Did You Hear Single-Player Games Are DEAD

My Xbox And Me is a Podcast all about Xbox! Each week Mc Fixer and Joseph will get together to talk all things Xbox, News, Reviews & Rumors. This week on the podcast, the gang talks about a Netflix service for games, Phil Spencer's candid thoughts on Single Player focused games, and much more

[XiNatsuDragnel]

No i didn't hear that because their still revelant

[Godmars290]

Not to MS. course, they never really invested in them.

[Obscure_Observer]

@Godmars290

Yeah? One can only wonder how they manage to be ahead of Nintendo for 2/3 (Switch is out the equation) generations and had lost the last generation for Sony by only 1 million units sold.

[Godmars290]

Hardly a wonder. Nintendo never involved itself, fell out of, the tech/spec war after the CD debacle that lead to the PS1. Failed to keep major 2nd and 3rd party support. Likewise the 360 launched well over a year before the PS3, benefited greatly from the COD/online multi craze. Yet still towards the end of an era it supposedly dominated saw it's gap in sales shrink rather than increase while also losing all but major 2nd and 3rd party support.

It more telling that MS effectively dumped the 360 for the XB1 out where Sony phased the PS4 into the PS3's place, as they did from PS1 to PS2 before.

[Godmars290]

Actually, its more telling that Nintendo never really got into the MS/Sony Hardware War yet continued to introduce things like rumble and motion control, at least got more attention for the second, which the others then copied.

[yeahright2]

@obscure Can you eliminate that last year of 360 sales so that they're on the market for the same amount of time, and eliminate all the duplicate purchases caused by RROD and still make that claim?

[RommyReigns]

Single player game experiences are more relevant now than ever before.

[naruga]

^^@Rommy while you r always commenting negatively about me ...i agree with you..... as Scorpio release comes close wait to see numerous ridiculous Xbox friendly articles with similar theme ---"SP games are dying , Exclusives no matter anymore, Multiplats are the future , Scorpio doesnt need SP and other lame opinions from butthurt people of this generation

[JasonKCK]

MP is the most popular genre of games around the world.

[Dragonscale]

@jason, only on xbone.

[JasonKCK]

Worldwide http://www.mweb.co.za/games...

US (Playstation website) http://www.psu.com/news/320...

@Dragonscale You were saying?

[KwietStorm_BLM]

More relevant than ever before? Really?? Even more than when multiplayer wasn't even a thing? When every game was single player? Everyone stop circle jerking the Xbox hate and be logical for 2 seconds. Online multiplayer is clearly more relevant than ever before. That doesn't mean there aren't great single player games or campaigns, but just be for real. Multiplayer gaming defines the industry now. It's where the persistent flow of money comes from, and it's why it isn't uncommon for single player games to even have online modes now.

[HotMoltenLava]

But if you actually read the article he is saying just that. He just says that multiplayer games are more relevant as of now and are able to be enjoyed for longer periods time. But go ahead and bash and believe the click bait title of the article. Hating on Microsoft is the cool thing to do on here no matter if it's true or false. In other words if there is no controversy make it up.

[lelo2play]

The lack of interest in single player games from Microsoft's part, is one of the reasons I'm not that hyped about the Xbox Scorpio.

What's the point of owning a powerful console if you are not interested in it's games?

[Nu]

I own the shitty ONE.. If you don't believe me check my profile.
The suspencer is killing the ONE

[TargusX]

Plus how all COD games have offline SP bots - that's healthy too. Dark souls - SP/MP combined works so well - devs should take note imo

[boomtube1987]

Yes SP games is almost dead as long as the games are NOT GTA or Naught dog games. Thank you CoD. Now soon CoD will ditch ugly SP and go fully MP with 30 maps on disc

[UCForce]

Then you disrespectful to traditional video game. It's like video game without discipline.

[boomtube1987]

@UCForce who cares. I dont play Nintendo games and i dont care about nerds. I wouldnt call myself a gamer if it wasn't for CoD, Fifa and GTA

[UCForce]

Who care ? It's about video game culture. And it's about giving people both. You get rid of then you have no honor.

[andrewsquall]

They are relevant, just not from Microsoft Studios going forward according to old Phil.

[fromchildren]

they're*

[iplay1up2]

They are far from dead, LOL...BOTW has shown that in the past two months fantastic singe player game, and I am only half way done....Single player games just have to be done right. I personally always play the single player campaign, In games like Mass Effect...etc...Online Multiplayer is second for me personally.

[RommyReigns]

I'm half way done in Horizon (I'm very slow, only amassed 30 hours but level 30 in game) and it's also awesome. Single player experiences rule!

