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Are single-player only games dying?

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 01:46 PM

Here's a list of recent single-player only games that sold far below expectations or just outright lost money:


Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Prey
Wolfenstein: The New Colossus
Mass Effect Andromeda
Dishonored 2



I've played all of these games myself and I thought they were all very good. I guess the overall mainstream market is changing rapidly.
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 03:12 PM

Andromeda at least had other reasons to fail... and was a MP game.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
Andromeda at least had other reasons to fail... and was a MP game.



The MP has never been a major aspect of the ME games since it was introduced with ME 3. And yes, Andromeda had all of those major problems on release that hurt its sales.
Posted By: Alicatt

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 04:20 PM

Just released yesterday was Kingdomcome: Deliverance, it is a single player only at the moment and while it is a bit of a clunky interface is quite an intriguing tale smile
Posted By: DM

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 04:23 PM

Skyrim conitnues to sell smile and there is The Witcher, The Witness, any number of teen-angst type games sell well, I think a SP only game has to have some serious hook though to be a best-seller. Most SP games seem to be the go-here-do-this mechanic.
Posted By: Pugio

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 04:47 PM

There are many single player games out recently and in development. Some may have separate or integrated multiplayer but can be played offline just as well as on.

There is also Star Wars Battlefront 2--which is multiplayer and AAA and so far has not met expectations either.

There are a number of games on the top selling Steam Charts that are doing well and single player only. The first that comes to mind is They are Billions--its single player only right now and is still in early development.
Posted By: DaBBQ

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/14/18 08:00 PM

A lot of PC players wait for steam sales or focus on indie games that are cheaper and different from the AAA sameness.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 01:25 AM

I love single player games, and one of my favorites, the Dark Souls series, has sold millions upon millions.
Posted By: Flogger23m

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 01:53 AM

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was a mess, especially on the PC side. It took a few months to be remotely acceptable. By the time I played it most of the issues were worked out. Mass Effect Andromeda, when I played it, wasn't a mess but it was sub par. Patches fixed most of the performance and animation issues and it is a solid game, but not even close to the greatness of the originals. Not sure why the other three sold below expectations, but the first two games, while my favorite of the titles listed above were certainly flawed at release.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Flogger23m
Patches fixed most of the performance and animation issues and it is a solid game, but not even close to the greatness of the originals. .



Fully agree with your point here. I really did enjoy Andromeda but the overall story and characters were not nearly as compelling when compared to the previous 3 ME games.
Posted By: WharfRat

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 03:44 PM

I do not believe SP is totally dying either. The new MechWarrior is said to be highly anticipated and is SP only. BattleTech is being released shortly and was crowdfunded all the way through stretch goals and is SP, with 1 stretch goal being co-op play available. I know being required to maintain an online connection kept me from Civ5 even though it is SP only. I did have Civ3 and 4.
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 03:53 PM

Has The Witcher 3 spoiled us for all other SP games? wink

Seriously though, I stopped buying them because of the price... $70-$80 each is a lot to pay for video games. Other than flight sim games and modules (for which I usually pay full price), I wait until the price drops to $25 or lower.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by BlueHeron
Has The Witcher 3 spoiled us for all other SP games? wink

.


I think there's a lot of truth to this. IMHO, Witcher 3 is an RPG done right on every single level.
Posted By: WharfRat

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by BlueHeron
Has The Witcher 3 spoiled us for all other SP games? wink


Never tried this one, It is that good?
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by WharfRat
Originally Posted by BlueHeron
Has The Witcher 3 spoiled us for all other SP games? wink


Never tried this one, It is that good?


It is for me. A well-developed story with great voice acting, incredible atmosphere, and gorgeous graphics and sound. In a dark room with headphones, I get swept up in this game for hours at a time. smile
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer

I think there's a lot of truth to this. IMHO, Witcher 3 is an RPG done right on every single level.


