The Wednesday letters page sees readers grappling with the declining sales of single-player games, the apparent death of VR gaming for another generation, and a wish for a big-budget reboot of the 8-bit classic Elite. Readers also weigh in on Microsoft's disc-to-digital strategy and the rising cost of gaming hardware.
Single-player games out of fashion?
Casper writes in with a sense of foreboding about the state of single-player games, referencing recent sales data that shows multiplayer titles dominating the charts. "Depressing, but not surprising news, about how single-player games aren't selling right now," they say. They question why Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, which was reported to have performed well, didn't crack the top 20 on PlayStation 5, being beaten by "a bunch of multiplayer games I didn't even realise were still going."
Casper holds onto the hope that these trends are cyclical, with a big hit often reminding publishers that there's an audience for narrative-driven experiences. They point to Capcom as a company that consistently produces single-player titles with sensible budgets, contrasting this with the reported $400 million budget for Gears Of War: E-Day, which they call "insanity."
Fire Emblem's budget problem
Another reader, Clembor, expresses disappointment with the Fire Emblem series on Switch, feeling that the 3DS era was the franchise's peak. "Unless Nintendo is going to give the Switch games a proper budget they just look so cheap and basic," they argue, noting that many indie games now surpass the visual quality of these titles. Clembor also suggests that Fire Emblem is being treated as a placeholder until bigger releases like Zelda and The Duskbloods arrive, which they believe will overshadow the series entirely.
Xbox's disc-to-digital gamble
Bonce offers a skeptical take on Microsoft's recent moves, including bringing Xbox 360 games to PC and introducing a disc-to-digital conversion system. They understand the goal—retaining customers who value their digital libraries—but doubt it will succeed. "I really don't think people are going to spend £1,000+ on Project Helix, just so they can play Blinx: The Time Sweeper on it," they quip, adding that while PlayStation 6 might also be pricey, at least it won't be ruled out entirely.
Valve's console history
Simundo responds to earlier discussions about Valve and consoles, noting that the company has released games like Left 4 Dead and Counter-Strike on Xbox 360, with EA handling physical distribution. They lament that Valve has pulled back from game development, with the 18-year wait for Half-Life 3 continuing. Simundo believes that if Valve were more active, they'd likely bring games to consoles, despite the philosophical clash with their open-ecosystem approach.
Cost of gaming crisis
Commodore Fan highlights the mounting costs for gamers, with Sony going digital-only, Microsoft raising Xbox prices, and now Nvidia and AMD announcing GPU price hikes. They joke that their old Radeon RX 6650 XT will have to last longer, while praising the durability of their wireless Xbox 360 controller.
VR's final chance?
Gorf expresses pessimism about VR's future, citing rumours that Valve's new headset could cost thousands of dollars, similar to Apple's Vision Pro. They note that despite strong efforts from PlayStation and Meta, VR never broke through to the mainstream, partly due to the cost-of-living crisis and component shortages. "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," they write, concluding that "the future just isn't happening."
Project Helix and third-party stores
Two Macks raises concerns about a rumour that Microsoft might restrict Project Helix to its own store, cutting out Steam and Epic Games Store. The reason, they suggest, is that Microsoft doesn't profit from third-party sales. GC clarifies that the rumour has been downgraded to a mere possibility, and that Microsoft does earn from sales of its own games on other platforms, just not as much as if it controlled everything.
A dream Elite reboot
Campbell, inspired by an interview about the ZX Spectrum, proposes a modern reboot of Elite, the 1984 space trading game originally for the BBC Micro. They argue that Elite's open-world gameplay—allowing players to be pirates, smugglers, or traders—has untapped potential, especially in Europe where it was popular. They note that American clones like Privateer and Freelancer were successful, but Starfield's poor reception may have killed interest. "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," they say, lamenting that Elite Dangerous is "on its last legs."
Inbox also-rans
Josh doubts a God Of War TV show could work, calling it "too fantastical and weird" and fearing it would look silly, with poor Dave Bautista. Cybob sarcastically reacts to Sony's statement that the PlayStation 6 will likely cost less than £3,000, saying they'll pre-order now.
