Single Player Is Dead, Long Live Single Player

Key voices in the video game industry predicted single player would be dead by now, but it's thriving.

[Thatguy-310]

If you haven't noticed the gems from any generation are single player experience. Multi-player is fun and all but it won't get rid of single player experiences. Developers have stories to tell and gaming is the perfect platform for it. Just ask Naughty Dog and any other story driven developer.

[DarkOcelet]

The moment Single Player games dies is the moment i stop buying new games and enjoy the old ones.

There is hardly any Multiplayer game i am very fond of but many Single Player games stuck out with me till this very day.

[TwoForce]

Single player is alway my gem. So we unite we stand against this MP only BS. UNITED WE STAND OR DIVIDED WE FALL.

[xHeavYx]

Bloodborne says hi.

[DarkOcelet]

@xHeavYx

Bloodborne was mainly Single Player for me.

[mikeslemonade]

Meh they both have limits. Single player becomes to repetitive and multiplayer is too shallow. Gaming needs both.

[Ezz2013]

As a Single-player gamer only
The day Single-player games die is the ay i stop gaming.
Call me selfish but the days were there was Singleplayer games only when there was no such thing as Multiplayer were the best days in my life.

I'm glad that developers such as Naughty Dog,From Software among others prove that Singleplayer still the king.

[CrazedFiend]

I, personally, hate multiplayer. Especially FPS.

No matter how dumb, the AI in FPS games always feel more real to me than live competitors. I mean in a live match, you have everybody runnin' n gunnin' around the map like a bunch of scattering cockroaches. Who the hell does that in real life?

Single player AI somehow forces me to take my time and handle things in a more realistic manor.

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one though.

[Kingthrash360]

Single player games are the meat and potatoes of any game. Without it a game feels like it's missing something. Always. Games like TF, EA'S BFront, and R6 feel like it's missing alot and not worth the full price they launched with. BF and R6 had stories and look what happend. Thinking how awsome BF would have been with a sp mode is mind boggling.
Now flip the table and tell me how many games need a MP to complete it. Yes there is cod and BF who's MP is what people want it can't compare to the vast majority of games that dosent need mp to complete it.
Sp was never dead, never will be.
If it does the I'll hang up my controllers next to my pogs and retire.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

TLOU, in particular, was a complete package: over 15 hrs of campaign and an amazing multiplayer where your team actually matters. I put so much hrs into this game. Imma be doing the same with U4.

Single player is still the meat of video games. I play games to enjoy myself and play at my pace. Competitive gaming won't get me more girls or take me anywhere in life. Sure I play MP games with friends and players online, but that just a few hrs after beating the main campaign. This is how it has always been, but devs lately have been so lazy with this new trend

I give titantall a pass because the game was actually addictive fun, but the others are just devoid of content and damn repetitive. Not worth the price by any means.

[nommers]

Please don't call it a "campaign".

[WellyUK]

That's wrong there are loads of so called MP "Gems" as well... WoW, CoD (Ever since CoD4 the series has been MP focused and CoD4 changed a generation of shooters...), CS:GO, Dota2, LoL, Battlefield series (Is pretty much a MP game), Gears of War 1, WarHawk, Dayz and Arma 2 are few of those gems.

You people make it out as if every MP game is crap or not good yet some of these games have been going for years and have incredible player bases still after 10+ years...

I love a great SP game but nothing beats a great MP game IMO.

[jb227]

Totally agree...platforms & publishers want to push the mp only model not because it is "more innovative" as was quoted in the article, but because it gives them full power over the products we buy. It requires us to pay a monthly online subscription fee, it entices us to buy Microtransactions & the servers can be shut off to force gamers into buying the new installments. Online MP games essentially give all of our power over, so sure the publishers want to push that agenda, but like you & others are pointing out sp games are typically the most memorable & long lasting experiences. For me at least, they are my entire reason for gaming & I would definitely check out as well if we get pushed into an online mp only future. The large amount of agrees on all of these comments kinda goes to show that if we do get to a time when games require mp & online, that is the time that the industry collapses on itself after a mass exodus of their core crowd.

