Prototype's multiplayer gets cut and we bleed

by Dustin Burg { Mar 30th 2008 at 11:00AM }

Chatting with Radical Entertainment's Executive Producer Tim Bennison, Team Xbox learned some semi-depressing news about a once promised feature that was supposed to be included in Prototype, but has since been cut from the game. That feature being any and all multiplayer component. Talking about Prototype's multiplayer, Bennison told Team Xbox that "while it's a great concept and gameplay bonus, our conclusion is that we won't be able to pull it off with the same level of quality and polish that we're aiming for with the original single player story. " Simply put, they didn't want to tack on multiplayer knowing that it would end up feeling gimped. And really, we can't hate them for that. Just give us a solid single player game, impress us and we'll call it even. There's always a sequel.

[Via Evil Avatar]

Tags: prototype, radical, radical-entertianment, sierra

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

EDW @ Mar 30th 2008 11:54AM

well the promised co-op play was one of the major selling points of Prototype to me, but i'm still planning on getting it.

webster1990 @ Mar 30th 2008 11:56AM

damn, i was hoping for crackdown style co-op.
well, i suppose i will have to wait for APB for that one.

Sujay @ Mar 30th 2008 12:05PM

Aw! That was the part I was looking forward to the most about this game! Oh well.

T Munster @ Mar 30th 2008 12:37PM

Lame...As previously stated it was one of their major selling points. Now its just lost its "pazazz". Ill just stick with all the millions of other sandbox games coming out that still have co-op. Mercs2 better live up to its hype.

Anticrawl @ Mar 30th 2008 12:40PM

Yeah with the dozens of other must buys this year Prototype really won't be missed, already erased it from my list. Singleplayer only games just don't cut it for the 60 dollar price point anymore. I will certainly consider renting it.

Chris @ Mar 30th 2008 12:45PM

I think I just heard the sound of a million preorders being canceled.

Charles Nickerson @ Mar 30th 2008 12:52PM

Well I just cancelled mine =) save me money in the long run thank you developers!!! And to say they cant give you the 'polish' of the single player game is a joke, many games have done it, they're just going to rush a POS game out the door and multiplayer is one corner they are cutting.

JUICED @ Mar 30th 2008 1:01PM

Loser's

Drunkenshaolin @ Mar 30th 2008 1:38PM

all this hype talk in their diarys!!

then the real lazyness kicks in.
again sound like they wanna rush to get this done, for the quick dolla.

MrMuggs @ Mar 30th 2008 2:26PM

Multiplayer is why I buy games versus rent. If I can play through it and then I'm finished with it there's no need to own it. I'll maybe rent this, play through it and then return it...

dylan @ Mar 30th 2008 2:44PM

I agree w/MrMuggs, this just became a rental at best, I was really hoping for co-op

Stephen @ Mar 30th 2008 3:02PM

This better be a bad April Fools joke.

lastgiantrobot @ Mar 30th 2008 3:07PM

Why were people excited in the first place about this game? To me it looked like another Front Lines, big open sandbox with bland textures and copy and pasted gameplay mechanics.

David @ Mar 30th 2008 3:31PM

And now I will never be buying this game.

fatt @ Mar 30th 2008 4:26PM

wait they actually still make single-player-ONLY games these days? ..but ..why?

Neuromancer @ Mar 30th 2008 4:52PM

Dustin I don't have a problem with good single player games, but when they promise co-op and change their minds because it's too hard, that's pretty shitty. This went from must buy to maybe rent on my list.

LoyalistRevolt @ Mar 30th 2008 5:11PM

Once again another game that should have multiplayer
doesn't.....Why are game developers so lazy.....

bugatti23007 @ Mar 30th 2008 5:15PM

Its better that its only single player otherwise I would have to spend money playing on live to unlock achievements and then people would leave whenever they want during the game and besides I usually play video games by myself.

ccc @ Mar 30th 2008 5:31PM

@Dustin

Or theres always a downloadable expansion down the road.

todd @ Mar 30th 2008 5:32PM

Didnt buy Kayne and Lynch after the dumped the co-op... glad I didn't buy it anyhow... prob be the same for this title. Think I'll wait for a price drop/used before I bother... just wondering why it can't be done well, crackdown did it so well and even there where a few slowdowns it ran well and looked very good.

Thomas @ Mar 30th 2008 6:20PM

looks like i won't be buying this after all. APB for me too.

Kyoushi @ Mar 30th 2008 7:02PM

Haha you suckers, they're going to milk every single dime out of this game.

'Maybe as DLC' i.e. 'Yeah, ca$h money, biotches!'

Expect this for every single friggin game in the future. Just look at Army of two and its six missions. What a waste!

Ludicrum @ Mar 30th 2008 7:22PM

Give a game tacked-on multi-player and people say the devs were lazy and trying to make a quick buck. Leave multi-player out in favor of polishing and perfecting the single-player game and people say the same thing. You just can't win, can you?

Me personally? I'm glad multi-player is out. Too many devs waste time and money tacking on multi-player to pander to the potty-mouthed kids on Xbox Live, time and money better spent making sure that the core gameplay is actually good.

The industry could do with less devs diverting their attention to vanilla multi-player modes their games don't need.

George Arauz @ Mar 30th 2008 8:06PM

Can you say.. SUICIDE?? talk about a downer.. that would have been awesome if it was still goign to be on it

Boff @ Mar 31st 2008 5:25AM

If the single-player is any good I may still pick this up, but some co-op would've been nice!!

Larry @ Mar 31st 2008 10:29AM

I have to buck the trend. I could care less if there is co-op available for the game. The game still looks like fun, and I am looking forward to it.

Cerixus @ Mar 31st 2008 11:16AM

I think I speak for everyone (in the world) when I say... STOP MAKING GAMES WITHOUT MULTIPLAYER. Seriously, don't do it. Stop it. Every game should have some sort of multiplayer feature these days. If you're thinking of creating a game without any multiplayer option, GTFO of our planet.

Dick @ Mar 31st 2008 11:28AM

@ LUDICRUM -
I agree completely,
I have no idea where all this Co-Op and Multiplayer love stems from.
I like playing with my friends, but why can't we just get an AMAZING one player game?

@ Boff, I agree also - It is always nice to have multi and coop as options...

BUT

Everyone's all up CakaDookieFo'z butt b/c of online play, and HALO and COD obv own the landscape as far as multiplayer games go. (and don't even try to tell me about team fortress being huge. I see the same 5 people on there all the time...)
So what happens to these games with multiplayer components no-one plays? I rarely can get a good match up playing Crackdown, A of 2, Timeshift, TF2, etc. anymore.

Let's be honest though, a 2 player sandbox, like Crackdown, is OK, but not particularly noteworthy as a gametype, aside from two person races and two person tasks (if Im forced to 2, Ill just Take Army of Two)...
Maybe the devs figured they didnt want to bother trying to push something that was failing in testing.

Besides, I always hear a ton of complaining on GoW (which is still really popular, apparently) from ppl who say that its Multiplayer sucks, and point to it being tacked on at the end of development, almost like an afterthought.

Ill leave it here -
if they DID include it, and it was not all good, or even problematic, the game would be flamed HARD by the very same "We Want Co-Op/Multiplayer" Crowd