Well put!
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by WharfRat
Originally Posted by BlueHeron
Has The Witcher 3 spoiled us for all other SP games? wink


Never tried this one, It is that good?


Best RPG of it's type, by a mile. My opinion biggrin
Posted By: DBond

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
Originally Posted by WharfRat
Originally Posted by BlueHeron
Has The Witcher 3 spoiled us for all other SP games? wink


Never tried this one, It is that good?


Best RPG of it's type, by a mile. My opinion biggrin


+1

It's games like this that kill single player, because the other games aren't anywhere near as good smile
Posted By: Haggart

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 06:07 PM

Single player is too lonely
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 06:26 PM

How is the latest Asassin's Creed doing? Or "Rise of the Tombraider"?

I think Prey and Dishonored 2 might have just been too far outside the "comfortable" genre. They were - for me at least - too experimental in their approach. Which is of course a shame because we want publishers to attempt new ideas and not just cookie-cutting formulas. So I'm going to support Kingdom Come: Deliverance biggrin

Also I think Prey was cracked very quickly.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Haggart
Single player is too lonely


LOL

Attached picture captain_small.jpg
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:13 PM

I'm considering getting Prey with the current Steam sale. The only thing holding me back is finding the time to play and complete these games!
Posted By: Haggart

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:24 PM

hehe F4UD
Posted By: MarkG

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:27 PM

I enjoy pulling out the retro-Atari I bought at Walmart a couple of years or so ago when family visits, but that's the extent of multiplayer for me.

PC gaming for me has always been a solitary experience, an escape from the human world. I'm not really a social person. Not that I don't enjoy mingling among the people, large crowds even, and I'm not shy around people. I'm just not interested in getting to know them personally, I'm not out to make friends. For example, the thought of going out with another couple has no appeal to me whatsoever, nor having regular visitors. Same with gaming, a time I enjoy being alone.

I try to be social here, but that's only because I know that most of you are sophisticated communication bots. smile With Facebook and such, it's actually real people, and I gladly stay away.
Posted By: Haggart

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:39 PM

I'd like a 3 day invitation to come and visit you at your house please & thank you
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by BlueHeron
I'm considering getting Prey with the current Steam sale. The only thing holding me back is finding the time to play and complete these games!



Prey is one of the best sci-fi shooters I've ever played. It's like a perfect combination of the Dead Space games with Half Life.
Posted By: JoeyJoJo

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:44 PM

Only AAA sp games are dying, typically because of rushed products w/ DLC and\or microtransactions. We pay full price + season pass for a sp only game that's usually half-assed and can't be modded. There's also thousands of sp games by indi devs that are cheaper, and more original than the re-hashed AAA junk that they pump out every year.

There's no incentive unless you're a fan of the IP, or just have money to blow. And with Steam sales every other month, there's no incentive to buy them at full price. I rarely buy AAA games, but if I do I always wait until they're ~50% off a year or two later; I have plenty of other games to keep me occupied in the meantime
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:48 PM

You make some excellent points Joey and yes, I was really only thinking about AAA SP games in my initial post.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 07:51 PM

I used to do MP in "Warbirds", even led a pretty large B-17 formation on a mission once with the "Red Raiders (RIP -bobn-) but most of my MP is done with people I know in RL, co-op in "Ghost Recon" or "Wings Over Vietnam" etc. We started doing co-op in "1942 Pacific Air War" over 9600 modems, with a second phone line to talk!
Posted By: Master

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by BlueHeron
I'm considering getting Prey with the current Steam sale. The only thing holding me back is finding the time to play and complete these games!



Prey is one of the best sci-fi shooters I've ever played. It's like a perfect combination of the Dead Space games with Half Life.


