titles and we don’t think any of them ever will, unless they have a unique hook.