Single-Player Games Aren't Dead: A Reality Check from Baldur's Gate 3's Director

In a world where multiplayer and live-service games making headlines, Swen Vincke is here to set the record straight. The Baldur's Gate 3 director is pushing back against the notion that single-player games are on their way out, and he's got the numbers to prove it.

During a recent social media exchange, Vincke dropped a simple yet powerful message: single-player games aren't dying—they just need to be good.

"That time of the year again when big single player games are declared dead. Use your imagination. They're not. They just have to be good."

He’s got a point. Baldur’s Gate 3 is still going strong, drawing in thousands of players daily. While it does offer multiplayer elements, most fans engage with it as a single-player experience, proving there’s still a huge demand for well-crafted solo adventures. According to SteamDB data, the game currently has over 27,000 active players, with a peak of 67,600 in the last 24 hours—more than a year after launch.

Vincke isn't alone in his perspective. David Goldfarb, a veteran game developer behind Battlefield: Bad Company and Payday 2, enthusiastically backed up the sentiment, expressing his own fatigue with industry naysayers. “Can I bring you to all my meetings, Swen? F**king exhausted,” Goldfarb wrote.

Recent game launches continue to support Vincke's argument. Titles like Stalker 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 have shown there's still a massive appetite for well-crafted single-player experiences. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows is another case in point, already attracting over two million players in just two days.

But Vincke's stance goes deeper than just defending a game genre. He sees his outspokenness as a crucial "counterweight" to negative industry narratives that could potentially discourage investment in single-player game development. There's a real concern that constant chatter about the genre's supposed decline could inadvertently shape investor perspectives.

"The why of this tweet is hearing chatter about important industry figures stating there is no future for (big) single player games. Which means discouraging investment in (big) single player games. Which bothers me. Because I don't think they have it right."

"The problem is that this type of attitude has consequences. Because before you know it becomes a mantra."

Vincke isn’t afraid to speak up about industry issues. Alongside championing single-player games, he’s been vocal about the troubling rise in mass layoffs, often blaming corporate greed for the trend. He’s even encouraged affected developers to apply at Larian Studios, reinforcing his belief in taking care of the people who make games great.

At the end of the day, Swen Vincke’s message is clear: single-player games aren’t going anywhere. As long as studios focus on delivering high-quality experiences, players will show up.