Current Events > "single player games are dying"

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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 10:59:11 PM
#1:


*rdr2 moves 17 million units in 7 days without even having multiplayer yet.
*spider man ps4 was a huge success.
*assassins creed odyssey was a huge success.
*horizon zero dawn was a huge success
*Witcher 3 was a huge success
*bloodborne was a huge success
*Divinity original sin 2 became an indie hit with decent sales
Etc.

Why do some publishers keep saying nobody wants single player games anymore? Clearly there's still a huge craving for them.
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spudger
11/07/18 10:59:50 PM
#2:


never heard anyone say this
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TheMarthKoopa
11/07/18 11:00:41 PM
#3:


It's multiplayer games that are dead
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SauI_Goodman
11/07/18 11:01:30 PM
#4:


OP fails to mention GoW but includes witcher 3. Fail topic.
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sabin017
11/07/18 11:02:27 PM
#5:


Single player games ARE dying. A few open-world games with heavy financial backing are the ones making it.
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Darmik
11/07/18 11:07:49 PM
#6:


Nobody said they're completely dead or that they all flopped. Just that they're incredibly risky. Which they still are. Your entire list is composed of critically acclaimed games and the majority have massive budgets. That isn't an easy thing to develop.

It's like saying that the cinemas and DVD market isn't impacted by Netflix and pointing at Disney movies. It doesn't pain the entire picture.
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Doom_Art
11/07/18 11:08:45 PM
#7:


You missed God of War you pleb
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jumi
11/07/18 11:09:34 PM
#8:


Forgot God of War and Far Cry 5.
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DonaldClinton
11/07/18 11:13:48 PM
#9:


jumi posted...
Forgot God of War and Far Cry 5.

Everyone forgot far cry 5 existed a month after it came out. SAD!
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jumi
11/07/18 11:15:24 PM
#10:


DonaldClinton posted...
jumi posted...
Forgot God of War and Far Cry 5.

Everyone forgot far cry 5 existed a month after it came out. SAD!


Still the best-selling game of 2018 through September.
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Squall28
11/07/18 11:16:04 PM
#11:


It's easier to milk people in multiplayer games.
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Lost_All_Senses
11/07/18 11:19:31 PM
#12:


I remember people saying this. I was never a online type dude and I always felt like I had tons of shit to play. It's usually some dude mad that one of his favorite series started adding multiplayer and even though it didn't affect the single player, he convinced himself it did.
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The-Apostle
11/07/18 11:21:00 PM
#13:


I only play single player and couch coop games.
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Darmik
11/07/18 11:23:26 PM
#14:


People shit on EA a lot and they're often the punching bag for this quote.

But the actual quote from them was;
(describing the canned Star Wars game) 'much more linear game, that people didn't like as much today as they did five or ten years ago'

That's it. There isn't a single game in the OP that contradicts that quote at all. None of those games are linear.
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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 11:24:33 PM
#15:


SauI_Goodman posted...
OP fails to mention GoW but includes witcher 3. Fail topic.

I said etc.
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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 11:25:08 PM
#16:


Darmik posted...
People shit on EA a lot and they're often the punching bag for this quote.

But the actual quote from them was;
(describing the canned Star Wars game) 'much more linear game, that people didn't like as much today as they did five or ten years ago'

That's it. There isn't a single game in the OP that contradicts that quote at all. None of those games are linear.

God of War sort of is, sort of isn't.
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Lost_All_Senses
11/07/18 11:25:25 PM
#17:


pres_madagascar posted...
SauI_Goodman posted...
OP fails to mention GoW but includes witcher 3. Fail topic.

I said etc.


Next time you better do 10 hours of research before making a topic here
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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 11:26:04 PM
#18:


Darmik posted...
Nobody said they're completely dead or that they all flopped. Just that they're incredibly risky. Which they still are. Your entire list is composed of critically acclaimed games and the majority have massive budgets. That isn't an easy thing to develop.

It's like saying that the cinemas and DVD market isn't impacted by Netflix and pointing at Disney movies. It doesn't pain the entire picture.

Divinity original sin 2 was a fluke
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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 11:26:47 PM
#19:


Doom_Art posted...
You missed God of War you pleb

jumi posted...
Forgot God of War and Far Cry 5.

pres_madagascar posted...
*rdr2 moves 17 million units in 7 days without even having multiplayer yet.
*spider man ps4 was a huge success.
*assassins creed odyssey was a huge success.
*horizon zero dawn was a huge success
*Witcher 3 was a huge success
*bloodborne was a huge success
*Divinity original sin 2 became an indie hit with decent sales
Etc.

