If there is one thing you would think EA would be wary of it would be to force a game to need to be always online, even if it didn’t need to be. It appears that with Need for Speed they went that route anyway.
The obvious issue here is that even in solo mode, where other players would be replaced with AI drivers still requires the player to be online. There may be a way around this after the release in the form of a patch. Though is isn’t confirmed, just hinted at.
In a recent interview with PC Games Marcus Nilsson, Executive Producer at Ghost Games seems optimistic that there will be an offline mode in the future. This will especially be the case if there was any danger of the servers being taken down for the game. In the interview, he makes it clear that the company want people to be able to play the game for years to come, which would mean the ability to have offline gaming. Though he did stress:
“Need for Speed is fundamentally conceived as a kind of live-service [..] We want to keep the game constantly with updates and new content currently to get all these benefits to enjoy, the game requires a permanent Internet connection.”
The problem is though this is the same old line that was used with Sim City, and we saw the reaction fans had with that game. If anything the “always on” nature of the game was one thing that held it back from success. It would be a shame if this affected the success of Need for Speed too.
It seems that if the fans shout loud enough on this situation, maybe an offline mode will come sometime after the games release. Though why it even needs to be “patched” into the game and not be functionality at launch is a mystery only the designers of the game will have the answer to.
What are your thoughts on Need for Speed requiring to be online at all times? Let us know your thoughts below.
