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Designer explains absent multiplayer modes in Assassin's Creed 4
When Assassin's Creed 4 was first revealed, many fans of the series hoped it would spawn the return of the Alliance multiplayer game type - a special variation on deathmatch that pits three teams of two players against one another. According to lead multiplayer designer Tim Browne, however, this sort of online combat just wouldn't work in Ubisoft's latest action-adventure. "The reason Alliance can't come back is that it uses 3 teams of 2 players," Browne said during a recent Twitter Q&A session. "None of the game systems support 3 teams any longer." Not only does this spell doom for the Alliance mode, it also negates any other multiplayer modes that might have relied on more than two teams of combatants. Browne offers no details on the technical hurdles preventing Alliance and modes like it from working properly, but his answer does hit that special level of disappointing candor that usually indicates honesty in this industry. It is hypothetically possible that Ubisoft's development team could rework some of those basic features Browne mentions to enable Alliance mode and others that rely on multiple teams of players, but based on how blunt Browne's denial of this possibility was, you probably shouldn't hold your breath.
Assassin's Creed 3 multiplayer comes from old studio, new lead designer
Assassin's Creed 3 is getting the multiplayer treatment from Ubisoft Annecy, the studio responsible for multiplayer modes in Revelations and Brotherhood, an update on veteran designer Tim Browne's Twitter page reads. Browne's profile says "Lead Game Designer on Assassin's Creed III Multiplayer @Ubisoft - Annecy," which leaves little to the imagination (scandalous).The multiplayer aspect of AC3 remains relatively vague, apart from the "Online co-op 2-4" feature removed from the title's XBLM listing, and the "Online multiplayer 2-8" one that is still there. A few of Browne's shipments included local and online co-op modes, including Operation Flashpoint: Red River and Dragon Rising, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He has no previous involvement with Assassin's Creed franchise.An old studio with a fresh face -- Ubisoft is sending us mixed signals about its multiplayer mode, and dang it if we're not falling for the tease all over again.
