EA: "Singleplayer is no longer the future"

Shame that every one else is going out of there way to gimp multi player games.

Sometimes peoples' power of observation truly astounds me....

But here's to hoping that it goes in the right direction for the PC market.

I don't play online games, and don't WANT to play online games.

No more singleplayer, means no more games for me.
Not from EA anyway....

Idiotic comment from the mouth of EA, different games suit different features, although since a few of the other companies seem so determined to kill proper multiplayer gaming on the PC perhaps this is a time for EA to come up with some innovative multiplayer games to the market.

i'd hate to see fifa multiplayer only, 21 other players slide tackling the one player with the ball. itd be a nightmare

Good move on EA's part if you ask me. Multiplayer is where its at. Once you played a SP game it goes on the shelf and gather dust. MP carrys on for ages.

I still sometime play Medal of Honor Allied Assault!

IW are currently shooting themselves in the foot and I hope it hurts them as I have utter contempt and hate for them at teh moment.

I love MP games but sometimes they are ruined by... well... people. I probably spend an equal amount of my time getting stuck into well crafted single player experiences and I think my best gaming memories were found there.

I like games that have a story i can get engrossed in.

You simply dont get that with Multiplayer.

Multiplayer is more important than single player to me these days. I just think that most development time on single player games is spent on a few set pieces so you end up with a game that lasts 6 hours tops. Either that or you get a repetitive generic first person shooter. Spent most of the last few years gaming on Day of Defeat, Day of Defeat Source, COD 4 multiplayer and now Shattered Horizon.

FAIL

I think that is very disappointing to hear that a developer thinks that single player games are on their way out. Developing multiplayer games is so lazy compared to single player so there its of no surprise thats what they want to do.

I like to play through games that have a strong story that makes you want to play on, much like a good book. Multiplayer gaming is just so repetitve and boring, offering no motivation to continue to play other than to achieve a better score.

Oh well. I don't buy EA games much anyway :)

The general attitude in the games industry always seems to be, well it works here so it must be good for everything!

Multiplayer is quite nice, and I do spend a lot of time on it, but there are plenty of times where I just want to get away from all the hassles of multiplayer, and have a good story told to me. The single-player story in C&C Renegade was quite crappy to put it nicely. But I still find myself firing it up now and then.

I think EA has smoked way too much crack with their profits.

That theory only runs true on certain types of game, and without player personality profiling (which nobody does, we can only do this ourselves with clans), the ability to game with people who want to get the same thing from the game is severely limited.

I still haven't figured out how to get an online game in GTA4, there's enough gameplay in it offline and frankly as the nature of the game is as a sole operator (note it's a highly successful game too) the notion of the future being in multiplayer is largely nonsense. I even frequently play guildwars which by definition is a multiplayer game, doing the missions solo. EA have never been at the forefront of games development or publishing, even in the early days of gaming they were all about the franchises & character tie-ins. Still, you can't fault their marketing division, they seem to be able to get the sales figures in.

as long as Games for Windows Live is not part of EA's future, im fine with whatever.

Originally Posted by MajorTom
I love MP games but sometimes they are ruined by... well... people. I probably spend an equal amount of my time getting stuck into well crafted single player experiences and I think my best gaming memories were found there.

QFT.... But from a 'business' view point MP is officially where it's at. The publisher/dev has a far greater control over the product and IP. They can mitigate profit loss from piracy and second hand sales and maximise DLC, in-game advertising, subs, micro-transactions, which all add revenue beyond the initial selling point.

I know it's naive to think that games should be produced without thinking about profit... but it doesn't stop me thinking how good those games could be.

I don't know about deathmatch style mp games, but for me co-op is where it's at. Increasingly I'm looking out for more games with co-op options, ones with a good storyline or team tactics.

Originally Posted by Evildead666
I don't play online games, and don't WANT to play online games.

No more singleplayer, means no more games for me.
Not from EA anyway....

Originally Posted by markwalker84
I like games that have a story i can get engrossed in.

You simply dont get that with Multiplayer.

These sum up my thoughts.

MMO's don't count - I don't wish to feel pressured into playing a game because I'm paying a monthly fee simply to be able to play at all.

I love single player games, only me, the pc, the sounds,a bowl chips, rum cola and a wintersnight. No people shouting in my ear to go left or take te flag. Just me in the game..

STFU about SP is dead you pathetic EA morons...

Originally Posted by Silver51
I don't know about deathmatch style mp games, but for me co-op is where it's at. Increasingly I'm looking out for more games with co-op options, ones with a good storyline or team tactics.

Totally agree. I loved playing through RE5 co-op with my mate...single player was naff, but co-op was an absolute blast.

The main problem I have with competitive MP is that there's no real point in playing imo, you're just doing it for 'the sake of it'. Where's the story? Where's the characters? You don't really get any of that with competitive MP. It's almost like a boring, repetitive sport; you just end up doing the same thing over and over (and over) again. It just boggles my mind that some people put so much time and effort into MP (like my mate, who prestige'd 8 times on CoD5). All that time wasted on one bloody game when he could've used that time to play half a dozen, good single player games...or get a job!

