Are Single Player Campaigns Doomed?
Xbox: The Official Magazine|August 2019

Are Single Player Campaigns Doomed?

Steve Boxer
Are Single Player Campaigns Doomed?

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 nicelooking 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.

This story is from the August 2019 edition of Xbox: The Official Magazine.

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This story is from the August 2019 edition of Xbox: The Official Magazine.

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