It took a group of hard-working modders to add multiplayer functionality to Just Cause 2 with the hugely popular JC2-MP mod, eventually released by publisher Square Enix as DLC for the open world action game.
Considering the mod’s subsequent success, it’s strange to hear that Just Cause 3 won’t ship with a multiplayer capability at launch. Avalanche CCO Christofer Sundberg explained why to Game Informer recently.
“The mod (JC2-MP) is absolutely fantastic,” said Sundberg. “We owe those guys a lot. They have actually supported the game and helped it stay alive so many years after it was released. We don’t expect the fans to make the multiplayer for Just Cause 3, but at some point you have to make a choice on where your focus is. Our strength is the sandbox experience, and we want to deliver a great Just Cause 3 experience.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the game will never have a multiplayer mode, with the possibility of one being added through a patch or an extra content pack still open. “Maybe sometime down the line, we’ll take Rico into the modern world of multiplaying,” Sundberg said.
In fact, it seems like Avalanche might already be working with Square Enix on that front. Square is still prepping its cloud-gaming service Shinra Technologies, but Shinra’s senior vice president of business Jacob Navok told Game Informer; “We’re working on a possible future collaboration with Avalanche Studios.”
Modder Cameron Foote, who was jointly responsible for the JC2-MP mod, was slightly more vague when asked about his interest in taking Just Cause 3 online. “We’ll see what happens,” he said.
Just Cause 3 is set for release next year.