[Ristul]

Im lv 29 and have tons of fun with it too, the combat is intense (playing on hardest difficulty setting)

[RommyReigns]

@Ristul

I'm playing on normal difficulty because the platinum isn't difficulty dependent, plus I don't want to fly through the game and skip the big battles by playing on easy. Been concentrating on progressing through the game for the past few weeks but since Tales of the Borderlands is on PS+ this month I decided to take a slight break and pursue that platinum before returning to Horizon. Surprisingly I am enjoying TotB, it's got a great story and so far (I'm on episode 2, two and a half hours in starting today) the qte's and point and click discovering works well in the game, fits my personal ethos of only pursuing trophies and platinums for good, fun and enjoyable games (although I have a few exceptions like my brother's FIFA games which I decided to get the majority of trophies simply because of the ease of achieving them instead of fun factor (with FIFA 17 I'm on 80%)).

[RosweeSon]

Your it alone I'm slow, like to take my time and enjoy things but glad I jumped Horizon up the backlog queue as it was amazing.

[nowitzki2004]

still havent beat Horizon, Zelda, or Nioh.. Still have to buy Yakuza and Persona 5... Its really dumb to say SP games are dead when the top games released this year are SP games lol...
edit: Well on Xbox, yeah it might be true.

[Tussin187]

Yes, Horizon has been my first platinum on PS4. I just been enjoying games and not trophy hunting too much this gen. I just don't have the time anymore to do that like I used to plus my HUGE backlog.

But I had to do every in this game because I just loved it so much. I'm really thinking about playing through it again once the DLC drops and I get a 4k HDR TV. Right now I have a non HDR 4k TV and I want to replay it in all its​ glory. I can't even imagine what it looks like in HDR? Is it worth it?

[Gaming_Cousin]

Phil Spencer get the hell out of gaming entirely. This idiot has the dumbest ideas. I bet you that you can convince him that adding microtransactions to every single game is a good idea

[remixx116]

Isn't that what he's doing tho....

Lol even their remasters are getting microtransactions added to them.

[Artemidorus]

Xbox just want COD success, deadbeat endless sequels so you keep paying.

Remember though, it's a great "library"

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Lol

[yeahright2]

greatest in xbox history

[Patriot4Life]

Look up the best selling and most played PS4 game and tell what name popped up?

[Indigon]

So I guess the successes of The Witcher 3, Horizon and the new Zelda never happened. Yeah.

[King_Lothric]

Resident Evil 7 and Nier Automata are both huge commercial success too.

The only reason they want to imply that single player games doesn't matter is because Xbox has none.

[remixx116]

Horizon, Zelda, persona 5, nier and resident evil 7 were all huge successes so he can take an L on this dumb anti single player statement.

[zb1ftw777]

Which is why the Switch and one game have sold like hot cakes.

[nowitzki2004]

Think when a couple more get released.

[Gwynbleidd]

lol, this comment section is pure gold. Funny how all you guys are thrown off by a simple comment on how to keep on improving the gaming business.
I am a scientist and in science that kind of questioning of current understandings of things is done all the time. That is what drives innovation! So I don't get the outcry!

Phil Spencer simply stated something based on metrics and interprets the data. He also comes along with an addition to gaming that might benefit that before observed development, again based on data.
He doesn't​ want to stop making single player games! He reads the development of the gaming market and offers a new solution for upcoming demands.
Hilarious how so many people try to make doom and gloom perspectives out if it, lol. You guys would have dismissed fire back in the stone age, lol.

Keep up the good work Phil Spencer! You are very welcome in the gaming industry and for offering such great insights that drive innovation most gamers appreciate you!

[UCForce]

You are science without heart. Logical usually make scenes, but sometimes it doesn't work that pretty. So put logical away for a moment and do what is right.

[Gwynbleidd]

Why without heart? I love sp games. The Witcher and mass effect games are my favorite games. But I also like to see new games. And story driven episodic games in a Netflix like service sound interesting to me since I love story driven games. This offers a great opportunity for devs to dip their toes into new ideas without the risk of AAA development.

[UCForce]

@Gwynbleidd I don't like it. Even I know making AAA is expensive, but it's fun and challenging. You choose the easy way and I choose the hard way.

[Razzer]

That is all fine, but aren't Phil Spencer's ideas up for criticism? Are we just supposed to say "keep up the good work Phil Spencer" and not challenge anything? Imagine if no one challenge Don Mattrick's vision of no used games, heavy DRM, always online....all that shit. Is this the "fire in the stone age" you would had have us embraced? And I don't know what kind of "science" blindly follows without question. Especially a business model as unscientific as the video game industry. So yeah...put those "scientist" accolades away, dude. They don't apply.

