Why Are Racing Games So Online?

[@myfrom]

*Release almost exclusively online only games Executives: wow almost everybody plays online only games, they must love it!

[@DiagonalCoff33]

10/10 logic XD

[@SpiderMax95]

I'd pick playing single player against braindead AI opponents over being rammed off the road by a 12 year old with anger issues any day of the year.

[@simeonyves5940]

Same! Single Player Only!

[@awakeandwatching953]

naaa nothing has matched the intensity of ranked online sim racing in vr with a DD ffb wheel.. even with rammers or just bad/rookie drivers its still worth it.. if you have a wheel get asseto corsa 1 with the dlc for like 15 buck and join LFM.. by far the best free competitive racing league

[@SouthernR0cker4Life]

GTA V has the option of Non-Contact in their Online Races.

[@nameinvalid69]

yea I freaking hate those people abusing checkpoint in Forza Horizon, those unskilled swine only knows "ram to win".

[@unrealmagic6519]

@@SouthernR0cker4Lifenobody cares about gta racing.

[@Humanny378]

split screen is peak multiplayer experience

[@mixy4244]

True, i spent long hours playing Crash Time 5 : Undercover split screen with 2 of my older brothers, truly an unforgetable experience

[@invisibleloveone]

That is why Mario kart is still a legit multi-player racing game.

[@NFSBeast2365]

Absolutely

[@Dar1usz]

yeah especially when games been dropping frames / had reduced quality to keep up with 25 fps / you had just half of screen naaah as i remember people always wanted to break from this chore multiplayer idea of splitting screen in half, thats why pc games from around 2000 era become so popular and splitscreen been abandoned it was just temporary solution but i understand nostalgia, when u been playing with friends in real life, eating pizza and playing game on same console but i would not agree it was peak mp exp :P

[@whitt7451]

Maybe when you were a kid but if you actually want to try then it sucks lmao. I need the whole screen to see where I'm going

[@D1GU5]

The death of the Crew wasn't the first sign, but Driveclub was. So any modern game could end up in a graveyard in the near future, and you won't be able to play them to compare and see if the new ones are garbage in comparison. You can't progress unless you preserve your legacy.

[@travisbickle4360]

Incredible Game. Even today, driving in rain in that game is unrivaled

[@bagelbomb1887]

You can still play Driveclub today I play it from time to time.

[@travisbickle4360]

@@bagelbomb1887 Yeah, I game on PC now. My playstation is busted. Hopefully soon Ps4 emulation gets better

[@mark.082]

Driveclub, despite the studio being disbanded and servers havinng shut offYou can grab a copy and run it just fine.

[@utubecop11]

@@bagelbomb1887 If I bought a disc copy of Driveclub today, how much game is there? How much is missing?

[@LoLguy545]

NGL I never expected GT7 to have 4 player splitscreen on ps5 AND working 2 player splitscreen on fucking PS4 PD are wizards in this regard

[@brandonchase7273]

Massive acknowledgment and respect to them in a world of racing games with online multi-player only.

[@marcellogiovannini9072]

Even if NFS The Run got a good single player it was too short, and to unlock most cars you still needed to play online. And don't forget about GRID Legends, it has a great single player too and the multiplayer / online is completely optional.

[@spongebobfan78]

But hey, there's the Wii version with its split-screen multiplayer, even if that version isn't good.

[@kanizfatemaliza9482]

I love the run🎉

[@douhgremuro150]

​@@spongebobfan78better than the 'mainstream' version tbh

[@nameinvalid69]

what? there more car locked behind online mode? lol, finished the single player mode a couple times, didn't knew about the online unlock part, only played a little bit of online as internet here suck ass back in the days

[@derzadty]

Just like MotorStorm Apocalypse when you must go online to unlock everything like cars and custom parts.

[@miata0363]

Gran Turismo is trying to keep split screen alive. When the game launched, it only had 2 split multiplayer. But for some reason, they added an update to add 3 and 4 screen multiplayer, which is really weird but welcoming. Also, at least with Gran Turismo, when the game ends, they add the last uodate to play it offline like Gran Turismo Sport, but I would still prefer to be offline to play single player mode.

[@haaxxx9]

Wait WTF GT7 have 4-Player split screen?! That's insane!

[@floreroafloreril1458]

​@@haaxxx9I say this with burning pain on my soul, but 3 and 4 split screen is only available on PS5.

