Phil Harrison: Single-player games are doomed

"Former Sony Computer Entertainment America front man and current Infogrames president Phil Harrison made the bold claim Wednesday that the games industry will soon move away from single-player titles, like Alone in the Dark, and into strictly multiplayer experiences."

[turbogeekx]

I never thought I'd say this about you Phil, but you're wrong.

[theKiller]

but the wrong part is some games and genres r not meant to be played with others, like JRPG's or action games!

but yes i see that all games that doesnt contains multiplayer sell less than whose who has, because it natural that when u finish the game u wanna still play something challenging and if it is a single player then the second time wont be challenging!

i can never expect playing FF with someone else unless it was FF11 style which sucked

but a co op in FF13 can be amazing if it was well executed!

[Fruit Loops]

I think you should play SoTC :]

[Panthers]

Did SoTC sell really well?

People dont seem to find it worth their money if a game is only Single Player and not 30+ hours, no matter how good it is.

People complained about Uncharted, which I still feel is the best PS3 game to come out.

[chaosatom333]

"I just don't think consumers want to be playing games that don't have some kind of network connectivity to them, or some kind of community embedded in them, or some kind of extension available through downloadable content."

This is what he said, nothing about FPS games. Stop making him as some kind of a bad man or something.

ALMOST everyone is making FPS games, maybe that's why they are doomed. IMO.

[iamtehpwn]

The quality and length of Single player games have decreased significantly. Remember N64, PS1, and Ps2 games? They all were lengthy, great, experience. Due to next gen costing so much, it's harder to develop a longer game though, and still hold the quality.

[Admiratio]

Although there are many people who will continue to play games with only multiplayer, there are many who will no longer play. I do enjoy a multiplayer experience from time to time, but I thrill on my single player games. As a future game developer myself, I will always be an outcast if the games industry goes all multiplayer. I will continue to support the single player experience, and I also have to say Phil this is a bad move.

Now with that being sad, I do hear a lot of people complain about no multiplayer in games. And the industry will, unfortunately, cater to the masses first. $$ before satisfaction I'm afraid.

[zapass]

phil is sucking balls

[thePatriot]

I dont want multiplayer in my final fantasy or metal gear (co op that is) to think that with every game I have to play with somebody? no.

[Presentist]

Yeah, I hope Phil realizes that Atari is on Gamers s**t list, he talks crap about games or styles that we love and adds awful, useless design choices to games like Alone In The Dark that otherwise might have been great.

ATARI R.I.P.

[coolfool]

I think he would say that we don't have the vision or the perspective to see the games industry like he does.

But with that in mind, I think that he has missed something. I think the single player is more than just an aspect of a game. It provides a way for every gamer to have their own unique experience of a game. The game then becomes more personal.

It is these personal experiences that gamers will have the fondest memories of in years to come. FFVII being a prime example of that.

[Presentist]

Coolfool - Everyone needs to give you bubbles. However, you need to realize that some of his decisions since moving to Atari are very, very stupid. For instance, his implementation of the "quick ending" in 'Alone in the Dark' which basically encourages gamers to rent as opposed to buying, or his bad mouthing of single player experiences...I mean Atari is already in trouble, does he really want to hurt their image further?

Iamthepwned- Bioshock, MGS4, Half Life 2, Call Of Duty 4, Mass Effect...just to name a few.

[NO_PUDding]

Everythign has been said here.

Fruit Loops made the best point.

Single Player won't be amde redundant. I don't find multiplayer anywhere near as fun as single player. I need to ahve some goodness, some depth.

I do not want to be shooting, and egttign nowhere, so Phil, I wanted to go into more intellgent depths but you are wrong.

[gaminoz]

Phil hasn't got a clue. Poor Atari.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

You can have that same experience online. I think Phil is talking about a connected community with every game. So it doesn't necessarily mean capture the flag in Final Fantasy XIII but having online communities connected to games. Like for example it would've been great to have online score boards with Time Crisis 4 or Devil May Cry 4.