Why do some publishers keep saying nobody wants single player games anymore? Clearly there's still a huge craving for them.

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ssjevot
11/07/18 11:27:42 PM
#20:


FFXV is also one of the best selling games in the series (regardless of if you think it was actually good).
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Antifar
11/07/18 11:30:12 PM
#21:


People want 60 hours out of their games, and that requires more resources to accomplish with single player than with multiplayer, which will typically have greater replayability.
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Darmik
11/07/18 11:31:22 PM
#22:


pres_madagascar posted...
Darmik posted...
People shit on EA a lot and they're often the punching bag for this quote.

But the actual quote from them was;
(describing the canned Star Wars game) 'much more linear game, that people didn't like as much today as they did five or ten years ago'

That's it. There isn't a single game in the OP that contradicts that quote at all. None of those games are linear.

God of War sort of is, sort of isn't.


God of War has several side quests, optional content, RPG elements and is one of the most critically acclaimed games of this year. It's like 20-30 hours long.

pres_madagascar posted...
Divinity original sin 2 was a fluke


No. It got ridiculously great reviews.

In order to succeed as a single player games these days you need to have at least one of these things
- Sequel to an established and popular franchise
- Open world/long playtime
- High metacritic score

Good luck selling well if you don't have any of those things. The days of getting a great 8-10 hour experience and being a huge success like the original Max Payne or Splinter Cell are done. So yes linear single player games are way less popular than they used to be. In order to succeed you need to absolutely nail it.

I made a topic earlier today about Pillars of Eternity 2 because it only sold around 100k. That would bankrupt most major studios. Luckily it was crowd funded.
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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 11:31:57 PM
#23:


Antifar posted...
People want 60 hours out of their games, and that requires more resources to accomplish with single player than with multiplayer, which will typically have greater replayability.

Because of cost of games coupled with financial issues most face. People don't want to drop $60 on a 6 hour long game. People want to feel like they got their money's worth, and with long games people tend to feel that more.
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pres_madagascar
11/07/18 11:32:49 PM
#24:


Darmik posted...
pres_madagascar posted...
Darmik posted...
People shit on EA a lot and they're often the punching bag for this quote.

But the actual quote from them was;
(describing the canned Star Wars game) 'much more linear game, that people didn't like as much today as they did five or ten years ago'

That's it. There isn't a single game in the OP that contradicts that quote at all. None of those games are linear.

God of War sort of is, sort of isn't.


God of War has several side quests, optional content, RPG elements and is one of the most critically acclaimed games of this year. It's like 20-30 hours long.

pres_madagascar posted...
Divinity original sin 2 was a fluke


No. It got ridiculously great reviews.

In order to succeed as a single player games these days you need to have at least one of these things
- Sequel to an established and popular franchise
- Open world/long playtime
- High metacritic score

Good luck selling well if you don't have any of those things. The days of getting a great 8-10 hour experience and being a huge success like the original Max Payne or Splinter Cell are done. So yes linear single player games are way less popular than they used to be.

No I meant Divinity original sin 2 being a financial success, even on consoles, is a fluke. Indie rpgs like that don't tend to get many sales on consoles.
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Lost_All_Senses
11/07/18 11:34:11 PM
#25:


ssjevot posted...
FFXV is also one of the best selling games in the series (regardless of if you think it was actually good).


It was good >_>
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Irregardless
11/07/18 11:35:50 PM
#26:


#SavePlayerOne

*releases a hastily thrown together multiplayer only game*
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Ki_cat_
11/07/18 11:37:34 PM
#27:


They're not "dying". Multiplayer is just easier to make money off of so it's less risky to make mp a selling point.
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DarthAragorn
11/07/18 11:40:11 PM
#28:


Antifar posted...
People want 60 hours out of their games, and that requires more resources to accomplish with single player than with multiplayer, which will typically have greater replayability.

And those people fucking suck
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pres_madagascar
11/08/18 12:38:00 AM
#29:


DarthAragorn posted...
Antifar posted...
People want 60 hours out of their games, and that requires more resources to accomplish with single player than with multiplayer, which will typically have greater replayability.

