Warframe boss thinks big publishers give up on live service games too soon

Warframe, the free-to-play, massively multiplayer action role-playing shooter from Canadian video game developer Digital Extremes just celebrated its 11th anniversary, and is widely considered by many gamers to be one of the most enjoyable, diverse experiences of its kind.

Notwithstanding, if Warframe had been released in today’s gaming environment under a different developer, the outstanding core gameplay loop, exceptional art style and unique customization enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of players each month might never have achieved the considerable success it’s seen to this day. In fact, Digital Extremes CEO Steve Sinclair thinks that most publishers need to have more faith in their live service games, even if they struggle in the early stages of release.

Warframe/Digital Extremes

“They think the release is make or break, and it’s not. They have a financial way to be persistent, and they never do it,” Sinclair said in an interview with VGC. “It comes out, doesn’t work and they throw it away.”

Sinclair added, “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.”

Some notable examples of live service games which were shut down quickly after their release include Electronic Arts/Velan Studios’ Knockout City, which was released on May 21st, 2021 and shut down on June 6th, 2023; Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers, which released on September 4th, 2020 and shut down in September 2023; and Bioware’s Anthem, which was released on February 22nd, 2019 and was shut down on February 24th, 2021.

Meanwhile, Warframe will receive its latest major update, Warframe 1999 this upcoming winter. The update will include a voice cast which includes Ben Starr of Final Fantasy 16 fame and Resident Evil 4‘s Nick Apostolides.

Warframe/Digital Extremes

“I feel so blessed that this incredible community trusts us with this strange new adventure we are setting off on with Warframe: 1999,” said Rebecca Ford, Creative Director on Warframe.

“We’ve collaborated with our community collectively over the past 11 years and promise to continue to do so in an era full of space boy bands, Warframes and Protoframes meeting, and working to figure out: Where is Albrecht Entrati? We will be hitting the road on a worldwide tour to express our gratitude to players in person at Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, and more!”

What do you think of the fact that the Warframe boss thinks big publishers give up on live service games too soon? Would you have liked to have seen any of the aforementioned titles, such as Anthem or Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers still receive live service updates to this day instead of being abandoned? Let us know in the comments.