So even though it's a single player game there is still some competitiveness to it. So think of it like having different reputations for each game. Kind of like achievements but it goes beyond a simple score and is more specific. So doesn't just track what I've done but how I've done it, kind of thing. An example could be like achieving 10 head shots and getting a grade on performance C-.

[PS360WII]

"Phil Harrison, who was dead on with his predictions that the DS and Wii were gimmicks doomed to quick deaths, has predicted an end to the single-player video game."

ha ha

[Condoleezza Rice]

A fantastic Single Player experience won't be overlooked,and that's just the way it is.

Co-Op is increasing in popularity,but single-player games will still sell well without it.

[Vojkan]

Yes i agree, i never really liked this baboon he seems so fake and cold, like robot.
anyway tell that to MGS4 Dr.Phil Crapson

[Relcom]

Almost all my favorite games Single player?

I love a good single player game

[THE_JUDGE]

Single-player won't die for a long long time. I think that it will evolve to allow more players in the story via co-op. I won't ever stop playing single player games, I like story driven games. Period.

[Silogon]

I don't even need online gaming really. I mean a few are good and take some of my time but nothing that a good single player experience wouldn't end and stop dead cold. Uncharted and Ratchet & clank are prime examples of how I don't need online in my games.

[PS360WII]

Yes single player games are going no where. Is there more focus on multiplayer games as of now? Yes but they are not side lining the single story besides for a few titles.

[fenderputty]

what he says makes sense for specific genre's. Games without multilayer aren't rated as high as games with multilayer. A lot of these games are shooter types. Bioshock and Uncharted come to mind as being criticized for not having multilayer.

Now ... it's a standard that racing games come with online. Gran Turismo is trying to figure out damage/penalty systems so that their online is balanced and they don't get left behind as the industry leader.

Fighting games are going online.

Some sports games (hot shots golf) are going online.

It would seem that action, platforming and RPG style games are ones that are slightly safe. Out of those three genres, I can picture two of them also going online (action and platformer).

Hell ... LBP is going online as well so platformers are already starting. Honestly ... I can even picture JRPG's adding some sort of co-op function.

I don't think single player games will be gone, I just think a a damn good portion of these games are all going to have multiplayer/online aspects to them or risk failing in reviews and public response.

[PS360WII]

Yeah rpgs are a hard one to do online. Naturally the online rpg is usually a MMO but some try other means like Fable with it's co-op and I'm sure nobody noticed but Enchanted Arms had a vs mode you could do online... never found anybody for it though :(

I can see some sort of online co-op with a lot of different geners but to just get rid of single player all together... better not is all I can say!

[fenderputty]

I don't think they'll get rid of it altogether. People like playing a game (including myself). I just see the need for a lot more games to come up with some sort of multiplayer functions in the next gen or so to stay successful.

[poos3]

phil we already knwo this gears of war 2 will change multuip0layer forever. it will get goty we cant comment on mgo as that is a pile of cap gears of war 2 sp wil be amamzing same with multiplayer = longevity and toatal apckage = goty 2008 cry more

[Relcom]

Do you type with your feet?

[PSWe60]

what?

[LinuxGuru]

Yep....he definitely types with his feet, because his hands are surgically attached to his 360 controller.

[juuken]

...Lmfao, what?
Quick, get a translator for that!

[Deadman64]

@pooos

lol you wasted your only bubble on that?

[zapass]

he's thumbs are glued to his d!ck

[morganfell]

doomed! do you hear that bioshock2? you are teh doomed. hear that mg5? doomed! hear that mass effect 2? doomed! hear that (fill in the blank) doomed!

[Lord Vader]

Completely disagree.

[Tempist]

Agreed.

Multiplayer and co-op games tend to sacrifice a story to get the game play working for two people. It's hard to do and less easy when people are playing online rather than in the same room.

It has it's hurdles. But that's not to say it isn't possible at all. It's going to take time to develop it and then the trend will probably go back to single player oriented games.

[Quickstrike]

Not everyone has connection to the internet to play multi-player games. Just look at the most popular games thats ever been made.

