When a studio no longer has the will to release a new powerset, what did we players do?

I can't answer that question because none of us outside of the company know how much good or harm their recent/current decisions are having on the company.

We don't know returns on investment for their new programs and systems put into place. We don't know the gains or losses on subscriptions, player engagement or spending as a result of their changes. We don't even know what metrics they're using to gauge success or failure in their current path, which means we can't know that they know they've failed in many aspects, as you said.

Does that mean we have to agree with their decision making? Absolutely not, we as consumers are entirely entitled to our opinions and feelings on the changes. But unless they go full disclosure mode and put everything out there for us to see, the only thing we can know is whether or not we like it. Anything beyond that is supposition.

I never understood the "the game is dying" or "we are playing a "dead game" remarks. We all play in shell communities that make up of our own friends, league mates and acquaintances. Some of those shell communities certainly have been reduced in player size, but in no way is a resemblance of the community overall. The only thing we can gauge and show in support of a dying or dead game is resources such as steam that only give a snapshot of a fraction of the community.

We were told in the past during the EG7 conference that they have used monetary resources obtained in this game to support other games. So, using the game is dead logic, would mean that the largest portion of the "dwindling community" are made up of players who spend enough money on this game to support such ventures, which is unlikely.

I am more compelled by the dictates of reason that they would not hire new staff to manage the game, nor release new content regardless of how often the content is released to believe the game is on its death bed.

Aiden, there is still only one team.

Switch wasn't holding back the development teams. If anything it was just delaying it's own client updates, nothing more.

its the same CEO for both

they have to balance the 15 powersets they already have first before they think about releasing another 3

We can only piece together information that is provided outside of the studio. Like EG7's shareholders reports.

I would say that I guess in the short term, the recent changes have worked. We will have to see the long term at this point.

It may have. The community comes and goes in cycles. When this game was made available for the PlayStation, I would venture to guess that the largest portion of the community became saturated with players whose ages were ranging from 14 and 15 yrs to the early 20s. Since then, many of those players aged out to support growing careers, and nurture families, which is likely the largest reason for the community dwindling in some aspects. This effected PC players as well because it is likely they were a bit older, but played on a limited basis for the very same reason. The largest portion of players I play with now are much older, which leads me to believe they haven't done enough to attract a younger generation of players to supplement those losses. This isn't even considering how XBOX and Switch are practically non-existent. I think it was a mistake to consume those two platforms before addressing the loss of younger players. It is also likely they didn't even know they were losing younger players at the rate they were.

They said om FNL streams. They get another team to make the powers. As it's not in their work field.
Switch, the qol is not possible to match the PC, Xbox and PS4 and PS5. Switch is significantly less than PS4.
Now it may be possible for a Switch 2 Version and not have to play the Switch 1 graphics on Switch 2.
The PS4 is 10 times more than PS3, Switch is few times more than PS3.
Switch 1 is devs didn't have to do much. As it is a downgrade.
Now, they can make the improved version on Switch 2.
If there are enough players to care for it.
As in while they can make visuals improvements, if they would still leave Switch 2 out.

Sont know if what they been doing is at the risk of losing or is because the game is doing well and they price things with no risks.

The thing about games and how dreva do things. On what it takes to make money.
Give players what they want and they will be happy. When they are happy. They will spend money.
It's like w run park that's our favorite. We like the staff there and they do things for us and they make impingements they we ask for and we are happy. When we are happy we spend money.
Arcades and other activities improvements, more customs on private parties and contests and tournaments.
If devs do some things players ask for, there will be a significant increase on players.

As to what it is on the good or harm, it seems to be what can most more money in a short time.
While the good is on the number of players they players and the number of those players they spends money and if it's working.
That bad is the players that's not been playing we much and or quit.
Doing some things players ask will get alot of players back. Rather it's how much money it can make from the things we don't ask for and how much money it can make from the things we do wsl for.
How much money it can make regardless of how many players it can lose and said they will come bedo when improvements are done.
While at that, ways to get alot of players to come back is ways to make alot more money.
Rather then putting big prices on things it's losing or it's doing really well they putting big prices won't do any harm.
So dcuo being our favorite fun park. The big prices for new activities. I'll just still to turn arcades for 20$ a week.

