It has been for several years now Video game industry seemed obsessed with building Always online live service multiplayer experiences. And lots of them Live games, like Concorddidn’t have much success. Now a new survey shows that this may be because most people prefer playing single-player games.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, a new survey from Midia Research suggests that 53 percent of people who play video games prefer to play alone and do not want to play online PvP or co-op modes. According to Midia, the survey asked a number of gamers from the US, Australia, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey about their various video game preferences in 2023 and 2024. And yes, it turns out that most people enjoy playing single-player games. However, closer examination of the data reveals some other interesting findings.
For example, it seems that the older you are, the more likely you are to avoid online gaming in favor of focusing on single-player adventures. 74 percent of gamers over 55 told Midia that they prefer single-player games to co-op or online PvP. In fact, the younger you are, the more likely you are to want to play with other people. Only 30 percent of gamers under 19 prefer to play alone.
Another interesting data point: 58 percent of mobile gamers prefer single-player titles. That surprised me! Many mobile games offer multiplayer gameplay and online social connections. But it seems that many people just want to relax and play Balatro on her cell phone while waiting for the bus or listening to a podcast.
Midia said younger gamers were more able to meet up with friends regularly to play various live service games, while people aged 25 and over led busier lives, which affected multiplayer gaming. Midia also says that younger players like to take a “vacation” from games like Fortnite And Apex Legendsand suggests that publishers and developers should try to release new single-player games towards the end of live service seasons, when players are more likely to be looking for a break.
Of course, while this data shows that single-player is still a very popular type of video game, I doubt that publishers will stop pushing for live service hits. The reality is that single-player games are still expensive to make and take years to develop, just like live service titles. But if a live game can reach a large audience, it could be supported for years and make a ton of money without having to do another big single player experience. And while history is full of dying or dead live service games and data shows that gamers enjoy playing single-player, one-and-done adventures, The promise of more money may be too tempting for most publishers in 2024.
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