https://www.pcgamer.com/live-service-keeps-killing-modestly-successful-multiplayer-games-and-it-doesnt-have-to-be-this-way/
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To compete in a post-Fortnite world, your game had to release cosmetics weekly, develop limited-time events that'd make headlines, create a 100-tier battle pass, and above all else, be free-to-play. The 12-week season became the six-week season with an extra "midseason" content drop. In-game events became out-of-game opportunities to sell double-priced skins that can't be earned with in-game currency. Fortnite is everywhere in everything, and not even pre-Fortnite games are immune. Those older games listed above? They all have battle passes now and all went free.
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...The problem is live service only really works for always games, because it requires that people are always spending Money.