5 Apr, 2011
If you feel like multiplayer has become just another feature in a game, then you certainly aren’t alone. While some could argue that shooting other players online can be incredible amounts of fun and is completely necessary, others, like Gearbox’s CEO Randy Pitchford (read: the studio attempting to resurrect Duke Nukem Forever), feel that multiplayer is just another feature to increase the numbers.
“Let’s forget about what the actual promise of a game is and whether it’s suited to a narrative or competitive experience,” Pitchford said in an interview with Edge Magazine. “Take that off the table for a minute and just think about the concept-free feature list: campaign, co-op, how many players? How many guns? How long is the campaign?”
While it’s certainly true that many games could potentially work with a multiplayer mechanic, some could argue just as well that you don’t need that feature in order to make a game work. Blockbuster titles such as Call of Duty and Halo:Reach have sold millions of copies, and all feature one thing in common: the online multiplayer mode. Has the truly immersive single player game become a dying breed? According to Pitchford, yes. Citing Visceral’s decision to include multiplayer in Dead Space 2, Pitchford points out that games that may be “limited” don’t push themselves hard enough. Instead, they look over at games that have sold well, and choose to include online multiplayer, rather than push themselves harder.
“It’s [Dead Space 2] ceiling-limited; it’ll never do 20 million units,” says Pitchford. “So the bean counters go: ‘How do I get a higher ceiling?’ And they look at games that have multiplayer.”
“They’re wrong, of course. What they should do instead is say that they’re comfortable with the ceiling, and get as close to the ceiling as possible.”
For the full interview, read the article in its entirety by Edge Magazine.
Via GameInformer.
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