Why people still play offline games? Why not just jump on a server and play online like “everybody” else? Some still insist on playing offline modes (when available), or single player games (with no modes for online gaming).
The reasons are plain and simple:
1. Trust
Many gamers have lost trust in new (and even established) online-gaming titles. The trust was long broken between players and studios. How? Answer – Players have seen too many servers getting shutdown. Too many! Titanfall servers are scheduled to shutdown today (just to give 1 example). So, even hardcore online-gaming fanatics won’t commit themselves to any odd/new title that hasn’t already got hundreds (or thousands) of other daily players already. And even then, the trust people once had – is rapidly fading away. You can no longer trust that the dev studio will keep your game online and available for you to play. Check what’s happening with Titanfall and many other once-promising games.
2. Commitment
People are terrified of commitment. Lets say – you are a game developer, and you have made an extremely unique and amazing/original online game (with legal patents and all). If a gamer gets emotionally invested in your one-of-kind game, what happens when you one day (inevitably) shutdown the servers? No more [insert your game’s name here]. With server shut, players lose the accounts and progress that they invested/committed their precious time towards… And to make matters worse, (in some cases, when it comes to unique games) will there be any other game (replacement) that does exactly what your old game used to do? Will you be able to find the same characters, names, and visuals? Usually – no. Other games will never be the same.
Offline games protect users from all that turmoil.
3. Security (Why people still play offline games)
Offline gaming modes provide gamers with the security to know that if (and when) one’s game servers get shutdown, you’ll still own and play the offline mode/version. Personally – These days, I no longer buy a game that doesn’t have an offline mode added onto it. 100% offline, no servers.. my recent purchase is Kenshi, and I’d rather buy that.. than get emotionally invested in an online-only game. This is why I am a bit reluctant with online-only games like Last Flag and Wildcard.
4. Discoverability
As a gaming blogger, I have lost count of the number of times that people discover a game AFTER the studio/server is gone. Marketing a game is expensive, and even after all that work.. most people (globally) will still NOT hear about the game. But… If a game like this is playable offline, then, such a game will remain discoverable (and still playable), even 10-whole-years AFTER the studio is gone. Even if technology drastically evolves, they will still be a way (and hope) for any offline game to make a resurgence.
Conclusion on: Why people still play offline games?
As a game developer, listen to my humble advice – You’ll never know what bizarre event might cause people to suddenly flood to your game (in the future). So… Keep the door open!
Add an offline mode!
Long live Unreal Tournament Black Edition, long live Team Fortress, and all other games that allow for 100% offline gaming, versus bots.
