Are Live Events the Future of Video Games?

Live events create some of the most memorable moments in online gaming. They came into the limelight with Fortnite’s first limelight event mid-2018, with the popular rocket launch from Season 4 being one of the most discussed things in the game ever. While Fortnite has created the most memorable live events of all games and has made it a pretty common thing in each season, they have been hugely successful in achieving multiple objectives. This week, Destiny 2 also came out with its live event, which wasn’t as popular as Fortnite’s previous ones, but it certainly seems like Bungie will be planning them in the future as well.

Games are online now more than ever, giving players the ability to group up, meet new players, and participate in a community, and it certainly seems like live events will be the next step for online games to up their experience. Are live events the future of video games? What makes them so special and effective? This article will take you through various aspects of a live event, in light of Fortnite’s most recent ‘The Device’ event.

What are Live Events?

If you haven’t seen a live event before, they are in-game events that happen in real-time and can only be experienced if you’re in the game when the event happens. The game first announces a date and time, and sometimes a live event can take place multiple times, like the Travis Scott event in Fortnite. Players then have to log into the game at the same time and stay online to experience the live event. The even takes place at the said time, and is generally a limited-time experience, either to promote a crossover, such as Star Wars x Fortnite or Travis Scott x Fortnite, or to take the story forward, such as the Rocket Launch event in Season 4 of Fortnite.

Live events get a lot of attendance and generate hype because they’re exclusive and limited-time events. Along with the actual event that takes place, Fortnite also offers in-game rewards such as banners, sprays, and even crossover cosmetics in the in-game Item Shop. Since Fortnite is a PvP game, Epic Games has added a feature that disables weapons and any kind of player damage during the period of the event. This was done after the first event in Season 4, where a lot of people eliminated other people to not let them experience the event. Disabling damage gives all players a fair chance to experience the event.

Live events are also streamed and uploaded online to let people who couldn’t make it for the event experience it. These events usually take place on weekends, and take place at a time where players from most regions can experience them. You can experience these events as a squad, with your friends, or alone. Cutscenes may also be there during the live event, but most of it will be player-controlled.

What is Fortnite’s The Device live event?

The Device is Fortnite’s seasonal live event for Chapter 2: Season 2. Fortnite has one event every season (except for the first Season in Chapter 2) and they are always really good. Fortnite’s The Device live event took place a few days before the end of Season 2, on June 15. The event started at 11:00 am PDT, and Epic Games had recommended everyone to be in the game lobby at least 30 minutes before the event.

This is to avoid server overloads, which have happened in the past when too many people have tried to log in just 5 minutes before the event. There are plenty of people logging in at the same time, which can also cause party issues.

What other games have Live Events?

Destiny 2 had its first ever live event this week. It was an attempt to create an experience similar to Fortnite’s live events, but unfortunately it wasn’t very successful. Since Fortnite has set the bar so high with its fast-paced and game-changing events, everyone expected Destiny 2 to do the same. Destiny 2’s Almighty event showcased the planet-destroying ship called “Almighty”, which was expected to crash or make some form of big change in the already repetitive season. Instead, players got a slow cutscene-like event that was a huge let-down and did nothing much to really alter the narrative or the game.

What do live events mean for the future of videogaming?

Live events are sure to achieve three important goals:

1. Generate hype
2. Get players together
3. Keep the game fresh

Everyone is talking about the event for weeks before it happens, it gets people to log into the game and brings older players to even experience this new content, and it gives developers a chance to steer the game in a new direction. It’s an excellent opportunity to make additions and take a storyline forward, and to even add new mechanics like the light sabers in Fortnite.

Online multiplayer game developers have a lot of potential to explore with these ideas, with Fortnite even giving players a poll asking them which weapon they want to unvault (rerelease).

Endnote

Live events have just started in video games in the last few years, and they are surely here to stay. They attract a lot of attention and keep the game fresh, and after playing Fortnite for almost three years I can confidently say that I distinctly remember every single live event in it even though I haven’t re-watched any of them. They stay on your mind, almost like real life experiences. We hope our guide was able to help you understand them better, and that you enjoy all of the future live events you attend.