this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2025
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Randy Pitchford shares thoughts on the Stop Killing Games campaign, gets very existential: "It's so sobering to think about the fact that everything will end[...]and I kind of hate that" (www.pcgamer.com)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by alessandro@lemmy.ca to c/pcgaming@lemmy.ca
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[–] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 74 points 3 days ago (4 children)

“It's a weird, challenging problem, though, because I think that at the same time, if we're going to have any games that are sincere live services, it seems mutually exclusive to have something that's going to be a living thing that can't be allowed to die. I don't know how to get around that.”

Dedicated servers. Let people host their own servers. How is this so fucking hard to understand? When the company is ready to move on and retire their official servers they can do so without invoking ire from the playerbase.

[–] definitemaybe@lemmy.ca 1 points 22 hours ago

Or keep the live service model, but label things correctly:

You're getting a subscription to the service that's guaranteed to last at least until [planned minimum end date]. Make it illegal to label anything using "buy" that doesn't grant a permanent, non-expiring license to the software or digital good.

There's nothing wrong with charging for a subscription. If that's their product, and the only way they can offer the product, then clearly market it that way and there's no legal problem under the proposed rules.

Granted, that still sucks for videogame preservation, but at least it's honest. And I'm not sure how many people will be willing to shell out $80+ for a "minimum 24 month subscription" to a new game, or pay $9.99 for a "micro"transaction they're guaranteed to keep access to for ~~8 7 6~~ 5 months.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 23 points 3 days ago

Yup. Even just release the match matching server as a Linux app would be better than what they do now which is just kill it all.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The problem (for them) with that is that the server is what keeps the live service shit locked down so you have to pay for it. If you control the servers, you also control the unlockable items. They don't want that. They want to nickel and dime you with skins.

[–] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I know what you mean, but they're going to abandon it eventually, right? What matters is how they abandon it; what they leave behind. Currently, they leave nothing for the playerbase.

If they need to retire the live service to move forward, so be it. But if I wanna boot up a server for a night of gameplay with friends on some retired game I should be able to do so.

Allowing dedicated servers after said live service retirement is the fix.

[–] Venat0r@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

They don't want it to be competing with their new releases, even if it's only a small theoretical competition that doesn't actually occur in the real world, so they currently have a small incentive to kill it. This is why there needs to be regulations introduced to ensure the server software is released when they shut it down.

[–] kugmo@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

are you even allowed to host dedicated servers for console games? i don't think we'll ever get those sadly, they're stuck on offical ps/ms/nintendo/game company hosted servers without a way to spin one up and have users join those (which completely goes against online subscription fees for the consoles).

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They used to have them for some OG xbox games and PS2 games.

[–] kugmo@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I mean hosting a game via a server binary you're hosting, not your game console acting as a dedicated server. I believe Mecassault for Xbox had lobbies you would manually join because it was pre-matchmaking and some players would mic check you too.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I mean hosting a game via a server binary you're hosting, not your game console acting as a dedicated server.

What do you think the game console is doing when you are running a dedicated server on it? 🤨

[–] kugmo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Well only in 8th gen there was dedicated servers, before that I know it was all peer to peer.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is the most softball-assed "interview" I've ever seen. PC Gamer is full of clowns

[–] pharceface@retrolemmy.com 3 points 2 days ago

I truly miss the days of Logan Decker and Gary Whitta at the helm of PCG.

[–] recursive_recursion@piefed.ca 40 points 3 days ago (1 children)

CEOs Continue to Ponder Why People Keep Sharing the Phrase "Eat the rich"

[–] NoForwadSlashS@piefed.social -2 points 2 days ago

But I just don't think I'm that tasty

[–] DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca 30 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"CEO veers off-topic into existential crisis." Cool but what about some promise of people actually owning their games, Randy?

[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"Sorry, best I can do is some half-assed magic tricks"

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

And shitty guitar + singing

[–] TonyOstrich@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago

I can still find Unreal Tournament 99 game servers to play on. Now remind me Randy. What game engine are you licensing and using for your games? Unreal Engine?

Shut the fuck up Randy.

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 21 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Some things never end. For example, CEOs' propensity towards dishonesty / idiocy / disingenuousness. Or my disdain towards straw men, I hope it outlives me, like a meme.

EDIT: my point is, that those CEOs are consistently distorting what SKG is about: from "don't design games to be unplayable once support ends" (fairly reasonable) into "u think gaems shuld live 4ever lol but ackshyually nuffin does lmao XD". This is a fucking straw man; it's the bottom of the barrel when it comes to irrationality.

And they're doing it to discourage people from supporting SKG. And in this specific case what the article is calling "vibing" is just part of a diversion tactic - to avoid having people calling him out for his dishonesty / idiocy / disingenuousness. Say something filthy, then distract the audience with mental masturbation, it works!

[–] TheOakTree@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago

Memes. The DNA of the soul.

[–] Cassa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 3 days ago

greasy randy

[–] Nanook@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 days ago

Is this an existential crisis 🦋

[–] monkeyman512@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I think that a solution is a "warranty" of sorts. They have a clearly define date which the are promising the game will be playable until. If they end the game early they have to offer a prorated refund for the "time lost" or provide a solution so you can play without their servers.

I would additionally want this to be required to be communicated outside the ULA and must be presented in language that even children can understand. Preferably both before and after purchase.

[–] xyguy@startrek.website 5 points 3 days ago

Maybe Randy isnt somebody you want on your side in a legal battle or frankly anything else.

[–] Harvey656@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

I'd rather eat Randy.

[–] NaibofTabr 4 points 3 days ago

And all things end
All that we intend
is scrawled in sand
It slips right through our hand
And just knowing
That everything will end
Should not change our plan
Whеn we begin again