{"id":28389,"date":"2026-08-05T09:28:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T04:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=28389"},"modified":"2026-08-05T09:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T04:28:28","slug":"games-inbox-will-single-player-video-games-go-extinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=28389","title":{"rendered":"Games Inbox: Will single-player video games go extinct?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"436\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304494871-486b.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29085861\" alt=\"Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced key art of the main character\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Assassin\u2019s Creed Black Flag Resynced \u2013 not as big as Fortnite (Ubisoft)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Wednesday letters page fears that VR gaming may be dead for another generation, as one reader wishes 8-bit classic Elite would get a big budget reboot.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/games-inbox\/\">Games Inbox<\/a> is a collection of our readers\u2019 letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/games-inbox-will-single-player-video-games-go-extinct-29300912\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Out of fashion<\/strong><br \/>Depressing, but not surprising news, about how <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/04\/no-single-player-video-games-top-20-played-ps5-games-july-29294829\/\">single-player games aren\u2019t selling right now<\/a>. I know it was July they were talking about but why wasn\u2019t <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/08\/assassins-creed-black-flag-resynced-review-a-pirates-life-renewed-29085186\/\">Assassin\u2019s Creed Black Flag Resynced<\/a> in the top 20? We were told that did well and yet it was nowhere to be seen on <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/playstation-5\/\">PlayStation 5<\/a>, beaten by a bunch of multiplayer games I didn\u2019t even realise were still going.<\/p>\n<p>The only thing I hold to is that these things seem to go in and out of fashion, with a big hit suddenly reminding publishers that people do like this sort of game. <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/electronic-arts\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">EA<\/a> seem to have gone back and forth on the concept a bunch of times over the years.<\/p>\n<p>I can only think of <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/capcom\/\">Capcom<\/a> though, who just truck on making whatever they want, most of which is single-player only, and everyone seems quite happy to buy it. But I\u2019m going to guess their budgets are a lot more sensible than a lot of these big US games. $400 million for Gears Of War: E-Day seems like insanity to me.<br \/><strong>Casper<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Warm-up act<\/strong><br \/>I enjoyed the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/04\/nintendo-spoils-wild-plot-twist-fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-new-direct-29297663\/\">Fire Emblem<\/a> games on 3DS, but I really think that was the best format for the series. Unless <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/nintendo\/\">Nintendo<\/a> is going to give the Switch games a proper budget they just look so cheap and basic. I could easily see the games running on an <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/xbox\/\">Xbox<\/a> 360 or <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/wii\/\">Wii<\/a> and we\u2019re at a point now where a lot of <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/indie-games\/\">indie games<\/a> look better than that.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Sign up to the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/game-central\/\"><strong>GameCentral newsletter<\/strong><\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Its real problem though, is it\u2019s just another Nintendo game that you\u2019ve got to get out of the way until you get to the good stuff. I think that\u2019s why they\u2019re not talking about Zelda or The Duskbloods yet, because they know that as soon as people are properly look forward to those they\u2019ll just ignore Fire Emblem and the other minor games completely.<br \/><strong>Clembor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Customer retention<\/strong><br \/>I can see what Microsoft is trying to do with all this <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/04\/xbox-360-games-coming-pc-project-helix-reveals-leaked-document-29298038\/\">Xbox 360 games on PC<\/a> and creating a disc-to-digital system, but it\u2019s not going to work. They\u2019ve realised that one of the main reasons for people sticking with one family of consoles now is so they don\u2019t lose their collection of games from previous generations.<\/p>\n<p>But I really don\u2019t think people are going to spend \u00a31,000+ on Project Helix, just so they can play Blinx: The Time Sweeper on it. You\u2019d prefer to keep all your games, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to keep many people from abandoning what is clearly a sinking ship. Not that I think anyone\u2019s going to be in a hurry to spend the same on PlayStation 6, but at least they won\u2019t rule it out completely.<br \/><strong>Bonce<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Email your comments to: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/games-inbox-will-single-player-video-games-go-extinct-29300912\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Nothing new<\/strong><br \/>RE: Valve and consoles. As well as the Half-Life and Portal games they released the two Left 4 Dead games, with EA handling the physical Xbox 360 releases, which were very popular and Counter-Strike on console.<\/p>\n<p>Most of their catalogue has shown up on console, they\u2019re not a prolific publisher on any format. The reason why they\u2019re all old is because Valve pulled back somewhat from making games a long time ago, mores the pity.<\/p>\n<p>Many of us hoped Half-Life 3 would stop being a meme with the Steam Machine release but alas not. The 18 year wait since Half-Life 2: Episode Two continues.<\/p>\n<p>But while games were more of a priority many made their way to console and I think that would probably be the case today if they were more active in game development.<\/p>\n<p>Even though the walled garden and exclusives of consoles runs counter to their philosophy of an open ecosystem.<br \/><strong>Simundo<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tDon&#8217;t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.<\/p>\n<p>Click the button below and tick\u00a0<strong><em>Metro.co.uk<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n<p>\n<a class=\"metro-button metro-cta-button\" data-vars-module=\"cta_button__gaming-preferred-source\" style=\"background-color:#000000\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><span><svg><use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"metro-cta-button__button\">Add us as a Preferred Source<\/span><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEC_278479390-558f.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25613773\" alt=\"GameCentral collage of Mario Kart, Ghost of Yotei, and Halo\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>GameCentral has been delivering unique games news and reviews for over a decade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Cost of gaming crisis<\/strong><br \/>As if the recent announcements about Sony going digital-only was not bad enough, and Microsoft increasing the price of the Xbox, now both Nvidia and AMD have announced GPU price increases for PCs.