[alb1899]

The thing is that you guys are looking always something to make it a big deal.
Why aren't SONY'S fans talking about SONY lack of mp exclusives?
Because they are fine with the third party mp exclusives?
Can't be said the same about Xbox's sp?
MS are more focus on MP
SONY are more focus on SP
The 90% of the games are third party
With this information you choose your preference and is over. What is the big deal?

[Razzer]

@alb1899

Not sure how this became SP vs. MP. I'm criticizing Spencer's focus on service, micro-transactional focused gaming and his downplaying games like Horizon and Zelda. I'm not going to criticize anyone for choosing their console based on their preference of SP or MP. But as a Windows 10 customer, I am fully within my right to criticize MS for their lack of SP or exclusives in general. So yeah....I'll make it a big deal if I want.

But to your point....third parties have shown they are much more adept at making MP games than SP. And Xbox and PlayStation pale in comparison to MP on PC so...

[trooper_]

So we're not supposed to question the 'mighty' Spencer? /s

[Ristul]

A scientist that doesn't like critical thinking and questioning the "authority", oh the irony...

[Gwynbleidd]

@Ritsul:
As a scientist I take Phils comment as what it is, him thinking loud and trying to innovate. I don't get to emotional and blow this out of proportion as many here do. I am not blindly following him but I really appreciate his insights and engagement in the community! He shares his thoughts on how to innovate and I think that is better than being confronted with final results.
In the end I try to say I am a fan of progress and innovation and without people in the gaming industry that bring new ideas the table we won't get new innovative ideas. That is why I appreciate Phil Spencer. He brought us play anywhere, bc, game pass and he will deliver on games and new ways of making games.

[Ristul]

Gwynbleidd: Innovate? Yeah, all of MS plans are really innovative right? Like always online, drm, microtransactions, focus on multiplayer centric games to get subscription fees, that future will really be to the gamers benefit right?

[rainslacker]

Applying science to things that are objective to the human condition isn't always practical.

Sure, MP has seen a huge upswing, and overall, it can make more money with less risk than a huge SP experience, but that doesn't mean that SP experiences have less impact. Particularly since Phil didn't qualify if that impact was on the business side of things, or on the aspects of if it improves gaming by bringing new things to the market which keep people interested in gaming.

Science just isn't practical outside the business side of things, and most of Spencer's comment seemed to be very much based on the business side of things, with absolutely no indication that he(or at least MS) had any real intention of providing different consumers different things which they may want.

His comments were dismissive, and he used terrible examples to make his point. In true MS fashion, and even in Phil fashion if you really look at it, they down play anything that is not on the track they wish to take, then double back when they realize that the consumer themselves exist in enough number, and criticize them for being a terrible company with terrible policies, to suddenly be all about what they once dismissed. Or at least they act like they do. MS talks a good game, but they do a terrible job on the delivery, and their fan base doesn't hold them accountable, despite the analytics proving that it's the user base who is getting the short end of the stick much more than anyone else.

MS is welcome in the gaming industry. They are welcome to take whatever path they feel is best for them. That doesn't remove them from crticism though, and no amount of science will remove people's feelings about what they want from the equation, and trying to qualify what people want as some huge generality is nothing more than statistical analysis to decide which way to go in business....not a practical way to actually make a difference in the industry, nor a way to actually make games which have an impact in the general course of where games end up going in the future.

MS approach, and what you're praising them for is a very by the numbers approach. In no way have games ever advanced by using such metrics, because it removes human nature and desire from the equation.

[JasonKCK]

The top selling games of 2016 are MP or Co-op focused. Some people here will shout out SP is just as big but they are wrong. http://www.psu.com/news/320...

MP games are more popular, it's a fact.

[UCForce]

What about Evole and Battleborn, hud ? MP is strong, but it isn't special like SP. SP have been long before MP was a thing. If you supported MP and get rid of SP, then it would disrespectful to traditional gaming. Sometimes you need to put the fact away and listen to yourself.

[JasonKCK]

"Sometimes you need to put the fact away and listen to yourself" WTF does that even mean?

lol So you just want to ignore the facts? You can't just ignore them away.

[yeahright2]

@ Jason, it means that SP games have a place regardless if MP games sell more. Not every game should be a COD clone just because it sells more than everything else. It means don't only buy MP games just because they're more popular.
Wasn't that hard to figure out really.

[_-EDMIX-_]

?

Not really.

I'd argue MP games are harder to make well based on how much they rely on a install base of players playing them.

Its too much risk.

