The recent troubles of large gaming studios like Ubisoft have brought to light a growing issue in the broader gaming industry: the disconnect between developers and their target player communities. With increasingly generic and even cash-grab-like games, major studios are failing to maintain the trust and enthusiasm of their devoted long-term audiences. Ubisoft, once known for its groundbreaking franchises, is now emblematic of this decline, with a series of recent flops such as XDefiant and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown that do not only weigh on the company’s perception, but also on their stock market price. The recent titles by Ubisoft have shown that focusing on profit-driven expansions and live-service models rather than genuine player feedback can only go for so long without backfiring, and when time comes, can significantly damage a studio's reputation. Conversely, smaller studios are finding success by adopting a "bottom-up" approach, where player input shapes game development at every stage to bring an exceptionally well-crafted experience.
The Rise and Fall of Ubisoft
Ubisoft was once a beacon of innovation in the gaming industry with its iconic franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. The studio built its reputation on delivering groundbreaking titles that pushed boundaries in storytelling, world-building, and gameplay mechanics winning the hearts of gaming audiences. These franchises, particularly in their early iterations, were praised for their ambition and creativity visible in many of the game’s aspects. Assassin’s Creed II, for example, revolutionized the open-world genre with its intricate historical settings and fluid parkour-like mechanics, while Far Cry 3 set a new standard for first-person shooters with its expansive open world and compelling villain.
As the studio grew, Ubisoft became known for its ability to craft massive, immersive worlds. Further building upon the success of franchises like the Assassin’s Creed series, with its stunning recreations of historical cities like Venice or Paris that captured the imagination of millions and Far Cry, with its chaotic, freeform gameplay, offered players the freedom to approach challenges in a myriad of ways. Then we also had the Tom Clancy series, especially Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six, that set a high bar for tactical gameplay. During this golden period, Ubisoft seemed to understand what the players wanted: rich, diverse experiences that rewarded exploration and mastering skills.
However, in the last decade, Ubisoft's trajectory has shifted dramatically, marked by a series of missteps that highlight the pitfalls of a "top-down" approach to game development. Instead of continuing to innovate, the studio began relying on generic, live-service models filled with microtransactions, leaving many players disillusioned and some openly infuriated by studio’s decisions. Their recent titles, such as Ghost Recon Breakpoint and XDefiant, were expected to rejuvenate their respective franchises but were met with overwhelming backlash. Both games felt unpolished, plagued by technical issues, and more focused on monetization than delivering a satisfying experience. Not to mention all the backlash concerning the upcoming release of highly awaited Assassin’s Creed Shadows, that did not help in winning people’s hearts and wallets.
One of Ubisoft's most glaring examples of poor management is The Crew. Once positioned as an ambitious open-world racing title, now is a story of the past as Ubisoft's new policy led to the decision to shut down its servers, essentially killing the game. Even players who owned a copy could no longer access it, illustrating how the company’s reliance on live-service models leaves players powerless when a game no longer serves the studio's financial goals. This decision alienated long-time fans, further eroding trust in Ubisoft's ability to provide lasting value in their games.
The studio's top-down approach has consistently failed to adapt to player feedback, and now also strikes these players that wanted to stick to their old beloved titles. This was particularly evident in aforementioned The Crew, and in some way also in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, where Ubisoft’s attempt to capitalize on the live-service trend backfired. The game alienated its core fanbase by offering shallow gameplay, poor design choices, and excessive microtransactions. These decisions felt disconnected from what players wanted: a return to the tactical, immersive roots of the franchise. Instead, Ubisoft focused on monetization strategies that prioritized short-term profits over long-term satisfaction and rewarding gaming experience.
Additionally, the already mentioned issue of Ubisoft’s approach to microtransactions has drawn increasing criticism. The constant push for paid content in games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - with its array of purchasable XP boosts, cosmetic items, and gear, has left many players feeling exploited. This business model, which thrives on extracting revenue through incremental purchases, often undermines the core gaming experience, and while it is to some extent understandable in some game genres, it is hard to justify in single-player titles focused on delivering a captivating narrative and world immersion. While it may boost profits in the short term, it simply erodes player trust and engagement over time. Gamers feel as though they are being treated as consumers to be milked for profit, rather than members of a community.
