Two games from Ubisoft that made their official debuts at E3 were The Crew, a gigantic racer, and The Division, an online, open-world, RPG. While it was seemingly implied that each title would use a constant internet connection, Alain Corre, Executive Director at Ubisoft Europe, confirmed it in an article by Eurogamer:
The Division will be always-online, because this is how the game is designed. It’s a world that’s always on and always living. The fact you’re always-online is a must. It’s the same for The Crew. You can join your friends or not, but something is happening in this world all the time.
Alain added that Ubisoft believes these types of connected, “living worlds” are great, allowing you to go on play when you aren’t by your TV, having the ability to “use your tablet or smartphone to enrich your character or help your character and friends while you’re away.” Corre also said:
When you have freedom in a world – that can also have seamless multiplayer – that brings something new to the gamer, rather than having a scripted story. Freedom brings something unique.
There have been open-worlds before, but I think the feeling you have when you play an open-world is second to none. And now we’re pushing all of our creators to go in that direction.
While not an always-online title, Watch Dogs does feature interesting online multiplayer features, which Alain describes as being able to “have a friend jump in and help you with his tablet or smartphone to escape the police. Your friend can see your car driving and change the traffic lights to help you escape the police. Or, your friend can play against you, activating a bridge so it opens and you’re caught by the police.”
What do you think of The Division and The Crew being always online? Let us know in the comments below.
