Where's the money at? Multiplayer or Singleplayer?

[nakedpeanut]

Let me start this by saying i'm focussing more on the larger game developers, not really the indie guys.
I have been very impressed by games such as braid, armadillo run, machinarium etc. And it basically come down to the gameplay. Which is innovative and very enjoyable with cool background stories. I feel the larger game developers focus more on awesome graphics than genuine game play! (but thats maybe a discussioon for another time).

So back to the title of my thread.

I think game developers and particularly those for pc should focus more on the multiplayer aspect of games. Sure you get some good single player games, like Mirrors Edge, Assassins Creed and Metro, but they just arent as enjoyable as the indie games mentioned earlier.

As of the past year or so, i find myself only buying games that have a good multiplayer aspect to them. There a few reasons for this:

• Extended game play
• Often better game play
• Social interaction
• Value for money
• More excitement

I think you could include quite a few more points quite easily. But i think the main point is definatley extended game play. As far as i can recall the only games i every played through the single player story more than once was delta-force (very old game ), Half-life 1 and 2, portal and COD4.

Thus i see no reason in spending R300 for a game to play once and they chuck it. Granted of the above games, half-life1 an 2, and COD4 i played multiplayer quite a bit. Still jam COD4 alot! And most recently i bought Bad Company 2. I'm loving the multiplayer aspect of the game. I barely even play the single player (still gotto finish it) and I've had it for about 2months now.

Granted not all games can be multiplayer, and i get that, could you imaging two guys running aroung in assassins creed trying to stab each other. Would get a little boring IMO. And i know Mirrors edge had a multiplayer, i played it a few times but racing guys over buildings.. Also quite boring. Another reason is obvoiusly not every one has an internet connection, or the cap to waste on gaming, so single player or at least good AI in games are need to satisfy that market.

As far as i can see single player games are also pirated alot more than their multiplayer counter parts, not just because of the ease of cracking them, but people just dont feel it is woth while buying them. Thats why i think for the game industry, multiplayer games pull in more revenue, as you have more satisfied customers who can enjoy their games for longer.

So what do think?

 

[XaXasTHoC]

Yep I agree with you, whenever a new game is released I have a look at the multiplayer functionality first, then the single player. I have a lot of single player games that I havent even bothered with installing because i'm having to much fun online with multiplayer games.

And I agree with the pirating, I'd rather buy a decent multiplayer game which i'd play online and be legit and updating and things like that, instead of wasting that cash buying a singleplayer game, play it once and thats it.

I think the industry also noticed this as more and more games are multiplayer based rather than single player, tho games like CoD mastered this, with a great single player, which you play once and then a multiplayer to keep you playing the game every night since they released it till today, and BC2, I havent even touched the single player,lol does it have one? Installed it, and straight to multiplayer, if the multiplayer sucks i dont even bother with continue playing it.