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- 2024 saw major multiplayer game failures like Concord and Skulls and Bones, which launched to underwhelming player counts.
- Single-player titles, including Black Myth: Wukong and Silent Hill 2, have outshined multiplayer games with massive success and widespread acclaim.
- The trend of single-player games continues, with more promising releases this year, such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Indiana Jones, and others.
Despite big publishers like EA saying that the era of single-player games is over, that statement is entirely false, and single-player games continue to shine. Even though that part is true, it’s no secret that the industry has been pushing towards multiplayer or live-service releases since they generate more money.
Even at the start of this year, we saw many multiplayer and live-service releases, such as Palworld, Helldivers 2, Skulls and Bones, and others, and truth be told, they brought more noise to the gaming world than they did joy.
Their buzz was short-lived, and games like Helldivers 2 have significantly lost their player count. Recently, many great AAA single-player releases have overtaken multiplayer games altogether, and I love this.
Why It Matters: Multiplayer games are sure to cause negativity, and this year has been toxic for video games in general, which has tensions between developers and gamers. Single-player games, on the other hand, are a different case.
2024 Was The Worst Year For Multiplayer Games
While this year wasn’t that heavy in terms of multiplayer game releases, the titles were still quite subpar, and some were just good enough because the bar was set too low.
We finally got to witness the release of Skulls and Bones, a game that has seen a development period of over a decade. Unfortunately, Ubisoft’s AAAA title was half-baked and just felt difficult to play, ending up being one of the biggest flops in the industry.
Helldivers 2 was also released this year. It is an AA PlayStation title that shocked gamers because of its co-op approach and was constantly the headline topic for a few months until the game fell off. It now has an 18k player count on Steam compared to the 458k count that it had earlier this year.
Like Helldivers 2, Palworld also lost its fanbase due to a lack of content and now has only 14k concurrent players, as opposed to the 2.1 million peak in January.
Onwards to Concord, the ambitious PlayStation release was the biggest failure in gaming history. Despite having a budget of $400 Million, the game looked and played like a generic live-service shooter and was taken down just two weeks after its release.
These games spread a lot of negativity in the industry, and rightfully so, because gamers were pissed at these subpar releases and poor direction. Multiplayer games have become too complicated for their own good.
Recent Single-Player Releases Outshined Multiplayer Games
The second half of 2024 has been great, and only because of these single-player releases. We’ve seen huge hits recently, starting off with Black Myth: Wukong, which sold 10 million copies in just three days and has become one of gaming’s greatest successes at a mere budget of $42.3 Million.
Bloober Team’s recent remake of Silent Hill 2 has also been met with great reception, despite early impressions saying otherwise. The game carries the same essence as the original, which is why it was so great in the first place.
God of War: Ragnarok also arrived on PC last month, and I finally got to witness the end of the Norse saga. I loved every bit of it.
Even going forward, we’re getting Red Dead Redemption for PC, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, which is shaping up to be a GOTY contender, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Indiana Jones: The Great Circle, and other TBA releases.
From early previews, all of these games look amazing. They will bless us with a great holiday season and end 2024 on a high note.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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