After the news dropped yesterday that EA was shutting down game development studio Visceral Games, a lot of people came forward with their takes on it. For many, it seemed like a clear indicator that big publishers were moving further and further away from wanting to back single-player only games in order to instead focus on games that were easily marketable after they launched. In other words, games filled with micro transactions that could make more money.
Taking to Twitter to address those hot takes, Jason Schreier – who had some additional details on the situation after EA announced it – seemed to make it pretty clear that the decision to revamp the Star Wars game was not because it was a single-player game.
I feel like I should clarify that despite today's Hot Takes, Visceral's game was not canned b/c it was single-player (from what I've heard)
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) October 18, 2017
While the true reason behind the game being revamped may not ever come out, Jason’s comments might assuage some fears that the state of single-player experience are not as dire as originally seemed. For more on the situation regarding Visceral Games, check out some of EA’s statement below, and make sure to read up on it by visiting our post yesterday:
“Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe,” said Electronic Arts’ Patrick Söderlund in a statement. “In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.”
[Source: Jason Schreier]
