EA’s Peter Moore said something a lot of people probably didn’t agree with during a recent interview with GameSpot . Star Wars Battlefront was being discussed, and GameSpot’s Rob Crossley brought up how it doesn’t offer a single player campaign. It’s multiplayer only. When asked why the game doesn’t have a campaign, Moore replied, “…very few people actually play the single-player on these kinds of games. That’s what the data points to.” Does that sit well with you?
It doesn’t seem exactly logical. I mean, what do shooter fans who don’t enjoy multiplayer modes do when there’s no single player campaign? What if we don’t have time or enough friends with shared interest in a property to make a multiplayer-only game worth it? Does that mean we buy Star Wars Battlefront anyway, not knowing how much of it we’ll be able to enjoy? Or do we have to sit and enviously watch other people have fun?
Most other companies realize the importance of single player modes in shooters. Activision certainly does with Call of Duty . Every installment has some sort of campaign to go through alone. The Borderlands series traditionally has let people go through things alone or together, and it paid off for Gearbox Software. Bethesda took it a step further and only offered a single player campaign in Wolfenstein: The New Order . One of the most famous and beloved shooters of them all, Half-Life 2 , only offers multiplayer if you buy Deathmatch . Other companies understand how important a solo experience can be.
EA has even shown that it understands single player needs, which makes the Star Wars Battlefront stance more confusing. Mass Effect ‘s single player is the primary focus. Battlefield Hardline and Battlefield 4 ‘s solo campaigns weren’t the best, but at least they were there. The Dead Space series’ single player stories were creepy and satisfying. It doesn’t make sense for a game from a series like Star Wars , which could provide ample fodder for a story, to only offer multiplayer modes.
Besides, single player can serve a purpose beyond offering an alternative to online for people to enjoy. It’s a learning experience. People who have never played Star Wars Battlefront would be able to play solo, learn the basics, and carry those lessons over to the multiplayer game. Single-player can aid in making newcompers better players, teammates, and opponents in the multiplayer mode. There’s a serious benefit beyond offering an additional way to play.
The data that EA’s Peter Moore was talking about may have been accurate. We’ll never know, since we never saw exact figures. That doesn’t mean it was “right.” Single player modes are important in all genres of games, even shooters, and people would benefit from one in Star Wars Battlefront.