Legend of Zelda series = single player and sells a lot
Metal Gear Solid Series = Single player and also sells
Final Fantasy series = All single player and sells a lot
GTA series =....you see where I'm going with this?

True multi-player games do sell a lot but if we get rid of single player games, we get rid of the roots of gaming. Remember back a realy long time ago when we didn't have internet? We sat home with our Nintendo playing Mario by ourselves, no online and it was still fun to play.

[Lord Vader]

You guys make great points. Most of my all time favorite games are single player:

KOTOR, Mass Effect, GTA, MGS, Bioshock, God of War, ect.

[OgTheClever]

Metal Gear and Final Fantasy say hi.

[iNcRiMiNaTi]

i noticed that military-ish games [most of them happen to be FPSs] tend to rely on a good multiplayer part to succeed but a fantasy-like game is more story driven and focuses on single player.

i love a good single player from time to time but i <3 FPSs and shooting other people online more

[Tyrael]

I disrespectfully disagree

[rawd]

I ONLY CARE WHAT SHANE KIM THINKS, HE IS MY GOD
PRAISE TO ALLAH-KIM

[Atomic]

is he on crack ?
i played GTA4 single player and didnt bother trying the multi-player
the best games in the industry and highest ranked are mostly single player games.

[iceman2885]

I don't think single player games are doomed by any stretch of the imagination, I mean look at BioShock, Resident Evil, Mass Effect, etc...

However, I do think that good single player games are going to be less and less common with time, as developers can make more money in making online multiplayer games without the dedication and resources it takes to make a good single player game.

[beavis4play]

multi-player games only are easy cash cows for devs. but i don't believe this model will work. i love the great stories you see in single-player games: ratchet, jak, KZ, ME, bioshock,MGS, resistance, uncharted, RE...etc.(these are just examples,i know i'm leaving many greats out.)without them, i (along with many) wouldn't buy multi-player only games.

[BlackCountryBob]

Single player games are all I play, I'll always prefer the depth and emotional pull a good single player story can give. You can give me Uncharted or MGS4 any day over a battlefield or Warhawk game.

I remember about 15 years ago, someone said traditional books were dead and all books in the future would be those choose your own adventure things (go through the door? turn to p23 for yes, 91 for no), it'll never happen, games like Silent Hill will always be able to offer something that a MP game cannot and because of this they will always find a market.

[creeping judas]

are times when I just want to immerse myself in a story, without having to see what my buddies are doing, where they are on the map, whose with me, whose not......

sometimes I dont feel like talking my way thru a game.

nope, single player games will never die!!!

[titntin]

Yeah, right Phil.
So 50% of 360 owners and similar percentage of PS3 owners are not using their machines online, but somehow they didn't buy a games machine to play games?
The most successful machine of this generation is the WII which has no virtually no online play!Admittedly many of the big sellers on this platform are multiplayer, but thats all the players in one room - not this online community sh*t he's talking about..

More players today, play games offline than online. Thats a demonstrable fact.

I have access to online with live and PSN, but quite frankly I spend 90% of my time playing single player campaigns or split screen with people in the same room. Hearing yet another US brat shout 'boo ya' at me in Live is about as far removed from what I want in gaming as it can get.... maybe I'm just showing my age! :)

[thewolf5]

well said man well said

[thewolf5]

this is wht i imagine Atari said to you "PHIL PONG WAS 2 PLAYER AND THE GREATEST GAME EVER" and they cycled that through ur head a couple of time til u completely forgot about Oblivion, Ratchet and Clank, GTA4 (the single player is the main part of gta4), FF, even GH single player, SKATE's single player, and Bioshock. Some of the best games in the past few years have been single player, except for CoD4, or Halo, but even those had a good single player, and u know wht phil, the developers put those in there because they're smart especially when they make a 10/10, or 9/10 game, *cough*Warhawk*cough*

[Heavy-h]

i just feel like playin by my self, like if i see my friends online all playin the same game, i just feel like playin a game myself, example everyone playin COD4 online, i might just put on GTA4 and play myself

so i dont feel that single player games will ever go and games such as MGS4(single player), Bioshock, Final Fantasy and i feel that single player games that are 6-8 hours will go and games over 20 hours will stay

[Pornlord]

This is a duplicate story, this came out two days ago under the heading "Phil Harrison on the Decline of Single Player Gaming"... We've already learned about and discussed this in other words.

