Lightbox Interactive has said that the single-player campaign in its upcoming actioner Starhawk will last anywhere between five – eight hours.
Speaking during a chinwag with Eurogamer, Lightbox overlord Dylan Jobe said the studio is aiming for the same play time as your average shooter. However, he indicated the game would still offer ample replay value.
"Shooters these days range between five and eight hours, depending on a play through," said Jobe. "We’re going to be in that range.
"There is some concern sometimes, when a guy in the media will be like, ‘Oh my God, it’s too short for single-player.’ I just don’t see it that way,” he added.
"For example, if you play most shooters from start to finish, if you play it again you’re going to get pretty much the same experience. You could go play Halo on mercenary mode or whatever. It’s going to be tougher, but it’s still pretty much going to be the same experience.”
"For ours, all the missions you play through, you can play through again and get a very different experience. You can build different structures next time through. You can unlock different medals and challenge yourself in those combat sandboxes in a different way. You can get a lot of gameplay out of it."
Naturally, multiplayer will still play an integral part in the proceedings, and Jobe reckons gamers will spend heaps more time here than in the solo-based shenanigans.
"Multiplayer is really where the massive hours get logged. In Warhawk we saw players on the average clock 210 hours – some ridiculous number. That will still be the case in Starhawk," he commented.
"Players will spend way more time in multiplayer than they do in single-player."
Sony lifted the wraps off Starhawk last Friday after more than a year’s worth of speculation. The game, a sequel to Warhawk, has players assuming command of a chap named Emmett Graves, a former Rift miner and resident gun for hire.
Gamers battle against an opposing force known as the Outcast, that is, humans who have mutated into hideous creatures as a result of Rift Energy contamination. Gameplay will be a dynamic affair facilitated by the inclusion of sprawling, open environments and AI that adapts to your actions.
Starhawk is due out exclusively on PlayStation 3 next year.