Navigating the Future: LiveOps in a Cross-Platform, Community-Driven Era

A sense of community matters more than ever - the challenge is for LiveOps to deliver it

The days of having different consoles for different games is over: the landscape of gaming is shrugging off siloed experiences confined to a single console or platform. Today’s players demand seamless cross-platform access, where their progress and communities transcend hardware boundaries. This shift necessitates a fundamental rethinking of the LiveOps approach, the ongoing management and optimization of live service games (GaaS).

The statistics bear this out with 56 percent of all Americans reporting that they have played multiplayer games in the past year, of which 87 percent stating that they have played cross-platform games. Of all cross-platform gamers, 43 percent have expressed that they want more cross-platform game options.

The Rise of the Cross-Platform Player

The rise of cloud gaming services, powerful mobile devices, and cross-play functionality has created a truly connected gaming ecosystem. According to a blog post by Eventyr:

“The demand for cross-platform gaming has been steadily increasing, fueled by players' desire for flexibility and convenience According to a survey by GlobalWebIndex, 63 percent of gamers prefer cross-platform play to enjoy their games on multiple devices. [And] research by Accenture shows that 85 percent of gamers believe that cloud gaming will revolutionize cross-platform play by providing real-time streaming and rendering capabilities, eliminating the need for expensive hardware upgrades.”

This trend presents both opportunities and challenges for GaaS developers. On one hand, it offers access to a wider player base, fostering a more vibrant and diverse community. To serve this wider base, however, GaaS must meet the demands of a unified LiveOps strategy that caters to players across different platforms with varying preferences and expectations.

LiveOps in the Cross-Platform Arena: Key Considerations

Adapting LiveOps for a cross-platform world requires a multi-pronged approach:

• Platform-Agnostic Content Design: Develop core content and features that seamlessly translate across platforms, ensuring a consistent experience regardless of the device players choose.

• Platform-Specific Optimization: While maintaining a unified core experience, tailor certain aspects of gameplay, controls, and monetization strategies to the strengths and limitations of each platform.

• Cross-Platform Progression: Players crave a sense of continuity, regardless of platform. Implement a robust cross-progression system that allows players to access their characters, unlocks, and progress seamlessly across different devices.

Juego Studios say that multi-platform compatibility is key:

“Each platform has its own set of standards and requirements, from technical specifications to content guidelines. Developers must be aware of and adhere to these requirements for their game to be approved and published on each platform. This compliance includes aspects such as age ratings, privacy policies and platform-specific features. Navigating these guidelines requires careful planning and often involves liaising with platform representatives to ensure all criteria are met.”

The Power of Community: Building Bridges in a Diverse Landscape

The rise of the cross-platform player necessitates a renewed focus on fostering a strong, unified community. Here are some key strategies:

• Cross-Platform Communication Tools: Facilitate social interaction and collaboration between players regardless of platform. This could include integrated voice chat, cross-platform guilds, and unified leaderboards.

• Platform-Specific Community Engagement: While encouraging cross-platform interactions, leverage the strengths of each platform's native social features. For example, utilize Discord servers for deeper discussions on PC, while leveraging in-app messaging or guild systems on mobile platforms.

• Embrace Player Diversity: A cross-platform player base naturally leads to a more diverse community. Celebrate this diversity and ensure your LiveOps strategies are inclusive, catering to players from various backgrounds and skill levels.

As Victoria Tran, an award-winning community director at Innersloth and co-organizer at Wholesome Games, says that community building is an opportunity for GaaS to deliver a meaningful positive impact on players’ lives:

“Games actively create communities that are bigger than any one individual, but nevertheless value and include them, if done well. …When we chase predatory monetization practices, are we considering how that impacts our players? When we encourage rabid fandoms or parasocial relationships, what happens to our developers when that goes wrong? When we create new ways for players to interact, do we also consider the moderation and safety practices that need to come with it? How do rectify and tackle the online harassment our audience is known for? How do we create our projects while considering the impacts of burnout? How do we make space for marginalized developers to thrive?”

LiveOps and the Future of Gaming: Embracing the Change

LiveOps are at the heart of the evolving gaming landscape thanks to the practice of keeping players engaged through a steady stream of updates, events and features. For commentators such as Victoria Tran, LiveOps, when implemented effectively, has the potential to revolutionize the way we play and experience games, fostering deeper engagement and a platform for continuous innovation - with a thriving sense of community at the heart of the gaming experience. There are three main ways in which LiveOps can achieve this:

1) Expand Reach and Engagement: Building Communities through LiveOps: By constantly updating a GaaS with new content and events, LiveOps offers a powerful way to expand reach and engagement. By providing a steady stream of fresh experiences, LiveOps keeps players coming back for more. Exclusive events, such as limited-time challenges or special game modes, can create a sense of urgency and excitement, drawing in new players curious about the latest happenings. These curious new players need to find a strong sense of community when they explore - and this is within the remit of LiveOps to deliver. Players can come together to tackle new challenges, share strategies, and discuss the evolving game world. This social aspect can be incredibly engaging, turning players into brand advocates who spread the word and attract others to join the experience.

2) Boost Player Satisfaction: Keeping the Core Experience Fresh: LiveOps can also be a key driver of player satisfaction in GaaS. The constant influx of new content ensures players don't get bored with the core gameplay loop. New storylines, characters, items, or abilities can add variety and depth to the game, keeping players invested and engaged over the long term. LiveOps also allows developers to address player feedback directly. By monitoring player sentiment and engagement with new features, developers can iterate and refine the game to better meet player needs. This ongoing dialogue between developers and players fosters a sense of community and ensures the game continues to evolve in a way that keeps players satisfied.

3) Drive Innovation: A Platform for Experimentation: LiveOps can act as a launchpad for innovation in GaaS. With a constantly evolving game world, developers have the opportunity to experiment with new mechanics, features, and narratives. Player feedback on these LiveOps events provides valuable data that can inform future development. This iterative approach allows developers to test the waters with new ideas without completely overhauling the core experience. Successful LiveOps elements can then be permanently integrated into the game, while less popular features can be tweaked or removed. This constant cycle of experimentation keeps the game feeling fresh and allows developers to push the boundaries of what's possible within the GaaS model.

Conclusion

LiveOps has always been integral to the success of GaaS titles. In this new era of cross-platform gaming and vibrant communities, LiveOps becomes even more critical. By embracing the challenges and opportunities presented by this evolving landscape, GaaS developers can secure a competitive advantage and navigate the future of gaming with confidence.

As with so many aspects of the GaaS industry, the challenges of LiveOps enclose huge opportunities for the developers ready to put the player experience front and center. While the constant pressure to deliver fresh content can be grueling, those who focus on meaningful updates that truly engage players can build a loyal community and foster a thriving ecosystem around their game. It's all about striking the right balance: innovation that keeps things exciting while staying true to the core gameplay that players love and connecting them with others who feel the same.

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