Are Single Player Campaigns Doomed?

Does the irresistible rise of battle royale and games-as-a-service mean bad news for the narrative-led single-player campaign?

- Steve Boxer

This may be an unfashionable view in these Tweet-length, emoji-voiced times, but surely the greatest strength of videogames is their ability to tell complex, involving stories at a greater length – and in a more immersive manner – than any other medium? Unique experimental stories, like What Remains Of Edith Finch, and sprawling 100-hour epics, such as Red Dead Redemption II, are what make videogames a special and unique medium for storytelling.

Yet, right now, it feels like narrative-led single-player campaigns are facing an existential threat. Is this a case of the industry throwing the baby out with the bathwater, in the pursuit of locking gamers into shared-world experiences and loot box economies with high profit margins that keep business executives and shareholders happy?

Evidence that single-player campaigns – the home of narrative in games – could be in danger is out there. Activision set the ball rolling by axing Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII ’s single-player campaign in favour of a multiplayer-only offering. BioWare – a studio lauded for its narrative prowess – seemingly forgot everything that made it such a beloved developer when creating Anthem, a moneyspinning game-as-a-service with a nice looking world and an awfully thin storyline. A whole generation of late-teen gamers weaned on Minecraft, who have since graduated to the likes of Fortnite and Overwatch, might not even be aware that it’s possible for games to have storylines.