The Importance of Ongoing Game Support & Preservation

We have seen communities build up from all kinds of media, from the Harry Potter book series to the Stranger Things TV show. Just as books and film develop these communities, so do games, which makes their lifespans and historical footprints all the more important. Games influence their players and end up being inspiration for other creative projects. Because of this, game preservation and ongoing game support are integral parts of the industry. 

The Stop Killing Games initiative was largely inspired by a specific event — the shutdown of "The Crew", a racing game developed by Ubisoft that was released in 2014 and needed an internet connection despite being mostly singleplayer (Wikipedia). The argument is that games should be left in a functional, playable state even when support for it is discontinued, rather than revoking the game license from players' libraries. This is the bigger part of the overarching concern — that games will just cease to exist. Discontinuing support for a game and therefore rendering it unplayable is essentially wiping a large part of it from history, leaving merchandise, videos, screenshots, and blogs to fill the gaps. 

There are many games that don't have an end game — they are designed to be played over and over again. We see that model in popular sandbox games like Minecraft, simulations like Supermarket Simulator, cozy games like Paralives, and more. Although it is important that all games be preserved, these games make a case for something a step further — ongoing support. If a game is meant to be endless, then shouldn't the support also be?

It's not that simple. On the one hand, if you as a developer commit to making a game that is meant to be played indefinitely, you have made a big commitment that could be interpreted as life-long. On the other hand, developers should not be nailed down for the rest of their working years to one game they made — they should be able to pursue new ideas and opportunities, and not every studio will have the manpower necessary to both support an old project and start a new one.

I believe that the Stop Killing Games initiative has been fighting for a fair middle ground — not to make developers and studios marry their projects, but to have them commit to those games being left in such a way that they can function without support from the developer and continue to be played. In a way, that is giving a type of ongoing support — passive, rather than active. 

There are a few studios that have recently caused excitement surrounding game support: CD Projekt Red and Red Hook Studios. CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the Witcher games and Cyberpunk, recently made an announcement that they were releasing a complete remaster of The Witcher 3 — and this remaster is free for those who already own the game. In addition, they are releasing a brand new DLC for The Witcher 3 called Songs of the Past. For those who need a reminder, this game is over ten years old — it released in 2015. This kind of support for such an aged game is wholly unexpected, and it has earned CD Projekt Red a ton of kudos in the form of consumer praise, trust, and loyalty.

Red Hook Studios is the studio behind Darkest Dungeon and Darkest Dungeon 2. Despite a sequel having already been out for several years, Red Hook Studios released a brand new DLC for the first game (which is 10 years old) in August: The Fire's Edge. The DLC sits at only $6.99 on Steam and has garnered a Very Positive review score.

This isn't the first time we've seen support for old games, but this kind of thing has been becoming more and more unusual in the gaming industry beyond a few ongoing play games (such as Fortnite and Roblox), and with the war that has been waging between corporations and consumers regarding game ownership and preservation, this is a big win. These studios have showed that you can be invested in your games, even if they're aged, and even if the player counts have dwindled over the years. Players now have a reason to jump back in, and new players have a great reason to try them out for the first time. Honestly, these were great marketing moves, and are likely to impact consumer behavior when the next games from these studios come out.

Since games can build up communities just like other media can, there is an opportunity to bring players back, even if the game isn't "modern" by today's graphical standards. CD Projekt Red and Red Hook Studios capitalized on this opportunity, re-engaging with their fanbases, showing their commitment to these beloved games, and building trust. If they are invested enough to release new content for 10+ year old games, then there's a good chance these games won't just disappear from our libraries one day. And if they respect and value us enough to let us keep what we paid for, then they are worth future investments.

So although game support can't be endless, it can stick around for a long time and play an important role; it can prompt new content, it can bring in new players, it can bring back old players, and it can help heal a beaten and broken industry.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Killing_Games