It seems to be a somewhat awkward time for the single-player experience in AAA games. Recently EA recently shutting down Visceral Games and "pivoting" the design of their planned Star Wars game to something seemingly more multiplayer. At the same time, smaller games on platforms such as Steam and Itch.io are, more often than not, single-player. Are games of this scale filling a gap that is becoming increasingly difficult to financially justify in the AAA space, or are games such as last year's Doom or this year's Legend of Zelda indicators that there's still a place long-term for more focused experiences?
I think that some of the best recent games, even if not story-focused, have great single-player experiences. In a year where we can have a timelessly incredible Mario game (Super Mario Odyssey), an arguably superior sequel to an already enjoyable game (Wolfenstein: The New Colossus) and a formula-switching - at least a little - Assassin's Creed game released on the SAME DAY, I think it's fair to say that the single-player experience probably isn't going anywhere. Upcoming PS4 titles such as Insomniac's Spider-man and The Last of Us Part II are set to expand the genre further. – CallumBenson7 years ago
I would look into the willingness of younger players to play single-player games compared to multiplayer games. – AndreSpence2 years ago