Yes, MP titles are popular....more popular then SP?

I'm not too sure about that.

You will of course have titles like Call Of Duty and Battlefield and Battlefront etc come around, but only a small few do that concept really well, like legit only a handful of teams I can put on 1 hand.

SP?

Rockstar (pretty much all)
Naughty Dog (all their games!)
Nintendo Zelda team
Square Enix (Bravely Default, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Nier, Deus Ex)
Quantic Dreams
Sony Santa Monica
Kojima Productions
Sucker Punch
Guerrilla Games (Horizon, Killzone)
Telltale Games (all)
Atlus / Sega (Yakuza, Persona series)

The list goes on.

Many teams out there can create great SP titles, I'd argue then teams that can create MP titles.

Even some of the BEST teams can come up with flop MP titles, Turtle Rock.

Left 4 Dead and CS were just amazing concepts, great MP titles that lasted years and are still around today.......Evolve? Not so much.

Where are they now? Good question. THAT is what happens when you spend years making a MP title that flops. Its a hard, hard concept to get right and correctly.

I legit only play DICE mp titles... I rarely play MP titles not by them.

I can't say that about SP ie (I only play SP titles by Naughty Dog) etc.

Just not true.

Many will try, many will fail. MP is just a race to the bottom of folks trying to reach COD. As someone that put literally well over 1000 hours in COD4 across 2 platforms, I'm not going to play other games MP CHASING COD.

You either are COD4, or you are not....thats it. Many are still chasing the CODness and its not happening. Only COD can get those type of numbers.

[rainslacker]

I think a lot of people like both MP and SP.

Overall, I'd say that people that like SP probably have more within their ranks who don't like MP. But within MP gamers, I'd wager that almost all of them still enjoy a SP experience. I've only ever seen a couple people over the years, and have never personally met a single one, who was only a MP player, but I have met plenty, and seen many more on forums, who will only play SP campaigns, or only partake in MP on rare occasions.

MP games can indeed make more money. But they're just as prone to failure as SP games. Marketing goes a long way...sometimes more than game quality....but many MP games fail. Percentage wise, I'd say that more MP games fail to make it than SP games.

MP games and SP games both have their place. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Problem comes in if a platform holder decides to focus primarily on one or the other with almost no offerings in the side they don't focus on as much, or offer up nothing in one or the other. As it stands though, a platform holder can get away with not focusing too much on MP games, because so long as they get the MP games from 3rd party, then there is no real problem on the consumer end. Same can be said for the SP side, but if that's important to someone then they're more likely to look for more of those experiences, so focusing on them is probably prudent.

[nowitzki2004]

Those sales are only in the US buddy. Gaming is worldwide.

[JasonKCK]

Look below. Now what?

[JasonKCK]

Look I'm not making an opinion one way or the other. I'm just posting facts some people here are trying to ignore, or don't like. http://www.mweb.co.za/games...

You can argue and deny until hell freezes over. Your opinion or what you want isn't going to change it.

[UCForce]

Maybe my opinion are not going to change that. SP is here to stay no matter what the cost. MP is also here to stay, but tell me this. How many people have strong internet connection ? So give people both SP and MP.

[JasonKCK]

I never said it wasn't. Just pointing out the facts many here are ignoring.

[nowitzki2004]

http://www.vgchartz.com/yea...

Pokemon sun and moon and UC4 in top 3. SP dominating the top 3.

[UCForce]

The Fact is that about giving people option between SP and MP, not one.

[JasonKCK]

nowitzki2004 You do know who the ESA are right?

[nowitzki2004]

Why are you going on so much about sales though. The article says SP is dead, the hightest rated games are SP games, meaning the best games are SP games. Not the recycled MP games like COD.

[Razzer]

Hmmm...other interesting facts:

59% of gamers purchase a game based on "good story"
50% of gamers purchase a game for its multiplayer component

[Razzer]

Uh.....you do know most of those games have SP, right? If that list were full of MP only games then you might have a point.

[HotMoltenLava]

Shh, don't state facts on here, people don't like facts. That's why you got all those disagrees even though you posted a link to back it up. Don't you know facts these days are considered fake news.

[houyi111]

Top selling games of 2016 are all multiplatforms, maybe Phil will also publish every games on ps4 as well, you know, just follow logic....

[Hardiman]

They are all I play.

[nowitzki2004]

pretty much. outside of RL and sports games, i rarely play MP.

[trooper_]

I only play online for FGS. I love my single player games.

[DeadSilence]

If you are a Xbox fan I feel bad for you, all you have to look for is crappie MP games since they killed SP franchises and have barely any 1st party support.

