Sports games should be live service games

Annual releases, despite their flaws, often come with a fresh wave of features, improvements, and technological advancements. Shifting to a live service model might reduce the urgency for innovation, leading to a slower pace of meaningful upgrades. Developers might become complacent, relying on minor tweaks rather than pushing for groundbreaking enhancements each year.

A live service model might create a fragmented player base. Some players may purchase season passes, while others might not. This can lead to inconsistencies in player experiences, matchmaking issues, and a divided community, which can be detrimental to the multiplayer aspect of sports games.

Sports games often serve as snapshots of their respective eras, preserving the rosters, teams, and statistics of a particular season. Annual releases create a historical record that players can revisit and enjoy. This aspect of nostalgia and historical context could be lost in a live service model, where the game continuously evolves and changes.

With the proliferation of subscription-based services across various industries (streaming, software, etc.), consumers are already experiencing subscription fatigue. Adding sports games to this model could exacerbate this issue, making it less appealing to players who are tired of managing multiple ongoing payments.

Sports games have a significant market in physical copies, especially for gift-giving occasions like holidays and birthdays. A GaaS model, which relies heavily on digital updates and season passes, diminishes the appeal and practicality of buying and gifting physical copies, potentially reducing sales and market reach.

GaaS models often incorporate microtransactions and other forms of monetization to sustain their revenue streams. This can lead to predatory practices where players are nudged into spending more money on cosmetic items, gameplay advantages, or essential features, which can create an uneven playing field and a pay-to-win environment.

Continuous changes to the game mechanics, features, and rosters can increase the complexity and learning curve for players. New and casual players might find it hard to keep up with the changes, making the game less accessible and less enjoyable for those who don't have the time or inclination to stay constantly updated.

GaaS models often prioritize online multiplayer experiences and updates, potentially neglecting the single-player modes that many players enjoy. This can result in a diminished single-player experience, with fewer updates, less content, and lower overall quality compared to the multiplayer aspects of the game.