RDR Lead Designer: Open World Games To Have More Multiplayer

Red Dead Redemption lead game designer and co-writer and Shadow of Mordor co-writer Christian Cantamessa stated in a recent MasterClass livestream that although there's currently a divide between story moments and multiplayer moments in open world games, he feels that those elements will begin to integrate better as the genre evolves.

RDR Lead Designer: Open World Games To Have More Multiplaye
Open world games will incorporate more multiplayer and more ways to manipulate the story in the future, according to Red Dead Redemption lead game designer and co-writer and Shadow of Mordor co-writer Christian Cantamessa during a recent MasterClass livestream at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris.

Cantamessa stated that open world games have now become a genre of their own, a great way to give agency to the player, tell a story, and offer multiplayer on top of the content that the player can already consume whenever he or she wants.They possess a "great sense of place" and make players feel like they're actually inhabiting the area.

Though currently there's a divide between story moments and multiplayer moments, he feels that those elements will begin to integrate better as the genre evolves, and that evolution will come as gameplay becomes more dynamic, like the Nemesis system of Shadow of Mordor. 

Multiplayer content, on the other hand, like that of Grand Theft Auto Online, is going to become more MMO-like in terms of involvement. Developers will make it so that there'll be more co-op, story, and “roleplay” in those multiplayer-only sessions.

Cantamessa concluded by saying that this is all just his own speculation, but that it's easy from his perspective to see that the genre is headed in this direction.

What do you think of Cantamessa's comments? Let us know in the comments below!

2 Comments

  1. Avatar photo

    I felt Xenoblade Chronicles X implemented co-op multiplayer very well into its world, lore, and story. Otherwise, the best open-world games with the best stories tend to be single-player focused (Zelda, Horizon, Witcher 3).

     

     

    Time will tell, but given that companies more easily monetize multiplayer games, I feel all genres will get there as part of the norm.

    Reply
    • Avatar photo

      What interests me most about Cantamessa’s comments are those regarding integration. I feel like the Dark Souls’ series did this well, for example, where players were able to “invade” other’s worlds. What makes me wary, though, is just how integrated multiplayer will be. If multiplayer does become the norm, as you say, what would make these games any different than your standard MMO?

      Reply

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