It really depends on the product games like Batman, God of War, Mass Effect, sell VERY well without multiplayer.

This better not be the case. High-speed internet hasn't even come to my rural area in Northern California yet, so I've missed a lot.

I'm not always sure I like the future gaming is heading. But that might be me just being a little old school.

" It really depends on the product games like Batman, God of War, Mass Effect, sell VERY well without multiplayer. "

This seems to be a statement about big picture, not games overall. I'm hoping he's predicting and not making a move, really, as online gaming is not a big seller to me yet. 
 
I do like MMOs, but as far as competitive I have yet to be hooked on multiplayer in that way. Ya it's cool, but I play games for story more so than competition (and there are others that do too) so he needs to be careful. That's a big core gamer share he could be cutting off. It's bad enough there's becoming less new games that appeal to me these days.
 
Although, I do know my gaming type is considered fairly niche, but there is still some game franchises I like (dead space, just as an example, comes to mind).
 
Who knows, though, they could come up with something that expands on the idea of online as a whole. That's still a very young concept. Well, at least for consoles it is. I've been doing it on PC for years.

Bioshock 2, Red Faction Guerilla, Transformers War for Cyb, Condemned 2, Resident Evil 5; all games that did not need multiplayer or online features at all and because they had them the single player components suffered. This guy just doesn't get it.

He needs to talk to a little company called Valve about when to implement multiplayer and how to keep it alive for years.

I ruff I ruse.

Most of the best selling games, Nintendo games, take a completely opposite direction.  New Super Mario Bros Wii doesn't have online at all...

And I'll continue to ignore online portions of games like Red Dead Redemption and Uncharted 2.

I would rather sit down and play a cinematic single player game such as Mass Effect 2 or Uncharted 2 than play a multiplayer game.

Fuck that noise.

The sad part is that he is absolutely right and we have none but ourselves to blame.

" I think a lot of people are missing the most important part of the article, which is:
 

Taking into consideration what you’ve been saying about the importance of dev autonomy and, elsewhere, the need to add multiplayer to games, what if the Visceral team told you that multiplayer isn’t something that should be added to Dead Space? It’s not something completely unforeseeable, considering its genre.

Well, it’s not only about multiplayer, it’s about being connected. I firmly believe that the way the products we have are going they, need to be connected online. Multiplayer is one form of that. 
 
 Yes but, how would you respond if Visceral told you that Dead Space isn’t the type of game that should have multiplayer? It sounds like EA insists on some game elements, and I am wondering how that affects dev autonomy.
(PR manager: It’s more about educating the developers. Not on the creative side, but on the way people play games. Social media has really changed the way consumers look at entertainment. Everything’s more interconnected and 24-7 these days.) Gibeau: So I don’t go up to every game team and ask – what is your deathmatch mode? [laughs] I look at how to make games a broader idea with online services.

 They aren't going to tack multiplayer on to a bunch of titles for no reason. They're talking about online connectivity - you know, stuff like Need for Speed's speedwall, or Mass Effect's Cerberus Network. "

As long as I have a choice not to go online, EA may do whatever they want. 
You don't feel like going online after a rough day, at least I don't. So, offline will still be a thing you have to include.

Lots of people here either not reading, or choosing to not comprehend, that he's just referring to some kind of connectivity. Games with leaderboards, DLC, multiplayer, and even social networking connections are examples of online enabled games. There is a certain amount of truth to what he says, but its hardly a fact. Nintendo has been riding pretty well on a number of games that don't really feature anything like that (however, Wiis keep track of how many hours you've played for each of your games and feeds that into an average showing time played for that game throughout the world, so there is SOME online implementation)
 
Also, speaking of reading comprehension " You’re job is to come up with the creative vision"
 
If thats taken from a direct quote, you'd probably want to throw on a (sic), otherwise you should just correct the spelling. Minor, I know, but every little bit helps.

He's wrong. Everyone wants a good single player rather than some multiplayer. Here's me being angry about the news. Fuck heads.

" Hooray for the age of shitty tacked on multiplayer modes!"

Fuck you Gibeau. Single Player solo games are still the ones that are really pushing the boundaries.

Translation: Yo we make mad loot from online games, son. So we're pretty much just going to keep doing that. 
 
He's so right though, Braid would have been so fucking sick with team deathmatch.

Well, I guess I'm done playing video games then. I hate playing online.

I'm guessing he's also talking about dlc, not just multiplayer

I play a lot of Tiger Woods 11 on the Wii. As soon as the game leaves the title screen, it connects to EA. This type of online connectivity doesn't bother me in the least. Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins connect to the internet through EA as well, so I think some are missing the point. If I don't have internet, the game still works, but that option of automatic online connectivity still exists.

" Translation: Yo we make mad loot from online games, son. So we're pretty much just going to keep doing that. "

As countless others have said before me: That's utter bullshit.  
Online is not the answer for everything, and EA should know that! 

