Single-Player Games Still Very Important, Says Stellar Blade Director

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Avinash Jaisrani

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Stellar Blade is one of the latest AAA games on the market. Portraying the narrative of a post-apocalyptic universe, this game sets players loose in a semi-open-world single-player adventure that offers up to 50 hours of content.

This game is currently in the works from developer Shift Up, a Korean studio. While this market has traditionally preferred live service and mobile games, director Hyung-Tae Kim still believes that single-player games are very important for the industry.

Why it matters: Live service gaming has the entire industry’s attention due to its appeal and profitability. However, this view shows that various high-profile developers still value traditional single-player experiences.

Discussing the decision to break away from the Korean market’s preferred games, the director told Push Square that he hopes to highlight the value of single-player games to other developers. He said:

“A single player game with a definitive ending is still valid and very important.”

The last year also showed that single-player games have a lot of value. While live service games dominated the charts in terms of playtime, Hogwarts Legacy, a narrative-based RPG, became the year’s best-selling release.

In 2024, various single-player games have already made a name for themselves. Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has joined the studio’s best-rated releases, while Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth sold 1 million units in a single week.

Similarly, Persona 3 Reload has become Atlus’ fastest-selling release to date. These examples illustrate that there is weight to the director’s statement, even if the industry continues chasing live service trends.

The future slate of this year is filled with various single-player games from studios across the world. Stalker 2, Indiana Jones & The Great Circle, and Assassin’s Creed Red are just a few names that immediately come to mind.

Overall, it appears this genre of the industry is in safe hands.

While the debate about the sustainability of AAA single-player adventures will continue to exist for years to come, fans can rest assured that the industry has no intentions of leaving such releases behind for live service.

Avinash Jaisrani

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