[SUCKxITxEZ]

@Ezz2013- multiplayer goes back to pong so I have a hard time believing you played videogames before multiplayer was even a thing.

[Bdub2000]

I personally thought Destiny was pretty close to striking a good balance.

The game was fun as single player, but way more enhanced as multiplayer. The bad part of the balance was that further in to the game it became necessary to play multiplayer, and several missions or game types it was totally necessary, and the "raids" required coordination with 6 friends and several hours of free time to beat...

[IceKoldKilla]

Not 100%. Halo, GoldenEye, Call of Duty, Socom are all gems people continue to remember (I obviously refer to past titles to prove my point). What about local multiplayer? People remember games that had incredible local multiplayer. Counter-Strike, DOOM, Quake, Unreal Tournament, etc. Just wanted to clarify all gems aren't just singleplayer games.

[Relientk77]

Pretty much all the games I'm buying this year are single player games

[NickAwesome]

Single player will NEVER DIE!

[NeoGamer232]

Single player dies, then gaming dies for me.

[PhucSeeker]

Single player will never die <= fact.

[Lennoxb63]

I wish people would stop telling this lie.

[IanTH]

What lie? I, like NeoGamer, play predominantly single player games. 99% of my gaming library is single-player only games. The game I happen to play most consistently right now is Diablo 3 - a game that supports playing solo as well as it does co-op. That's about the only kind of game I could see myself keep playing if "true" single-player games came to an end. But I don't like MOBAs, I don't like competitive FPSs, things of that ilk. So if single-player games go the way of the Dodo, gaming would - in a very real way - be dead to me. Maybe I'd find a game I'd play now and again but I would end up spending my time on other things.

Probably more useful things...

Or maybe I'd finally finish my 1,000 game backlog!

[ninsigma]

Yeah single player is going no where. There's no need to be worrying about the new online only games. They are great in their own right and have just as much a place in the industry as sp games. However, single player is the core of it all and both released and upcoming sp games vastly outnumber mp only games. The more diverse the industry is the better. We don't need to lean more to one side than another. As long as we are getting a mixture of sp and mp and all kinds of genres, everything will be fine. Besides, if MP does start to take over, indie devs will keep it all in check as I know many sp gamers will flock to them for sp games. This doesn't have to be a divisive issue. Mp and SP can co-exist.

[jokerisalive]

If we allow devs to manipulate us and tell us what we need to spend our money on AND play then we are lost. Single player games to me are the main reason I game. For the individual freedom and choices I make as well as a good narrative that is compelling and draws me in. MP is great for certain games or for people who like it more than SP but to not allow the consumer to have SP anymore would make no more sense and alot of people would wind up spending their money on some other form of entertainment as opposed to Only Only MP games.

[Hitoemi]

As long as the Single player is good people will replay it but just like every game doesnt need MP, every game doesnt need single playe.

[ShadowKnight]

Single player games is here to stay.

[rainzor]

Think about it major releases like Witcher 3, Fallout 4, MGS 5, Bloodborne, Dying Light, and many more are single player campaign experiences. Multiplayer is just irrelevant too me in video games, they are nothing but map packs with players on it.

[PhucSeeker]

Dying Light's and Bloodborne's Coop and Pvp are multiplayer experience. And they are some pretty important aspects of those games. Multiplayer are more than just COD and Battlefield.

Say what you will, but the multiplayer mode is the best way to bring the community together.

[gijsbrecht]

I am, for instance, most looking forward to Horizon: Zero Dawn (hopefully) this year, which is presumably an SP only game. And last year Until Dawn and the Witcher3 were among my favorites, like for a lot of people. Personally I like to play games at my own pace and when I have time; not dependant on when other people (friends) are available. I don't think I'm unique in that regard. So no, SP games are here to stay for a long time.

