Currently, EA has been the center of attention for making comments about their online single-player games, saying that they will continue to make them even though their profits predominantly come from massively multiplayer online games (mmo games). The modern-day online game player’s choices are rapidly changing, and EA will need to keep up to speed with what their players want to keep their top spot in the interactive entertainment market.
Who is EA?
EA, or Electronic Arts Inc., is a leading company in interactive entertainment. It was originally founded in California, USA, in 1982 by Trip Hawkins and, as of 2022, has a whopping yearly net income of around $789 million.
They create games for gaming consoles, mainly internet-connected ones, as well as for mobile and handheld devices, PCs and laptops. EA’s success in the online gaming world has seen non-stop growth since it was founded 40+ years ago.
What are single-player games?
Single-player games are games that can be played by one player on their own. These are now looked upon as being an older style of gameplay as multiple-player games have increased in popularity over the years.
EA’s single-player games such as Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and SSX Tricky are still hugely played among gamers today.
What are MMO Games?
MMO Games are massively multiplayer online games and have taken the market by storm. These types of games allow players from all over the world to be able to interact and play online with each other at a moment’s notice and are proving to be a number-one choice within the gaming community.
Not only can you play and interact on screen with other gamers but you can even talk to them via headsets and microphone pieces. Even old-school games like Dungeons and Dragons (which are also known as massively multiplayer online role-playing games or MMO RPGS) can be played online with multiple players. These MMO RPGS really are game changers for the gaming industry.
Why is the market favouring MMO Games?
EA has recently announced that they will still be keeping single-player games as part of their company despite other styles of games bringing in over 70% of their income. It seems an odd move considering that the market is very obviously favoring mmo games; however, this could be due to them attempting to keep their older, loyal players happy.
In modern times, the gaming market appears to be favoring mmo games more as they tick all the boxes for each gamer. Not only do they provide a social fix for players by allowing them to chat and interact with others while playing, mmo games allow for that spontaneous factor of not knowing what the other players may do within the game.
This style of play makes it far more interesting for long-term players who would have sussed out the code of the game already within each level and most likely completed it within one day of playing.
Also, as mmo games tend to be newer and created in more recent times, the in-game features and effects are far more exciting for the player and hold their attention for much longer than the older games. Just like technology, gamers themselves have evolved and require far more stimulation from a game than they previously did when online games first hit the market.
As with anything, doing something on your own for too long can become rather lonely. So, as single-player games have been around for a long time, it looks like they’ve also had their day and might need to move aside for the next generation of games.