Upcoming vampire shooter Redfall can be played solo, or in teams of up to four other players – but no matter which way you choose to play, you’ll need to have a steady internet connection. In a new Redfall FAQ page posted by publisher Bethesda, the need for an always-online connection for all players has been confirmed.
Even if the game is played solo in its entirety, persistent service is required. An active Bethesda.net account is also needed to play the game. This is likely a means to prevent players from pirating Redfall, and will likely also help players maintain their progression across different platforms and sessions.
According to Arkane, every player in a session of Redfall will maintain level progress, gear, and experience points – but only one player (the host) will gain actual story progression. All of this will be tracked via the game’s always-online internet connection, which will also ensure fairness amongst players.
Regardless of intention, it’s likely this feature will frustrate some players, particularly those with inconsistent internet or limited bandwidth speeds. In recent years, many games have implemented similar settings for players, to less-than-successful results, and loud outcry.
Read: Redfall officially launches in May 2023
Back 4 Blood launched as an always-online game, and was later patched with an offline solo mode after overwhelming feedback from players. Epic Games was forced to issue an apology after a similar situation with the single-player game, Control.
While the slim benefit of always-online requirements is clear, there is often vocal pushback against this feature. Whether Redfall will inspire similar outrage to Back 4 Blood and Control is currently unknown – but it’s something Arkane and Bethesda will likely need to consider as the game rolls out.
Currently, Redfall is set to launch for Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC on 2 May 2023.
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