[@SantosOverlord]

@@floreroafloreril1458 likely hardware limitations

[@ZoomieDeer]

Don't forget LAN multiplayer, and player-hosted servers, neither of which rely on the game being supported

[@alenny1740]

and that's why old games like Doom & Classic NFS are still alive.

[@Exodus5ive-Zero]

Ace Combat Infinity, you're missed... For those who don't know, it was an arcade flight-fighter that was also online-only and had its plug pulled in a similar fashion to Crew 1. Sure Ace Combat 7 came out right after, but it's still a shame no one can go back to play it because the servers got shut down. The game may have a smaller niche than racers, but it still should've been taken as a warning of things to come. (Edit: I'll be honest, I never actually played the game. I just watched an Ace Combat retrospective, learned of its existence, did research and watched gameplay. It looked and sounded fun (except for the whole online only and fuel credits system). I wish I could've experienced it for myself.)

[@hitpeppens2932]

Oh AC Infinity. Free-to-play. Bought the single-player story campaign, loved the co-op online multiplayer. I remember many people hoped for SP content to be available after server shutdown. Well, still got it installed, but it just tell you in the main menu something like "thank you for playing, servers closed". Wasted money on SP content, but still, it was worth it. And yes, thanks to Infinity, there is AC 7.

[@NCC-0000]

Tbh AC Infinity played as almost any current cheap Japanese game / mobage to raise funds: A gacha game with lootboxes and multiplayer events just to make people spend more money and fund the real Ace Combat 7. And cheap fanservice too, some examples are Pokemon Go, Pokemon Masters EX, Fate Grand Order, etc. Sorry to say this, but AC Infinity was destined to be doomed and just as an stepping stone for something bigger.

[@nova3530onyt]

As a long time ace combat player since it's inception. It pains me that I can't own a physical copy of it like the rest to play when I want. You can't even emulate it. It's such a shame. It had so many great throwbacks to the series legendary missions. Loved it. Sadly many missed it due to ps3 exclusivity. Online only games are a poor choice. No one in future generations can ever access them.

[@jeremiaas15]

I used to have a job in which I had 12h shifts 4 or 5 days a week (plus 1h commute by 2 buses and a tram in one direction) which led me to discover the ultimate relaxation technique- playing racing games on lowest difficulty while listening to audiobooks or video-essays. I'm yet to meet anyone working-age who'd contest that in any way. I recon racing games in recent years are, more often than not, aimed at people who have much too much free time.

[@ImmobilisDignitas]

I'm 29 and play various kinds of games. Though, I spent a lot of time on Assetto Corsa on PC for example. I do enjoy playing certain games with some ASMR or something relaxing through my ears to ease the stress of the day or to truly get into that space of ME TIME. While I love Skyrim, or something super chill, I do like to play fighting games and action rpgs to enjoy the fighting and combat. I just need to mentally unwind, which is why I don't play games that are prone to making people super ticked off or are mega hard since I want to enjoy myself, not stress out even more. It isn't worth it, but for those who can do that, that's great, it just isn't for me. I don't need some trophy or sense of accomplishment in a game, I just want to have fun and relax.

[@alexamderhamiltom5238]

I work 13hours a day, commute 1.5 hours a day with my bike, then listening to youtube videos while driving in forza 4 for 45minutes before sleep.

[@hey_manny]

That’s what I’m saying. Like honestly who has the time to sit and complete battle passes and time limited events other than kids and complete shut ins?

[@TunaIRL]

​@@hey_manny I've yet to see battlepasses or time limited events that are mandatory in a game. Just sounds like you're suffering from FOMO?

[@hey_manny]

@@TunaIRL I was talking specifically about NFS Unbound which not only has both but all it’s new content tied exclusively to multiplayer

[@Diamond-um6mg]

That last bit about split screen multiplayer being the best advertisement really spoke to me. I discovered Driver San Francisco and Blur when I played and thoroughly enjoyed them spilt screen with someone, the former with my cousin and the latter with my childhood friend. It was these experiences that led me to get the games myself and play them for countless more hours on my own. Honestly, some of best gaming memories have been from split screen multiplayer and it’s been really sad seeing it disappear not just from racing games but from other types of games as well.

[@janosd4nuke]

Damn, remember those days on my friend/flatmate's Xbox360 I showed him Blur, and he showed me Minecraft which we soon migrated to PC LAN. Fastminer would be proud of that combo :D

[@BloxWich]

Serp, you hit the nail on the head with this one! 🎯🚗 The shift toward online-only racing games has definitely created a weird norm, and it’s refreshing to hear someone call it out. Your breakdown of why the genre needs more offline diversity is spot on. Here's hoping developers start to strike a better balance between online and offline experiences in the future! 🌐🎮

[@kuby29]

Grid legends has a fantastic story mode and the multiplayer is completely optional (but incredibly fun as well), yet that game is being completely ignored by the wider racing game community.

