DICE 2009: Dave Perry predicts rise of free, online games, death of single-player titles

Continuing the trend of DICE 2009 speakers casting chicken bones and reading crystal balls in order to divine the secrets of upcoming movements in the gaming industry, Dave Perry (founder of the now defunct Shiny Entertainment and all-around industry veteran) possessed a unique, unsettling vision for the future. He explained that as the technology supporting remote storage and processing improves, the need for gamers to own hardware and software will naturally disappear, ushering in a gaming era where free-to-play online titles reign supreme.

As totally awesome as a world where all video games are sans-price sounds, Perry cautioned that this scenario means that "the days of single-player games are numbered." Equally alarming is the fact that this new business model would make it extremely difficult for traditional developers to compete against their uncostly competitors. Worst of all, think of the impact the rise of Flash games will have on poor ol' GameStop! That part alone is going to prevent us from getting any sleep tonight.

Reader Comments (68)

Sorry - i have to pipe up here. MDK was an awesome game back in the day. And Messiah was pretty darned good too.

Don't get me wrong - i think he's talking out of a hole that isn't his mouth here - but to say EWJ was the only good thing he's done is at best a matter of opinion. At worst it's plain wrong.

Holy Fuck! I want one of those Earthworm Jim Figures!

I think Dave just wants some attention.

I don't get how the two statements are related.

Games will become free online and ad-supported.
- Hmm, maybe. I still feel there will always be a market for premium games though. But even if it did happen, these games could be singleplayer or multiplayer too.

Singleplayer will die out.
- can't see it ever happening. Just like people want to watch a movie or read a book, people want to play a game for narative or to relax. They don't always want eveything to be social or competitive.

Most of the online games i've played have been singleplayer. And personally I think that the advent of digial distribution (wiiware, xbla, connect, impulse, steam, etc...) means that we'll move more to cheap, episodic or subscription based games.

I DO think the price (and length) of games needs to drop to make them more compatible with other media.

LOL.

Reading your comment made me realize that single-player games can also be online - e.g. with new game content dynamically loaded from game servers.

On-line != MMO.

I share your assessment of his prediction regarding single-player games. Single- and multi-player games have coexisted since from the very beginning, regardless of all of the technical advancements made in the gaming industry. There is no reason to believe that the further proliferation of accessible multiplayer games will somehow be the death knell for the single-player gaming experience. Poker is quite popular, but there will always be an audience for Solitaire.

Mr. Perry is somehow considered a visionary in the field, simply because he makes unconventional statements and has someone willing to publish these pronouncements. I am baffled by this, as he is neither an industry luminary on the level of Myamoto or Molyneux, nor has he been particularly accurate with his assessments of the industry (and how's the crowd-sourced game coming along, Dave?).

Hardly the death of single player games. More like even single player games will be delivered online.
The free-to-play content model is not the be all and end all. There will still be the same hardcore market we've had for years shelling out hundreds every year on their gaming hobby. They aren't just going to give up the games they enjoy because something else is free.
It's even possible that viable free-to-play models that can support substantial retail quality single player games will emerge. With remote storage, in game advertising will grow because if the game engine streams game content, it can stream ad content.
Oh, and Dave Perry is an ass.

I would say the creator of Earthworm Jim isn't the go-to source on how to survive in the video game industry.

He's wrong.

The day single player games dies, the day I lose interest in gaming.

Oh...I don't agree with his opinion.

Single player 4 life

It's always fun the hear predictions from has beens and corporate morons, they're always so batshit off compared to the reality of what is selling and moving gaming forward.

We have free to play, online only stuff now (Asia is rife with it) and it largely doesn't make money compared to regular games.

Now if he had said that the distinction between handheld and phone was going to vanish and this new super handheld...thing was going to take the gaming world by storm I would have listened as that's actually a real trend you can see happening.

I disagree completely.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE OF US WITHOUT FRIENDS, HUH? HOW WILL WE PLAY MULTIPLAYER??

THIS GUY IS HURTING MY FEELINGS

as shazzy as what he's saying sounds, i kinda agree with him

solid state media is already movin on out....as bandwidth increases, it'll be dunzo.

we are already seeing the wii trounce the competition and making all the hundos...and as much as certain developers want to be making good games, publisher don't care how good a game is if it doesn't make them money. because in the end...what really is the point of a business?

Dave Perry was only invited to speak at DICE because all the other relevant developers were too busy working on their upcoming single-player games.

I never really liked his games....not like he has made anything of worth since the 16-bit generation.....so why would I listen to what he says....

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ROOM FOR SINGLE PLAYER GAMES........

Dumbest shit i've heard all fucking day.

DICE 2009: Dave Perry predicts rise of free, online games, death of single-player titles

Reader Comments (68)

Posted: Feb 20th 2009 12:42AM El Stefio said

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Posted: Feb 20th 2009 7:51AM Dummy00001 said

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Posted: Feb 20th 2009 6:27PM Mr Slayer said

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