Are Evergreen Titles More Profitable?
Evergreen titles are more profitable, but not in the way traditional games are measured. Such titles generate value over time, while traditional games rely heavily on launch performance. This creates two vastly different revenue curves.
A traditional AAA game typically earns the majority of its revenue within weeks of release. For example, Grand Theft Auto V generated over $1 billion USD within three days of launch, which shows how front-loaded blockbuster releases can be. However, even in that case, the game’s long-term success came from evolving into an evergreen model through GTA Online, which continues to generate hundreds of millions annually.
Evergreen titles, by contrast, are designed to earn continuously. Fortnite has generated over $9B in total revenue in its first 2 years and is still projected to bring in billions annually, years after release, through in-game purchases and live events. This steady income model reduces reliance on launch success and builds long-term player spending habits.
In practical terms, evergreen games do not always earn more on day one, but they often outperform traditional titles over the years. However, it is important to note that long-term games also require constant updates and maintenance to keep the audience engaged. If the live service experience is not enjoyable, players are unlikely to engage with it.
Many titles like Concord and Highguard attempted to break into the live service space and have failed within weeks after launch. Building evergreen games is difficult, and it is not an easy road to long-term revenue.
Genshin Impact and other HoYoverse titles manage to keep player retention by releasing updates once every 40 days. Arc Raiders releases smaller updates almost every month. Players want content quickly, and they want updates to be fun. Building evergreen games can be challenging and incur heavy development costs.