[@saiko953]

this, grid legends is unironically one of the best recent racing games

[@b.1570]

GRID Legends could have been much more. As much as I enjoy it since it's a much better GRID 2019 I still have have my criticisms. it's just a GRID 2019 with a story mode. Since you pay around 60$ 70$ for that game that had zero market and released on the worst time possible. That's why it had fallen to obscurity.

[@simeonyves5940]

They removed Moscow or Renamed it to something Fictional? No? then it should not even be on Sale!

[@contra7631]

Because it didn't had good marketing and also released on when many popular game released like elden ring.

[@invisibleloveone]

Yes! I enjoyed Grid Legends more than the F1 breakpoint campaign. That was a fun single-player experience.

[@Dexter01992]

Forza Horizon 4 and 5 made me despise the idea of "social" in racing games (can't exactly be "social" between players with ramming mentality and devs censoring liveries for the sightliest amount of provocative theme). NFS Unbound made me feel like a "B-class customer" for wanting to play single player only. Gran Turismo 7 quite literally turned out to be an online shop of overpriced 3D models of cars you pay 80-100€ just to access. It's been 2 years since last racing AAA game I bought. I'm sticking to Assetto Corsa with mods, steering wheel and VR. Enjoy a drive once in a while until I go do something else.

[@Theferrariguy]

Let's hope AC Evo dosnt need an online connection all the time

[@johnmcshane4463]

I dont really understand the whole forza horizon online thing tbh. Like the amount of time ive spent interacting with anyone in the open world map is .0001% of actual playtime. Not to mention the whole split server based on map location is the worst idea ive seen for an online open world game. Basically guarantees theres no interaction between players.

[@Andrometer_]

Tbf devs censoring liveries is better then what is in The Crew 2 and Motorfest Ive seen Nazi symbolics (on planes mostly), i believe some amount of racism and actual fucking hentai on cars And this is a 12+ game💀

[@simeonyves5940]

@@Andrometer_ Microsoft has an Extremely Strict Policy on Forza called "Forza Safe Space" that indeed *Forbids* that kind of Content to the Point that making it is Grounds for a *Permanent* (999 Years) Xbox Live Ban! I hate to sat this, but, Microsoft actually gets a lot of things Right, and that "Forza Safe Space" Policy is one of them!

[@Philip.Magnusson]

Online is a great secondary function, but it should never in any way come before anything else as the polls have obviously proven. Sadly, developers probably won't adhere to those opinions due to greed of income from online passes and what not.

[@randomdudeface]

It scares me that NFS 2015 is almost 10 years old.

[@punishthemeatpocket]

NFS 2005 Most Wanted is nearing its 20th anniversary. I still fire that game up and it kicks so much booty.

[@flawlesspwrs]

my best memories of racing was playing gt sport with my friends using 2 player split screen, not having it as an option at all is criminal.

[@neonsamurai1348]

Honestly I am sick to death of live service racing games. They suck all the fun and enjoyment out of the game by endlessly pushing you to grind and do their stupid events every week like it is an unpaid job, even going as far as forcing you to play against other players if you want that cool new car. I can appreciate a game like iRacing for what its multiplayer brings to the table (even if I think they should drop the subscription given the price of cars) but the rest of them, no thanks.

[@simeonyves5940]

You just summed up, and Perfectly, why I think Live Services, FOMO Mechanics, and Multiplayer Locked Rewards should all be made *Illegal* !

[@tomix4694]

I don't know how Trail Out, an indie game had a split screen for 2-4 players. Also I like that GoG gives you files to install the game when you buy it, so they cannot take it from you like with The Crew

[@juanrecio5862]

The last racing game that I played to a 100% was DriveClub. Never needed a connection to enjoy the single player campaign that it offered and the online features that always saved players runs and deliver those as challenges was amazing, you didn't have to commit to being online or get out. Asynchronous online features was the perfect balance for me and just receiving casual challenges kept me coming back instead of it being a dedicated mode.

[@kisumiri]

i think forza horizon 2 and 3 did it pretty well: solid singleplayer campaigns that could also be completed in multiplayer _if you want to._ main thing it's missing is split screen

[@EdgyPlayer42069]

It’s funny how online games were designed around bringing gamers together, but have resulted in gamers drifting apart more than ever.

