There has been a lot said about the market for single player games, and how it may be on the way out, to cede ground to multiplayer titles, as well as games as a service. This is something I fundamentally disagree with- people point to the market to talk about how the biggest games are all multiplayer, and I remind them of the similar mad rush for the mobile and social gaming markets, which were supposed to kill off traditional gaming (neither did).
I point out that one of the highest selling games of the year is Breath of the Wild, that all the highest rated games of the year are single player, and that single player games can sell lower than multiplayer ones, and still do well because of smaller budgets.
Not many listen- there are some people determined to push the narrative that traditional single player experiences are on the way out. However, Guerrilla Games, the developers of the superlative Horizon: Zero Dawn that launched earlier this year, emphasized the same point, saying that their own game, as well as games like Zelda and Shadow of War, prove the existence of a market for high end single player games.
“I think Horizon proves that there is a future for a really high quality single-player experience. [The upcoming story expansion Frozen Wilds] proves that again,”Guerrilla’s principal game designer Tim Stobo said to GameSpot at PAX Australia. “We’re really committed to delivering that high level, quality experience for players. It does seem like maybe there is a business shift in other parts of the industry. But at Guerrilla, we’re just focused on telling amazing stories.”
Speaking about the rising popularity of multiplayer games, he added, “I think it’s better to look at it from the other perspective. I think we’ll see more games like Destiny and I think there is a place for those,” he said. “But you look at the best, more lauded games that have come out this year–there is Horizon, Zelda, Shadow of War. There are a lot of amazing single-player experiences. If we also get more always online experiences, I think that’s great for the diversity of games.”
I agree with him completely- I am not saying online multiplayer games will go away any time soon, either, there is clearly a big market for them. I just think, however, that single player games aren’t about to go away any time soon, either. The two markets shall continue to co-exist.