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[Seraphis Cain]

In virtually every thread I see on the subject of single player modes/content in fighting games, there's always a fair few people who suggest that devs shouldn't put any focus on single player content, and that it's the online multiplayer that people really care about these days. But as I was checking out the trophy data for DOA5 Last Round (since I'm thinking about picking it up from the Golden Week sale) I noticed something. According to the data, 48.1% of players cleared at least one course in Arcade mode. However, only 22.6% of players ever played a single online match. This got me curious, so I decided to check out a few other games' data.

Street Fighter V
% of players who cleared story mode at least once: 68.6%
% of players who fought at least 10 network battles: 24.4%

Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-
% of players who cleared Episode mode with at least one character: 51.3%
% of players who won at least one Ranked match online: 21.2%

Mortal Kombat X
% of players who completed at least one Tower: 47.0%
% of players who won at least one online match: 21.5%

Blazblue: Centralfiction
% of players who completed Arcade mode: 50.8%
% of players who won a ranked match: 28.5%

The King of Fighters XIV
% of players who cleared story mode: 56.7%
% of players who won at least one ranked match: 10.8%

Now of course I realize this doesn't take certain factors into account, like people playing local versus for instance. But even then, it does seem to indicate that people do in fact buy fighting games to play the offline modes. I mean, I'm one of those people myself. I'm nowhere near what you would call "good" at fighters, but I've enjoyed them greatly for the majority of my gaming life. And while I have played online a bit, and even got somewhat decent at Tekken Tag 2, the vast majority of my time with fighters has been offline, in single player modes. That's why I get so disheartened when I see people suggest that devs shouldn't put any focus on single player content. There's still plenty of people, and very likely far more than many in the FGC would think, who buy these games to enjoy them as single player games.

I dunno, I just feel like I had to get this off my chest, y'know? For a long time, the mere existence of online play kinda ruined fighters for me. This feeling that I was enjoying them "the wrong way" if I wasn't practicing every day and spending all my time playing against others online. Especially when I see people on GAF say things like "there's no value to playing a fighting game by yourself". Hell, I still kinda feel that way just a little bit, but I've largely realized that's a stupid way to think, and that there's no wrong way to enjoy a video game (as long as you're not doing something that actively harms another's enjoyment, e.g. cheating in multiplayer games). So yeah, I still firmly believe that single player content is an important part of fighting games, and I'm glad that devs like ASW seem to agree.

(Sorry for going way off track there and making the thread a bit personal. Hope that doesn't undermine what I was trying to show with the trophy data.)

 

[fabricated backlash]

I suspect most people just don't bother with online achivements. I know i never do.


Edit, and for fighting games i expect many to give up completely after a few online matches getting their ass kicked.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Too bad the games don't track casual online matches and just ranked ones

 

[Brokun]

Guilty as charged. I buy fighting games to play single player. I have not touched an online match in a fighting game ever. The last time I played against another player in a fighting game was on a couch, probably back in the N64 days.

 

[oneida]

I've been playing fighting games competitively for the better part of a decade. Single player content rules and we need more of it and we need it to be better. Xrd Rev was a huge step in the right direction.

 

[Seyfert]

I personally be one of that, those who enjoy playing in single player campaign in fighting games. For me, it frustrated to see super unreachable performance opponent who clearly pro and i don't stand a chance and I don't plan to gitgud. just want to have fun in context of the game.

Hope some dev realized there are many who buy just to play SP and make serious single player campaign in fighting game that last more than 3 hours.

 

[LQX]

Ha, I buy fighting games mostly to play alone weather it be single player or vs mode. Been that way since I was kid with SNES and Genesis so I'm very use to playing alone.

 

[Seraphis Cain]

I suspect most people just don't bother with online achivements. I know i never do.

Even if that's true, for pretty much all the games I listed, it'd be impossible to not get the achievements/trophies for online. You win your first online match, you get a trophy. You can't exactly avoid that.

Too bad the games don't track casual online matches and just ranked ones

Some do, some don't. But I can't imagine too many people literally never touching Ranked mode in a fighter.

 

[Duxxy3]

I have a feeling that single player players make up the very silent majority of fighting game players.

 

[Deeke[VRZ]]

I play Tekken Tag 2 allll the time and have yet to even play online. I love having full control and not being limited by latency or servers. In fighting games every millisecond counts.

I'll do the same with Tekken 7 as well.

 

[Jigorath]

The massive amount of single player content is a big reason why Mortal Kombat sells so well nowadays.

 

[Some Nobody]

Even if that's true, for pretty much all the games I listed, it'd be impossible to not get the achievements/trophies for online. You win your first online match, you get a trophy. You can't exactly avoid that.