[@ileutur6863]

I can't stand the tangline "play with your friends". I have an average circle of gamer friends and NONE of them are even remotely into racing games. Most gamers out there play conpetitive FPS or fighting games, or something else completely unrelated to motorsports. I'm not gonna be playing with friends, but with strangers

[@senorlechuga8832]

Ngl props to Polyphony for keeping split screen and increasing to 4 players on GT7. Devs mostly don't really care anymore about this stuff because online is a thing, and because they need to optimize the mode and rendering and blablabla. And it can be done, Dirt 5 done it, but come on man. Hell actually, I just noticed that some games don't even let you play a quick/custom race anymore. Just career and online. Like what's the point

[@JDumbz]

This Online-Only bullcrap needs to go, it's clear that these Devs don't know how to do them correctly to begin with. Even with a single player, they tend to screw up the whole online matchmaking to begin with.

[@nikitamedvedev4696]

Does anyone remember "autolog" feature in NFS: Hot Pursuit? It was heavily promoted at the time as social tool and "enhancing experience". Only it failed and abandoned since Heat. The whole always online feature is always has been a tedious experience that deliberately made in such a way that you would pour the money as to deal to this issues like grinding, locked content and insufferable audience. Thanks this to mobile games microtransactions and especially GTA: Online financial success why we see this garbage everywhere. I think the best multiplayer games, especially in racing games, belongs as optional feature and a lot of late 90s-late00s games had both single and multiplayer options, only later remaining as only one of them depending on game itself. Better to bring back LAN party, split-screen or optional coop (not that thing that was popular in late 00s-early 10s) and bringing single player as the main feature.

[@jinx3709]

Racing is the only genre where I absolutely despise having online, people always try to screw you up, no matter what, unless they are ghosted. Then again, there's another bigger issue, the leaderboard feature. Hackers always post unimaginable lap times which drastically reduces experience.

[@johnmcshane4463]

yeah, sportsmanship gets thrown out the window pretty quick, especially since most racing games devs/publishers have little or no concern for people hacking their game or ruining the experience for others. forza has famously had negative progress in trying to deal with hackers, opting for leaderbboard wipes and overzealous and inaccurate algorithms to try and weed out cheaters, but usually getting legit players instead, in addition to some wild moderation policies, and favoritism involving certain dishonest players and community managers in tournaments. not to mention the bugs that allow someone to post 1 second lap times without any hacks because they don't know how to differentiate between custom tracks and base game tracks. and thats just one game, motorsport 23 has its myriad of problems with bugs and broken penalty systems, and lack of content compared to older titles, acc has its own cheating issues, you'd think that part of the "games as a service", or "always online" features would include things like live monitoring and moderation of any less than innocent behavior, but apparently that just applies to "paid dlc" and "shutting down servers".

[@maidoll_fei]

@@johnmcshane4463 Xbox pushing gamepass on PC but they forget about pc cheating problem.

[@jordansis0257]

The abundance of always online open world racing games is making the genre so stale. I just want some more unique arcade racers to change it up a bit. Some of my favourite ever racing games are burnout paradise and the Motorstorm trilogy as they were just pure chaotic fun with a really unique set up and to think that we are multiple years into the ps5 era and we still haven’t had anything close to the fun I had with racing games during the ps3 era

[@saddemon3913]

Even Asphalt Legends being online pay to win game have split screen multiplayer, but on Switch only, which is kinda sad

[@itsabdullahkhalid]

It really sucks when you live in a country with slow internet. It was easier when I could play split screen with my friends and family.

[@Swagceus]

If Ubisoft hadn't been greedy and selfish by shutting down The Crew there wouldn't be as much backlash about racing games being online only. They accelerated this discourse by revoking access to a game WE payed for.

[@ventilo1825]

And good news, there's a new Tokyo Xtreme Racer coming up for those who want something different ! Also despite prefering solo games I'm very curious to see if TXR is gonna have multiplayer modes, that could be a great game for multiplayer

[@adlibbed2138]

techincally Import Tuner Challenge has one, due to the fact it counts as TXR game due to it's Japanese release EDIT : fingers crossed TXR won't be another always online slop like The Crews, FM23, NFS 2015, and The Day Before Solar Concord, because that way the genre is officially perished if that happens

[@alenny1740]

Let's hope it isn't another mobile game

[@adlibbed2138]

​@@alenny1740or worse, another always online slop like TDUSC did

[@AsianKid99]

@@alenny1740 It's a PC game and lately they have been revealing new cars each week and they are doing a gameplay reveal possibly this week. You can wishlist the game on Steam and hope they release it console at some point. It's a reboot of TXR.

