Dave Perry, founder of Shiny Entertainment (Earthworm Jim, Messiah), has been speaking at DICE 09 in Las Vegas, where he talked about used games, growing technology and the short future of the single-player experience.
Perry spoke about how technology is moving more and more towards the digital, stating that he is currently looking into the possibility of remotely storing games, then delivering finished frames to the player via flash video, effectively eliminating the need for a consumer to own powerful hardware in order to play a game. High concept stuff, but something Perry likes for the obvious reason -- the elimination of used games.
However, while such technology is interesting, it seems that the Shiny founder has a less promising outlook for the future: "I personally think the days of single-player games are numbered. Without question, our focus is entirely on multiplayer."
Perry uses the example of China and Korea, stating that if they ever find their Miyamoto or Kojima, existing business models could be in trouble, faced with high quality, free-to-play multiplayer games. It's an interesting theory, but personally, I have to wonder how long I will be able to care about an industry that completely ignores single-player games. Sometimes you need a linear, one-player game in order to tell a story, and if this industry decided story no longer matters, I'll probably hang up the controller for good.
I can't see single-player games going away anytime soon, but let's not help that to happen. As videogames reach the technological heights needed to craft stories that can rival movies, it'll be a crime to throw that all away.
Contest:
11:00 AM on 02.20.2009
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Really, if that was true, then BioShock wouldn't have sold as well as it did. That's pure bullshit, and Single Player isn't going away anytime soon (or ever).
What I can see happening is more and more games will implement co-op into their games (which is already starting to happen).
And I don't think I like his ideas on all consoles held on an exretnal server and having games fed to us. Sure it would make a lot less waste with only downloadable games, and expensive consoles to manufacture, but I like owning stuff. I bet I sound like an old fashioned twat, but I really want to own a physical copy of the game.
Perry went from making great games to making very shitty games really fast and shouldn't be trusted by anyone anymore.
Dude is just screaming apocalypse at the sight of a fire. Gaming will change, but hardly into the direction where every single game is played with others.
Amen Brother. Amen.
Which will be never. This guy is a fucking loon.
It's a totally different animal, this guy couldn't make a game to compete in today's market to save his life, so now he spouts out this kinda bullshit and gets paid lots of money as an "expert".
Go make your Cool Spot MMO, I'll be playing God of War 3,
Why is this guy talking? He hasn't made anything worthwhile in ages.
Oh wait, the Westboro Baptist Church exists, so I guess anything is possible.
You could play with good people, but you've met people, do you really want them spoiling the pants-wetting fear of a decent horror game when you're alone in the dark? No, single player games are good for same reason a book or a story is good, you can't have a good one with everyone teabagging each other and giggling.
Some multiplayer experiences are good (Left4Dead) but their narrative is minimal at best (you're human, they're dead, kill them but stick together).
So no, like the eighty-billion people who said this naive, sweeping statement, he is wrong.
Dip said everything I was gonna say.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Wacky multiplayer game or two come out of this, for the sake of Perry getting it out of his system, if nothing else. I'm sure it's just a phase--we all remember when Keita Takahashi said he was done making videogames forever after Katamari Damacy (not counting when he was strongarmed into doing the first sequel).
Also, my kingdom (and/or several Internets) for an unmacro'd version of the headline image.
Also about Korea and China not producing any single player games: That is completely wrong and not true. Just because everybody is thinking the big money lies in multiplayer games, there is no garanty their investments will pay off.
The only multiplayer games we play are Guild Wars and Left 4 Dead.
Back in the day I would play through the same game 30 or 40 times before I'd get sick of it. That rarely happens anymore. And now a days if a game comes out that I do play through more than once, it's because it's style is based on old games, like New Super Mario Bros. for example.
Remember back when only some people had email addresses? Now it's hard to find someone who doesn't have one. When we reach a point where everyone has a gamer tag, people will be more likely to buy games that have online multi-player modes. Then developers will have to cater to those people, because that's where the money will be.
These developers who think that they can compete by worrying more about multiplayer had better be careful. There only ever seems to be room for a couple of popular multiplayer games of each type on each console. For instance, right now basically everyone on 360 is either playing CoD 4 or 5, GoW 2, or Halo 3. The rest of the multiplayer games are splitting up a very limited number of players. If you make, say a FPS, and want people to buy solely on MP, you have a steep mountain to climb to get people to set down their Gears, CoD or Halo games.
If anything can hurt single-player games, it's that everyone thinks that their single-player games have to be so damned long. Like what MrPlow said, you're just unlikely to replay a 40 hour or even 15 hour game over and over again. I kind of miss the shorter games that you could play through in a night with friends or whatever.
I just would much rather have polished single-player experiences than tacked on multiplayer for EVERY game when nobody wants it or will use it. Why spend time making a MP Bioshock mode when people will just go back to their freaking Halo 3 in a week anyway?
Yea. Those top sellers totally were multi-player, and their multiple planned sequels totally are too.