Forever Games? The Rise (and grind) of Live Service episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 24, 2026 · 1H 43M

Forever Games? The Rise (and grind) of Live Service

from Gaming Views Pod · host Dan and Dan

In this episode of Gaming Views, we’re diving into the very real, often frustrating world of "forever games." We sit down to explore the thin line between a masterpiece like World of Warcraft or Helldivers 2 and the high-profile wrecks like Concord and Suicide Squad that tried to capture lightning in a bottle but ended up with empty servers. From the ancient history of 1970s MUDs to our current obsession with Arc Raiders and the looming "Ramageddon" crisis of 2026, we’re breaking down the core loops that keep us hooked and the predatory tactics that push us away. Whether we're debating the potential of a Baldur's Gate TV show or mourning the loss of the "manual save," join us as we figure out if the industry’s obsession with retention is actually killing the joy of play.App: Gaming Views: Game TrackerCheck out our game tracking app available on IOS/Android.✅ Track upcoming game releases✅ Build a watchlist✅ Get release day reminders⁠Android⁠⁠Apple⁠SUPPORT THE PODIf you like what we do, you can support us over here. It truly means a lot to the both of us - ⁠https://ko-fi.com/gamingviews⁠VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITEGaming Views has a new home! Explore our episodes, blogs, latest news from across the industry and what we’re playing:⁠gamingviewspod.comSee us on YouTube!Why not catch us (kinda) in person over on YouTube. See us discuss the games and also some bonus clips from some of the games - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gaming Views YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ContactIf you like what you hear - please do like, subscribe and consider leaving a review where possible. If you'd like to be on the show, or would like to say hi or suggest a topic, you can find us at the following:[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord#GamingViews #Podcast #LiveServiceGames #Helldivers2 #ArcRaiders #Concord #SuicideSquadGame #WorldOfOfWarcraft #MMORPG #GamingCommunity #VideoGames #GamingNews #BattlePass #Monetization #Ramageddon #PCGaming #PS5 #Xbox #BaldursGate #GamingRoadmap #ForeverGames #GamingTrends #IndustryInsights #EvolutionOfGaming #LiveService #arcraiders #gaming

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 24, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Forever Games? The Rise (and grind) of Live Service

0:00 1:43:02

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Gaming Views Pod?

This episode is 1 hour and 43 minutes long.

When was this Gaming Views Pod episode published?

This episode was published on February 24, 2026.

Can I download this Gaming Views Pod episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!