If you are a Playstation or Nintendo fan you are fine, those games will still come on regular basis.

[Ristul]

I don't feel sorry for Xbox owners, all they have to do is sell the damn thing and reinvest their money (unless they got all their games digitally, then that could be a problem I guess.)

[HotMoltenLava]

Don't feel sorry for me. I like what I have to play. Xbox guys should feel sorry for people like you who constantly try to dictate what we should buy or play. That's like a mental disorder something on here. You guys should get some help for that.

[JasonKCK]

Top selling games on the PS4 are MP multiplats.

[nowitzki2004]

Best games on PS4 by far are SP like Horizon, Nioh, Bloodborne, Persona 5 for example.

[Ristul]

Are you saying the best selling thing is the best thing? Well, you see, the PS4 is outselling the Xbox One so...

[JasonKCK]

You should tell that to these PS4 owners then. http://www.psu.com/news/320...

[nowitzki2004]

Top 2 this year are Horizon and Resident evil.. SP games.. Nintendo has Zelda for the switch is right in the middle.. SP games are not Dead..

And yeah best selling console is PS4, so thats the best too then as well iyo right?

[King_Lothric]

Says who? You?

[Imalwaysright]

When people disagree with facts https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net... and notice at how few of those games are story driven.

@ King_Lothric

Numbers say so.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed and agreed.

No love for MS this gen.

They can kick rocks. They've put out legit NOTHING good. At least Nintendo is trying, they got it bad with Wii U, but Zelda shows the company is committed and they are trying.

MS? My god, these folks have yet to put out a AAA IP on par with Halo or Gears, its just be Halo, Gears, Forza combo.

Ubisoft putting out better and MORE new IP with MP titles then MS LMFAO!

Thats how you KNOW its sad!

[Imalwaysright]

Trying? Nintendo has by FAR the strongest 1st party out of the big 3. Don't even compare Sony or MS 1st party with Nintendo's 1st party. It's not a fair contest for Sony or MS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

26 Nintendo games
1 Sony game
0 MS games

[remixx116]

You realize that list you made is largely filled with games made before sony and MS were even established in the console bizz right.

Look at this gen and last gen and it looks like Sony is the most committed of all.

[Imalwaysright]

@ remixx116

You realize that even when Sony completely dominated the console market with the PS2 they only managed to put 1 of their games in the top 50 of the best selling games of all time right? PS2 outsold GC/Xbox/Dreamcast 3 to 1 combined and only one of their games from that era managed to enter the top 50 best selling games of all time.

Also who the hell are you trying to fool? The release dates of those games are right there!

"Sony is the most committed of all."

Is it? https://www.geekwire.com/20...

I stand by what I said. Nintendo's 1st party is by FAR the strongest out of the big 3. They have quality (so do Sony's) but sales wise its not even close so the notion the Nintendo is "trying" is absolutely laughable.

BTW I made a mistake. MS actually has one game on that list so

Nintendo 26 games
Sony 1 game
MS 1 game

[HotMoltenLava]

I am so glad that people like you don't play on Xbox anymore. I knew there was a reason it has been pleasant online all gen. A lot of the wacko fanboys moved to Playstation and i could not be more happy.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@ima-Nintendo has an amazing first party but I would never call them the best first party not even remotely close

What's Sony brings to the table in regards to their first party teams is constant Evolution they're constantly allowing their teams to create new intellectual properties and we're talking about a publisher that's completely fine with allowing their teams to move on.

This is not even a subjective concept this is objective you literally could count the number of new intellectual properties that Sony has brought out from their main teams where this is a concept that Nintendo has not done too many times over the years in fact they've been very hesitant due to such a thing.

Don't get me wrong I love games like Luigi's Mansion , Pikmin etc but it seems that new intellectual Properties by Nintendo have always come out at a snails pace.

Are argue within one generation you might get more new intellectual properties as series by Sony then you would from literally two or three generations from Nintendo themselves

Neither company is bad but if I was to ever give the nod to the best I would have to give it to the company actually allowing their teams to create new Concepts at any given time.

I mean you have to really consider one of the oldest intellectual properties in gaming with his Zelda has been being constantly compared with Horizon zero Dawn so at the end of the day clearly they're doing something right if they could create a brand new property from the ground up to be compared to something like Zelda.

Splatoon in Xenoblade from the Wii U is a great step by that company and I'm happy to see them have sequels from Nintendo to go forward with them.

But please stop trying to pretend that nothing was wrong with the Wii U I believe the Wii U's biggest problem was that the company suffered from catering to the exact same people that were always going to buy it.

