Rocksteady Studios has confirmed that it will not be exploring multiplayer functionality in its forthcoming Batman sequel, Batman: Arkham City. None. Zip. Zero. According to the Game Director, Sefton Hill, the studio is more concerned with polishing its single-player experience than abiding by current multiplayer trends.
"There have been a number of rumors circulating about a multiplayer mode in Batman: Arkham City so let me start by saying, once and for all, that Batman: Arkham City is a "single-player only" experience," said Hill in a chat with IGN UK. "Our thought process behind this was fairly simple: when we investigated adding multiplayer we asked, 'If we use all of the energy that is required to create multiplayer and instead focus this on the single player, would that deliver a better overall game?'"
"It might not be the fashionable choice, it might not get us an extra tick on the box, but we are convinced, and we hope that gamers will agree when they get to play the finished game, that we have made the right decision."
Omitting multiplayer in such a high profile franchise is more and more difficult for developers to get away with, but Rocksteady's insistence on perfecting its solo game is encouraging for those who still prefer a blockbuster single-player outing over a 5-hour campaign tacked on to an online fragfest.
Then again, titles like Uncharted 2 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood proved that some games can have the best of both worlds, so the case could be made that Rocksteady is missing an opportunity. But multiplayer Batman? We just don't see it.
[Source: IGN UK]
Feb 15, 2011
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