The Shift in Gaming: Navigating Live Service Challenges

Michail Katkoff and Rhys Elliott break down the widening gap between legacy studios bogged down by process and fresh teams building with urgency.

From the slow death of bloated AAA games to the shaky economics of Game Pass, they explore why shorter, more creative games are winning hearts—and why team quality now matters more than genre. Plus: why subscription models are struggling, and how devices like Switch 2 and Steam Deck might reshape portable play.

Rhys Elliotwww.linkedin.com/in/rhyselliott/Alinea Analyticswww.alineaanalytics.com

00:00 Introduction and Background

04:52 Fat Cats vs. Hungry Cats

22:05 Evaluating Game Development Teams

24:36 Investment Principles in Startup Life

26:31 The Shift from AAA to AA Games

33:25 The Demand for Shorter Games

39:45 The Challenges of Subscription Gaming

49:04 The Future of Game Pass and Subscription Models

53:35 The State of Subscription Services

55:50 Live Services vs. Premium Games

66:20 The Future of Portable Gaming