And those people fucking suck

No, I get it. Because of games costing $60.
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#30
Post #30 was unavailable or deleted.
pres_madagascar
11/08/18 12:38:50 AM
#31:


For instance, I no longer buy new $60 games more than 4 or so times a year. Everything else I wait until it's $25 or less on sale.
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im not 13
11/08/18 12:45:09 AM
#32:


Hairistotle posted...
spudger posted...
never heard anyone say this


Aside from the geniuses that make the CoD games
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Darmik
11/08/18 12:56:43 AM
#33:


Irregardless posted...
#SavePlayerOne

*releases a hastily thrown together multiplayer only game*


Well Dishonored 2, The Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein Old Colossus and Prey all flopped hard when they released so it's hard to blame them.
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Bad_Mojo
11/08/18 12:58:49 AM
#34:


pres_madagascar posted...
Divinity original sin 2 became an indie hit with decent sales


Fantastic game, but you can't lump that into it. The biggest drawing point for that game is online co-op and of course the Dungeon Master mode where you can make your own adventures like in D&D.
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DarthAragorn
11/08/18 12:59:06 AM
#35:


pres_madagascar posted...
DarthAragorn posted...
Antifar posted...
People want 60 hours out of their games, and that requires more resources to accomplish with single player than with multiplayer, which will typically have greater replayability.

And those people fucking suck

No, I get it. Because of games costing $60.

I'd rather pay $60 for a good 10-15 hour experience than the same price or even cheaper for 60 hours of mediocrity
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pres_madagascar
11/08/18 12:59:29 AM
#36:


Darmik posted...
Irregardless posted...
#SavePlayerOne

*releases a hastily thrown together multiplayer only game*


Well Dishonored 2, The Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein Old Colossus and Prey all flopped hard when they released so it's hard to blame them.

All of those, save for prey, were pretty short too and always do well in sales. Kind of goes with what I said about people wanting more bang for their buck. Sad reality of our economy and the industry.
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Darmik
11/08/18 1:04:04 AM
#37:


pres_madagascar posted...
Darmik posted...
Irregardless posted...
#SavePlayerOne

*releases a hastily thrown together multiplayer only game*


Well Dishonored 2, The Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein Old Colossus and Prey all flopped hard when they released so it's hard to blame them.

All of those, save for prey, were pretty short too and always do well in sales. Kind of goes with what I said about people wanting more bang for their buck. Sad reality of our economy and the industry.


Well I mean that's kinda where the whole stigma against single player games from major publishers comes from. It's a lot harder for a single player game to give 'bang for your buck' compared to a multiplayer game. That goes for both cost of development and the price consumers pay.
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FvP
11/08/18 1:06:16 AM
#38:


spudger posted...
never heard anyone say this

I think EA said this I don't remember.
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pres_madagascar
11/08/18 1:16:41 AM
#39:


Darmik posted...
pres_madagascar posted...
Darmik posted...
Irregardless posted...
#SavePlayerOne

*releases a hastily thrown together multiplayer only game*


Well Dishonored 2, The Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein Old Colossus and Prey all flopped hard when they released so it's hard to blame them.

All of those, save for prey, were pretty short too and always do well in sales. Kind of goes with what I said about people wanting more bang for their buck. Sad reality of our economy and the industry.


Well I mean that's kinda where the whole stigma against single player games from major publishers comes from. It's a lot harder for a single player game to give 'bang for your buck' compared to a multiplayer game. That goes for both cost of development and the price consumers pay.

People like to talk about rdr2 selling gangbusters, but people forget it took 7 years and at least 100 million dollars to develop.

These huge expansive games cost so goddamn much to make. Ubisoft can churn them out so much because they've got loads of studios with hundreds of staff at each, all working on stuff, and their single player games are still PUMPED full of microtransactions and special editions, the worst in the industry, yet their games still manage to be decent to great in spite of this... It's all very frustrating.
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LightningAce11
11/08/18 1:21:28 AM
#40:


The problem is making a game feel complete. Somthing like God of War 2018, I enjoyed it fully and don't expect any add ons to it. It was worth the price tag.
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pres_madagascar
11/08/18 1:23:23 AM
#41:


LightningAce11 posted...
The problem is making a game feel complete. Somthing like God of War 2018, I enjoyed it fully and don't expect any add ons to it. It was worth the price tag.