You did not know of horizon zero Dawn last generation or days gone etc

Even when you look at the PlayStation 3 prior to that generation it's not like you heard of Uncharted Heavenly sword Infamous resistance fall of Man The Last of Us what have you.

You're talking about a company that constantly brings in new Gamers by always pushing the envelope and not being afraid to let go of properties.

I'd argue that most of Sony's Generations are composed of new series.

Mind you nothing is wrong with a Zelda or Mario or anything like that simply that the absolute vast majority of Nintendo's Generations are composed of establish properties where you sort of have to already like them in the first place.

Sony came off of selling 90 million with PlayStation 3 and they're on their way to selling even more with PlayStation 4 they don't sell their systems off of flukes they consistently put out new content and they're not afraid to do so.

You don't need to have a PlayStation selling 14 million to have Sony do something new they're not in that situation and they've never been in that situation regarding their home consoles because they've always consistently brought out great first Party the Wii U's not a bad system in terms of some of its games but when you look at it the fact that Zelda breath of the wild really is the only noticeable title out of several years is enough to sort of said that something might be wrong.

I own breath of the Wild for the Wii U but trust me I own a PlayStation 4 for far more than Horizon.

Best is subjective so if we want a true measurement of first party quality you have to question if it's so good why did the Wii U fail?

[Imalwaysright]

@ Ed

I only read the 1st sentence and saw you twisting what I said so stopped reading there and won't waste my time reading the rest of that wall of text. I said that Nintendo had by FAR the strongest 1st party, not best. Best is subjective but sales aren't. That's all.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@ima- good.

Stop posting your crap no one cares for god sakes it's almost as if if you're not saying that everyone sucks but Nintendo you're going to continuously bother people with your nonsense.

My post was never meant to disrespect Nintendo also known as your religion, it was simply trying to say that the Wii U performed poorly and Nintendo was trying with a Zelda and can you please stop pretending that it didn't sell 14 million...

So even saying the companies trying and they're committed to success is bad? 😂😂😂
28514;

Relax snowflake.

In order for them to try to succeed they have to have failed and to my understanding 14 million is not a great success it is a FAILURE.

I like how even congratulating and supporting Nintendo when they fix their mistakes is bad because we're pointing out that they made mistakes lol

please dear God get over your emotional feelings , that system failed to a degree that no Sony or Microsoft home console has ever failed at.

[Segata]

Highest rated games this year are SPGs. This stupid kid of thinking from Phil is why Xbox will never be as relevant as they were in the 360 era. Xbox is falling to irrelevancy. It has been since 2010 when MS started focusing on Kinect then in 2013 with TV and now multiplayer games only. The thinking that forced 2 games into cancellation that were not meant to be massive online games.

[j_shorty2]

The day that games quit having a single player experience and opt for multiplayer only focus, is the day that I will quit gaming. And I hope that day never comes.

[Dragonscale]

Wishful thinking. And this is why ms and their sh1tty xbone has become irrelevant.

[nowitzki2004]

I laughed when I read it but then you see Xbox on there and yo realize from MS and Xbox perspective SP games are dead as can be.

[XXanderXX]

Not dead just losing its 'it factor and it all started​ with online gaming plus the lure of Micro transaction.
See single player games being around for years to come just on the simple fact not everyone is into online play and as long the people need an escape they will continue to exist. .

As for the Netflix of games concept think it's cool as hell and great as EA access is . Plus it's great for people who are short on cash or have a tough time deciding what one game they want .

[Razzer]

" the lure of Micro transaction."

oh....we love microtransactions now? Cuz Phil said so. ffs

[XXanderXX]

No Phil didn't say they were good nor did I but publishers​ , studio heads and marketing executive' say its good and conviently helps .

[yeahright2]

I can honestly say I've seen blind loyalty go quite that far. Not defending microtransaction, but praising them...
This one's too far gone.

[ThatOneRiggaNob]

The fact that all this time has passed and people are still fumbling around misunderstanding what he was saying... I swear I don't understand why people download reading apps and visit reading sites but don't actually want to READ. Lol and this is not me defending xbox by any means. This is me just pointing out pure stupidity and ignorance.

[ps360s]

"wow"

Xbox fans agreed to all this? (seems to me they agreed and hype up anything Xbox...no matter how bad it seems, they just don't want to admit it)

Games going to windows (Xbox fans seems to love it..not sure why! guess the argument it is all Microsoft...which before it was console is a console and windows is PC)
Not much exclusives outside of Halo,Gears,Forza
Excited for Scalebound and now cancelled (it doesnt look good anymore)
Power wasn't everything and now it is (Scorpio)
BC wasn't anything and now it is and the only thing excited about
Phantom Dust and Sea of Thieves is the best exclusives for Xbox one even tho to me it doesn't seem good for the only exclusives...(I am not excited about these)

umm anything else? lol

[Aenea]

Even though I love multiplayer games a lot, when there are no more single player games releasing I might stop playing videogames altogether...

