God of War director Cory Barlog believes that single-player games can’t die and compares them to the mythological phoenix. Of course one of the most adamant examples as to why single-player games aren’t dead would be Barlog’s latest title.
The newly released God of War installment wound up being one of the best reviewed games of all-time, and it has found an incredible amount of commercial success as well by becoming the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive of all-time. The numbers show that Barlog’s words aren’t just fluff, as they’re backed up with players putting their hard earned cash where their mouths are.
Cory Barlog defended single-player games in a recent interview with IGN, saying, “We go through the ebb and flow.” He said that trends emerge because “different creatives that get involved and say, ‘I have this crazy idea.’” Barlog also told the outlet that he didn’t feel there was “a competition between multiplayer and single-player.”
The director got a bit more philosophical with the rest of his answer as he compared their relationship to Schrödinger’s cat. “It’s not about any of them being alive or dead, right? … We are alive and we are dead at the same time, right? And we will always be that way. And it will be an ebb and flow throughout time.”
The myth that there can only be one type of video games is simply just that, a myth. Video games aren’t a small niche industry but a gigantic business that brings in billions of dollars in revenue each year. Considering millions of players purchase different titles, that means games can serve a wide variety of audiences from those that love Fortnite Battle Royale to those who want an amazing single-player experience.
To continue this narrative that single-player games are dead when we’ve seen massive success stories in recent years is absurd, to say the least. Gamers saw several huge single-play offerings in 2017 alone, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and NieR: Automata, both of which cemented that the game type wasn’t going anywhere. As long as consumers continue to purchase games they’re interested in, and creative minds like Barlog exist, then there will always be a place for high-profile single-player offerings in the video game industry.
God of War is available now exclusively for PlayStation 4. Those that already played the latest title from Sony Santa Monica will want to see if they’ve missed any of the game’s well hidden God of War secrets that only true fans will notice - and there are a lot.
More: God of War 5 - Everything You Need to Know
Source: IGN
