Why Video Game Roadmaps Sometimes Make Me Worry About The Game

Earlier in the week, Gamigo put out the July community letter for Trove. As is generally the case with these things, the letter discussed the game’s most recent activity as well as what to expect in the near future. It also included a brief Q&A in which the devs answered a question about the possibility of providing players with a roadmap.

Over the years, players of live service games have become accustomed to developers using roadmaps to outline their plans. As with the most recent Lost Ark roadmap, some only cover a few months. Others look far into the future. Some devs invite players to join them on apps like Trello, where they can follow changes as they happen and feel more involved in the process. No matter how they do go about it, the idea is to keep players informed of future plans.

On the surface, it makes sense when dealing with a live service game. We live in these games. We like to know what the plans for them are.

That’s why I found the Trove devs’ answer to that question so interesting. Essentially, it broke down to a “no”; players won’t be getting roadmaps. That’s not because the devs don’t want any transparency. As the individual asking the question pointed out, they’re being fairly transparent without the roadmap. Rather, the objection on the developer’s part is that they want to “avoid setting expectations”.

And there’s the rub with telling players developer plans too far in advance. There’s a big difference between things you want to do and the things you will actually achieve. It’s not uncommon for a developer to say “we would like to do this” and have some players take it as “we are doing this”.

Honestly, this is also why I’ve thought many times that there is such a thing as revealing a game too early. Once you reveal a game, players are going to want to know everything they can about it. If the game isn’t far enough along, whatever eventually comes out, it’s going to match what the players have built up in their heads. One needs only look to Elyon to know this is true. The game, which was announced as “A:IR,” promised aerial combat using airships. And, well, we know how that turned out.

The same problems can crop up with roadmaps. I remember a friend once telling me that he avoided games that went in too heavy on roadmaps because, to him, that meant the game was in trouble. I’m not going to say he’s absolutely correct. But I do know that every time I see one that has a long projection window, I worry.