[WickedLester]

Sorry Phil, I can't hear you because I'm too busy playing Horizon, Uncharted 4, Nioh, Niere Automata, Persona 5, The Witcher 3, FFXV, Ratchet and Clank, Infamous SS, GTA5, Until Dawn, Bioshock Trilogy, Dishonored 2, Resident Evil 7, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and The Last of Us Remastered.

[BioDead]

NOOOOOOO!!!!

[BenjaMan64]

Yakuza 0
Horizon Zero Dawn
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nier Automata
Persona 5
Crash Bandicoot
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
God of War
Darksiders 3
And more.

[hiawa23]

I prefer single player to online adversarial modes, so it is not dead for this gamer.

[yeahright2]

And you're not alone

[TimelessDbz]

Multiplayer over single player

[DeadManMMX]

Man never has one mans comments been blow so far out of proportion. What I read was that he said single player games don't have the long term impact that multiplayer game do. He happens to be absolutely right about that. I just platinumed Horizon Zero Dawn now that I've beaten it so completely it is likely I will never play it again. Simple as will most. New single player games will come out and less and less people will talk about Horizon until rumors start ramping up for a sequel. Now compare that to something like GTA V online or Halo or DESTINY. Where people keep coming back for months and months and even years later. What he said was a candid truth but he didn't come out and say anything like single player games are dead. That's just silly hyperbole but seriously what do I expect from the hyper sensitive internet game community. Grab ye pitchforks villagers!!

[whitesoxfalife1976]

exactly!!!!! ive been laughing at all these comments as well....

[Cy]

That's not at all what he said. JFC...

[_LarZen_]

"Did You Hear" this is old news and wrong news. Phil Spencer has clarified this days ago....get with the program or stop making articles. But I guess this headline generate much more clicks then the updated real news. False news need to go away.

[DAEMONIFEAR]

This site is full of misinformed and media snakes twisting stories to get traffic! EADC

[rando]

single-player exclusives are alive & well on PS4.

[BigKev45]

Did You Hear that this podcast is DUMB

[S2Killinit]

I buy more single player games than online multiplayers.

[kungfuian]

In a way they are victims of their own successes. The brand has become synonymous with the big 3 tent pole franchises and online focused games, which are obvious strengths, but it has also created a viscous cycle for them as far as content and marketing/branding.

As a platform holder Sony's strengths really cast a light on these weaknesses. It's the depth and breath of Sony's offering, along with their willingness to invest in risk and the freedom they allows their creators that makes them so strong as a global gaming brand.

Plain and simple Microsoft need to show a willingness to take risks, a lot more risks (which include single player games). Playing it safe is short sighted and has really hurt them. They need to cast a much wider umbrella for their content offerings, invest in a much more diverse library of new IP. They need NEW games that make gamers excited again and that spark the imagination! They need to invest in and allow game creators to make creative content that isn't so focus tested and numbers driven. And very importantly, they need to ADVERTISE these games and this shift with SIGNIFICANT MARKETING DOLLARS- to rebuild and realign their brand to one with broader appeal.

[EDKICK]

So a false and clickbait headline, no reading the article or Phil's interview, and everyone completely ignoring what Phil actually was talking about. So exactly like 90% of the articles on N4G and the rest of the internet for that matter. Twist words, misinform people, then have people spit their misinformed opinions back like they're the second coming.

All I play is single player, single player has most of the highest rated games this year. Sony and Nintendo are doing great with SP games. But regardless of what any of you so ignorantly think none of what Phil said disputed those facts in the slightest, you just have to actually read, it's not that hard. He said that multi-player games are more popular than ever and with constant updates and DLC (free and paid) their surviving longer than ever.

If I look at the most played games on Xbox right now here's the list. With Steam not being much different.
NBA 2K17
GTA V (Mostly GTA online)
Black Ops II
Overwatch
Black Ops III
Rainbow Six Siege
Minecraft
Battlefield 1
Infinite Warfare
Madden 2017
Destiny
Rocket League
Fifa 17
Smite
Cod 4 remastered
Forza Horizon 3
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Fallout 4
18 games before we get to a SP-ONLY game so popularity, check. Longevity, check. Games like Rainbow Six, Destiny, and Smite have been out for years and games like Rainbow Six and The Division have come back from rocky starts to have player bases larger than they ever were at launch, something unheard of prior to this gen. No not all MP games do great that's not what he or I am saying so saying "BUT BATTLEBORN HA GOT YOU" like its some revelation sent to you from heaven means nothing, you reminding me Battleborn bombed doesn't suddenly mean MP isn't hugely popular.

