Live-Service Everything

Live-service monetization now infects nearly every genre, warping single-player franchises into always-online content treadmills. Anthem, Avengers, Babylon's Fall, and Concord, four high-profile live-service titles, collectively cost over $500 million and shut down within two years of launch, yet executives continue greenlighting similar models. This trend outperforms #2 in wasted investment — microtransactions at least generate ongoing revenue, while live-service failures deliver zero return. The sheer volume of failures, over 80 canceled or deceased live-service games since 2020, proves developers are betting against the odds, ignoring the $1.6 billion lost in the graveyard. Players are left with abandoned worlds and broken promises, a cycle that erodes trust faster than any premium cosmetic bundle ever could.