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With technological advances all across the board, connecting with friends from far away is becoming easier. A few years ago, the concept of online multiplayer was still fairly new, and campaigns were still the more prominent part of the gaming world. This year we've seen titles that were once single-player only games turning into multiplayer titles as well. BioShock 2 started this trend, implementing a multiplayer feature into their game. With mixed results, it seemed to be enough for developers to do the same. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the third game in the Assassin's Creed series, was the first to feature multiplayer with fairly pleasing results. Dead Space 2 will be continuing this trend, implementing a multiplayer mode in addition to its story-mode, which was the entire foundation of the first. Even Mass Effect, a massive singe-player title, is rumored to have a multiplayer mode in its next installment.

The titles above have all previously been single-player only titles. We're not talking little, side of the road titles, either; but big, well-known titles that did perfectly fine without multiplayer in the past. Are single-player titles dead? Certainly not. After all, they started gaming. However, single-player only experiences are on their way out, and perhaps for good reason.

Epic Game's Director Cliff Bleszinski explained exactly why so many developers are endorsing the shift from single-player based experiences to more multiplayer based ones: “The biggest mistake that you can make as a developer right now would be to make a game that is like a 6 hour experience that has no multiplayer, because what happens is gamers will be like 'I’ll rent it' or 'I’ll just buy it used.'”

“You don’t want gamers to date your game, you want them to marry your game,” added Cliff, upholding his known casual personality.

We have to think of this from the developers perspective. It is easier than ever in modern day for gamers to rent a title for a week, complete it, and return it for less than $10. What motivation would gamers have to purchase a game for $60 or so when they could rent it, beat it, and return it for 1/6th of that? That's what developers are taking into account. Slapping the multiplayer mode on it will give more incentive to own the title, which seems like a necessary strategy for developers at this point in time. Alan Wake is a perfect example of this: It was a widely popular title, but it got underwhelming sales figures. That's a sign that the "single-player only" market is no longer a prospering one. Multiplayer is the natural step for developers who want to make money will go.

It's not that single-player experiences are no longer popular, but merely that, especially in a time when the American economy is less than thrilling, people are looking to get more for their buck. If they can get the same thing for less, you better believe they'll do it. Multiplayer experiences add endless amount of hours to a game, allowing a player to enjoy it until he / she cannot stand it anymore.

Will this method work? Well, the answer to that question lies on an individual basis. Some developers will do great jobs with multiplayer additions, while others will probably crash and burn in the process. Nonetheless, any game developer that is looking to make some decent money will be investing their time in adding a multiplayer mode.

Things will only become a problem when single-player experiences begin to be replaced by multiplayer ones. If we can have a great Assassins's Creed plot alongside a decent multiplayer, you'll see a smile on my face. If we get an Assassins's Creed with a less than pleasing plot and a good multiplayer, we might have a problem on our hands.

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Nice post!

Are Single-Player Experiences a Dying Breed? well for me i think so i have more fun online then in single player mode.

If the single player experience disappears, I will no longer be a gamer. Yeah, multiplayer can be an interesting break, but single player is where story and meaning are in a video game. I pray games will never go in that direction.

If you can't play Multiplayer because you get 0wned by Tomahawks, just play Single Player.

I enjoy single player as long as it has some twists and some.

"OMFG I THOUGHT YOU WHERE DEAD" moments

SP can be good if people spend hard time on it and not just the growing multiplayer.

i really hope things dont go this way.. I really liked black ops single player and i also like the multiplayer so i guess an even balance is fine

Will single player die? Not a chance...40-50% of all xboxes have never been online.

I feel like a lot of developers try to add multiplayer just for the sake of multiplayer. If you have something new and interesting, sure let's see it. If not, I don't need to play something I've already played a million times before.

SP is still where I find myself enjoying games the most. It's not as intense but the fact that you can pause the game, take your time etc. without stressing make love the SP experiences

I would have not purchased Black Ops if it weren't for the Multiplayer function.. But others might think the opposite from me.. I just like the fact of have the best of both worlds, single and multiplayer...