Can you believe we are coming to a point where people are starting to foresee the downfall of single-player gaming? Oh yeah, the vision of the future–a multi-player, multi-user world for games, at least that’s what Atari head man Phil Harrison thinks.
"A relatively linear single-player game without online connectivity is going to be a challenge to green-light going forward," Harrison said. For him, a typical single-player game needs to be packaged with multiplayer features and multi-user functionality.
"Now, that doesn’t mean that those games aren’t relevant going forwards, but they will be enhanced by community features being embedded in them, or downloadable content becoming an inherent part of the experience, or some kind of user-generated content will be part of the experience. All of the things we see in other games, the things that we can point to in compelling games."
So is this it? I can’t enjoy my Mario or Zelda without any multiplayer features? Am I going to be bombarded by user-created content for other platformers, adventure and RPGs?
In a day and age where downloadable content and digital distribution is really taking off, it seems that multiplayer features are making their merger with the original code in the games–creating a bond that will seem only normal to us in a few months. Expect this to be the norm, at least for Atari, the next time you purchase what you thought was only going to be a single-player experience.
