Tencent Axes Failed F2P Game Synced: Another Live Service Down

Tencent has announced the shutdown of its free-to-play co-op shooter, Synced, just a year after its launch. Developed by NExT Studios and published under Tencent’s global games brand, Level Infinite, Synced will go dark on September 9, 2024. Despite an initial peak of 10,272 concurrent players on Steam, the numbers dwindled rapidly to less than 1,000 after a month, and the reviews have shifted from ‘mixed’ to ‘mostly negative’. Tencent has assured players that while Synced will be retired, their personal information may be retained for a certain period to meet legal obligations and data access requests. This move highlights the competitive nature of the live service game genre, where even highly funded projects struggle to maintain an audience.

Tencent is shutting down Synced due to a significant decline in its player base and overall negative user reviews, rendering the game unsustainable to maintain.

Synced is another example of the challenging environment faced by live service games. Despite its initial promise, the game's inability to retain players has led to its early closure. This trend is not isolated to Synced, as seen with other ambitious projects like Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League stumbling in the live service market. However, it's worth noting that not all live service games face the same fate. For instance, Nexon's The First Descendant has garnered impressive success with 10 million players in just seven days post-launch, indicating that while the market is tough, there is still potential for new entrants with the right formula.