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Warframe boss says too many companies approach live-service wrong

Warframe boss says too many companies approach live-service wrong

The CEO of Warframe maker Digital Extreme, Steve Sinclair, has said that too many big games firms have approached their live-service releases with the incorrect attitude. 

Speaking to VGC, the exec said that many publishers decide whether or not to stick with a game depending on how its release goes. In reality, Sinclair believes this is the wrong approach and argues that companies should stick with these titles, even if they don't make a splash initially. 

“They think the release is make or break, and it’s not," he said. 

"They have a financial way to be persistent, and they never do it. It comes out, doesn’t work and they throw it away.”

He continued: “Isn’t that a shame when you put so many years of your life into iterating on those systems or building technology or building the start of a community, and because the operating costs are high, you get terrified when you see the numbers drop and you leave.

“We’ve seen this with amazing releases that I  think have massive potential, and I think they eject too soon.”

Sinclair doesn't name any games in particular, but he is likely referring to the dirth of live-service projects that have bitten the dust shortly after their release, such as Knockout City and Anthem from EA. 


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.