INVO Network

@DexterTheKnight @FirstDescendant This is why offline modes and exit paths matter. When V Rising added offline, they gave you control. More studios need to think about what players deserve when a game can't continue... not just shutting the door and walking away.

@FirstDescendant Don't shutdown, we've grown attached to the characters. - This will be my last LIVE service game. The only other digital game I own is V Rising and they added offline mode so I truly own it and it will never go away.

[Live] Dev Talk: A Chat with Director Joo & CM Jason Descendants, we’ll be going live with Director Joo and CM Jason to talk about the game and answer your questions. Join us for a conversation with the team. ⏰Livestream Schedule: 4/2 (Thu) 8 PM (PT)

If a game you spent + on announced shutdown tomorrow... Would you: • Accept it, move on • Demand a refund • Hope for private servers • Wish you could move that cash elsewhere Be honest. What's your gut reaction?

EU Parliament is holding a hearing on game shutdowns. April 16. 1.3 million signatures demanding players stop losing money when games die. This is becoming policy. Studios building exit infrastructure now won't scramble when Brussels decides.

@Potatoe_salaad The pendulum is swinging hard. Players spent YEARS being told live service was the future. Now they're voting with their wallets for complete experiences. Crimson Desert selling 4M in 2 weeks says everything.

Shooters are DEAD. THE ERA OF FANTASY, SWORDS, SINGLE PLAYER GAMES ARE HERE!!!! Game Industries that knew jumped on it early while everyone else chased live service hype. Highgaurd tried to do both but fumbled. BUT GAMERS, THRIVE youtu.be/Szvz55-oHCU?si…

Rec Room is shutting down June 1st. 300 million raised. 3.5 billion valuation in 2021. 'We never quite figured out how to make Rec Room a sustainably profitable business.' 10 years of player creativity, millions in player spending... all going dark. This keeps happening.

@savedblog @NearbyLeaks @VRChat The timing is rough. Players racing to complete achievements before shutdown... while still spending real money. This is why game economies need better infrastructure. The cash players put in shouldn't evaporate when servers go dark.

@NearbyLeaks @VRChat Since announcing its shutdown, rec room has added microtransactions offering experience point boosts. rec room has an achievement for reaching level 50, and they are selling these microtransactions to users who want to unlock this achievement.

We're Here. A message from our founders: hello.vrchat.com/blog/were-here

@Superalphaturbo @AboveTP The spending question is real. Players have dropped hundreds of dollars over years... and when it shuts down, that money just evaporates. At minimum, there should be a path to move that value somewhere else.

@AboveTP The live service era is the worst era of gaming and it's not even close. If the game didn't depend on player numbers then no one would care. Why would I want to spend money on a live service game when it will shutdown in a couple months or go free to play?

The Steam chart era is the worst era of gaming social media and it’s not even close. Enjoy what you enjoy & ignore this nonsense.

@VGC_News The 1983 crash created Nintendo. The question isn't IF gaming survives... it's what emerges on the other side.

John and Brenda Romero say the current state of the games industry feels "crashier" than the notorious North American video game crash of 1983 did. vgc.news/news/john-and-…

@xMBGx The pattern keeps repeating. Studios build for years, launch, low player count, shutdown. Meanwhile players who spent money... gone. The economics are broken for everyone here. Studios AND players losing out.

Sony has shutdown first party PlayStation Studio Dark Outlaw Games. They were developing a live service co-op game. They will be scaling back their mobile efforts & focus on just supporting the mobile titles they've announced. This was just confirmed by Jason Schreier.

@TheLankySoldier Exactly this. Players invest real cash expecting that roadmap to matter. When it disappears overnight, where does that value go? This is why lawsuits are piling up now. The industry needs better infrastructure for protecting player investment.

They had a roadmap, money was already spent, content was being worked on, they literally could've gave some time for the game to find its footing. I personally did not like Highguard, but I extremely dislike it that games get shutdown if they are not successful instantly.

