Need For Speed Has A Mystery Reason For Online Connection
You would think, after the disastrous backlash EA received for making an online connection mandatory for the most recent Sim City title, that the games publishing giant would be hesitant to bring such an unnecessary and anti-consumer policy back for future titles. You would be sadly mistaken, however, as the Need For Speed Twitter account has confirmed that the upcoming franchise reboot title “will require an online connection.”
@DeanRheims NFS will require an online connection, but the benefits are nice. More variety and a more rewarding experience with friends.
— Need for Speed (@NeedforSpeed) May 28, 2015
Should the tweet ever be removed, the reasoning behind locking all Need For Speed content (online multiplayer or not) behind an internet connection is so the game will come with added “benefits.” Specifically suggested is that it will offer, “More variety and a more rewarding experience with friends,” although what exactly that means within the context of the game was not made clear.
I’m completely baffled by the decision to comment on this question. It was just over a week ago that the Need For Speed was officially announced in the first place, with a promise of further information coming at E3 2015 (almost certainly during their press conference). I mean, I understand why you would want to not share news of an online connection requirement when the gaming world is focused on your event, but it sends an early message to those who oppose intrusive DRM strategies to avoid interest in the title whatsoever.
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Seriously, what possible benefits could come to an open-world racing title like Need For Speed with a mandatory online connection? Even internet-connection-centric titles like Watch Dogs, where the single player campaign can suddenly add opposing online players set to interrupt your actions and hack your information, offers the option for offline play. By stating that an online connection is mandatory for a game without explaining exactly why it’s actually a good thing, we just have to take how EA has handled online-required sign-ins in previous titles.
Vague promises of having friends join in on your “narrative experience” of Need For Speed doesn’t do the trick to explain it, either. With a title that has a single player mode, it makes little sense to require an online connection unless it comes with a unique gameplay mechanic that expands upon what we know as a single-player gameplay experience. It all goes back to the main negative surrounding this reveal; why bother even mentioning it until you can show it off your yourself during E3? The optimism of EA to go back to their nighttime-racing roots has instead been replaced by a fear for more of the same.
Need For Speed will be released on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One this fall.
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