In a move that has absolutely shocked no one, PlayStation has decided to get back to doing the thing it's actually good at: premium, narrative-driven, single-player games. After a series of live-service stumbles that cost more money than a small nation's GDP, the latest State of Play showcase was essentially a love letter to the days when you could buy a game and, you know, finish it.

The show kicked off with seven minutes of Marvel's Wolverine, the upcoming Insomniac Games title where Logan does what he does best: slicing and dicing baddies while trying to rescue mutants, with a little help from Jean Grey. Insomniac, known for their excellent single-player adventures like Ratchet & Clank and the Spider-Man games, looks to be keeping the tradition alive when the game launches in September.

And just in case you thought Sony had forgotten how to end a show with a bang, they dropped a major reveal: God of War Laufey, the next mainline single-player entry from Santa Monica Studio. This one stars Faye, Kratos' wife, and based on the 23-minute trailer, it has all the hallmarks of the recent God of War games: gripping combat, a magical world, and charming companions - including a gelatinous cube voiced by Jack Quaid and sentient ribbons on Faye's sword. Because why not?

In between these first-party heavy hitters, there was a lineup of third-party single-player titles, many launching soon: Remedy Entertainment's Control Resonant and Konami's Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24th, Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword on September 25th, and Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider reboot in February. PlayStation also teased Until Dawn 2, a slasher sequel, for next year.

What was conspicuously absent? Live-service and multiplayer games. The only exception was a peek at Marathon season 2, the struggling extraction shooter from Bungie. No Fairgames, no Horizon co-op spinoff, no new Sony live-service titles.

This shouldn't shock anyone. Sony's live-service push has been, to put it mildly, a disaster. Helldivers 2 is a hit and Gran Turismo 7 is doing fine, but the flops are legendary: layoffs at Bungie, the abrupt shutdown of Concord, cancellation of a The Last of Us multiplayer game and an unannounced live-service God of War, and Fairgames has been MIA for nearly three years.

Sony isn't abandoning live-service entirely - there are probably unannounced projects, and new ones were announced as recently as February. But at a time when console sales are dropping and first-party game sales are down, getting back to basics makes sense. The PlayStation brand is synonymous with single-player epics like The Last of Us and God of War, and this State of Play was a reminder that those are still a priority.

Of course, there are still question marks: Laufey, the God of War remakes, and Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet don't have release dates. And actually playing these games is more expensive than ever. But by stepping back from live-service, Sony has a clearer path to convincing people to shell out: make memorable, expansive single-player games you can't get anywhere else. Revolutionary concept, really.