I think you misunderstood what they meant by "teams". I'm talking the whole studio team which gets broken up into separate smaller teams that do different things. At that time, combat was under Tunso and for the most part, visual effects is added on which can be the art team, but IIRC, spord used to add his own visuals from existing animations.

Also, FNL has not been a thing since Spytle was part of the company, which was the end of SOE and the start of Daybreak Gaming. We are talking like 8-9 years ago here. I would not take ANY of what was said during that time as what they do now. It's a different landscape and a lot different of a game.

PS3 and Switch are NOT the same in comparison. The PS3 was a resource issue with the small RAM size. Switch is FAR superior than that aged hardware. It is not in the same level as a PS4 or PS5, but it is still better than the bare minimum that this game requires to play on a PC. It's hardware is fine. The problems the Switch had are optimization for the platform. They weren't doing it well and it became apparent when Doomed Washington DLC came out. Don't take what people are saying that the Switch 1 is bad hardware, it's not. Yes, the Switch 2 is far better, but the Switch 1 has more than enough hardware to support a 14 year old MMO. I know, because I've played on it and only stopped because of the population. I've had the luxury of trying the PS3 with DCUO, they are NOT the same.

FYI, the only problem that DCUO had on the switch was internal storage size. If someone wanted to play the game, it needed an SD card. Their fix was removing the videos and giving that as a separate download. (Though, I'm not sure if that's still a thing. Haven't looked in a while.)

This is amazing information. Thank you Bumbliing B for your financial sleuthing! I say this is amazing because as someone pointed out above, DCUO is an old game, still being played on its original game engine, yet it is making such profits still. Daybreak (which includes DCUO amongst other games) grew profits 13.4% over last year? Wow! Plus they say that Daybreak performed as expected, which is good. That means stability.

Yes, i don't think even current ''new'' employees themselves have a list of it aside people at the very top.
Only people who were laid off back then, had that knowledge.

We all know what will happen if/when they add a new Powerset. History of this games community makes it perfectly clear.

"Yay we getting a new power"
*2 seconds later "booooooo its not the power I wanted"
"Oohh...its OP, greedy Devs trying to sell respec tokens on top of it"
"Ohh...its not OP, trash power not worth it"

Clear example is the new Iconics. People complain because some are meta. And the moment a non meta ability is released, complain because its not meta.

And very often, it's the same people making both complaints.

I absolutely love your enthusiasm but I used to think this way a while back. Now, I realize with the current situation of the game and the current team that works on this game, what you're asking for is literally impossible. If they still had the team before Sony sold S.O.E then there would still be hope. Our best bet of getting anything new power related is through existing powersets. New abilities with all our current powersets is the only thing that may be possible right now. Trust me, I get it, but this is our harsh reality when it comes to the state of this game.

The possibilities of adding more things to do, in similar to other games of numerous of things to do in weekly and monthly events and few at a time.
Does Unreal Engine 3 limits to hat possibility? Or is it the limits of the devs? Or is it the rate of what makes money on the rate of the grinding?
Other games, devs have free events at a time for weekly and monthly with missions and quests to do for points and teaching the milestones and tanks for rewards and passes for additional rewards in tiers.

It could be the way the game is defined on the grinding. Other ways to get rewards to make the grinding quicker.

When a studio no longer has the will to release a new powerset, then maybe the players will learn to play one of the existing powersets well.

Do you mean when the servers merged, or when it went free to play? This game was for Playstation 3 at the start. Its what set it apart from all other MMOs at the time, the first MMO to be released on a console. Id also refrain from generalizing ages according to console vs PC, its pretty even across the board.

I dunno, water was the last released right? How many water powered toons do you see in game?

One should not believe that the power of water is neglected, it is a very appreciated power of healing, I don’t know if I can go on like this, but I think it is practically 2nd place after elec.