We gamers are in general a frugal lot. We want lots for little; although, in fairness, this is true of many people not just gamers. It does seem however, that when it comes to games, we are particularly fond of paying less and getting more for it.

Developers are well aware of our value seeking tendencies, and as a result there has been a significant trend towards online multiplayer games over the past few years. Chart toping franchises such as Call of Duty, Battlefield and StarCraft are focused heavily on online play, and it seems the single player experience becomes further marginalised as each year passes.  

It is now not uncommon to get 2 years or more constant, regular game time out of a single purchase. The value is exceptional. However, by releasing games with such insatiable longevity, developers may actually be shooting themselves in the feet. Ever vocal industry analyst, Michael Pachter, blames strong multiplayer games for his predicted 6 percent decline in US software sales sales this month

He points out that over the last 18 months, multiplayer games have been the biggest driver in the games industry. 

“Based upon statements made by Microsoft earlier this year, it appears that millions of people are playing multiplayer games online for an average of 10 hours a week, making a serious dent in the time available to play other games,” he says.

He adds, “we remain convinced that the popularity of online multiplayer gaming has caused a decline in overall packaged product sales, and we expect this decline to persist unless the publishers change the multiplayer model.”

He has a pretty solid point. It seems reasonable to assert that most gamers would purchase more games if there were less compelling multiplayer titles to keep our fingers occupied. Why spend R300-R700 on a new game when you are quite happy to spend the next 4 months playing a game you already own online?

However, if this trend continues, and it looks like it will, Pachter believes games publishers will have to push harder toward monetizing their multiplayer components over a longer term period. EA already does it to a degree by instituting its “$10 wall” solution, which requires a fee to be paid to play a game online if you have bought it second hand.

“While we expect the publishers to continue to offer free multiplayer content that is similar in quality to what is offered today; we expect the publishers to channel their efforts on improvements to multiplayer by offering a premium subscription service, in the hopes of driving an ever- increasing number of customers to a pay service,” Pachter says. 

As usual, the Pachmeister makes sense. Don’t be surprised if the online gaming space changes significantly over the next 2 years. For now, enjoy it while it’s (mostly) free.

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