[@kingjimsixsix5]

Great video, online racing has its place, but for game developers it is an easy out, they no longer have to bring you a good experience, good story, characters, action sequences, they just provide you with the tools and let you seek out your own experiences, it can often leave games feeling empty and soulless.

[@Cipher422]

Split screen and local multiplayer, in my opinion, should still be a standard feature in games despite the rise of online gaming. Sure you can find new friends through online play, but there is still something special about being able to play with people in the same physical room. It’s not just about the games, it’s about the special memories and camaraderie you form while the playing games. You could share snacks, drinks and laughs etc. Me and my younger brother have totally different tastes in games, that’s why it’s more common for us to take turns and have time shifts whenever we were using the PlayStation our dad bought during the weekends when we were kids. But, there were the occasional times when we had fun when we play split screen or local multiplayer on certain games where we work together or have a friendly (well most of the time 😅) match. Those times and memories are irreplaceable, and those allowed me to bond with my brother.

[@Dar1usz]

Split screen is dead bro and u are wrong, if people want to play in same room nowadays, they just take their gear to friend house and play there all together. I can see nostalgia blinding you, but it hits so hard u are not even aware of being wrong :D

[@BobbyDerBraumeister]

I love Offline-games. It give you the Opportunity for modding etc. But guess, if TDUSC had an Offline-mode and would be moddable, mods couldnt fix this pile of SH** xD

[@adlibbed2138]

never underestimate what modders we're capable of, if they managed to enhance Escape From Tarkov via SPT with mods (to the point they even implement bipod stances before the actual Tarkov itself implemented it in the current wipe), the same can also happen with TDUSC as well

[@Bapa_nada]

The problem with splitscreen (from the point of devs/publishers view) is that 2 people can play while owning one copy, such a no no nowadays

[@_blankface]

TDUSC/Nacon successfully created the world's first single player MMO

[@chrls.1093]

I don't think it was so successful...

[@freesokol_7933]

MMS, not MMO. Massive Multiplayer Sh*t.

[@adlibbed2138]

​@@freesokol_7933MMS, that's the term I haven't heard for a long time

[@Josh_Quillan]

Massively Singleplayer Online

[@maidoll_fei]

@@chrls.1093 that is a joke. The always online MMO with no players able to match

[@TyCal_]

I’ve had some good times playing games online but nothing can compare to playing split screen as a kid. Some of my best childhood memories were just me and my friends meeting up every weekend to play games like Project Gotham 2 and Smackdown Vs Raw together

[@diecastreviews11]

The racing game blur probably imo had the best split screen mode. It would let you play with 4 people, and man it was a blast. Trying to win against your friends in a powered up styled game like Mario kart was intense. Ngl I’d love to see you make a review of Blur

[@CarlRaven91]

Split screen was truly fun but is now niche! Last time I had a splitscreen gaming experience was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with my relative's kids on a Switch. Fun times! Online-only truly is a scourge in gaming, no matter what genre it is.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Yup, splitscreen is more niche than some people give it credit for as a lot of people would rather just play together at their own houses and it seems to be more of a thing either a family does or older friends who grew up with splitscreen. Always online also is one of the worst trends in gaming and will ruin every game it touches outside of multiplayer only game, but even then fan servers should be a thing

[@kimbroslic3]

Online is almost a requirement for racing simulators but I do agree that simcade and arcade racers can be great with a primary single player component. Great video as always

[@paulgraham7443]

With GT7, they might do the same as GT Sport with a patch, but why wasn't it at the start is beyond me

[@Ricys]

solar crown was not a complete disaster only because it's always online every single aspect of that game is unusable but i agree its one of it's biggest issues

[@Kyomu711]

Another issue you didn’t mention. Some racing games make you lose your some of your progression if you get disconnected from the internet. GT7 basically makes you lose all the money you won from a race if you get disconnected at least one second.

[@quv2035]

Don't forget about Hot pursuit remastered my friend being completely playable offline with an amazing single player experience

[@fasterthansound13]

SICK VIDEO! still the most underrated channel

[@UltraViolet_Moses]

Thank you, means a lot!

[@Mayank_Maximum]

I guess you won, best car related thumbnail is this

[@hgmd3284]

i have a conspiracy theory. everything is online only so we are forced to pay our internet providers forever to keep playing games.

