Though the year just started, live-service games are off to a terrible start. Within the past week, we’ve seen a handful of announcements regarding the end of online multiplayer games and it doesn’t seem like that train is coming to a stop any time soon. CrossfireX is joining the list as it was announced that the game’s service will be ending on May 18.
A statement made by the development team said that coming to this decision wasn’t easy and that despite the closure, the developers are thankful for the support from players. They also said that all sales on the Xbox Store will be halted and anyone who made a purchase within the last 14 days can request a refund.
Related: Get your final pins in: Rumbleverse is shutting down after six months of service
Within the past week, we’ve seen multiple live-service game studios announce that their titles are ending. These included Apex Legends Mobile, Knockout City, and Rumbleverse. Apex Legends Mobile, a game that established a large audience on console and PC, couldn’t maintain performance — not even its accolades and exclusive content were enough to entice players. The only live-service game whose closure wasn’t met with disappointment this week was Love Live! School Idol Festival, a rhythm gacha game that managed to last 10 years and is only ending its service because the sequel is launching in the Spring.
So it begs the question: is there any room for more live service games? Even if you make a good game, which many of these games were, it’s hard to pull players away from a title they’ve spent a ton of time and money into. In a saturated market where it seems only the big players that were already established years ago can thrive, the answer appears to be “no.”