Some do, some don't. But I can't imagine too many people literally never touching Ranked mode in a fighter.

Yeah that logic isn't sound by any means. If you aren't bothering with achievements, that means you aren't online lol.

 

[mikelink]

I have always gotten fighting games with multiplayer as the main selling point for me, but many of the most memorable fighting games in my past have made that impression due to their extensive single player content (Weapon Master mode, World Tour in A3, etc.) I think that it's an aspect of the genre that holds a lot of value for many players, especially more casual fans. But besides that, I think good fighting game single-player content is something that most, if not all, players enjoy.

 

[shandy706]

I like single player (local) content in my fighters.

 

[Fandangox]

Some do, some don't. But I can't imagine too many people literally never touching Ranked mode in a fighter.

In Revelator I've never played ranked and I've played a ton of online matches, but this mostly because the few times I try ranked it says "player can't be found" and I don't bother trying again and just go to a lobby.

 

[LordOfLore]

The massive amount of single player content is a big reason why Mortal Kombat sells so well nowadays.

I would be really interested in the % that got the halfway done with the story and the end trophies.

 

[NahaNago]

I only play the arcade mode since i like knowing the stories of the characters. I don't think i've actually ever played a online fighting match.

 

[SerRodrik]

I'm bad at fighting games and almost anyone I play online will beat me. If I bought them only for the multiplayer, I'd probably never buy or play a fighting game ever.

 

[ChrisSTARR]

I love playing local, but online is frustrating and story is boring. Most of the people I know in the FGC are the same way. But this is annecdotal.

Maybe a more fair comparison would be to see how many people have beaten the story vs how many have completed xx number of Versus rounds.

 

[SoldnerKei]

it's important to me to know what Ragna and folks are up to every new entry, screw playing online til the next few weeks.

I mean, there's a bunch of people who prefer playing against the cpu, being they don't feel confident enough to play against other people or their internet is just not that good and rather play smooth games than laggy ones. Nice to see it on numbers thou.

 

[alemmon]

I love Street Fighter V, however I played a couple online matches and got stomped each time.... so I play single player only.

 

[NoctisVsStar]

for fighting games i expect many to give up completely after a few online matches getting their ass kicked.

Same here.

 

[jetsetnickradio]

I'm one of those people.

I love fighting games and buy many of them, but I hardly ever play online. I like playing Story mode, Arcade, Survival, ect. I also like fighting games that have a ton of unlockables, whether it's characters, costumes, weapons, art, ect.

 

[Seraphis Cain]

I have always gotten fighting games with multiplayer as the main selling point for me, but many of the most memorable fighting games in my past have made that impression due to their extensive single player content (Weapon Master mode, World Tour in A3, etc.) I think that it's an aspect of the genre that holds a lot of value for many players, especially more casual fans. But besides that, I think good fighting game single-player content is something that most, if not all, players enjoy.

Alpha 3 is, in my opinion, still the undisputed king of single player content in a fighting game. Just look at the main menu of the PSP version:

And there's even more hiding behind some of those modes! A remastered console port of SFA3 PSP is pretty much my dream fighting game.

EDIT: That's not the PSP version, shit. Give me a minute. Might have to take a screenshot myself.
EDIT2: Shit, you can't take screenshots of PSP games on Vita. Oh well. Just imagine that screen but with even more stuff.

 

[SixMachine]

Some do, some don't. But I can't imagine too many people literally never touching Ranked mode in a fighter.

I play a decent amount of fighting games and I have never touched ranked in Guilty Gear and Blazblue. The lobby system in those games are pretty cool, it is an arcade setup where your little avatar can sit on machines and see other people walk up and hop on.

 

[Sealtest]

I'm terrible at MP fighters and usually only play for the SP and sometimes playing a random match with friendss locally. I wish I could be good enough at fighters to play online but I know that'll never happen


Its the only reason why I continue buying Soul Caliburs.

 

[LordOfLore]

Alpha 3 is, in my opinion, still the undisputed king of single player content in a fighting game. Just look at the main menu of the PSP version:

And there's even more hiding behind some of those modes! A remastered console port of SFA3 PSP is pretty much my dream fighting game.

But did it have Motor Kombat?

 

[kromeo]

I haven't bought a fighting game for a looong time but I'd get a new Soul Calibur if they bought back the great single player stuff

 

[bluexy]

Hmm. I'm not sure if this data is particularly conclusive. I think it's fairer to conclude that most people who but these games don't play much of either story or online in general.

Further, it does little to show how much of each mode is being played. It doesn't likely require data to assume that online is being played much more often than story even if it's by a minority. That said, they're still the only ones still playing the game at all.