[@piccoloatburgerking]

Truth be told, i don't think most of the racing game community wants story modes anymore. Any time i see posts and threads about it there are always top comments saying "why do you want story in a game about racing? just go play a story game then" and developers see this. They're not as oblivious as we'd like to think, we've simply become a minority now so online is taking priority.

[@Zhawn7]

Usually because the story modes in racing games end up being boringly generic or just actually trash. You rarely see ones that are good to excellent.

[@sagitta98]

Since racing games today rarely care about the story. I'm starting to appreciate them when it includes one. Especially Grid Legends with their TOCA Race Driver and Race Driver GRID homage.

[@benn87]

A single-player mode does not necessarily mean a story. What many people want is simply a motivating, fun campaign with motivating progression.

[@contra7631]

Having a story makes a game have a bit more personality.Like example cod bo4 was good game.But still to this day people complain about that game having no singleplayer despite cod was always played only for multiplayer.

[@crestofhonor2349]

I don't care about story modes in most racing games and that's not an unpopular thing to say. Some games where it's fine is Need For Speed because they've had one of years now. Many other games I don't care, I just want a fun campaign mode

[@johnhardly5499]

Mortal kombat is not split screen but it allows you to play with a friend on the couch

[@senseihEnRY16]

the best experience of playing racing game for me is split screen knockout tournament with my brother on NFS: Hot Pursuit 2 (BlackBox version of course). Kinda sad that 22 years later, no racing game come close to replicate the fun i had with that game.

[@UltraViolet_Moses]

It really was a golden age for split screen, and something sadly missing from modern titles

[@zodiac909]

It's ironic, since the games with Single player, offline content has outlasted all racing games that rely on "online only".

[@KurokishiOcelot]

I've always been something of a Crew apologist, I love what those games were trying to do, but their online focus was something that frustrated me, especially when TC1 did what we always knew it would do and got take down. On that part I'm glad that Ivory Tower seems to be listening and wants to preserve their games, as they announced both TC2 and TCM will get offline patches. But nothing on TC1. I never really liked buying multiplayer only games, I grew up without Internet so it was never an option. When I finally moved to the city and had internet I bought the crew games out of curiosity for dirt cheap, but it's also been a slap in the face for why always online is a mistake. And even if always online isn't a thing, your point on how it affects the campaigns life Forza or NFS unbound is spot on, both of those games disappointed me for feeling recycled. I hope all that changes in the coming years, but I will say it's not all gloom and doom, the indie scene may not hit the highs a triple A budget can, but there's lots of small scale, complete racing games out there that evoke that PS2 "just pick up and play" feel. Great video guys, looking forward to the next one! ♥️

[@UltraViolet_Moses]

Thank you thank you, hoping for a better future indeed

[@teertaa]

its not only games in general (not only racing games) having more "online or nothing" approaches, but they are getting heavier and heavier. Whether the game size and/or power required to run. I remember theres a rumour among both gamedevs and publishers of a certain AAA game if processing power optimizations are regarded as complete second thoughts.

[@stryker1797]

They hardly care about releasing a properly finished product anymore, so I'd say it's closer to fact than speculation that they don't even bother with optimizing the game's resource management.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Optimization comes later in the pipeline for certain things so yes the games are being released early in the case of some AAA games. Developers know it's not ready but publishers don't care and they want to meet the deadline

[@TwistedOreo]

Exactly why I’ll stick to Assetto, CarX Street dropped a month ago and you’re forced to have a online connection to play, even in settings to disable online players ghost in single player won’t do anything.

[@champagnesupernova1839]

if buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing

[@pinguilio]

Crazy how multiplayer is the focus of this video, and yet me and my friend can't seem to find a racing game to play together

[@Burnout_Kustoms]

1: because it supports community engagement, example: Forza with the trial and its multiplayer, and NFS Hot Pursuit with its online pursuit. 2: No one can’t make good AI anymore

[@minoassal]

The lack of split screen in most new games kills me

[@minoassal]

MAINLY NFS Hot Pursuit 2010!!

[@krishacz]

I would argue that Unbound did launch with a focus on single player, its online was so barebones you had to focus on the story to enjoy it. Its updates however...

[@SpriteSponsorship]

Split screen is such a good feature, I remember spending countless hours of my childhood playing split screen games with my family and friends, especially COD Zombies, but online-only has robbed modern games of that experience. I also find it weird that modern racing games lack social features (apart from some preset emotes/text blurbs) which makes the online experience a lot more soulless IMO, I think a racing game with proximity chat would be chaotic and fun

[@intensenationgames]

I'm a game developer working on an online racing game, thanks for convincing me to include split screen and offline support at launch for my game.

