Single-Player games are dying. That’s what we keep hearing yet some of 2018’s best selling games are purely single player games.

Just look at the Game Awards Game of the Year nominees. Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man and God of War were the three leading nominees.

Single Player games can provide deep and emotional experiences that online multiplayer games simply can’t.

When God of War launched in April 2018, it was the fastest selling PS4 game of all time. It lost that record just 5 months later as Marvel’s Spiderman would go on to sell 3.3 million in its first few days on sale.

Online games such as Fortnite, Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege were said to be the death knell for your traditional single-player experiences. While they do attract incredible playing numbers, with Fortnite having over 200 million players, the likes of Spiderman and Red Dead Redemption have proved that there is still a healthy appetite for offline gaming.

As of last week, Marvel’s Spiderman for PS4 has sold over 9 million units even though it’s a console exclusive. It’s not the highest selling PlayStation game of all time. Imagine the numbers if it was Multiplatform? With such a recognisable lead protagonist, it would have easily reached 15 million units sold.

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 has been a financial jugernaut for the Scotland based studio. In the first two weeks of it going on sale, it sold just under 17 million units, which generated revenue of $725 million. Only one game in history has earned more in such a short space of time and that another Rockstar game, GTA V. It grossed over $1 Billion in its first three days on sale.

Sony is leading the way with Single Player games. Spider-Man, God of War and Detroit Become Human all released in 2018 and all were exclusive to PS4. Microsoft meanwhile has begun investing in more single player games. In the past year, they’ve acquired seven new studios al in preparation for the next gen with single player experiences in mind.

Let’s not forget what 2019 has in store for console gamers. The new Gears of War game, Gears 5, is set to release in 2019 with the story now focusing on Kait and her mysterious connection to the locust horde. Sony, meanwhile still has three major single player exclusives to release in the next year or so. While Days Gone is set to release in April, no confirmation of release dates has been given for Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II, or Death Stranding.

However, recently a former IGN Editor may have let the cat out of the bag in regards to the Last of Us Part II release date. All we know is that 2019 looks like continuing on from where 2018 left off.

Third-party games will continue to provide excellent single-player experiences. Assassins Creed Odyssey was a return to form for Ubisoft and the series. It’s been heralded as the best Assassins Creed game since Black Flag. Projekt Red’s upcoming title, Cyberpunk 2077 looks like being a once-in-a-generation game and will more than likely set a new benchmark for open-world games.

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