[LAWSON72]

The problem with mp only games is they are never complete experiences at launch and cost full price. Not only that they often throw in stupid micro transactions. Personally I think that crap just ruins the overall presentation of the price and I could see it turning away most people away.

That being said SP games dying was a stupid idea, however most have become lackluster open world games.

[yeahright2]

They're just different experiences for me.
You've got three of them with a budding forth.
Single player which for me is king of the hill for me. I play games for story and to get lost in the world. And with the games I play and am interested in, single player fits that bill.
co-op is more for fun. games like Mario, tower fall, etc. I don't care that much about story, I just want to sit my wife/buddy/cousin/kids and have fun. no need for a story. especially when after taking down a boss and a cut scene plays with major plot developments I have to get pulled out of that world to answer what I want on my half of the pizza.
competitive multiplayer I'm just not into. I don't care about showing off my skills, or topping leader boards or anything like that. But I can see where a lot of people find that fun.
And lastly I don't know the term for this but a more back seat multiplayer experience. I'm referring to games like watchdogs, demon souls, dragon's dogma and the like where the online multiplayer component is very passive, or blends easily into the campaign or, like in dragon's dogma, might not even be considered multiplayer, just an online component.
All of these are fun in their own way, I just greatly prefer single player and that's where the bulk of my game purchases go.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

It's anything but dead. Batman, Wither 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Halo 5, BLOPS 3 all heavy hitters from last year and all were either exclusively SP or had a SP that was more than just a bot match.

[deafdani]

I don't care at all for online multiplayer gaming, outside of the occasional Smash Bros Wii U fight and Mario Kart 8 race. That aside, I'm strictly a single player guy. I didn't even bother renewing my PS+ subscription on my PS4 because I didn't play online at all in there except for a couple strikes in Destiny (which were pretty fun, I admit, but got old quick). And seeing how I don't really have that much time to play games, the "free" PSN+ games went to waste with me.

So... good thing single player gaming is here to stay, as the article points out. :)

[Austin48]

I'm done gaming of single player dies which it won't it's the king of gaming.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

Sorry but Xenoblade Chronicles X alone single player I clocked 113 hours.

Oh wait I forgot. Wii U seems to be the only system with worthwhile single player games. That have replay values.

But I do want to play Rise of the Tomb Raider. but no Xbox One yet.

[deafdani]

Yeah, because it's not like the Xbox One and PS4 don't have single player worthy games like The Witcher III, Batman Arkham Knight, Metal Gear Solid V, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Fallout 4, etc.

The Wii U has a fantastic library of superb single player games (and even 3 very good online multiplayer games in Mario Kart 8, Smash Wii U and Splatoon, I might add), but that isn't a reason to take a shit on the other consoles, especially with such a false statement.

It's posts like yours that makes us Nintendo fans look bad.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

I have The Witcher III on PS4 played the first 6-7 hours of it didn't keep me interested because the combat was boring and I also have Batman Arkham Knight never touch it because I didn't like the other Batman games.

Never had interest in Metal Gear Solid games. I also have Fallout 4 never touch or even like Bethseda games. I didn't like Skyrim on X360.

And my older brother bought Fallout 4, Batman and The Witcher III. Well the The Witcher III came with our PS4.

[ecchiless]

"I also have Batman Arkham Knight never touch it because I didn't like the other Batman games."

.....what the f**k did i read.

[Kingdomcome247]

You have all of these different games because... you don't like them. Okay, sure. OT: Single player is gaming's foundation. You can build upon that foundation, but if it's removed gaming crumbles. I'll hang up the controller the day that single player is no longer an option. I am excited for Titanfall 2, and The Division, but Quantum Break, UC 4, Ratchet&Clank, Horizon:ZD, Deus Ex:MD, Scalebound, etc... are where it's really at for me.

[SUCKxITxEZ]

400+ hours on battlefield 4, 500+ on pc version of ark and another 200 atleast on the Xbox version, all multiplayer. Single player is great and I've put over a thousand hours into the pokemon games, but those have multiplayer. I honostly can't think of one game that was purely single player that gave me over 100hrs of enjoyment. Single player certainly won't ever die, but I honostly prefer multiplayer in general. That said, resident evil 4 was the last good resident evil game.

