Rockstar Games is well-known for its single-player games, likeGrand Theft Autoand theRed Dead Redemptiongames. In recent years, Rockstar has had much success withGrand Theft Auto Online,the multiplayer componentofGrand Theft Auto 5. On the surface, it seems Rockstar will be directing its efforts towards online multiplayer instead of single-player games, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Take-Two, the parent company ofRockstar Gamesand 2K Games, recently confirmed that Rockstar is still committed to making single-player video games going forward. While the launch of the live-servicesGrand Theft Auto OnlineandRed Dead Online,have garnered a lot of profit, Rockstar is still committed to launching single-player games as well. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick commented that Rockstar will continue to be a studio focused on video game storytelling and single-player experiences.
RELATED:Rockstar Games Job Listing Suggests Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer Could Come Soon
While it might seem Rockstar will start making live-service multiplayer over single-player games, the earnings call showed that it doesn’t need to abandon one for the other. Zelnick commented that Rockstar is a studio well known for its “great storytelling and great single-player experiences,” which is a major part of its success over the years. He said that the studio wants to follow the direction ofGrand Theft Auto 5; a game with a “powerful single-player " and “story-driven experience” paired with online multiplayer that brings the best of both worlds.
Read Dead Redemption 2andRed Dead Onlineare the latest examples showing that “Rockstar can do both of those things,” Zelnick said. Going forward, Rockstar plans to adopt this method for other future games, which could include games outside theGrand Theft AutoandRed Deadseries. For example, a sequel toBullythat longtime players have wanted to see for some time now.
Zelnick also touched on the worry of game companies largely abandoning single-player games for online multiplayer games. He said, “There was an argument just a couple of years ago, not around here, not in this shop, but in some of our competitors' offices, that single-player is dead, that it’s all about multiplayer. We didn’t believe that. I said specifically and publicly that we didn’t believe that, our labels don’t believe that.” Take-Two’s continued investment in single-player games is reflected in the current market as well.
The games industry has seen a surge of new story-focused, single-player games that have released to varying success and acclaim by both critics and players. Some of the biggest examples include games like the 2018God of War,Horizon Zero Dawn, andGhost of Tsushimato name a few. Granted, Rockstar Games hasn’t made any story related content for either of its current series, but has steadily released a lot of multiplayer content, like the recent Cayo Perico Heist forGrand Theft Auto Online.
However, bothGrand Theft Auto 5andRed Dead Redemption 2still had impeccable storytelling and single-player campaigns that were the main draw upon release. Showing that Rockstar prioritizes the single-player experience in its games and likely won’t neglect it in future games. Overall, Take-Two finds no reason why Rockstar should abandon making multiplayer content or single-player games and neither does the developer.
