One of the biggest trends that seems to be catching on with big publishers and developers this year is the transition from traditional single-player campaigns or modes from triple A game releases to multiplayer or online-only game modes. We have already seen it with Titanfall on the Xbox One. Moving forward, a number of triple A, disc-based titles that were previewed by big companies at the Electronic Entertainment Expo were essentially games that you need an online internet connection or other people in order to play. Some of these games actually do look fun and exciting. However, I am not completely comfortable with paying full price of $60, plus tax, for a new game with less features than I usually get.
Now, to be completely fair, games such as Evolve, The Division and Destiny look like strong, promising titles at the moment. I look forward to playing the final products. I enjoyed playing them at E3. As a gamer though, I am still generally attracted to involved, single-player experiences. I enjoy playing solo by myself instead of finding some good partners with the same footing for a cooperative multiplayer effort.
The other issue is price. Most of my favorite games offer both a strong single-player and multiplayer experience. Games I favor that do not have a multiplayer mode instead offer a great deal of replay value, whether it is a New Game+ mode, tons of additional side missions or content to explore, alternate play through sessions or some additional challenge modes. So, for a new game where you have to pay $60 for online multiplayer or co-op only, seems rather disappointing. If a game only offers a multiplayer only experience, what is wrong with shaving a certain amount of money off the price?
On the other hand, I completely understand why Respawn Entertainment opted out of making a single-player campaign for the original Titanfall. With its team, it simply wasn’t feasible. An inferior single-player mode could have left a bad impression on consumers. One could also reasonably argue that fans generally find most replay value in games through the multiplayer modes. However, more developers are releasing quality free-to-play online multiplayer and MMO experiences as well. Even mobile titles that are also free-to-play are improving at an increasing rate. On that note, it is still troubling to pay all that extra money for a disc-based multiplayer mode.
The situation is not a dire one. Once I play The Division, I could completely change my mind. Titanfall is a lot of fun to play. It controls easily, and the mecha gameplay is awesome. At the same time, I probably would not pay full price for it. In order for big publishers to remain competitive, they should consider a price drop for multiplayer or online only titles.