I felt that way about Witcher 3 and horizon too, and both ended up having major expansions that were great.
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PiOverlord
11/08/18 1:37:08 AM
#42:


SMO
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Vyrulisse
11/08/18 1:40:58 AM
#43:


The only people that said this were publishers with an agenda.
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Antifar
11/08/18 7:20:13 AM
#44:


I think it's worth making the point that a game on RDR 2's scale is possible in part because of the revenue produced by GTA V Online, and all those microtransactions.
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Romulox28
11/08/18 7:24:38 AM
#45:


it's not that single player games are dying, it's just that the single player AAA experience is starting to fade away.

the problem now is that with microtransactions and the pressure to pump out high budget games in like two years, nobody is really investing a lot in these well-crafted single player games with deep stories and mechanics and all that.

as a result the only people making substantial AAA single player games are companies like Rockstar, Bethesda, and CDPR, companies that basically print money & can afford to have a game in development for 5 years because it will sell like crazy for years when it releases. same for those Sony first party titles.

everyone else is fucked, it's just a better idea to make multiplayer games or episodic ones or w/e

IMO it's not so much that single player games dont get made as much as the industry focus seems to be away substantial, story based games in favor of esports, social/streamer games, shared world, etc
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pres_madagascar
11/08/18 7:31:01 AM
#46:


Antifar posted...
I think it's worth making the point that a game on RDR 2's scale is possible in part because of the revenue produced by GTA V Online, and all those microtransactions.

Rockstar is notorious for spending more on a game than any other developer. They haven't even said the development cost of rdr2 yet, but I know gtav had a 110 million dollar development cost iirc. They're an absolute outlier.
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pikachupwnage
11/08/18 7:38:09 AM
#47:


sabin017 posted...
Single player games ARE dying. A few open-world games with heavy financial backing are the ones making it.


Heavy financial backing applies to most highly successful games in the first place. Gotta spend money to make money. That said several of these are indie or small budget games from small-mid size devs/publishers.

Shovel Knight: 2 Million
Stardew Valley: Over 3.5 million
Hollow Knight: Well over 1.25 Million
Octopath Traveler: Over a Million in a three weeks.
Fire Emblem Awakening: 2.24 Million
Nier Automata: 3 Million
Persona 5: 2 Million
Luigis Mansion Dark Moon: 5.75 million
Fire Emblem Warriors: Over 1 Million
Resident Evil 7: 5.7 Million
Super Mario Odyssey: 12 Million

Quite a few of these are still selling well too.
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luigi13579
11/08/18 7:43:47 AM
#48:


"Single player games I like are dying."

"Also, I'm completely jaded and like none of those trash modern games."
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Kerred
11/08/18 7:44:02 AM
#49:


pres_madagascar posted...
*rdr2 moves 17 million units in 7 days without even having multiplayer yet.
*spider man ps4 was a huge success.
*assassins creed odyssey was a huge success.
*horizon zero dawn was a huge success
*Witcher 3 was a huge success
*bloodborne was a huge success
*Divinity original sin 2 became an indie hit with decent sales
Etc.

Why do some publishers keep saying nobody wants single player games anymore? Clearly there's still a huge craving for them.


Profit margin. If i recall, this phrase isn't really mean to be said people don't want single player games, more directed to investors that money isn't in single player games. Single player games stop selling and need to be remade or keep offering additional content to remain profitable in order to continue growing. Shareholders don't want consistent sales, shareholders want growth.*

*If I recall, the Witcher's investors are the staff, therefore they are more concerned with quality products instead of high margin profi... oh, will that GWENT game have additional fees? If so, forget what I said"

I'm sure you would invest in Diablo Immortal if you were pretty much guaranteed $100k in your bank account from a small investment. All of you would do the same. Its easy money, no one gets hurt, and you remain anonymous mostly ;)
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PiOverlord
11/08/18 8:18:47 AM
#50:


pikachupwnage posted...
sabin017 posted...
Single player games ARE dying. A few open-world games with heavy financial backing are the ones making it.


Heavy financial backing applies to most highly successful games in the first place. Gotta spend money to make money. That said several of these are indie or small budget games from small-mid size devs/publishers.

Shovel Knight: 2 Million
Stardew Valley: Over 3.5 million
Hollow Knight: Well over 1.25 Million
Octopath Traveler: Over a Million in a three weeks.
Fire Emblem Awakening: 2.24 Million
Nier Automata: 3 Million
Persona 5: 2 Million
Luigis Mansion Dark Moon: 5.75 million
Fire Emblem Warriors: Over 1 Million
Resident Evil 7: 5.7 Million
Super Mario Odyssey: 12 Million

Quite a few of these are still selling well too.

I don't know if I would call Nintendo a "small-midsize dev/publisher"
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