@seanwoleslagle @EpicGames Point 2 hits hard. Live service fatigue is real. Players want games that respect their time AND their money. When engagement drops, layoffs follow. The people who built these worlds pay the price for decisions made above them.

My thoughts on the @EpicGames layoffs: 1. Sucks for everyone affected, I'm really sorry you were let go if you were. 2. People are tired of the Fortnitification of everything. They are craving new experiences. Epic Games is more than just Fortnite and needs to better demonstrate that. #videogames #Fortnite #EpicGames

@FNDailyRecap Tough day. Hope everyone affected lands on their feet soon. The talent in this industry deserves better stability.

Fortnite Daily Recap | March 24 😢 Epic Games Layoffs - Over 1,000 employees laid off - Over $500 million in other cost-saving measures ❌ Fortnite Modes Going Offline - Rocket Racing - Ballistic - Festival Battle Stage 🛒 Item Shop: - Borderlands collaboration returned - Pop Muzik Emote released 🔫 Battle Royale: - Seven Cluster Cannon released - Overdrive Grenade drop stack buff (2 → 3) - Overdrive Grenade max stack buff (4 → 6) - Overdrive Grenade launch buff (+17%) - Higher chance of obtaining the Seven Power Gloves from Chests - The initial Storm circle size reduced - Lady Windfrost's loot modified - Thunder Burst SMG → Pistol - Brutus' loot modified - Brutus' Twin Hammer Shotguns → Pinpoint Iron Pump Shotgun ❓ Looney Tunes Leaks: - Daffy Duck & Lola Bunny decrypted - Tournaments tomorrow - Releasing on Thursday 🔍 Sources: @FireMonkey @Loolo_WRLD @HYPEX For more in-depth information, read the Fortnite Daily Recap | March 24 Article x.com/FNDailyRecap/s…

@Pengu The store button getting more prominent placement than gameplay settings is a whole vibe. Game menus used to be functional. Now they're storefronts that happen to let you play.

I Miss game menus not having 10000 buttons and navigation being a nightmare, monetization thrown in your face every click, simplicity of older games is PEAK design IMO

@80Level This makes so much sense. Players aren't just spending time in these worlds... they're building identity, relationships, status. The emotional investment is real. Gaming's economic infrastructure should reflect how much this actually matters to people.

Researchers created a post-game depression scale to capture players' sadness after finishing video games. RPG players are at higher risk: 80.lv/articles/resea…

Marvel Heroes just came back online. Not by the studio. Not by Marvel. By fans who spent 8 YEARS rebuilding it. 1,700 queued on day one. The money players spent? Still gone. But what they built clearly mattered enough to resurrect. The industry needs to catch up.

@Pirat_Nation 4 years of work. "I don't deserve this." He absolutely does. This is what happens when someone builds something players actually want. More stories like this, please.

After 4 years of work, solo dev Cakez breaks down in tears after opening Steam and learning his game Tangy TD made $250,000 in a week: "I feel like I really don't deserve this."

@pcgamer 8 years. That's how long fans waited to get back in. The dedication is incredible. But every dollar those players spent originally? Still gone. This is why the industry needs better infrastructure for what happens when games go dark.

Cult online action RPG Marvel Heroes, after more than eight years offline, has player-run servers at last pcgamer.com/games/mmo/cult…

@sharksbun Makes total sense. They design it that way on purpose. Always leaves you with leftover currency or forces you to buy up. It's not an accident.

i hate when something in a game costs a very specific amount thats just over the cheaper pack of game currency so now u have no choice but to buy the one that costs more

Hot take: We've been trained to accept that the money we spend on games just... disappears when they shut down. You wouldn't accept that from literally any other product. Why do we accept it from gaming?

@IndieGameJoe 1,400 days of work. Built from scratch. $250K in week one. This is why indie games matter. When devs own the full stack and connect directly with players, magic happens.

This indie dev spent 1,400+ days building his game, Tangy TD, completely from scratch in C++. Seeing him and his wife react after the game earned $250,000 in its first week after launch is honestly beautiful.