“Elite: Dangerous” has been in the middle of some controversy lately. The game was originally funded through Kickstarter, where it was promised with certain features, among which was an offline mode – which, as was revealed in November, is not actually coming. This decision has upset many players who have invested in the game and were initially supporting its development, and the situation got so bad that some started requesting refunds from Kickstarter.
And while some were speculating that the decision was made in order to prevent cheating (although this doesn’t make that much sense in the context of the game’s mechanics), the truth seems to be slightly different, according to the game’s developer. Apparently, offline mode would simply be too much work at this point, and its inclusion would actually lead to the disappointment of fans – at least according to the statement made by the developer.
This was the result of changing development plans, according to a recent interview with Kotaku. The game’s mechanics were moving more and more towards the server side, making it too difficult to develop an offline mode where those things are still functional. As a result of this, an offline mode would have had to be implemented with many features restricted or completely removed, and according to the developer, that would have been disappointing to the game’s fans.
However, many were quick to point out that this statement doesn’t make a lot of sense, given that those restrictions were already warned about in the original Kickstarter – meaning that anyone who was hoping for an offline mode would have already been prepared to receive it in a more limited version.
The way refunds were handled by the developer was also criticizes, as the company refused to give out refunds to certain players, despite the fact that they should have logically been eligible for that. Many have expressed disappointment with the situation, stating that they would not support the company further, and the conflict seems to be ongoing.
The removal of offline mode has always been met with criticism from gamers, regardless if it’s a major release or a small indie game. But in cases like Blizzard’s, where they’re releasing a game with millions of dedicated followers who’re going to play it either way, they don’t have as much to lose as a small developer going through Kickstarter to fund their project. It’s particularly important to pay attention to such features when they’re explicitly promised, so it’s not very clear why the development of “Elite: Dangerous” has taken such a peculiar turn. Whether or not the game will prevail in the end is difficult to say at this point, although it’s still salvageable.