Does the focus on multiplayer online take away from story telling?

[Reality vs Adventure]

To me it seems obvious that resources are used and talent to create multiplayer online while games w/o it could be more focused on story. I was flipping through some releases of games the past few years and when I came across older retro games, most of those seemed to be a lot more story oriented. Is the internet and multiplayer going to take over gaming and deplete creative story telling? Because obviously developers and publishers want to go where the money is and this shift to multiplayer probably brings them money. Look how GTA 5 kept it's MMO for 10 years because they didn't feel the need to create a new story. But, to contradict that point, Mortal Kombat is narrative driven and they have multiplayer, although not as large as an open world multiplayer. And that I think helps them focus more on narrative. Obviously there should be MMO games because it's fun. My question is: if more and more games want to add online multiplayer, does it take up resources that could have been used for a more interesting story? I'm sure the creative team has resources allocated to them and the online team has their resources. I don't see why every game now has to have a multiplayer feature. I'm a solo gamer and that's how gaming used to be, unless of course you sit down with a friend and use a second controller. It just seems like every game that comes out has to have the multiplayer feature and that is what worries me. MMO is taking over at the loss of a narrative focused game. Cmon, everything doesn't have to have multiplayer. 

[Shagger]

I'm in the same boat as @Reality vs Adventure and am pretty much a solo gamer these days, so would obviously want that to be more of a focus to game publisher/developers. However, trying to think outwardly rather of just myself and online multiplayer obviously has mass appeal, and there is nothing with that. However, I don't think the situation now is as bad as it was a few years ago when companies like EA were trying to claim single player games were dead in a pitiful effort to make them dead to the public when that clearly wasn't the case. A lot of great single player games are still being made and a lot of them, like Hogwarts Legacy The Last of Us and just recently Baldur's Gate 3 have been massively successful.

I would like to see games offer quality in both multiplayer and single player as well, and it's in THAT area we're in a bit of a slump. For some reason game dev's/publishers can deliver good games dedicated to one or the other, but not both in the same package recently. This could be for a number of reasons;

 

• Game dev's aren't getting the resources and time they need to make games that offer both single player and multiplayer options.
• Game dev's themselves are spending to much time working only on one or the other because that studio is specialised and thus are not developing the wider range of skills they would need to make games that offer both single and multiplayer options.
• It could be sheer incompetence and laziness.
• Or it could be like @Reality vs Adventure said and publishers can't help themselves, thus detract focus from single player in these types of games and pull resources to focus of the potentially more lucrative multiplayer options and microtransactions.

It's not there aren't games that have had both done well, like Titanfall 2, COD MW, Halo, Gears of War and Bioshock 2. Even The Last of Us and The Last of Us Remastered when they first came out had Factions, a fantastic multiplayer mode, but Naughty Dog and Sony have long since abandoned it. However, it feels like its been ages since we had a really good game like that and they are sadly missed.

[The Blackangel]

I have to agree with you both, but possibly in a different way. I'm also a solo gamer. I like it that way because it means I don't have to deal with real people. I enjoy having full control over what I'm doing. But in the multiplayer, some asshole from halfway around the world could shoot me, steal everything I have and make off with it. If I die, I want it to be an NPC that does it.

All that said, in my opinion game studios should hire two teams. One works on the story mode, the other works on the multiplayer mode. That way they could focus on whatever it is they're tasked for without the distraction of worrying about how to create a completely different game under the same name. And you can't tell me that every game that is both single player and multiplayer aren't worlds apart. Just look at RDR2 and Red Dead Online.

With multiplayer games, you have to concern yourself with all the other people that play it, instead of just kicking back and enjoying a good gaming experience doing whatever the hell you want. Just think how toxic a lot of it is. Especially in war games like COD. One fuckup, and your former team is now trying to kill you off.

[Shortie]

I have to agree that multiplayer does not have to be in every game that is released. I often do miss games that focus on the single-player side of things and a story you can follow from start to finish but a lot of the time, that does not happen anymore because online multiplayer seems to have taken over. 

Hopefully one day we will see things get better over time with single player coming back a little more. 