[deafdani]

Gaming tastes, how do they work????

[TimelessDbz]

Most other like me usually don't buy a game that does not have a form of multiplayer or co op.

[Fist4achin]

To each their own. There's room for both types of games. I prefer SP. However, I have friends who only play MP to compete against others. It's cool either way. I just want to be told a great story...

[90sGamerz]

Rockstar is a prime example GTA 5 multiplayer wasn't working when it was supposed to(even on xb1 and ps4) and people didn't care cuz they were to busy playing the single player.

[SUCKxITxEZ]

I cared, because I was honostly quite dissapointed with GTA 5s single payer, because you can't afford crap without knowing exactly how and when to f*** with the stock market. I didn't like how they smashed everything onto one big round boring landmass with no good sense of progression cuz u start the game as a rich a-hole theif. Sorry just had to vent my frustration, I spent 150$ on that stupid collectors edition.

[DivineAssault]

When single player dies, im hanging up the controller for new games.. I refuse to buy MP only games.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

I pray that single player games never truly die.
Multiplayer is abandoning local play more and more, and with internet costs rising every gen, and everyone except PC and Nintendo demanding unjustified fees for the ability to use what was once a free service, on top of stability still being an issue in many games, I feel it would be a horrible waste of potential for the gaming scene if online multiplayer games became the majority experience.

Finely crafted single player experiences can last for years and years, and should never be abandoned.
For the sake of gaming itself, if not for those that love them.

[s45gr32]

I prefer single player story driven games over multiplayer only games. It's the story , lore, and atmosphere that drives single player games. Multiplayer games is great for gamers that love to socialize.

[IAmTheBest35]

I don't know where you guys got that idea, but I'm enjoying a shit ton of single player games on the Wii u

[Night99]

Mark Cerny is a fool, his games like Knack are crap and he obviously has no clue what he is talking, his predictions are worse than Michael Pachter, why would anyone predict that singleplayer games will die out?

Even if AAA developers would mainly focus on multiplayer games one day (which I think will not happen even AAA developers will always make singeplayer games), we have kickstarter, crowdfunding, indiedevelopers and there will always be developers who don't want to go conform with AAA. I think singelplayer games will never die.

[Tobsesan]

His predictions are always good for a laugh

[Lennoxb63]

Why do people hate mp so much? Do people not realize some of the first games ever made were mp only? (Pong anyone?). So if anything, sp games are actually the younger brother of mp games.

[Tobsesan]

I mostly play mp/coop with my friends and that is why i own a xbox one. Yet a great singleplayer is always something i like to play and dont want to miss.

[Darkfist]

not really, i have ps4 and played infamous ss, Batman Arkham Knight, tearaway unfolded, The Witcher 3, bloodborne, digimon story, dragon quest heroes, and more, all single player, add that with co-op games, and more coming in the future like uncharted 4, Ratchet and Clank and the last guardian.

[Mr_Luke]

I don't really think so. Not at all. And if that is going to happen, i'll say goodbye to the videogames world.

[IceKoldKilla]

The best package is a long singleplayer experience, local multiplayer with options to customize your games and an addictive online multiplayer. Can we agree on that? Oh and no micro-transactions or online connection needed. DLC is welcomed but must be built around what fans want after they've experienced the full game. At least keep their opinions in mind. Content that is insanely good and not expected is obviously not created around fans' opinions and is nice. TLoU's Left Behind being an example.

[Father__Merrin]

Titanfall is single player, you can play it as a single player

[skratchy]

Every time some new fad comes out,someone in the industry claims that everything is going to change! Or the old ways are going away forever!

No, it's just a new shtick that's popular. Developers are now making, essentially, every kind of game there has ever been.

Like VR...VR isn't going to change gaming forever. It'll just be ANOTHER way gamers can experience a game. They won't HAVE to play VR and VR only.