The Danger of Too Many Live-Service Games: Uncovering a Startling Similarity Among Destiny 2, WoW, and FF14

Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy 14 are among the most popular MMOs and live-service games of the current era. While Destiny 2 may be relatively young compared to the long-standing FF14 and WoW, it continues to break records in endgame activities and player counts. As true live-service games, all three titles consistently offer a wealth of content for players to engage with on a regular basis.

These games, including FF14, D2, and WoW, are known for their ability to keep players interested through limited-time events and daily/weekly tasks that provide extra rewards. These tasks reset at specific times, and dedicated players, such as those in Final Fantasy 14, often make time to participate. Events also commence at specific times. Although this sounds appealing, the frequent updates that come with live-service games have a drawback.

World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14, and Destiny 2 Update on the Same Day

Players of Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy 14 understand the concept of downtime. Regular maintenance is necessary for developers to ensure smooth gameplay and implement new content. However, scheduling becomes tricky when players try to keep their availability aligned with task resets and patch releases, as all three games update on Tuesdays.

WoW experiences "Tuesday morning downtime" every week between 5 AM and 11 AM Pacific time. FF14 follows a similar pattern at midnight in the same time zone. Destiny 2 adheres to this trend with its weekly reset and downtime starting at noon Eastern time. However, the duration of maintenance varies depending on the type of content being added. For players who engage in two or all three games simultaneously, prioritizing among them becomes challenging due to the significant portion of the day consumed by these activities.

While some of these resets only involve simple weekly tasks, others mark the beginning of time-limited special events that can monopolize a player's time, leading them to favor one title over another. Although the number of players frequently playing FF15, WoW, and D2 may be relatively small, these games highlight a more extensive issue: numerous live-service games demanding considerable time from their players. Genshin Impact, for example, is just one among many gacha games with frequent events.

Depending on the games players regularly engage with, be it on PC or even on mobile devices, they may find themselves balancing multiple daily tasks while keeping track of important events offering exclusive items and rewards. Some of these events may only occur once in years, such as World of Warcraft's Tier 3 Armor sets. Fans can feel left out if they are unable to fully participate in these special events due to commitments in other games or personal obligations.

While effective time management can help players stay on top of their gaming commitments, perhaps some live-service and MMO games could benefit from implementing their own time management measures from time to time. However, these games are highly competitive in terms of player retention, indicating that there is unlikely to be a slowdown in the frequency of updates for titles like Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14, and many other similar games in the near future.