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[Draugoth]

Horror master Supermassive Games has revealed that the reason Little Nightmares 3 only features online co-op is to ensure playing with a friend doesn't detract from the horror game's signature "atmosphere and immersion".

Whilst co-op was "the most requested feature from fans" and something the team was keen to implement, Supermassive said that it needed to balance the fun of sharing the spooky happenings with ensuring playing with a pal didn't ameliorate the tension.

Bandai Namco producer Coralie Feniello told GamesRadar.:

Co-op was the most requested feature from our fans, so it was really important for us to give them that," I do think that it will add a layer to the game as well, by letting you experience it with a friend. But at the same time, we really want the player to experience it as they want. So that's why we kept single player, so if you don't play online co-op you would be able to play with AI with you.
We've been asked questions about online versus couch co-op. Couch is something that we considered, but again, when you come back to the atmosphere and the immersion that we're trying to elicit through Little Nightmares, I think it was important for us that we stuck to our online co-op only rather than traditional more party aspects.

 

[IDKFA]

That doesn't make sense. If I'm playing online co-op then I assume I'll be able to speak online with the person I'm playing with? What's the difference if they're sat in the same room with me?

"But at the same time, we really want the player to experience it as they want"

Only if people don't want local co-op.

This seems like a poor excuse.

 

[RagnarokIV]

isn't it the other way around? If I play online with a friend they just end up mumbling and talking shit about mundane nonsense.

At least in person they'll shut the fuck up and play along.

 

[solidus12]

Just admit it’s because of the Series S

Spoiler

I kid, I kid

 

[Edder1]

Devs must think people are real stupid nowadays to believe every nonsense excuse they make. Just say you prioritising what's important (in other words you're working within budget) and nobody will be mad (somebody will be bad, but you know what I mean), instead of these cheap lame excuses they keep making that nobody buys anyway.

 

[Bernoulli]

why have co-op when you can force people to buy 2 games and a subscription to play together?

 

[onnextflix5]

Real reason, it would require split screen. Which would be a challenge on some weaker platforms and require additional resources.

 

[JimboJones]

isn't it the other way around? If I play online with a friend they just end up mumbling and talking shit about mundane nonsense.

At least in person they'll shut the fuck up and play along.

Ya or have the wrong audio set up so you hear your own voice looping back, or they have the football commentary on in the background. WAY more immersive!
Bizarre the way they describe couch coop as having "party" aspects, wtf.

 

[thief183]

I don't understand why devs have to justify all the choices they make. There is no offline coop, take or leave it.

 

[radewagon]

Cowards.

Just be up front. Statements like this make me think that a dev is either:
A) Stupid or
B) Someone who thinks WE are stupid.

Neither of those options are a positive thing.

 

[Thief1987]

This new era of "creative decisions" is surely weird

 

[acm2000]

just say the truth, 0.001% of adult gamers every use split screen.

 

[damidu]

oh so series s, then

 

[peronmls]

lol okay well the game is not scary to warrant removing co-op. It's just a thrill ride meant to experience with others. It's not a survival horror game. So yeah immersion is a dumb reason for this game..

 

[I_D]

just say the truth, 0.001% of adult gamers every use split screen.

I buy basically every splitscreen game I can find nowadays, so I can play with my wife. She doesn't like playing games by herself, but we always have a blast together.
But it's almost impossible to find actually-good games with splitscreen, nowadays.

I'd argue the reason hardly anybody ever plays splitscreen is because hardly any games support the feature.
Mind you, I understand that hardware limitations, time constraints, budget, etc. can all affect whether to include splitscreen; but I don't know if blaming the players is the way to go.

 

[Heisenberg007]

 

[acm2000]

I buy basically every splitscreen game I can find nowadays, so I can play with my wife. She doesn't like playing games by herself, but we always have a blast together.
But it's almost impossible to find actually-good games with splitscreen, nowadays.

I'd argue the reason hardly anybody ever plays splitscreen is because hardly any games support the feature.
Mind you, I understand that hardware limitations, time constraints, budget, etc. can all affect whether to include splitscreen; but I don't know if blaming the players is the way to go.

more likely the reason they stopped supporting the feature is due to no one using it, its takes a lot of time and effort to add split screen and they will see in the engagement stats that hardly anyway uses it.

 

[Arachnid]

This is a stupid creative decision. Give people both.

That said, LN3 being co-op at all is a miss for me.

 

[Heisenberg007]

more likely the reason they stopped supporting the feature is due to no one using it, its takes a lot of time and effort to add split screen and they will see in the engagement stats that hardly anyway uses it.

They literally say "it's the most requested feature," so clearly demand is not an issue.

 

[acm2000]

They literally say "it's the most requested feature," so clearly demand is not an issue.

it says co-op was, thats in the game.

 

[Heisenberg007]

it says co-op was, thats in the game.

Oh okay, it wasn't necessarily local co-op. I stand corrected. Thanks!

 

[Revolutionary]

Nothing says 'immersion' more than latency and desync

 

[The Fartist]

I know it's too early to tell, but any chance of this having PC/PS5 cross play? I don't want to buy a second PS5 just to play with my kid.

 

[Generic]

I remember the same excuse for RE Revelations 2.

 

[Miles708]

Man just as I was starting to get interested

 

[KiteGr]

Ok.
I'll buy it when it is less "immersive" then!

 

[CGNoire]

Horror master Supermassive Games has revealed that the reason Little Nightmares 3 only features online co-op is to ensure playing with a friend doesn't detract from the horror game's signature "atmosphere and immersion".

Whilst co-op was "the most requested feature from fans" and something the team was keen to implement, Supermassive said that it needed to balance the fun of sharing the spooky happenings with ensuring playing with a pal didn't ameliorate the tension.

Bandai Namco producer Coralie Feniello told GamesRadar.:

Im callling BS.

 

[CGNoire]

This is a stupid creative decision. Give people both.

That said, LN3 being co-op at all is a miss for me.

Thats because its not a creative decision its a financial one being disguised as a creative one.

 

[VeganElduderino]

so they are going the Journey way

 

[The Fartist]

so they are going the Journey way

I got Beksiński vibes, more than anything:

 

[Arcadialane]

Little nightmares might be the best new horror IP since resident evil