So stated analyst Billy Pidgeon in a release issued to GamesIndustry.Biz, theorising why Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution and Sleeping Dogs under-performed.
It's a statement that set the teeth on edge.
I've never hid the fact that I'm a advocate of purely single player gaming: a title doesn't even need to be a story-driven adventure. I seek solace in the escapism video games can bring. Immersion in a game world - be it pixelated with heavy chip tunes or realistic horror - doesn't need to be broken by a notification nudge from friends or be forcibly directed into a multiplayer mode.
At least, not first time through.
Because multiplayer can be an enjoyable extension to the single player experience that extends the lifespan of a game. But that doesn't automatically equate to a team-based deathmatch variant that doesn't fit with the game premise, clearly bolted on to win another bullet point on the back of the game box.
Aren't we all a little sick of games crowbarring a COD-style competitive element into their framework? It's a little uninventive no? It's not the way to go.
Look at how Xbox 360 Achievements have evolved over the generation. Initially the unlock conditions were bounds by standard game play. Finish a level, finish the game. Kill this boss.
Snore. But then developers started using their imagination, started having fun with the possibilities. The memorable ones - scale the highest tower and land in a tiny lake below in Crackdown, carry a Gnome statue through Half-Life 2 - are so because they either asked you to do something entirely natural but enjoyable of the game world, or give you a skewed, often more challenging, approach to completing the game second time through.
How about we see the same level of inventiveness for multiplayer options? Nothing has to be multiplayer competitive: or at least, a separate mode that's clearly the kitchen sink for a game's options.
Criterion's Autolog is amazing, and its built right into the main game. It pushes you to beat friends times, scores. A lightning quick load into a certain section, area that you play over and over without the burn of the grind, because the gameplay's the same, and the urge to beat a leaderboard score is just extra layering on top of the game experience.
Gears of War: Judgment folded the Arcade mode into the main campaign from the off, and the Leaderboard scoring was a subtle pop up on the lower right of the screen that just flagged how little or far I was away from bettering a friends kill count for that section. Seeing I was a few kills shy altered my gameplay strategy, wading past NPC squad mates rather than sticking with the defensive.
Geometry Wars 2 has the all-time best leaderboard support I've seen. The main menu is divided equally amongst the different modes, and under each header is your score placement amongst four other friends. Anything less than your Gamertag glowing proudly at the number one spot provoked an immediate replay to chase the lead.
Subtle stuff like this is built into the main single player game as an optional extra. And its arguably more fun and effecting than many games that have been weighed down by unnecessary extra multiplayer modes (and take a lot less time to build).
The truth is that unless a secondary multiplayer mode is unique and enticing, lobbies will be dead within the year of release. I interviewed a developer a couple of years ago, weeks before their game was due for release, who was entirely frank about the multiplayer being a complete waste of time for the team that took away from polishing single player, but they'd been forced into making it, with their concession being a custom player mode in the hope that fans would support and better the game where they couldn't.
It's time to let the imagination run riot. Let the multiplayer support the main game - tailor the experience to the title's strengths. Hitman: Absolution did a fantastic job with the Contracts mode, and fitted perfectly within the framework of the game's premise. Journey's multiplayer gave a whole new dimension to the mountain trek.
We love playing with and competing against friends. But handing us a gun and letting us shoot them in face isn't the answer for everything out there. Let's allow developers to conceptualise multiplayer experiences that let us approach their game differently without beating them into adding COD clone experiences that none of us really need.