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Why It's Hard To Fix Live-Service Games | Spot On

Using Diablo 4 as a launching point for the conversation, Tamoor and Lucy discuss the hurdles facing developers who maintain and improve live-service games.

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Gamescom is in full swing but that doesn't mean Spot On is taking a break. The event provides an ideal opportunity to catch up with developers and talk to them about the nitty-gritty details of game development. Of particular note, Blizzard's appearance at Gamescom affords a chance to talk to the team about what it takes to make, maintain, update, and improve the experience of an online live-service game like Diablo IV.

In this episode of Spot On, Lucy and Tamoor sit down with Diablo's Rod Fergusson and Chris Wilson to discuss the process involved in fixing a live-service game. The conversation covers Diablo IV's mixed reception--a strong launch followed by a largely ill-received Season 1--in the wake of the announcement for the second post-launch expansion, Season of Blood (an apt name for a season of content themed around vampires). Lucy and Tamoor also talk on the show floor following the interview, offering their own thoughts on Diablo IV and their interpretation of Fergusson and Wilson's statements.

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Now Playing: Why It’s Hard To Fix Live Service Games (feat. Diablo IV) | Spot On

Spot On is a weekly news show airing Fridays in which GameSpot's managing editor Tamoor Hussain and senior producer Lucy James talk about the latest news in games. Given the highly dynamic and never-ending news cycle of the massive video game industry, there's always something to talk about but, unlike most other news shows, Spot On will dive deep into a single topic as opposed to recapping all the news.

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