Developer Frontier has announced plans to drop the planned offline mode within its space-faring adventure Elite: Dangerous, citing that, without an Internet connection to speak of, the experience would be “unacceptably limited and static.”
The studio made the announcement via newsletter, where Frontier chief David Braben reaffirmed the company’s commitment to delivering a a dynamic and seamless online experience amidst the stars.
“Going forwards, being online lets us constantly both curate and evolve the galaxy, with stories unfolding according to the actions of commanders.
“Exploration is also a key factor, too, and it is important that what a single player explores matches what other players explore whether single or multiplayer – a complex, coherent world – something we have achieved. A fully offline experience would be unacceptably limited and static compared to the dynamic, ever unfolding experience we are delivering.”
Frontier first took Elite: Dangerous — the fourth instalment in the long-running series — to Kickstarter back in 2012, where then it promised an offline mode in the final build. Alas, this is now not the case and while fans who have followed and indeed those who have backed the game may be understandably peeved, it seems as though the studio would have had to strip out the fundamentals of the game to facilitate play without constantly pinging the server for data.
Further in the newsletter, Braben promised fans that Elite: Dangerous will have 30 playable ships when it hits shelves next month, with Frontier hinting that there are plans to support the title in the months after release with new content, further polish and even the ability to exit your spacecraft.
Elite: Dangerous will take players into the far reaches of space when it launches on December 16th. Until then, tell us, are you disappointed that Frontier has chosen to forego an offline mode in the game?