NEXT

As we move farther into the current-gen cycle of consoles, it’s becoming abundantly clear that the bar has been raised for the quality of games created by developers. Thanks to the potential for expansive open worlds, improved graphics, and more immersive storytelling, gamer expectations are growing for game studios.

That’s why I think it’s time for developers like Activision and Electronic Arts to stop including single-play (or even co-op) campaigns with their multiplayer first-person shooter blockbusters.

This became abundantly clear after I watched the recently released story trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. I was underwhelmed by the fact that Treyarch and Activision have once again spent time on a 5-6 hour campaign that will do little more than provide a run-and-gun opportunity against AI enemies. And chances are, the handful of gamers who complete the campaign will walk away disappointed by another over-the-top action experience that provided little in the way of compelling storytelling.

I think what’s happened is developers like CD Projekt Red have shown what a high-quality story-based game should be, and raised gamers’ expectations in the process. This makes it hard for developers who create top-tier multiplayer games to live up to these new expectations.

With that in mind, I think it’s time for developers to recognize what they’re good at, and do that well, instead of trying to tack on features very few people want. Activision and Electronic Arts, let the storytellers handle the engaging, compelling narratives, and you focus instead on creating the fun, fast-paced PvP action we all know and love.

That concludes this week’s Game Ranter Banter! What did you think with our takes on recent events in gaming? Get at us in the comments.