@MooseyMcMan: I sort of get what this exec is saying, but it does feel insidious to me.  This is just about making more money out of a product by luring players to buy additional content over time.  More, more, more.  "

Giantbomb users must not like to read full stories and JUST read the headline wow Haha dude is pretty much correct all video games in a modern world need some sort of internet connectivity this does not mean all team deathmath this means leaderboards, stat tracking,co-op, floating orbs that represent people etc. He's really just saying we need increased replay value so we have less used copies on he market, replay value is very important wouldn't you agree?

If they develop inovative ideas for multiplayer (Burnout Paradise, Demon's Souls), then I'm all for it... but it seems like this guy is talking about making the same multplayer game as COD, which would sell them millions.

Competitive multiplayer slots somewhere between shoving forks into my eyes and dipping my balls in boiling grease on my list of things to do in my spare time. Co-op is a lot of fun, but I do. not. play. video. games. against. people. So I'm glad Gibs here isn't just talking about multiplayer. More awesome co-op and quality DLC sounds good.
 
However, the fact that he says "fire-and-forget, packaged goods only, single-player, 25-hours-and you’re out" like it's a bad thing worries me a little. There are a lot of people like me who appreciate that kind of thing: a polished product with a dramatic structure and an end. Fire-and-forget...pfft, how about fire-and-never-forget?

Probably been said, but a big game publisher EA pushing online gaming isn't surprising. People who love online gaming will be constantly buying the new iteration of any given franchise because of the mass migration of the older iteration's online population to the new. I guess it's also useful for keeping tabs on how many people are still playing your game (in addition to monitoring achievements). Man, I sound like a conspiracy theorist. EA's next plan is to beam Madden NFL commercials directly into your mind from space.

Interestingly enough, I only care about single player games... couldn't care less for multiplayer, really. The day the gaming industry turns its back on SP offline campaigns is the day I stop playing games.

" Says the publisher of Mass Effect. "

So...what does this mean about Mass Effect?

He has no idea what he is talking about..........poor dude!!!!
 
i hope he is not thinking people will buy dead space for the multiplayer :/

Yeah... 90% of you are the idiots. Reading the article it's plainly obvious that he's not saying that every game needs a physical multilayer mode like death match. Rather some form of connectivity whether that's dlc, leaderboards, comparing your progress/stats to a friend, anything.

Please learn to read and comprehend before turning into ravenous dogs.

Mass Effect with multiplayer? That doesn't sound good.

I don't know about competitive multi, I can't get more than maybe a week out of that before it becomes aggravating and I never want to see it again.
 
But having a solid co-op campaign in addition to, or even as, the main campaign?  I could go for that.  You tell me two of my friends can join my Mass Effect game and play as Grunt and Jack as we go around messing fools up and me making decisions (they might even have selectable comments during cutscenes).
 
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is an excellent example of using online functionality to make a game better.  Red Dead Redemption.  Borderlands.  Left 4 Dead.  Gears of War.  Resident Evil 5.  Any fighting or sports game.  Uncharted 2.  Rock Band.   Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.  Splinter Cell.
 
Building in co-op to games is not something bad.  Even competitive can be fun if it's more than just FPS deathmatch.

I play single player games most of the time, this would not help me get more into the game. In fact it might do the opposite because I don't like getting totally owned online. I even play single player for left4dead 2 most of the time, I don't need an online component to enjoy a game more. Sure it affects sales, however it doesn't affect my own experience or enjoyment of a game.

Online co-op does make everything better, though. Anyway, he's right, a quality online experience will deter piracy and used game sales.

People read the fucking article and not the damn headline 
In context he's saying that basically shipping your game and then being done with it no longer works 
And I agree, DLC and patches for offline games probably do deter used game sales 
He is not saying that all games have to have multiplayer

 Please stop confusing online connectivity and multiplayer. They are not the same. 

   

" He has no idea what he is talking about..........poor dude!!!!  i hope he is not thinking people will buy dead space for the multiplayer :/ "

I would also like to add that releasing a game with an afterthought singleplayer mode (Medal of Honor) didn't exactly help EA beat Call of Duty, did it?

Okay, I'm taking issue with this article, because it just reeks of a bit of sensationalism. 
 
The title of the article, obviously, is meant to provoke a reaction from people who glance at it. It's a very provocative topic amongst us who play video games. I'm calling it 'sensationalist', because it's misleading, and, on top of that, the article practically admits that it is misleading. 
 
Basically:  First, the article catches the reader's attention with a really crowd-dividing title, and it knows that it "will rub some people the wrong way." Second, the article wastes no time defending Gibeau, because he's not really saying "offline is finished". What he's really saying (upon further reading) is: success in an offline-only model for blockbuster titles is finished. Gibeau's job is to make blockbusters out of titles he's handed with; therefore, he's the guy who will say "add online to it". Granted, I still don't agree with it completely. However, to defend, disclaim, and clarify that the article contradicts its title is an admittance that it really was sensationalist to begin with. 
 
This is the kind of filler & fodder article that I expect from someplace like 1UP. And, look, sure enough, they did.  
 
I understand that sites like Giantbomb want to draw readers into their content. I just think this sites deserves better than this.