For example, EA recently decided to shift the focus of Visceral Games' Star Wars project away from its single-player, linear experience, possibly indicating a switch to a more Destiny-like model. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that publishers who work on solely single-player titles with linear narratives are rare. The good news is that MachineGames—the markers of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus—are doing the exact opposite.
In a recent report on GamesIndustry, MachineGames' Tommy Björk said that adding multiplayer to their upcoming game would take away from the story they're trying to tell. Björk added:
The only way we can create these super immersive narrative experiences is if we can solely focus on the single-player. Having a multiplayer component in this work process would just dilute it all. That's the danger if you try to do two things at once… It's a fictional setting, of course, and it's a crazy story, but we tried to stay honest and tell it as honestly as we can. That's our goal… We're definitely pushing the limits, but at the same time continuing what makes Wolfenstein really special: the drama, the human relationships, with dark humor and violence.
It's great news that at least one studio is focused on such titles. Splitting time between a single-player portion and a multiplayer mode can stretch resources. Considering that many games have deadlines, budgets, and other goals they must meet, focusing on one results in a much better experience. In the case of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, developers can devote all of their time to making sure that the story and gameplay are stellar in the campaign.
Strong single-player games appeal to many gamers and they sell well even if they are linear and don't offer much replay value aside from varying difficulty settings. Whenever we think of innovation in games, for some odd reason we always discuss multiplayer titles. However, there's a lot of innovation which takes place in single-player experiences too. You have to find new ways to tell a story and new ways to immerse the player. Changing up what they can interact with in the environment is just one mechanic. Have better voice acting is another. The list goes on and on.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Wolfenstein: The New Order. The game is set to launch on October 27, 2017 on Xbox One, Windows PC and PlayStation 4. This time around you fight the Nazis in iconic American locations, equip an arsenal of insane guns, and unleash new abilities to blast your way through legions of Nazi soldiers. You have to trigger the second American Revolution! No pressure.
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