In stark contrast to Ubisoft’s current trajectory, smaller indie studios and web3 developers have shown that a bottom-up, community-driven approach can lead to a huge success both in terms of the game revenue from sales and studio’s reputation. By involving players in the development process, these studios foster a sense of ownership and loyalty that major corporations like Ubisoft seem to have lost.
Community-Driven Success
In contrast to top-down development, the "bottom-up" approach centers on involving players throughout the game’s creation process. Here, game studios actively listen to their communities, incorporating feedback to fine-tune gameplay, mechanics, and even narrative elements so that everything fits perfectly into the image of the expected gaming experience. This has led to the rise of indie games and web3 projects that not only attract massive attention but also sustain strong player bases over time.
Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter have fueled the bottom-up model, enabling developers to engage players from the inception of a project. Hades, by Supergiant Games, is a shining example of such strategy. The developers offered early access to players, iterating based on feedback and by release, Hades had become a critical and commercial success, with players praising its finely tuned mechanics and rich story, elements shaped by community involvement. Suffice to say, the studio's upcoming release of Hades 2 is one of the most awaited titles. This is the power of a brand's reputation and player’s trust.
Another successful indie title is Factorio, developed by Wube Software. This game, even though probably less known to a broader audience for its uniqueness, benefited enormously from years of player feedback in its early-access phase, allowing the developers to address concerns and refine the game until it reached its final, critically acclaimed form.
Similarly, Stardew Valley by ConcernedApe was born from a solo developer’s effort to create a game that resonated with fans of Harvest Moon. Eric Barone, the developer, listened closely to feedback from players during development, leading to constant improvements and new features. Even now, years after its release, the game is still widely played and supported, with frequent updates that reflect community desires.
Indie developers have repeatedly shown how community engagement leads to long-term success and one of the most notable examples is Terraria. This indie sensation, developed by Re-Logic, took player feedback to heart for years, continually adding updates that aligned with what fans wanted. By the time the final update, "Journey’s End," was released, Terraria had cemented itself as a timeless classic that attracts players to this day. Despite its humble beginnings, the game has achieved over 35 million sales worldwide, proving that community-driven development can compete with (and sometimes outshine) even big-budget AAA titles that do not always seem to be such great products… and investments.
The Web3 Blueprint
The success of indie games and web3 projects centered around player’s needs highlights a crucial shift in the gaming industry: the future belongs to player-driven ecosystems. Ubisoft’s recent downfall and the downfall of most web3 games from the 2021 era serves as a stark warning for those that prioritize profits over player engagement, showing that top-down profit-chasing development stifles innovation, disconnects communities, and offends players. In contrast, the bottom-up approach embraced by the new wave of web3 games adopted by protocols like Elympics, embraces a way that leads to deeper player engagement and long-term success for both players and developers alike. Elympics empowers developers to create exciting web3 games by putting players' needs at the heart of the game development process. By providing a full set of ready-made tools and blockchain integration, Elympics allows developers to shape game mechanics, progression, and governance, offering them a real stake in the game's evolution via the competitive spirit and real-money reward mechanisms embedded into the games they create.
This results in games that align with the desires of their communities, where competition is fair, transparent, and above all, rewarding. By treating gamers as co-creators rather than mere customers, Elympics enables developers to build sustainable communities, fostering loyalty and producing games that can stand the test of time. This player-centered blueprint mirrors what indie developers have long understood: listening to players is key to creating experiences that resonate and endure.
Join the Revolution
If you haven’t joined the Elympics Bot yet, here’s your chance to do so.
The Elympics Bot on Telegram represents the next step in our mission to revolutionize gaming through web3 technology. We’re excited to bring these games to our community and can’t wait to see how you’ll master the challenges they present.
Ready to dive in? Sign up now at t.me/elympics_bot and start playing today. Every game you play, every point you score, and every connection you make is a step forward in the future of gaming with Elympics.
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