‘You Buy the Game and You Get the Whole Thing’: Judas Dev Not About Live Service

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You purchase the game and you receive everything it has to offer.

The standalone, narrative-centric rogue-like game, announced on PS5 last December, continues to be shrouded in secrecy. In a recent conversation with Nightdive Studios (through GamesRadar), Ken Levine referred to it as a classic style of game where the full experience can be had for the purchase price alone.

When you purchase this game, it comes with everything included. It doesn’t require any online connection or ongoing subscription services, as our focus is on delivering a compelling narrative and immersive experience for the player.

Highlighting the challenges that game development currently encounters, Levine sympathizes with studios choosing to follow live service trends and add additional monetization methods when they typically wouldn’t. As he put it, “It’s not criticism of any developers who have made this choice, because let’s face it, creating games isn’t cheap.” He also expresses that he doesn’t fault anyone for attempting to earn a living in this manner.

On the contrary, Levine highlights the recent profitable ventures of Baldur’s Gate 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as evidence supporting the continued viability of creating successful single-player games.

Levine uses examples such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to show that it’s possible to produce financially rewarding single-player games.

He stated, “These games are primarily designed for single players and lack the common monetization strategies found in them. I believe this approach is appreciated by audiences, particularly in the AAA sector, as these high-priced titles often prompt the need for alternative monetization methods.

Levine is hoping that Judas might join the crowd once it eventually launches on PS5, although a release date hasn’t been announced yet, and there has been no update since March 2024. Essentially, from Levine’s comments, it appears you won’t be purchasing character skins or completing Battle Passes in Judas.

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2025-07-14 15:06