The only thing keeping me from buying it is no ADS. Its like a 90s shooter with a crosshair and you cant aim down the sights.
Posted By: Master

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I used to do MP in "Warbirds", even led a pretty large B-17 formation on a mission once with the "Red Raiders (RIP -bobn-) but most of my MP is done with people I know in RL, co-op in "Ghost Recon" or "Wings Over Vietnam" etc. We started doing co-op in "1942 Pacific Air War" over 9600 modems, with a second phone line to talk!


A bunch of the old Warbirds players hang out at the Alt-Games-Warbirds site. Bobn was a character for sure. You either loved him or hated him and it was like a 10/90 thing biggrin S! Bobn Blue skies and unguarded formation!

https://www.alt-games-warbirds.com/

[img]http://www.squadselectforum.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=431[/img]
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by Master
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I used to do MP in "Warbirds", even led a pretty large B-17 formation on a mission once with the "Red Raiders (RIP -bobn-) but most of my MP is done with people I know in RL, co-op in "Ghost Recon" or "Wings Over Vietnam" etc. We started doing co-op in "1942 Pacific Air War" over 9600 modems, with a second phone line to talk!


A bunch of the old Warbirds players hang out at the Alt-Games-Warbirds site. Bobn was a character for sure. You either loved him or hated him and it was like a 10/90 thing biggrin S! Bobn Blue skies and unguarded formation!

https://www.alt-games-warbirds.com/

[img]http://www.squadselectforum.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=431[/img]




That GIF is awesome! Wish it had player names on instead of aircraft type, I might recognize someone. Or even me! I flew with the RR as "seesaw".
Posted By: Master

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/15/18 10:35 PM

Got you activated on AGW. Drop into the off topic area and say hi. Im sure you'll recognize some of the old faces. I've actually got you listed as an old AGW member but you had 0 posts. Must have been a lurker! biggrin
Posted By: Lieste

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/16/18 01:05 AM

Witcher 3... used to be my favourite recent RPG (with Witcher 1 (with FCR 1) being better in some and worse in other respects...)

But... since 2016 I've preferred to wander about in the KC:D beta, and later the release candidate and now released version. For me, despite the rough-around-the-edges but improving state, this is hands down the most engaging RPG experience I have had, ever.
Recently I started learning how to use a longsword IRL. The journey 'in game' feels so much like that which I started IRL (albeit a bit simpler, with fewer bruises and much 'faster' learning), but the sense of 'getting it' and being able to start to apply desired actions when you want is the same... the position, place, measure as vital parts of swordsmanship, the bewildering nature of the fight against more skilled opponents, but the risk of complacency against a relative beginner... all feel on point.

You grow from a green and wet-behind-the-ears 17(?) year old into a young man... and all the while the events of the world are much 'larger' than you are.

It won't be for everyone, but for those who can get into it I think they will also love it for the way the mechanics reward practice, and 'sound' choices... and give far more variability in methods than are shown in the questlog hints or from the "quest giver". After 500 odd hours of play and testing... I have seen a lot of variations in quest outcome (sometimes 4-5 'solutions' to a single quest....) and then I see a let's play... with outcomes I haven't ever seen, nor suspected of being there...
Posted By: JoeyJoJo

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/16/18 01:57 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
You make some excellent points Joey and yes, I was really only thinking about AAA SP games in my initial post.


(After I re-read my post I didn't mean to come off as a bitter gamer so I'll add some context biggrin )

I don't think all AAA games are trash; I just think that the market is so saturated right now that it's going to get harder and harder to pull in big numbers if they're not coming up with original content, IP's, and gameplay; AND stable\bug free i.e. not rushed.

Wolfenstein actually looks really good and Prey is on my Wishlist; but I just haven't "needed" to buy anything; my backlog is ~20 games deep lol (Witcher 3 is coming up next).
Posted By: cichlidfan

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/16/18 06:41 PM

Witcher 3 GOTY edition is on sale (-60%) on Steam.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/16/18 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by cichlidfan
Witcher 3 GOTY edition is on sale (-60%) on Steam.



