Now more than ever, players have to consider whether to leave something they’ve already invested time, identity, money, and social connection into when they're thinking of trying a new game. That's a different problem than it used to be, and it's only getting tougher.
One thing I keep coming back to in conversations heading into next week’s Live Service Gaming Summit...
Are new games actually being discovered the same way they used to? Or are they trying to break into habits that are already deeply formed?
#LSGNAsummit #gamedev
It can take many different forms, but the common concept is that the value has to be obvious (the quicker the better) and strong enough to break an existing habit for a very specific audience. #gamedev
What does that look like? A meaningfully better core loop. A unique progression hook. A stronger social pull. A sharper sense of identity players can latch onto quickly.
My answer: That’s the right next question. I don’t think it’s about being “fresh” as much as it is about giving players a clear reason to leave something they already love.
Today I was asked, "I totally vibe with your concern about breaking through in such a saturated market. It's not just about having a polished game anymore; it's about crafting experiences that genuinely resonate and offer something fresh. How do we make that leap?" (answer below)
Today, it’s not enough to build a great game to be successful. Teams have to build something that is meaningfully worth leaving something else for. Looking forward to discussing the state of live service games with industry leaders in Austin next week! (9/9)
#LSGNASUMMIT
→ And on the back end, it challenges long-term sustainability. Exactly how do new games (and even more challenging -- new IP) break through, how do systems scale, and how do teams maintain trust and momentum with players once they earn attention? (8/9)
→ In the middle, it puts pressure on monetization and value exchange, as players are much more selective about where they spend both time and money. (7/9)
This shows up across the themes we’ll be discussing at the summit:
→ On the front end, it raises questions about evolving player expectations and what actually motivates someone to leave a game they’re already committed to. (6/9)
New games already have to compete for attention in a very mature and saturated market, and now they have the additional friction of displacing entrenched habits. That’s a much harder (and more resource-hungry) problem to solve. (5/9)
At the same time, the top live service games have become incredibly sticky. Players are engaging with them in increasingly dedicated ways -- socially, emotionally and financially -- with (often) years of time spent in-game. (4/9)
We’re seeing more launches than ever that are ambitious, polished, and backed by teams with deep experience and large budgets, yet still struggle to find a sustainable audience. (3/9)
A few topics immediately jumped to mind. But if I had to pick one, what keeps me up at night is how difficult it’s become for even promising, well-funded games to break through. (2/9)
Next week I’ll be onstage at the Live Service Gaming Summit to talk about where live service games are in 2026. Recently, I was asked the following question in an interview: "What about live service gaming and/or the industry keeps you up at night the most?" (1/9)
Grateful to everyone who helped make it happen and to the players who showed up, early and often. Happy Anniversary, PSO2!
#liveservice #XBOX #PC #gaming
To add an extra layer of difficulty, we also launched the same day our office shut down due to COVID. We were told in the morning, went live in the afternoon, and shifted to running it fully remote overnight. It remains one of those career moments that sticks with me.
At the time, it was a complex, rewarding challenge, aligning audiences across regions, translating not just language but expectations, and building momentum for a game that already had a passionate legacy, ultimately reaching millions of players in the West.
Six years ago today, I had the opportunity to lead the Western launch of SEGA's Phantasy Star Online 2, bringing a beloved title from East to West on XBOX & PC.
It was also a milestone moment: the first time SEGA brought a modern live service game from Japan to Western audiences.
On this day in 2020, we brought Phantasy Star Online 2 to the West. Happy Anniversary, Arks!
#PSO2 #SEGA
www.rpgsite.net/news/9665-ph...
Most teams don’t see it until they’re already executing. By the time a game launches, most of the outcome is already locked. Audience signal, positioning, timing, validation... these are readiness decisions. And most teams never measure them. That's the readiness gap. And it's measurable.
#gamedev
Agreed. And while most in-game activity is measurable, trust isn’t easily quantified, which makes it harder to manage until it’s already under pressure.
Agenda below. If you’re going to be in Austin, would love to connect. (4/4)
📍 Austin, TX
📅 April 28–29
This combination is forcing teams to rethink how they approach everything from game design to onboarding to LiveOps cadence to long-term sustainability. Looking forward to unpacking this with an incredible group of operators across product, LiveOps, data, and marketing. (3/4)
The environment around live service games has changed. Players are more selective with their time. Top games are more deeply embedded in player routines. And expectations around content, systems, and value continue to rise. Good for gamers, challenging for developers. (2/4)
3 weeks to go. I’ll be chairing Day 2 at the Live Service Gaming Summit, and one theme keeps coming up in conversations I’ve been having leading into the event: Live service is getting harder to execute well, even for teams that have done it before. (1/4)
#LSGNASummit
Across the day, we’ll be digging into how player expectations are evolving, how teams are approaching monetization and direct-to-consumer models today, and what it takes to sustain a live service game over the long term from systems like anti-cheat to IP strategy. (3/3)
Live service is now a baseline across the industry. At the same time, player attention is more constrained, top games are stickier, and sustaining relevance over time is becoming increasingly complex. (2/3)
Four weeks from today, I’ll be chairing the Live Service Gaming Summit in Austin, TX.
Looking forward to the conversations with an incredible group of operators across LiveOps, data, product, and marketing. If you’re going to be there, would love to connect.
📅 April 28-29, 2026
#LSGNASummit
