The live service business model is a tough cookie to crack, but every major publisher is giving it a go. We’re already very familiar with some of these titles shutting down after just a few months of support, but SEGA has pulled the plug on Creative Assembly’s HYENAS before it could even make it to launch. The cancellation has been unceremoniously confirmed in the minutes of a board of directors meeting.
“In response to the lower profitability of the European region, we have reviewed the title portfolio of each development base in Europe and the resulting action will be to cancel HYENAS and some unannounced titles under development,” the document reads. “Accordingly, we will implement a write-down of work-in-progress for titles under development.”
HYENAS was being billed as a sci-fi first-person shooter, with zero-gravity combat and references to wider SEGA lore. For example, one of the game’s hero characters, Hiroki, wears a Sonic the Hedgehog suit decorated with various pin badges of characters from the classic platforming property. But it’ll be no more, as the title’s been cancelled before even being properly put in players’ hands.
Interestingly, we actually played the title a year or so ago, where we described it as “baffling in a good way”. All of this inevitably puts increased scrutiny on Sony’s live service push, where titles like Fairgame$ are looking to scratch a similar itch. We wonder how many more failed attempts it’ll take before publishers cool on trying to infiltrate this infamously crowded sector.
[source segasammy.co.jp]
Comments 40
Someone is going to have to do one of those graveyard websites for live service games like the one for canceled Google projects.😂
I actually kind of was interested in giving this one a go at launch but I highly doubt I would have stuck with it very long so I'm not too heartbroken.
This was inevitable. Players only have so much time and the market is saturated as it is. Fortnite doesn't get the attention it once did from Epic having morphed from a live service title to more of a bi-monthly update one. They've not for example done a good live event scenario in over 18 months.
Didn't this literally just get a beta only a few weeks ago? Feels a bit cruel to cancel it before it even had a chance to come out when it was clearly in a close-to-finished state :/
With the amount of live-service games getting obliterated over the past couple months though, I can't say I'm particularly surprised that this got the axe. With a couple notable exceptions such as Fortnite, the excitement around live-service games seems to be very much dying off as more and more of them focus on trying to get as much money out of people as possible with microtransactions galore rather than providing a consistently fun gameplay experience. A shame to see as stuff like Hyenas did look like they had a very passionate workforce behind them but that's just the way the cookie crumbles I guess.
I personally wouldn’t want to see any developer throw their full weight into Live Service titles moving forward. I far prefer single player, story driven titles, and Sony really are good at these in my opinion! I would hate to live in a world where live service took over, so I am more than happy to see these GAAS titles are cancelled before release!
Feel bad for creative assembly. However their strength was in single player games apparently you have to make an online only live service game once
I think live service has reached a point where no new game will breach the top 8 on consoles, those being GTA online, Call of Duty Warzone, Genshin Impact, Overwatch 2, Destiny 2, Apex Legends, Fortnite and Rocket League. It would take something truly special to join those at the top.
People will look at these new games and try them for a few days and then go back to something more popular. Playstations live service games may fair better since they have the weight of their name behind it so people will be more interested to see what it's about. But if the gameplay isn't great or addictive then it will fail within a few months.
Hopefully Sony does the same. GaaS Boom is long over
@UltimateOtaku91 I think Honkai: Star Rail has a shot, but I generally agree with your overall point to be honest. It's borderline impossible now.
Let that be a lesson - don’t name a game hyenas when it’s clearly not about hyenas. People underestimate them, but they’re the ones really running the show. I mean apparently, I’m surprised too, maybe they just run SEGA from the shadowlands.
I was never going to play it but I thought the trailer didn't look bad. Probably a step to everyone realizing the GaaS market is really saturated already.
If you're launching a new one now, it better be a successor to your already successful game or something very unique.
@UltimateOtaku91 They said that before Apex Legends, they said it before Genshin, they said it before Among Us, Fall Guys and more. The point is i'm sure SOMETHING will come round and compete with the established big GaaS games, whether that be at the AAA level or indie level. Besides isn't Overwatch 2 dropping fast? Something will fill it's place.
And if you DO manage to get into that rarefied air, or even around it, you don't have to be top to win, there is a ridiculous money making pipeline for you, that is too tempting for businesses.
@get2sammyb I'm not quite so sure about Honkai: Star Rail. I think it will do VERY well, don't misunderstand me, but being turn based and smaller worlds, as opposed to action adventure open-world I think Honkai SR, and ZZZ, don't quite have the mass appeal of Genshin Impact. But maybe i'm wrong. It will still be (already is) a massive success for MiHoYo, I just don't think it will hit Genshin's ridiculous heights or longevity.
Something I feel will happen with some of Sonys Gaas titles as well.
That's a new live service record, cancelled before it even launched!
A market so oversaturated that games bomb before they're even out.