Also on GOG for 60% off

https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_3_wild_hunt_game_of_the_year_edition
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
Andromeda at least had other reasons to fail... and was a MP game.



The MP has never been a major aspect of the ME games since it was introduced with ME 3. And yes, Andromeda had all of those major problems on release that hurt its sales.


IT IS ! mass effect 3 only had better sales becouse people really liked its MP becouse it fullfilled an request from the fan base for years to be able to play another race. They tried the same with inquisition, people complain about andromeda SP but they stil like the MP aspect,have no doubt that is part of the reason most of bioware employers went to the new anthem game.
Posted By: Flogger23m

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 06:01 AM

I thought ME3's MP was fairly poor. After you played it a few times I saw zero reason to ever play it again. However it was fairly active for a few years apparently. It was okay as a tack on, but it tends to be at the expense of more SP content which I don't like. Most stacked on MP portions die very quickly.

A big reason for this is unrealistic expectations from gamers. Most people obsess over hour count these days. Most gamers seem to want 40-60 hour long SP games. The result of this is a less crafted experience and lot more grinding, unlocking, generic tasks to do a dozen times before reaching the end. I'd rather play a 12-15 hour game where everything was in full focus and pertained to the story. All activities, missions and whatnot were excellently crafted. Now the Witcher 3 appears to be an example of excellent quality and narrative throughout, but that isn't possible for every game. Not every story can be dragged out so long and not every type of game can support 40-60+ hours of gameplay without becoming stale.
Posted By: Dart

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 07:20 AM

I guess you mean single person, stand alone shooter games (and yes, Skyrim and Fallout are shooters).

Single player games are making a crapton of money, especially on mobile devices.

I shudder to think how much Angry Birds pulled in.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Master
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I used to do MP in "Warbirds", even led a pretty large B-17 formation on a mission once with the "Red Raiders (RIP -bobn-) but most of my MP is done with people I know in RL, co-op in "Ghost Recon" or "Wings Over Vietnam" etc. We started doing co-op in "1942 Pacific Air War" over 9600 modems, with a second phone line to talk!


A bunch of the old Warbirds players hang out at the Alt-Games-Warbirds site. Bobn was a character for sure. You either loved him or hated him and it was like a 10/90 thing biggrin S! Bobn Blue skies and unguarded formation!

https://www.alt-games-warbirds.com/

[img]http://www.squadselectforum.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=431[/img]



I just ran across this:

Screenshot taken during "Operation Pointblank" mission flown by Red Raiders in Warbirds Online

[Linked Image]

I'm seesaw, merlyn and sadsac are familiar names as well.




Attached picture 366th Mission 5 Form.jpg
Posted By: Flogger23m

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by Dart

Single player games are making a crapton of money, especially on mobile devices.

I shudder to think how much Angry Birds pulled in.


Different market and demographic. Mobile gaming discussions belong to its own thread. I know the OP didn't specify but I think everyone here knew he was referring to PC/console games and not phone games.

Yes there is some overlap, but they are distinct markets that typically cater to different demographics.
Posted By: Crane Hunter

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 09:14 PM

Appearantly a lot of the more experienced development staff in the video game industry prefer working on casual games over the big budget "serious" titles, since the work environment is far more relaxed and they can be a lot more creative.

My relative, with 25+ years experience and getting job offers from all over the world,, was willing to take a huge pay cut to go work for a small casual game company vs corporations like EA and Ubi.

You have to figure that the loss of experienced talent and the regimented office environment of the big players has had a negative effect on their products?
Posted By: DM

Re: Are single-player only games dying? - 02/18/18 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Crane Hunter
You have to figure that the loss of experienced talent and the regimented office environment of the big players has had a negative effect on their products?


I agree, and would say that one (office environment) leads to the other (loss of talent). Big companies don't really want to innovate in anything but small non-gamechanging ways, and even further would wish to simplify game designs to get more short-term interest rather than great gameplay.
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