God of War is a “Very Good Thing” for the Gaming Industry, Says 11-11 Director
The latest God of War game received near universal praise for its story-telling. That, coupled with its enormous commercial success, caused some analysts to predict a resurgence of single-player titles in the near future. One person to hold such a view is the creative director of 11-11: Memories Retold, Yoan Fanise. He recently spoke with DualShockers during the course of Gamescom 2018, where he voiced his approval of the recent title.
Fanise’s Comments on the Latest God of War Game
Yoan Fanise is the founder of DigiXart, a French studio based in Montpeller. He worked for Ubisoft for fourteen years before founding the studio, where he was audio director for Assassin’s Creed, Beyond Good & Evil, and creative director for Rayman and Valiant Hearts. His latest game is 11-11: Memories Retold, which is scheduled to release on the 9th of November. The game is being made in partnership with Aardman Animation, and focuses heavily on story. Like Valiant Hearts, the game is set in the First World War. During Gamescom, DualShockers spoke with Fanise and Aardman Studio Producer George Rowes about story-driven games.
Both Fanise and Rowes believe that the industry is beginning to pivot back towards story-driven, single-player titles. Fanise in particular highlighted the latest God of War game as a turning point for many publishers; “I think things are changing,” he says; “God of War was a very good thing for the industry because you can see that despite the fact that there is no multiplayer, it sold well. It’s good because it’s just about whether it’s interesting, and whether the story is compelling?”
11-11: Memories Retold, which will release on Xbox One, PC, and PS4, is unlikely to be a triple-A release like God of War. However, the fact that publishers are becoming more willing to publish single-player, story-driven games is definitely positive for the industry. Indeed, Rowes believes that it’s necessary if games are to ever receive recognition as an art form in the same way that films can.