A short while ago, Arkane Studios confirmed that Redfall would require an internet connection, even when playing in single-player mode. This announcement was predictably met with pushback. Now, Arkane says it is going to try to reverse this decision.
Speaking with Eurogamer during a recent gameplay preview event, Redfall director, Harvey Smith, empathised with the issues some gamers face when it comes to maintaining a stable internet connection, adding that the team is now “working actively toward fixing that in the future”.
In order to reverse the always-online requirement, there are a few things Arkane needs to tackle. Smith explains they'll need some kind of save encryption in place, presumably to avoid modded save files and cheats, as well as some additional UI work to support a true offline mode.
Arkane added that Redfall does not include an in-game store or any microtransactions, which makes the decision to go down the always-online route a bit more puzzling. However, Arkane will be selling a range of cosmetic DLCs, some of which are already included in the game's Bite Back Edition.
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KitGuru Says: According to Smith, the primary reason behind requiring the internet connection is for telemetry data collection, allowing the team to monitor for bugs and required fixes. Still, for game preservation's sake, it is always best to have a true offline mode if a game can be played in single-player.