Should studios unlock everything for old multiplayer games?

Game Reviews & Recommendations
1

Games that are no longer updated shouldn’t have paid items or cosmetics. If a studio decides to stop supporting a multiplayer game, they should unlock everything for the players still enjoying it.

Uncharted 4 made me think about this. Its multiplayer hasn’t been updated since 2017, but there are still hundreds of cosmetic items locked behind paywalls. Why keep selling these things when the game isn’t being supported? It would be nice if older games like this just gave players access to everything before they take the servers offline.

Just to clarify, I’m not saying all studios should give away everything for free all the time. But players buy in-game items knowing they have no real-world value, and those items can disappear whenever the game shuts down. If a game isn’t supported anymore, it’d be a great gesture to open up those items to the community that still plays it. It wouldn’t hurt the people who originally bought them because those items didn’t have any permanent value to begin with.

2

Some studios do this. Square Enix did it with Avengers before shutting the servers down.

3

Clancy said:
Some studios do this. Square Enix did it with Avengers before shutting the servers down.

Do you know if they’re doing that for Foam Stars too? I know the servers are staying up for now.

4

@Palmer
Not sure. Honestly, I forgot Foam Stars even existed until now lol.

5

Clancy said:
Some studios do this. Square Enix did it with Avengers before shutting the servers down.

I think they did the same thing for Chocobo Racing.

6

You say there’s no reason, but from the publisher’s perspective, they can still make money. That’s reason enough for them.

7

Linden said:
You say there’s no reason, but from the publisher’s perspective, they can still make money. That’s reason enough for them.

Do you think these old storefronts are actually making enough to justify staying open? Or is it just inertia keeping them running?

8

Linden said:
You say there’s no reason, but from the publisher’s perspective, they can still make money. That’s reason enough for them.

Just because it makes them money doesn’t mean it’s fair. People need to stop buying into this and speak up.

9

@Alden
But they won’t stop. Companies are always going to chase profits.

10

Linden said:
You say there’s no reason, but from the publisher’s perspective, they can still make money. That’s reason enough for them.

I really doubt Sony or Naughty Dog is relying on Uncharted 4 multiplayer sales for anything significant.

11

@Sparrow
Even if it’s not a major source of income, it could still help offset server costs.

12

@Sparrow
If someone showed up at your door every month with $5, would you turn them away?

13

Milo said:
@Sparrow
If someone showed up at your door every month with $5, would you turn them away?

Fair point. But are Uncharted 4 cosmetics even bringing in $5/month?

14

I wish they’d let us host our own private servers when they shut things down.

15

Sydney said:
I wish they’d let us host our own private servers when they shut things down.

I felt the same when EVE Valkyrie went offline. Couldn’t even get to the main menu. Letting people host private servers would’ve made a big difference.

16

They should make cosmetics free once a game’s no longer supported. But sadly, companies would rather keep squeezing money out of them. It’s all about profit.

17

Frost said:
They should make cosmetics free once a game’s no longer supported. But sadly, companies would rather keep squeezing money out of them. It’s all about profit.

It’s not greed on our end. For decades, games came as full packages. Now they’re broken into DLCs and extras. It’s frustrating.

18

Why play an unsupported game? And why would studios give anything away for free when they can still make money?

19

Nevada said:
Why play an unsupported game? And why would studios give anything away for free when they can still make money?

Because some unsupported games are still great! Communities keep them alive even after studios move on. Look at City of Heroes or Star Wars Battlefront 2.

20

If studios made everything free for older games, wouldn’t people just stop buying and wait instead?