[Expy]

So he's saying the non mmo type RPGs are doomed? Please. This time Phil, you're wrong. Online is a big part of the new gaming era, but sometimes people need a break from playing with other people and just sit back and relax while playing on their own.

[rmedtx888]

Mr. Harrison is wrong. I don't really like online games. I mostly play single player games... most of my friends do.

[Angelitos]

I see what he's saying. But it only works with certain genres.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

This ex-fishhead is still running his mouth.

Go work on Space Invaders you $ony hack!

SP games aren't going anywhere when it comes to developers who know how to make a good game. GTA IV springs to mind as well as Bioshock. Go ahead and phase out SP campaigns in your Atari releases but don't expect your sales to climb or the industry to agree with you.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

Funny you should mention GTA IV and bioshoc...both multiplatform games

360 has no good single player games anyways,halo? it was pathetic
Gears? it was decent to say the least.nothing fancy

Now compare those to

Final fantasy 13
Metal gear solid 1,2,3,4 and all the others in between
God of war 1,2,3
Driver 1,2,3
The getaway 1,2
Genji days of the blade
Heavenly sword

thats just to name a few,so if any company know's how to make GREAT single player games.You know its SONY.

As for single player games going away?

Not a chance.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Dude, you freak me out. The name and the avatar is just creepy.

I simply mentioned 2 quick games off the top of my head and you want to turn this into a Sony is better argument. Funny many of the games you mention aren't even out yet and you are still months away from even touching Bioshock on the PS3.

I could of very well said Mass Effect or Gears or Splinter Cell or LO or Crackdown, etc all of which have great SP campaigns. You must be messed in the head if you think Sony has a corner on the single player market.

Are you and Phil huffing off the same bong mr. 420 pot head?

[ThatCanadianGuy]

"his ex-fishhead is still running his mouth.

Go work on Space Invaders you $ony hack! "

Hey man! you started the sony bashing,i wouldnt of mind at all if you just left your opinion without your typicalm xbotism bashing.

and compare those game's you mention to the few i mentioned..yeahh..

Sony wins.

And MY name and avatar creep YOU out?

"Giant enemy crab"
With a picture of a giant crab

Thats irony so thick i could cut it with a butterknife.

[EnforcerOfTheTruth]

Don't think so, gamers will always want games with story.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Gamers...yes.

People that buy video games...no.

We're a dying breed.

Also, I don't want any agrees from you sickafantic wannabes who started gaming the day Halo came out and buy Madden every year because "it's the best".

[u got owned]

@ LeonSKennedy4Life

I consider myself a gamer, probably because thats my hobby and i've been doing it seen the days of Atary and i prefer to play MP online driven games than SP games. So i dont think is a matter of been a gamer or not just a matter of preference.

On topic, I think what Phil Harrison meant was that now days if a game doesnt have MP it dont sell well and may even get low reviews.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

If you want to sell a game...you need multi-player.

Look at Bioshock. The game is a masterpiece...but due to lack of multi-player...the sales weren't up to par.

[Baba1906]

i dont think people bought GTA4 for the online playing. i really really doubt it. Same will happen with MGS4.

[ktchong]

BioShock was the best-selling game of a new IP in 2007.

[Baba1906]

Never ever. i love singleplayer games. i do like online playing like mmoprgs and stuff but there are times where i just want to play alone. i dont want to search for people to paly with all the time, or compete against others. my best gaming experiences are singleplayer games like FF, RE, Uncharted and the list goes on and on.

[omni_atlas]

uh, I think i enjoyed GTA IV single player more than multiplayer..so no.

And are they forgetting about their next big hit? MGS4??

Give this guy a clue.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Comes with Metal Gear: Online...

