It’s not a question of demand, is a question of profit. Multiplayer games stand to make a lot more money than singleplayer. Nobody will spend real world dollars on cosmetic items in a singleplayer game.
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solsangraal@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
we’re getting old dude
the kids who are the age we were in the half life glory days–they don’t want single player. they want league of apex legends fortnitewatchstrike
single player games won’t go away completely, but they’re definitely taking a backseat to whatever the rage is with the kids. currently mobas. just google “most played video games” if you’re not depressed enough already
bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
catloaf@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
Skyrim has no multiplayer component, but plenty of people have paid cash money for cosmetic items.
bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Not even close to the same scale as what Valve and Blizzard get people to pay for skins and hats
Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
And it’s gonna continue until regulations recognize how these games are psychologically terrible for kids and have gambling mechanics.
intensely_human@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
profit is a function of demand
Carighan@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
“Single player games have taken a backseat”. Okay. We’re just going to state that as a truth? And also just stating kids as being the main video games audience still?
I mean if single player games have taken such a backseat, why are big companies pouring so much money into games such as Horizon, Dragon Age, Assassin’s Creed, Anno or Dark Souls? Why are indie games, thousands and tens of thousands of them, so overwhelmingly single player? Why is Zelda still not a MOBA? Just does not really hold water as an argument IMO. If anything it seems the opposite is happening and after the height of MOBAs in ˜2015, the market is slowly creeping back.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
I think we can state as a truth that they have less potential profit.
They spend more money. Probably because it’s not theirs.
MolochAlter@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Both of your points are only partially correct.
Wrong, they just take less effort and have a more constant revenue stream.
Potential for profit means nothing, when so many attempts at milkable forever games end up like Suicide Squad or Concord.
Also you can come into them half baked and pull the plug if the game doesn’t sell (because it’s half baked) like they’re doing with SS and they did with the Avengers game.
They don’t, you can’t spend money you don’t have, whales are working adults.
Kids spend money for less. Better ROI, not higher payoff.
You make the 18302nd skin and troves of kids will badger their parents for fortnite bucks so they can buy it but not everyone will. The upside is that making a skin costs you single digits percent points of the profits, so even if one or two are a dud, you’re fine, the good ones will make up for it.
It’s a business model you can throw money at once the game’s got an audience base, which is very attractive to companies, because it’s uncomplicated and reliable.
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
That’s true but it’s not because people aren’t playing single player games. The reason single player games are less profitable is because the non-subscription, non-microtransaction single player market is extremely saturated with indie games. That makes it very hard to sell AAA single player games. The standards are extremely high and the opportunities for extra monetization are not there.
I have been a single player gamer for most of my life, yet I haven’t bought a AAA single player game in decades. I have more indie single player games to play than I know what to do with, and frankly they appeal to me more than AAA titles. Expensive graphics and voice acting don’t have much draw for me these days. I am much more interested in roguelikes and retro games now.
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
There’s plenty of room to monetize single player games when it’s add-in content to games that you continually replay as opposed to add-on content for something that’s story driven. More systemic games like Civilization, roguelikes, simulators, etc.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 3 weeks ago
Not nearly as much. Look at games like Rocket League that are many years old but still selling new skins every month.
Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Single player games are less and less profitable these days. What the original commenter could have said is, these days, there isn’t much money to be made telling a story when fortnight makes so much money by doing nothing but cosmetics.