At the end of the day I suppose it's just a case of 'each to their own'. I definitely have a casual attitude when it comes to competitive multiplayer. A few rounds of Mario Kart with my mates is great fun, but spending hour after hour playing with random strangers just doesn't do it for me.

I dunno, maybe it's games like HalfLife and Uncharted that have corrupted my mind into thinking that all games should be like playable movies.

I love single player games, I do play online games but I certainly wont be happy playing them all the time. Sometimes I like to get lost in a game on my own such as Batman, single player yet thoroughly enjoyable. Anyone else see this as just a way to stop piracy?

I've had some fun playing online but my crappy internet isn't really fast enough and also you have to put up with dickheads ruining the game for everyone else, people being rude, lost connections etc. A lot of people that play games have no social skills!!

Originally Posted by UncertainGod
Idiotic comment from the mouth of EA, different games suit different features, although since a few of the other companies seem so determined to kill proper multiplayer gaming on the PC perhaps this is a time for EA to come up with some innovative multiplayer games to the market.

EA and innovative is an oxymoron

If all EA games become 'Multiplayer-only', then there will be no more EA games for me.

Single player is a must. It's not all the time that I may feel to play online with virtuo friends. I would rather play locally with real friends via LAN. The other thing is that if, for whatever reason, you can't connect via the internet, your whole game is effectively dead. No singleplayer to fall back on.

Multiplayer makes the most sense when it comes to replayability and time spent coding the game.

I still play SimCity 4 too, and sadly Cities XL is a pantload compared to it. But the thing about SimCity is that because of the very open nature of the game you dont need multiplayer to have that replayability factor.

There will still be room for 2d sidescroller platfoming games in my house too. I will be getting a Wii because of the new Super Mario Wii game. As far as I am concerned the last real Mario game was Super Mario World in 1991. There were some good portable ones but they are played in a janky tiny screen.

Then I should return my copy of Dragon Age Origins:(

yet EA have just publishes bioware's single player rpg master piece

Originally Posted by labr@t
yet EA have just publishes bioware's single player rpg master piece

And Mass Effect 2 is coming soon as well

"Single Player Is Dead!" coming from the company that handles The Sims, Spore, Need For Speed, Burnout, Harry Potter, Skate, Mirror's Edge, Medal Of Honour....

....in other words, a crap-load of game franchises designed around a single player experience.

Someone should stop talking before they lose some toes down their throat.

well thats fail, last time I checked a great single player and multiplayer experience is whats wanted by gamers.

EA, Half-Life and Valve both say hello, this is how we do it.

I play and enjoy single player games. HL2, Bioshock and Far Cry 2 are my most recent. Though I OBSESS over multiplayer games. For the last 10 years I have played multi about 300 times more than the hours I put in with single. Single gives me 30 to 80 hours of play, in multi I play that much in a week or two.
I do not think that single players games will stop, I would like to see more of them opened up to co-op so that you could invite friends on your steam list to join.

As far as not paying for something monthly, you guys are going to have to get over it. 60% of PC games are going to be MMOs or episodic (and I dont hear anyone crying about paying for the next installment of HL2, just the opposite we want it NOW), so if you want to continue being in PC gaming I would prepare yourself psychologically to start paying for your games and new content. This is not a judgment, just the way things are evolving.
The mmo model is perfect for everyone. The devs have a revenue stream and can polish a game to perfection, while the gamers get content and devs that are responsive to their desires. The holy grail example being EVE Online which is moving into being a sci-fi universe with different games that are windows into that universe, all run off of one MASSIVE server in London.
I think people sometimes think that PC gaming should be free (check out the prices though they are the best in the history of pc gaming) but that is simply impossible, the devs need to be paid and if they are making good games, I have no problem paying them.

BTW if you are a FPS fan you should be playing Shattered Horizon right now. Go go and go, it is cheap 14 pounds/20 euros/20 dollars and one of the best made FPSs in years, don't miss it.

Yours in the Future is Bright but not Free,
Star*Dagger

Thats all well and good if you have a decent broadband connection but thanks to the way in which my connectivity works my connection speed is pathetic because of the distance between my house and the telephone exchange. This is why I never buy games online, it would take forever to download - for the last two weeks I couldn't even look at the posts on the Demotivational Posters thread in the forums because my connection was so appalling.

Allegedly BT are supposed to be doing something about this but I'll believe it when I see it.

what I personally dont like multiplayer all that much, you tend to be stuck with a lot of adults or teenagers that act like they are 12 with all the cursing and other child like behaviors >< and I prefer storylines and a lot of multiplayer games just dont offer that.

Actually, the storyline point is a good one to make, does this hint that EA are giving up on games with stories and all we'll end up with is a mass online brawl?

Single player is what sells me.. considering 80% of my time is spent on a 45k modem.

I like single player games, and I like to play multiplayer games, but in no way do I want just multiplayer games forced upon me. I'd be quite happy to go the other way though, i.e. a single player game future. I need SP for story, for something to really get into, something that can make me think, and something I can play at my own pace. MP is fun, but I can only spend so long with it before it starts to make me bored, as it is afterall just the most repetitive action of all.