[@Pri11-k7l]

Finally a opinion that we can all agree with Edit : Gran Turismo 7 got heavily criticized for always online and but everyone's nerves did settle down when GT Sport earlier this year and a offline patch at the end of January and yes they said all progress will be stored on the console and they said it twice on their official website Everyone really hoped that ubisoft will learn about perseveration when GT Sport got a offline patch before they about to kill The Crew 1 but everyone eventually gave up and The crew 1 unfortunately unplayable which left the modding community to rebuild the The crew 1 servers on PC which result that The crew 2 and Motorfest will get offline modes after so much backlash Test Drive Solar Crown is just another nail in the coffin which felt like a punishment of no pausing during events , server issues and the overpowered AI The Crew 2 and Motorfest can actual pause which I never expect

[@AyamKrispy02]

Short answer is of course to boost sale. I remmember playing Motorstorm Apocalypse with my little bro for hours on my ps3, missed that time

[@NFSBeast2365]

That’s a really good point. I had so much fun playing games like Blur with family and friends. I wish split screen could return, especially to NFS.

[@87agomes]

GT Sport got a patch that allowed it to be played offline so I'm 99% sure GT7 will get one also

[@guruhegde7763]

6:07 still mad about Sony for delisting Drive club, but at least it’s playable offline but none of the dlc can be bought now 😢 even the offline only ones

[@alexzhang6530]

When you said your favorite memories in the beginning, my first thought was similar, gaming with friends. But in my mind they were Overwatch, Helldivers, Warhammer etc. What makes this a challenge for racing, is that unlike those team-based coop games, or games where you could go 1v1 against each other, racing is inherently a solo experience without much ability for expression. It is like playing COD but the only mode you have is Free-For-All, you don't interact with others and don't need to, as the existence of team-based racing doesn't make sense(or really fun in those games that implement them). So given that the only experience we get are the rankings, having an online mode doesn't change the way we play against solo other than being more aggressive with ramming. The only solution I could think of was how TDU2 implemented it with its lifestyle system, where online actually mattered in ways that aren't directly related to racing. In a stretch, make racing more like GTA as a next step evolution, unfortunately solar crown's failure likely killed all the left-over momentum for that franchise.

[@unrealmagic6519]

Free for all is my fav game mode

[@DiVoMeR_BG]

For me online only= Buy under 10$ if they can shut it down whenever, they don't deserve a cent over 10$. I paid over 100$ for The crew 1 and got what i deserved for trusting corpos, never again.

[@kingjimsixsix5]

Older games had split screen feature, while most people were playing on a tiny 12 inch display, now people are playing on 65 inch screens and games companies don't think to add the split feature.

[@Rockhoppr3]

I've been jumping back and forth between GT7 and GT4 and oh boy the difference between the amount of single player content between the two is astounding. The progression in GT4 is amazing, from starting off with an FF hatchback, it feels like I've earned the privilege to drive DTMs and JGTCs (currently working my way to the LMPs and open wheelers). By contrast in GT7, it feels like the single player mode is telling me "here's a bit of everything, now please go play Sport mode". Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed Sport mode from time to time but I'll always prefer playing at my own pace over going online and worrying I brake checked/rear ended someone or if they were the ones to brake check/rear end me.

[@Rafagafanhotobra]

Offline single player or split screen was THE way to go when we used to travel some 10 years ago. Many places didn't have wifi and still don't. If you're "stuck" with friends or family at a remote place with barely any internet, that experience goes to waste.

[@nothisistoni]

I've always been a massive racing game fan. Loved them. But the whole always online thing is the biggest issue besides the stagnation and everything being kinda same same. I'm not really mad about multiplayer stuff at all. I like racing in Multiplayer once in a while... But here's the catch: when the multiplayer is separate from the base game. I don't want other to interfere in my racing. I don't want to be forced to play with others. I don't want my online racing to affect my singleplayer content. I don't mind differing challenges or online competition features. Like I loved setting new records in HP2010, dethroning my friends. I think that's my biggest problem with modern racing games... Besides the "Oh you want new content? :) Well we've got weekly challenges that require you to grind and play the game EVERY week, because you don't wanna miss out on the content, because otherwise it won't be available to you anymore :3" The last racing game I bought was NFS Unbound. But even that was more of a "maybe I'll give racing games on last try" and was really not into it. It seems like modern racing games only try to cater to two groups: - little kids who have probably never played anything else and just don't know better and are also easier to target in terms of money making - the ones who've always been into game xy and just want the same over and over again anyway, because... Change is scary I guess?

