8Bit/Digi

Not too long ago; Bethesda Softworks announced that Wolfenstein: The New Order was in the works for a late 2013 release on current and next generation consoles.

Following the announcement; Chris Watters of Gamespot.com had an interview with the development team. More details were unveiled but it was also learned that Wolfenstein: The New Order will not have a multiplayer component.

It has been confirmed that Bethesada Softworks and MachineGames are planning on developing Wolfenstein: The New Order as a single-player only game. Could this radical choice raise the bar for what gamers will want to expect?

This decision comes as a shock given that Return to Castle Wolfenstein was highly praised for both a single-player campaign that continued the legacy of the classic game and a revolutionary multiplayer component that became the template for today’s games.

In the last several years; few games have been released without a multiplayer component. Fallout: New Vegas, BioShock: Infinite, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are just a few examples of successful games without multiplayer. These games had a strong and well crafted single player gameplay that it overshadowed the lack of multiplayer.

This means that if Wolfenstein: The New Order is to be a success among critics and gamers then it can not be a simple FPS-game. Gamers will be expecting a game with RPG-style gameplay with a long campaign in a well crafted environment. These games also require a lot of time to develop; so either the game is half finished or gamers could anticipate a delay at some point.

Bethesada Softworks would have to be foolish to try and appeal to the casual gaming market with a Call of Duty-style game. These types of games are popular mostly because of the attention given to the multiplayer aspect.

Yet a simple FPS-game may not even be the worst decisions if they chose to release Wolfenstein: The New Order as a budget title available only through download. An iconic series like Wolfenstein should not ever be degraded in such a manner and to do so could kill the series for a generation of gamers.

In the last several years; many classic games have attempted to reach a new generation only to fail miserably. Hopefully Bethesada Softworks and MachineGames choice of not having a multiplayer dose not lead to the end of the Wolfenstein-series.

How do you feel about Wolfenstein: The New Order not having multiplayer? Share your thoughts in the comment section. 

If you like our work and want to support independent journalism then would you kindly donate to our Ko-Fi Page.