ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the reader learns what is expected in the final development stage—running a live service for a game after the product has been launched. Focal points include learning to fight for the players' needs, how no one can predict what a live audience will teach about a game, how online trolls are not to be fought, and what testing areas of the game in a live state can reveal. The reader will learn that a designer should be ready with downloadable content if the game needs it, and that work during this period will be more like gentle waves than the rollercoaster of earlier stages of development. By the conclusion of the chapter, readers will understand what they need to evaluate, learn from, and act on to keep the game up as a live service.