Gotta feel bad for Creative Assembly. Their best single player game (Alien: Isolation) got crushed in reviews, killing off any hope of a sequel, and now their multiplayer game got canned before it even launched. I guess they will soon share the sad fate of Ready at Dawn.
I only remember Hyenas for that guy cosplaying as a certain hedgehog, thats it.
Full proper Live Service games are at their max capacity, there is literally room for no more. I think the only way forward for Live Service will be things like Gran Turismo, Or AC Valhalla, big single player games that get updated with new live content over a period of 3/4/5 years.
WOW! This is a little surprising as I thought this game had a lot of promise, compared to most live service games. The art direction in particular felt very fresh. Oh wells
Is it that surprising? I mean, almost no company is like MS who has the money to keep flopped GaaS, like Halo Infinite and Sea of Thieves, going around.
I doubt it will happen, but I can live in hope, but it would be nice if they maybe game Alien Isolation 2 a go.
I know, I know. I can dream though, can't I?
Maybe this means that big name publishers will finally start taking note and realising that GaaS titles just can't remain afloat, right?
...right?
Hyenas??
More like Byenas!!
Was never interested, would likely never play and couldn't care less its 'gone'.
I do feel for Devs who put their time and effort into projects, but I also wonder how many are 'pushed' to make games they weren't fully interested or even had the experience to make Games more as a 'service'.
Publishers may only be looking to Greenlight games they feel 'could' bring in the revenue over a LONG time and even if they aren't pro-actively pushing devs to make these games, they may not be interested in publishing more traditional games so Devs may feel like they have to make a GaaS to get their games Published.
At some point, I hope that Publishers etc realise that GaaS games may well be major money makers, but that the majority end up being unsustainable and get shut down. It seemed that the Risk/Reward was much higher than most thought - relatively low risk for 'high reward' turned out to be a much higher risk of the game not succeeding to get rewards...
Good, now they can concentrate their efforts on Total War Warhammer 3 instead of this rubbish which had 'flop' written all over it.
@gollumb82 Creative Assembly will be just fine. Their Total War strategy series are huge on PC and their new Total War- Pharaohs and Warhammer 3 looks like another pair of huge hits
@KingPev
That's somewhat comforting. I don't play strategy games (because I suck at them lol) but I wish these guys well. I really liked Alien: Isolation.
Yeesh, before it even launched. Perhaps Sony will learn something, there’s an unholy amount in development and not all of them will make it to launch.
I don't think the GaaS bubble will burst anytime soon especially with companies like Mihoyo who currently have 2 really profitable ones and a 3rd that has a massive loyal fan base. It's common knowledge now that just those 3 games made a ton of profit. No way greedy execs will let them keep all that gacha mulla pie to themselves.
Wow, would love to have been a fly on the wall for that decision. Goes to show the risks involved in this space, you’re either making money hand over fist, or you’re losing more than you put in.
A cancelled game is eventually forgotten, but a GAAS game is shameful forever.
Real gamers simply don't support anti-consumer GAAS titles. The casual hobbyists do though, and they play the high profile (generally free) games that all their casual friends do: CoD, Destiny, Apex, Overwatch, Fortnite. The only good developer in that list is Respawn, unfortunately, and EA is keen to keep them from making actual games again. Real gamers however are busy with real games, playing multiple experiences a year, and supporting creative devs. The industry knows this, that's why we're starting to see the shift away from online only, forced MTX titles, it's just some publishers won't admit that the model doesn't work. The casuals who are keeping the other successful titles alive are mostly streamers looking for an easy paycheck, and they aren't going to move from what they know. Real gamers don't play one game all year+, we are always playing something new.
This reminds me, Disney Speedstorm goes actually free today, and think this one could stick around for awhile. Well unless Nintendo wants to port Mario Kart, which they don’t.
A sci-fi, anti-gravity shooter sounds right up my alley but live service kills it for me so I guess that’s a wash as far as I’m concerned….
It’ll be awhile. Genshin Impact nailed the aesthetic, while WoW nailed the content. It’s a tough niche to crack. Played many such attempts in the past (Flyff, Tabula Rasa, DAoC), but none have survived. Possibly by next generation consoles will something else take the crown.
Yet another publisher goes off chasing that elusive GaaS-dragon...
(sips coffee) Ahhh...hearing one if these titles fail gives me as much joy as a new single-player game being announced.
Maybe it was too good for gamepass LOL.
@get2sammyb They are likely going to be the same group of people playing Genshin Impact, albeit it is a pretty big number in this case.
GaaS has long reached its peak and I hope Sony will see this with the current CEO gone.
@RadioHedgeFund In the end I think it's quite hard to keep the updates coming.
@Fizza Live service games work a little different than regular games. Any other game you can release as a failed and broken product, and any sale is still better than none. A live service game is just a money drain whenever it goes live. You just need to make sure that people are paying more than it costs. So if you suspect it'll fail, it makes more sense to not release it at all and save the costs, rather than release it.
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