[Baba1906]

it would sell without online

[DrakenSilverwing]

Sorry i think yer wrong... at least i hope so.. heh i have 45 PS3 games , i do play online at times yet not nearly like i play alone in single player, hell nearly all of my favorite games are single player.. they usually have the best story.. (rpgs of course).. just keep those single player games comin..and i'll keep playin beyond.. heh

[Baka-akaB]

Guy dont have a clue , plenty of us still enjoy or prefer the quiet and storyline (of course especially in rpgs) something that have yet to be properly achieved by any game in mmo or multi .

The closest ironically would be coop campaign in fps . So sod of phil i still prefer any FF (and they're not my fav ) over wow ....

[Boink]

single player will not die,

however I currently will not buy a game that does not have a good multyplayer, single player only games (with the exception of rpg's) rarely last more than a few hours, and are certainly not worth 60+$.

[Baka-akaB]

@LeonSKennedy4Life

Yeah but the MGO experience is nothing as great as the solo . Its a nice bonus to keep the game going , possibly even great , but there is a reason its not sold on its own ... its not why people get MGS4

[TheMART]

There are markets for both, although Multiplayer is growing more rapidly.

Still, SP will have its marketshare. See Bioshock. It has been played a lot!

[juuken]

Um...no.
I love single player games.

[ApocalypseShadow]

becoms obsolete,is the day i stop buying games and stick with previous gen games.

as sony fans have told 360 fans,not all games have to be multiplayer.and this coming from phil is surprising,but i guess he believes everyone should be connected.

or games should at least have an online component that extends it's life beyond single player.(this i agree with)

i agree with the second because of the awsome additional content that can extend a game's life through downloads.

but,no singler player,......"H#LL NO!"

megaton.............

[dib8rman]

Is he planing a 4d game that's multiplayer?

Another 100 million dollar multiplayer game confirmed? This guy clearly hasn't played games to have fun in a while, he's clearly gaming to live.

[NIN64]

unfortunately that would be the day I would stop playing videogames. . .

[takz]

if that happened. don't play them much as it is just waiting for MGS4!. i'm really starting to dislike this guy. he's just not saying the thing i wanna hear anymore.

[Rusted]

i love single player games, at this time i see the multiplayer an add-on for a game, sometimes takes an integral part in the game (COD4) but mostly not. just my opinion

[Wolf873]

my game playing days will be over, at least of that gen, not like I'm gonna give up those which I do adore like GOW. Except for Wow, I haven't enjoyed a single Multiplayer game, it just annoys me.

[Boldy]

Actually the Xbox Live community has strayed me over to single player games. I can only stand hearing noob, f@g, pwned, suck my c*ck/d&ck so many times a day and that is 0. I can't stand the little kid that thinks it's cool to swear, or the other gamers that wins every match because he wastes all his life perfecting the game and then criticizes you for not being as good as him (Oh, I'm sorry. I have a life).

All that has strayed me to play more single player games.

[ShAkKa]

i prefer to be a little more of an old school about this subject.
online is cool but without a solid single player mode a game to me is worthless thats why i don't own games like warhawk and unreal tournament.

[beavis4play]

i think phil is drinking out of the same bottle that ken kutaragi and shane kim are drinking out of.

[n00bPwner]

sorry, not every company is there to make n00b games for the Wii.

[CertifiedGamer]

What he is saying is games like warhawk will extinct games like Bioshock he is smoking that world war 2 weed

[Skater]

Remove single player and I will quit gaming.

[Mr Blings]

It is fine to jump in multiplayer here and there for certain titles, but the industry is making one very big mistake to believe gamers want to be forced to play multiplayer. That just may make me grow out of gaming if it were to come true.

[Mikey Mike]

and Metal Gear 4 will seal his stupidity!

[jackdoe]

See, Atari's problems with sales wasn't that single player games don't sell. Their problem was that their single player games WERE SH!T. Their sales will still suck if they continue to make sh!tty, though multiplayer, games.