[Shagger]

23 minutes ago, Shortie said:

I have to agree that multiplayer does not have to be in every game that is released. I often do miss games that focus on the single-player side of things and a story you can follow from start to finish but a lot of the time, that does not happen anymore because online multiplayer seems to have taken over. 

Hopefully one day we will see things get better over time with single player coming back a little more. 

 

Honestly, I don't get why so many people are just not noticing how many single player games have been coming out, especially this year. Hogwarts Legacy, Forspoken, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Zelda: TOTK, Atomic Heart, Hi-Fi Rush, Dead Island 2, Remnant 2, Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur's Gate 3, Spiderman 2 and with big hitters life Life of Pi, Robocop and Starfield still to come. That's just to name a few. Most of the popular live service multiplayer games right now have been out for a while with more recent games not doing that well.

[Bizdustry]

While multiplayer online games usually focus more on gameplay and social interaction rather than traditional storytelling, there are still plenty of ways to include narrative elements in these games. Some multiplayer games, like MMORPGs, have intricate stories and lore for players to discover and participate in. These games often involve quests, cinematic scenes, and character interactions that add to the overall narrative experience.

[kensonplays]

I enjoy both kinds of games. But I do tend to prefer Single-player story games, or co-op games that can add story to them.

Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West are my two favorite story-based games.

[Shagger]

14 minutes ago, kensonplays said:

Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West are my two favorite story-based games.

 

Always happy to see another Horizon fan.

[kensonplays]

5 minutes ago, Shagger said:

 

Always happy to see another Horizon fan.

They are definitely one of those franchises that are very fun to play. Sometimes when I do not feel like doing multiplayer on my streams, I will choose Horizon as my backup fairly often.

[Debashis]

While the focus on multiplayer online gaming may divert resources and development efforts from storytelling, it doesn't necessarily take away from it. Many multiplayer games incorporate immersive narratives and engaging storylines that can enhance the overall gaming experience. However, some games may prioritize gameplay and competitive aspects over storytelling, resulting in a less prominent narrative. Ultimately, it depends on the specific game and the intentions of the developers.

[Reverie]

I don't think it takes away from storyline. Destiny has a wonderful multiplayer portion, but they have told a great story in my opinion. Even Call of Duty has a storyline, now have I really ever played the campaign.... no, but I like the idea of the story they have. xD 

[PGen98]

I think in some instances it absolutely does, but there are some games that can blend multiplayer aspects and storytelling quite well.  Destiny was doing quite well at this the last time I actually played it, though that has been some time, and a fair few others seem to have picked up the same thread.  Not many games get the balance right, and the ones that don't 100% ruin the solo experience.  As someone who prefers solo gaming and being able to just play through a story without getting trolled, it's nice when a truly great solo campaign is available.

[NightmareFarm]

Yes. Granblue Fantasy Relink looks like it will be another example of this. The game is being marketed as a co-op RPG where you can tackle quests with friends or other people online yet the story is only slated to be 20 hours long, which is only about half the length of an average JRPG.  From the footage available, the actual storytelling seems like it's treated as an aftetthought as well, just context for the player to unlock new characters and quest locations during their journey. 

 

[Kennysplash]

I prefer multiplayer games, that is why I don’t really fancy games that are deeply story oriented. Multiplayer games have a higher replay value. I get different experiences when I play with different kinds of people. 
There is also this sense of competition and accomplishments it gives me that a single player game does not. 

[isaiah990]

Yes, that's why i quit multiplayer for the most part. Multiplayer ruins the gaming experience especially when the same games have single-player campaigns. Its hard to suspend disbelief and make gaming special in say Halo when people are shouting gaming jargon in multiplayer chatrooms or playing for competition. I got bored of multiplayer gaming. I played FPS for years. I was 1 of the best players. No matter how good i was, i felt my skills went unrecognized. All people mostly said was "nice!" Most screamed "hacker! crackhead!" haha. People kicked me out of servers. My ranks and medals looked good but beyond that, they didn't do anything for me. Multiplayer was an endless cycle of winning and/or losing, haters complaining, list goes on. It doesn't matter how good you are. That drove me crazy so i had to quit. I've heard someone say something like "the same gamers who were the best at multiplayer 5 years ago are just average gamers today." He was so right. In single player, your actions mean something. They affect the characters.