Are Single Player Games Dead

[cflnut]

In recent years multiplayer games have been increasingly on the rise at the expense of the traditional single-player campaign. Yesterday, EA's Patrick Söderlund announced that the now defunct Visceral's linear narrative-focused Star Wars action-adventure game is being re-tooled as a "broader experience" with "greater depth and breadth to explore." With BioWare's Anthem following a similar model (arguably to the detriment of Mass Effect Andromeda), you'd be forgiven for thinking that single-player stories are bordering on extinction.

You need only look to games like The Witcher 3, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Persona 5, NiER Automata, Watch Dogs 2 and others to see how well a primarily single-player focused game can still perform in the current market. Linearity is becoming almost something of a dirty word, however, bringing with it certain negative connotations. The Evil Within 2 recently managed to sandwich in some open areas alongside its more linear sequences to some degree of success, while the likes of Uncharted 4 and spin-off The Lost Legacy chucked in large, open environments too.

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AS someone who mainly plays single player games I would say no they're not dead yet but they do seem to be on the decline.

[rollntider]

MP games are growing because they can sell a virtual hat for your online character for 4.99. And have 12 maps and charge 5.99 for each extra map. (New battlefront anyone?)

SP games expect you to have plot, gameplay and fun factor.

[Crewe]

I feel like they are because Im a single player too. I don't go online for various reasons, the main is way too much drama and the clique nature of online gaming. I loved the idea of the closed communities we had ala Burnout Paradise etc... but even then, my gaming skills are diminished greatly. I used to be the best at everything, but vision issues and reflexes keeps me at the lower level of gaming so thats an obstacle too.

I realized single player was becoming old news when that last great Star Wars game came out last year or two with no single player campaign. I just hope MLB doesn't go that route

[BojackHorsefella]

I doubt we'll ever see MLB go that way. I know EA loves their microtransactions and Madden's gotten a little weird, what with the Ultimate Team and all that stuff furthering those modes, but the Show has always been tailored more towards the single player experience and I don't see that changing. I'd be curious to see the numbers for their total online players on PS4 vs Madden or FIFA.