I get your sentiment but your reply implies online gaming really only came along after Skyrim.
Skyrim came out in 2011, the online first/focus of at least AAA games was prevalent well before that.
Skyrim came out in 2011, the online first/focus of at least AAA games was prevalent well before that.
I just view Skyrim as sort of a high-point in big budget single-player games (1/2 billion dollars at launch time).