It’s a bit funny when the director of a game that uses a similar model speaks out about the failure of a live service title, but it happened!

Thaddeus Sasser, the director of Marvel Rivals, gave an interview to VideoGamer. This was done after the game was released, and according to Sasser, the paid (!) game from the closed Firewalk Studios failed because it didn’t offer any unique value to players. The director hopes that the popularity of Marvel will convince players who play other similar titles to try his project.

“There’s a transition cost. I’m already invested in Overwatch, I have 15 skins for Pharah, I’m not going anywhere. As a game developer, you’re always worried about how the audience will react. The truth is, I don’t think anyone can predict it exactly, otherwise the gaming industry would be completely different today. There are so many games that come out that people say “this is going to be great” and then they flop, or they say “this is going to be a flop” and then they do amazing things. So, I think it’s really hard to predict, and you’re always worried about that.

I think the trick is to give people a reason to come and play your game, and I think that’s exactly what Marvel Rivals does with superheroes. I don’t know about you, but when I heard the concept for the game, I was like, “Oh my God, I want to be Storm or Doctor Strange in a game.” I want to be one of those heroes in a game, that sounds awesome. And of course, all the cool possibilities that could come with that went through my mind. I think that’s what’s going to attract people too. If we do our job well, they’ll love what they’re playing and want to play more,” Sasser said.

Marvel Rivals attracted 10 million players in its first three days after launch, which is a good start, but since it’s a live service title, you have to keep that up for the long term!

Source: VGC, VideoGamer