Just Cause 3 Won't Have Multiplayer At Launch

When open-world sandbox game Just Cause 3 is released next year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, it will not include a multiplayer mode, developer Avalanche Studios has confirmed. 2010's Just Cause 2 didn't ship with multiplayer support, either, although a group of fans--with the blessing of Avalanche and publisher Square Enix--released a multiplayer mod after the game's release.

In an interview with Game Informer, Avalanche co-founder Christofer Sundberg said he has nothing but love for the Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod, but explained that official multiplayer support for Just Cause 3 would have strained the developer's focus on making a great sandbox world.

"The mod is absolutely fantastic," Sundberg said. "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."

Though Just Cause 3 won't ship with official multiplayer support, Sundberg teased that a multiplayer mode could be added to the game post release, in a similar way to how Grand Theft Auto V's head-to-head mode was launched in October 2013, following the game's release a month prior.

"Maybe sometime down the line we'll take Rico into the modern world of multiplaying," Sundberg said.

One way Avalanche could introduce multiplayer to Just Cause 3 is through Square Enix's new cloud gaming initiative, Shinra Technologies. Interestingly, Game Informer reports that some of developers working on that project are set up inside Avalanche's office in New York City, suggesting that the companies might be working together on something new for Just Cause 3.

Shinra Technologies vice president of business Jacob Novak said one possibility that cloud gaming allows is to "enhance" games after their initial release. One example he provided was to introduce a multiplayer mode to a game that doesn't have it out of the box, which lines up with Just Cause 3.

Asked directly if Shinra Technologies was working with Avalanche on a multiplayer mode, Novak said, "We're working on a possible future collaboration with Avalanche Studios." He added, "I think it does make a lot of sense."