If you consider devs/pubs making the argument that story isn't played often as a product of time spent playing over all, it makes sense. But clearly taken a different way, as in if it's played by people at all irrespective of how much time is spent in it, it's just as popular as online.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Where'd you get that data from?

 

[jdmonmou]

More people should play online so I can get more wins. I have a feeling that only the really good players are online for SFV which is why I get beaten so much :-(.

 

[jmdajr]

Playing fighting games online is one quick route to me hatting them. I don''t need to win constantly but NEVER wining is awful.

I think one time I started a match, won, and quit immediately. That was the best it was ever going to get.

 

[whatever6352]

i'm part of the section that never goes online for fighters only local and story mode for me. That's why I usually wait on sales for fighters unless its MvC.

 

[MoonFrog]

I bought Smash for multiplayer mostly, but also single player. My multiplayer situation with it did not pan out, however, and so I mostly played it single player.

I'd only do a fighter locally. I suck at them.

 

[Seraphis Cain]

Where'd you get that data from?

PSNProfiles recently updated to show both trophy data from registered users of the site and trophy data pulled from PSN itself (for PS4 and Vita games, at least).

 

[Platy]

I always try online once or twice but I am usualy beaten so fast I give up and stay having fun on singleplayer

 

[NoctisVsStar]

Playing fighting games online is one quick route to me hatting them. I don''t need to win constantly but NEVER wining is awful.

I think one time I started a match, won, and quit immediately. That was the best it was ever going to get.

But you got a Capcom avi

 

[lucebuce12]

Where'd you get that data from?

If you own the games, you can just open up their trophy section and see that data.

Heck I'm sure there's a website somewhere that has that data available too.

EDIT: OP posted above, disregard.

 

[chrominance]

Part of the reason I don't buy many fighting games is because I have zero interest in ever playing people online, and next to no interest in local multiplayer. I'm bad, I know I'm bad, and I don't care to put in the time required to actually git gud against other human beings. The only fighting games I've bought with an actual intention to play are the Persona 4 Arena games and Skullgirls, the latter because I heard its tutorial mode was quite comprehensive and well suited to people who don't play a lot of fighting games.

 

[BasilZero]

I am one who buys fighters but not for the mp.

I mainly buy them to play arcade or story mode.


Which is why blazblue is probably my most favorite fighting franchise cause of its heavy story.

 

[Thud]

Maybe people quit playing soon after clearing the singleplayer?

 

[gelf]

Only fighters I've played online for any decent length of time are VF5:Final Showdown and SF4 and 5. Every other fighter I've spent 99% of the time enjoying single​ player and I have played dozens and dozens of them.

It's an important feature for me and no fighting game purist can tell me that I shouldn't be enjoying it. I know what I like.

 

[jmdajr]

But you got a Capcom avi

That's just the way it is man. It was fine up to college where we would all play in the dorm.

But online world is some rough seas. Can't do it.

 

[Allforce]

I still play Street Fighter V every week at least a few hours by myself, especially on Friday nights when the new Missions drop and I can hoard that sweet sweet FM. Mostly play Survival Mode or just head to the Trials and fuck around trying to get all 10 for every character.

Never really touch online unless there's a Mission that requires it and is worth the headache, I won't play "Win 10 Ranked Matches - 100 FM" but if it's 1000+ I'll dive in and subject myself to punishment.

 

[PantsuJo]

Data don't lie.

Now just remember to post this thread everytime someone tries to defend SFV content.

Thanks for the data, OP.

 

[fabricated backlash]

Even if that's true, for pretty much all the games I listed, it'd be impossible to not get the achievements/trophies for online. You win your first online match, you get a trophy. You can't exactly avoid that.



Some do, some don't. But I can't imagine too many people literally never touching Ranked mode in a fighter.

I know I stopped playing online ranked completely after dabbling a bit with it in Street Fighter 4. Never touched online again after that in a traditional fighting game (even barely used it in Smash 4)

For someone who only plays fighters casually, it's just no fun to play online and get destroyed over and over again. I'd rather play locally and get destroyed there.

 

[Mediking]

Fighting games need awesome offline content. It's just that simple.

 

[suddenlyissoon]

That's all I buy them for. I really don't even enjoy being decimated online.

 

[Rabid Dwarf 76]

I have a feeling that single player players make up the very silent majority of fighting game players.

Totally agree. Otherwise I would assume there would be way more people playing online.

 

[lucebuce12]

I'm probably one of the people who decimates you all online.

And even I really like single player content as it helps me practice new characters or get used to the game when I'm playing it for the first time.