I don't like the increased focus on MP, micro transactions, releasing unfinished games and slowly improving them, forcing co-op or multi into games. I love purposefully and intelligently made AAA SP games and there have been some good ones this year but that doesn't mean that many haven't under performed this gen and that a group of MP games doesn't have a huge market share and that's all Phil was saying and it's true. Unfortunately I doubt many will actually read this whole thing since most couldn't even read Phil's real quotes but if someone does hopefully we can have a reasonable conversation/debate and use facts to prove our points.

[_-EDMIX-_]

LMFAO! All you did was sorta prove what everyone was talking about.

Only 1 game is from MS on there and that is Forza.....

smh.

My god, MS is completely just gone this gen....

[EDKICK]

Wow you've missed the point AGAIN. I was talking about MP games and Phil's comments on the state of SP and MP games right now. But like any conversation about MS you have turned into a debate over sales or first party games whether that was being discussed or not. Not at all on topic but whatever. I want more AAA SP games from MS but absolutely no where in my comment was that brought up nowhere, so why bring it up? Let's see if you or anyone in this comment section can actually discuss what the topic was about.

[isarai]

Oh ok, guess it's time to toss BotW, horizon, nier, Yooka-laylee, little nightmares, gravity rush 2, FFXV, yakuza 0, world of final fantasy, and last guardian i picked up this year...

[Phill-Spencer]

Ofcourse he prefers bringing mp focused games. Mp doesn't need expansive storywriting, voice acting, face capturing, scripting, cutscene animation etc so they want to save quite a few bucks by just adding low quality sp modes at best. For mp games they have to invest less and get more money in return with xbox live subscribtions and microtransactions. Ms cheapskating as usual.

For me singleplayer games are as alive as they always have been. I buy 1 to 3 (nowadays it's battlefield 1, rocket league and from time to time uncharted 4's) multiplayer games on which i focus for a longer period but the vast majority of the games i buy are singleplayer games.

[medman]

Single player games is all I buy....if a game doesn't have single player content, I don't even look at it. Multiplayer is just too big of a time suck for me personally, as my gaming time is limited. When I game, I want to feel a sense of meaningful progression (not just leveling up to get some new weapon or skin), and I like gaming at my own pace, completing challenges or experiences in my own time, and feeling like I'm being led on a journey. Single player games scratch all those itches, multiplayer does none of those things for me.

[Blu3_Berry]

Single Player games is what's keeping the gaming industry alive today.

[Profchaos]

I pretty much spend 90% of my time on single player

[roadkillers]

Did you hear Breath of the Wild, God of War, and Mario Oddrssy?

[formanbradley]

Meanwhile, I'll be playing Persona 5 every chance I get until I complete it.

[rlow1]

Another click bait article that really twisted and took huge libertys with what he said. Surprised this many people bought into it. Phil himself and has already clarified what he said. But this is N4g, a place the tabloids love to spin.

[SideNote]

Really Microsoft? Just f off out of the console market please. Your just hurting it.

[iller_20]

Wait until RDR2 arrives!

[RosweeSon]

No I didn't I was too busy playing them. Prey, walking dead season 2, GTA5, Yooka Laylee, Uncharted 4, The Last Guardian, arkham trilogy, bioshock trilogy... just to name a few.
Oh how could I forget Horizon Haha only just platinum'd it a week or 3 ago, amazing game and got Zelda ready to go when I got some proper spare time to sink into it.

[LordJamar]

how click bait can you get people just read this misleading title and rant this kinda crap should be banned off this site the guy didn't say anything like the topic is suggesting far from it but no one is gonna look into it and just get a knee jerk reaction this is truly cancer this type of stuff needs to stop

[ASBO-5]

Horizon: Zero Dawn and Persona 5 say otherwise

[TheOttomatic91]

Well only if you have been living in a cave for the past few years and THAT out of touch with the gaming industry it is.

[SojournUK]

Really? I hate MP, guess my gaming days are over :(

[Einhander1971]

The day single player games die, is the day I stop buying new games.

[Darkfist_Flames]

lol look at all those xbox fanboys comments, reminds me of all that "MP only matter" then tomb raider and sunset overdrive happened and they start praising those, now all those fanboys has nothing to praise except multi games, which you can already play on ps4, so why even get an xbox? xD.

[lolosgolos]

MS has a healthy portion of both in their main franchises so that's a plus