"Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Dev Rejects Live Service Model Amid 'FOMO' Backlash"

The developers and publishers of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 have firmly stated their intention not to transform the game into a "full live service" model, following a backlash to community events perceived as promoting "FOMO," or the fear of missing out. FOMO is a strategy commonly employed by live service game developers to encourage players to engage quickly and spend on limited-time virtual items, suggesting that missing out on these items would result in a permanent loss.

This approach is often criticized for fostering an unhealthy relationship between video games and their communities. In 2021, new research commissioned by the UK's GambleAware charity highlighted that many games use "psychological nudges" to encourage purchases of loot boxes, exploiting the fear of missing out on limited-time items or special deals. While Space Marine 2 does not include loot boxes, its recent introduction of community events for unlocking exclusive cosmetics has sparked controversy and led to the game being labeled as a "live service" by some players.

In response to the negative feedback, Space Marine 2's publisher, Focus Entertainment, and developer, Saber Interactive, acknowledged the "cold feedback" their community events received. They emphasized that they do not intend to turn Space Marine 2 into a full live service game. They assured players that all items made available through these events would be accessible to everyone at a later date. The statement from the companies read:

We have noted that the Community Events have received cold feedback since we introduced them as an additional way to unlock cosmetic items. We saw that many of you mentioned FOMO generated by the events. Rest assured, we are not looking to transform Space Marine 2 into a full live service game. The items available through events WILL be available later, for everyone. We want Community Events to be a way to unlock the items in advance, for the most dedicated players, and not to be a source of frustration and stress for everyone.

However, that means we must provide a smooth experience in unlocking said items, which has not been the case so far. We deeply apologize for the trouble, and are currently working on a simplified process to unlock the items, to make the experience less constraining.

To address these concerns, Focus Entertainment is offering the coveted emblem-less Mk VIII Errant Helmet for free to all players who link their PROS account to Space Marine 2. This helmet was part of the Imperial Vigil community event, which concludes on March 3 and was previously only obtainable by achieving a victory with each of the six classes in Operations Mode before the deadline.

Currently, Space Marine 2 players are eagerly anticipating the 7.0 update, which promises to introduce a new weapon, a new Operations map, and PvE Prestige Ranks. Last month, Focus and Saber addressed the growing frustration over content scarcity and outlined their plans for the game's future updates.

Space Marine 2 achieved a record-breaking launch late last year, selling 5 million copies and becoming the fastest-selling Warhammer video game to date.