EA's way of saying we're too lazy to even think of a plot for our games now, even the most basic. The few games I play online I suck at. Not everyone is good at multiplayer. Take any FPS, spawn in, take 2 steps, die, repeat till end of round. Although Ive got to the point I can kill the ocassional person now I still dont play many multiplayer games

I never play MultiPlayer games, and never will. I want games where I can specify how good the enemy are for a start. I like games with cheats as well, which MP games often don't have.

So don't forget all of us Single Players EA, there are a lot of us out there and you're not going to convert us...

Originally Posted by javaman
EA's way of saying we're too lazy to even think of a plot for our games now, even the most basic. The few games I play online I suck at. Not everyone is good at multiplayer. Take any FPS, spawn in, take 2 steps, die, repeat till end of round. Although Ive got to the point I can kill the ocassional person now I still dont play many multiplayer games

exactly !

they'd rather make a some new weapons & maps every year and call it a day ...

This EAs way of saying plots cost time and money and their to tight/greedy to pay for them?

They must imagine gamers buying new games and bypassing singleplayer altogether. Like giving a baby a toy and it only playing with the box it came in.

yeah, cause games like Mario and Zelda suck...

Oh, no wait... they don't.

I think what they are really saying is they can't find anyone talented enough to make a good single player story...

Well, I play games mostly to ESCAPE the immature, useless chode monkeys that seem to infest the internet and the world in general. I *like* the single player games and have replayed plenty - and have only occasionally played multiplayer anything. Meh. I'll be glad when this fad smooths out - along with the "OMG Consoles are teh big $$$" fad... When will developers start realizing that making a GOOD game is worth more than following the latest "in" thing like a herd of mindless cattle.

harping back to the old favourite on this site... deus ex. i have played that game for however many years it's been out now and still go back to it. (i know a multiplayer element is available for this game, but the point is the single player aspect is so well written and has multiple endings it's incredibly replayable).

i also dread to think how many hours i've lost playing oblivion

also... EA make the sims... lol, one of the biggest selling games EVER and its .. SINGLE PLAYER. morons they are

Until they can forcibly remove microphones from the houses of every trash-talking, over-privileged teenager, there is always going to be room for single player games.

I don't have as much time or inclination to invest in these games as a lot of students and kids do, so am invariably in the bottom half of the scoreboard. Removing dedicated servers from these multiplayer games is only going to make things worse.

My mate got dragon age yesterday, part of me wishes it had multiplayer co-op. Maybe if more pc games foucse on 2 player on the the same box or co-operative single player ie. Project eden, conflict desert storm, mercenaries 2 to name a few. Beats crappy AI anyday.

My ISP does not allow me to play games over the internet, so multiplayer is not an option for me.

To be honest this doesn't sound like such a bad thing to me. At least this way I can get a more complete experience with the fewer single-player games and enjoy the whole storyline.

Since "SALAMANDER" wich was the first game i remember being multiplayer (two players with half of the keyboard), taht was pretty obvious for everyone.

anyway I still prefer playing singleplayer games

This just in: EA has admitted that they do not know how to make games or even anything that comes close to having a good or creative story. As a result today EA has announced that its future games will be multiplayer only because making a game with a story line that is actually compelling to the player is just too hard. Also single player games have a start and end and thus the market for DLC such as maps packs ect is much smaller for single player games than for multiplayer ones. If however you still enjoy EAs singleplayer offerings then please note that our final single player game "captain bland's monotonous adventures" will be released in stores next week. As usual it will only work on 20% of clients computers, be loaded with anti piracy programs that are larger than the game itself and is known to in rare cases format systems running windows vista.

Originally Posted by Silver51
I don't know about deathmatch style mp games, but for me co-op is where it's at. Increasingly I'm looking out for more games with co-op options, ones with a good storyline or team tactics.

Absolutely right there. Before Left 4 dead came out I used to wonder where all the co-op games were.

1FKty5Kpf4w

They need to see a doctor.

If an RTS like Age of Mythology and Age of Empires 3 can make a story, why couldn't they?

I think EA really put their foot in their month by some 1d1ot who made that comment. I enjoy single player games a lot and find myself playing them more than some multi-player games. I do enjoy multi-player games also but they tend to be hacking fests after awhile. Not all mind you but a lot and one tends to lose the story after a bit.

I definitely agree with those that say someone's probably chewing on their own foot at the moment.

Both single player and multi player have their places. I love co op games, loath deathmatch (if I want a free for all brawl I just have to go to local on a Friday) but it's always the story that grabs me most. I'll play a mediocre, buggy single player game and love it if the story is good enough. I definitely wouldn't tolerate that from a multiplayer game.

For me multyplayer has been the only option for years.

Bad Conclusion from EA here

There's a reason why there are so many styles of games out there, and just because games like L4D proved o be great MP doesnt mean the future is just that, I know there are lots of ppl out there like me who enjoy a nice story narrated in a SP campaing, and as we know SP is the best way to tell a story.

EA is just wrong ¬¬'