<\/p>\n<p>I guess my old Radeon RX 6650 XT GPU is going to have to last longer. Hopefully the rest of my PC will be as reliable as the wireless Xbox 360 controller I still use to this day for it.<br \/><strong>Commodore Fan<br \/><\/strong>Currently playing: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle via Amazon Luna. So far so good\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reality\u2019s end<\/strong><br \/>I was reading rumours about how the price of Valve\u2019s new VR headset has also gone through the roof, to the point where it\u2019s going to be thousands of dollars, like Apple\u2019s attempt at one. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s definitely still coming out but it seems obvious that it will be one of the last attempts to make VR games a thing. Not even that, it\u2019s probably just a pet project by Valve that they don\u2019t expect to sell to ordinary people.<\/p>\n<p>For a minute there it seemed like VR was really going to break through. The PlayStation ones were both really good, inside and out, and the Meta ones were nice and cheap. They also put a ton of money into making games, which was really important as they realised that you\u2019ve got to have the software to support the hardware.<\/p>\n<p>It didn\u2019t work out though, as we all know, which is a shame as I think some of it was bad timing, with the cost of living crisis and now the component crisis\u2026 basically too many crises, where the last thing most people were thinking about was spending hundreds on gaming hardware that might flop.<\/p>\n<p>VR has been hovering around on the edge of being mainstream for decades now and I do worry that this last chance was the final one. Hardware is only getting more expensive nowadays, so if they tried it again I think things would only get worse. It\u2019s a shame but it seems the future just isn\u2019t happening.<br \/><strong>Gorf<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rumour control<\/strong><br \/>So I read an article saying Xbox are now thinking of not having third party sites, like Steam and Epic Games Store, selling games on Project Helix and just another Xbox.<\/p>\n<p>The reason is they don\u2019t make any money off people buying their games off those sites, instead of buying the Xbox games off them. So one of the main attractions of being a hybrid PC console may be removed\u2026what a mess.<br \/><strong>TWO MACKS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>GC: <\/strong>That rumour has been downgraded to merely the possibility that Microsoft were thinking about it. And they definitely do make money from sales of their own games on other websites, just not as much as if they controlled everything.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elite for the BBC Micro\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7JCU4Hulgcg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Elitist suggestion<\/strong><br \/>I also enjoyed the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/31\/spectrum-white-edition-interview-it-smells-christmas-day-1984-29252880\/\">interview with the ZX Spectrum recreation guy<\/a> and it got me thinking, as it always does when this topic comes up, of how they could reboot some of these games for the modern day. I don\u2019t really see how things like Jet Set Willy or Monty On The Run could ever work but there are some games that do seem to have much more obvious potential.<\/p>\n<p>The one that stands out to me is Elite, which isn\u2019t even a Spectrum game. It\u2019s even older than that and was originally made for the BBC Micro! And yet it\u2019s what we would call today an open world game, with complete freedom to go wherever you want in the galaxy and be a pirate, a smuggler, or an honest trader.<\/p>\n<p>For some reason it\u2019s a concept that only really seems to have been popular in Europe, but I think that\u2019s because the US and Japan don\u2019t really know it exists. There\u2019s only been a few American clones, like Privateer and Freelancer, which I think were quite successful, but that was a long time ago. There\u2019s also Star Citizen, but I wouldn\u2019t touch that with a bargepole.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately. Starfield has probably killed off any interest in making something similar, which is a shame as it barely scratched the surface of what Elite was and didn\u2019t have any trading aspect at all.<\/p>\n<p>I would love a big budget reboot and would be perfectly happy if they attached a licence to it. like Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy. Anything to just get the game made, but alas all we\u2019ve got is Elite Dangerous, which seems to be on its last legs and was never much fun in the first place.<br \/><strong>Campbell<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Inbox also-rans<\/strong><br \/>It is very hard for me to imagine any scenario where a <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/04\/god-war-tv-show-talks-cast-dave-bautista-kratos-fans-love-29296041\/\">God Of War TV show<\/a> ends up being good. It\u2019s just too fantastical and weird for that and everyone\u2019s going to end up looking silly. Poor Dave Bautista.<br \/><strong>Josh<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So basically <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/04\/ps6-will-cheaper-a-gaming-pc-says-sony-much-cheaper-29293958\/\">all Sony said about the PlayStation 6<\/a> is that it\u2019ll probably be less than \u00a33,000. Well I\u2019m sure my wallet is happy to hear that good news. I\u2019ll pre-order it now.<br \/><strong>Cybob<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Email your comments to: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/games-inbox-will-single-player-video-games-go-extinct-29300912\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The small print<\/strong><br \/>New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers\u2019 letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader\u2019s Feature at any time via email or our <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff page<\/a>, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>You can also leave your comments below and don\u2019t forget to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gamecentral\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/04\/games-inbox-will-xbox-reset-work-microsoft-29291549\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Games Inbox: Will the Xbox reset work for Microsoft?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/03\/games-inbox-will-spider-man-3-released-ps5-29283733\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Games Inbox: When will Spider-Man 3 be released on PS5?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/31\/games-inbox-will-play-zelda-ocarina-time-remake-gta-6-first-29264053\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Games Inbox: Will you play the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake or GTA 6 first?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--gaming\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>GameCentral<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Assassin\u2019s Creed Black Flag Resynced \u2013 not as big as Fortnite (Ubisoft) The Wednesday letters page fears that VR gaming may be dead for another generation, as one reader wishes 8-bit classic Elite would get a big budget reboot. Games Inbox is a collection of our readers\u2019 letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_304494871-486b_1785892596.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}