[FCOLitsjustagame]

"Former Sony Computer Entertainment America front man and current Infogrames president Phil Harrison made the bold claim Wednesday that the games industry will soon move away from single-player titles, like Alone in the Dark, and into strictly multiplayer experiences."

Then they will be moving into bankrupcy as the majority of gamers are SP only. Meh whatever, you dont make it I dont have to worrry about buying it and something else will take its place.

[u got owned]

He knows more than all of you here that's for sure. He works inside the industry he may know a little mare than us. I dont think the SP is doom but is is gonna become second to MP.

[Kyur4ThePain]

I don't care who says what or what sells the most...the day games are no longer story driven and simply become an interface for MP, is the day I hang up my controllers for good.

The best games of all time are story driven, emotional even. If that gets taken away, I'm done and will find something else on which to spend my hard earned money.

[Baka-akaB]

I dont listen to someone going to work for a company whose only current success and reason the're not pushing daisies once again , isnt even developed by them , but by bandai namco (dbz)

he's just spinning this crap because they'll probably go the mmo route like everyone else , to try cashing in some buck (but fail miserably)

[Says you]

Fans considering I hear them talk about how good there online is so yeah and of course they probably mostly play online.

[Asurastrike]

More and more I am thinking Phil got fired rather than quit.

[ZeVeX]

So all the people with no broadband are pretty screwed huh?, kinda glad he got fired if this is his real opinion.

[project76dodo]

white nerds need to shut the hell up with predictions
he went to ATARI!!!
ATARI!!!!!!!!!!

god!!!!
ATARI needs to just roll over and get scrwed up the asss

heres my prediction Alone in the dark is going to flop!
ATARI will continue too see money trouble!
this douche will be replaced with another joke for ATARI!!!!

[mistertwoturbo]

What the hell's going on the in the world? Are people's lack of reading comprehension this bad? Take everything people say out of context?

Phil just thinks that people (consumers) are just wanting some type of social interactivity in their games now. Whether it's multiplayer, DLC, or whatever. If you F*ckin read his actual comment, no where does he say "SINGLE PLAYER IS DOOMED"

[Big Jim]

People don't actually read the articles, they just read the headlines and then fire away.

[mistertwoturbo]

Pfft tell me about it Big Jim. This just shows the IQ levels of people on this earth. It's obviously below 4th grade.

[mistertwoturbo]

This is his whole quote. Read it carefully.

Phil Harrison: I haven't read the quote, but I can tell you the context in which I gave that quote. It was not uniquely about Atari; it was more about the industry as a whole.

Alone in the Dark is a beautifully crafted single-player adventure game. I don't think the industry is going to make many more of those. I just don't think consumers want to be playing games that don't have some kind of network connectivity to them, or some kind of community embedded in them, or some kind of extension available through downloadable content.

Now, that's not to criticise Alone in the Dark - it's just to recognise the industry is changing, and the role we play as creators and publishers has to reflect those changes. I don't think I'm alone in having those views, either.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

I think Phil is talking about a connected community with every game. So it doesn't necessarily mean capture the flag in Final Fantasy XIII but having online communities connected to games. Like for example it would've been great to have online score boards with Time Crisis 4 or Devil May Cry 4.

So even though it's a single player game there is still some competitiveness to it. So think of it like having different reputations for each game. Kind of like achievements but it goes beyond a simple score and is more specific. So doesn't just track what I've done but how I've done it, kind of thing. An example could be like achieving 10 head shots and getting a grade on performance C-.

[ReaperXL7]

I love single player games, and I don't think I could ever picture most of the games that I play being multiplayer(I tend to play alot of RPGS and Adventure games).

I mean I just don't think some games would work very well, and as we all know theres never really any story/ or progression depth in most multiplayer experiences, If finally fantasy VII had been multiplayer and I had to listen to someone screaming in my ear when Aries died it would have diminished the impact of the game, same goes with so many other experiences that I have had with gaming.

So I don't see Single player games ever becoming extinct, but then again I'd still rather play a videogame with some buddies on the couch then over PSN, or Live, Who knows maybe i'm a Dinosaur but I prefer being able to talk smack in person than through a mic.