[@FranciscoFJM]

I cant stand playing NFS 2015, but i KNOW that's the next game on the chopping block, and since the original dev is DEAD, there's no way it get an offline patch, and that's very sad. I dont think that game deserves to die just because EA fucked it over

[@lucasLSD]

online only is great for companies since you can stop mods by threatening a ban, forcing people do buy cars one at a time.

[@simeonyves5940]

They cannot stop mods now Sony *Lost* their Court Case, mods are now considered *Legal* !

[@LazyJesse]

@@simeonyves5940 what court case?

[@FR0Z0NEkeys]

terrible for the consumer because they’re stuck with a waste of a CD when the life of the game run its course, add the times the weather is bad or Internet is out and you can’t start the game. No thanks.

[@simeonyves5940]

@@LazyJesse Sony went to the Court in the EU and tried to make it so that Mods would be Illegal on their Games. Sony lost the Case, meaning Mods, up until now considered "Grey" in the EU, are now *Legal* in the EU.

[@OfMoonlightAndGrave]

Some of my most fond racing game memories from growing up is splitscreen cop vs racer on Hot Pursuit 2 with my cousin. And once I grew up Halo, Gears of War and Borderlands were gold standard couch co-op that I built tons of memories on. It pains me to see it practically nonexistent in games these days.

[@janogaminghun5254]

Updates and live-service has never been a good idea in my eyes

[@janogaminghun5254]

WE NEED GAMES TO JUST COME COMPLETE AGAIN!!!! UPDATES ARE STUPID! WE NEED GAMES THAT ARE BUILT FOR YOU TO *HAVE FUN* NOT FOR A *COMPANY'S WALLET*

[@simeonyves5940]

Live Services should be *illegal* IMO!

[@oli_gordon]

1:31 undercover on last gen had multiplayer with the wii version having 4 person split screen

[@ashe_regera]

Hopefully it's already been mentioned. Bit Ubisoft heard the peoples frustration about The Crew, and have decided that The Crew 2 and Motorfest will have an offline mode.

[@UltraViolet_Moses]

It's good to see a publisher listen to their fanbase and evolve their games, even if a bit late.

[@simeonyves5940]

Offline Installers as well! :)

[@triplusional2.0]

I always mentioned racing games should bring back a split screen because think about it, not everybody has internet play split screen. Even when I posted on Twitter, they should have split the screen again. I feel like a split screen should be optional only for offline offline game play with your friends. Online playing should be only well online, especially with updates. I feel like some things should be allowed not just for online but for regular play offline

[@thacool101]

On the split screen thing I think apart of this is resolution with how detailed they keep making everything rendering everything twice and at the speeds would either need insane load times or crunch of graphics with frame drops pop in and just overall lose of fidelity something that can definitely be ironed out but with the cruch of these studios i doubt they will put the time into it

[@LaCorvette]

This is why I stepped away from new games in general. I really only play the games that I have at home on disk like TDU1 these days. It has been since PS2 days that gaming was really evoking any genuine emotions. These days it's all just bland marketing trying to shove as much DLCs and microtransactions as possible down our throats. Just my opinion.

[@HistoricaLinux]

The best thing happened to me now is installing old NFS pentalogy (HP2, U, U2, Mw, C) on my old 4gb RAM machine. Trying latest mod and enjoyed them every night. Then I made video put it on my KZbin channel (this is) and fell happy because i can share it to the world.

[@SJJ1992]

Thats why Midnight club 2 is still the goat of racing games

[@raposonanquim7987]

In my opinion a Racing game needs two things, a fun gameplay and a kickass soundtrack! Think about it, from the 80's till the 2010's, your favorite racing games probably resonate with these two elements, Out Run, F-Zero, Mario Kart, Need For Speed, Driver, Burnout, Gran Turismo, Forza Horizon! All it need to be is fun, a driving feel that resonates with what the game proposes, and a soundtrack, licensed or not, that fits the game and complements the joy of driving, racing or crashing. Is that simple to me.

[@keegangossett2896]

It’s baffling that racing games are going to always online and have no split-screen when there are games like Call Of Duty which still has a split-screen feature and imo it makes less sense to have split screen in an FPS game. Some of my best memories were playing the split-screen tag mode on Midnight Club 3 with my dad or playing Blur every time my cousin would visit. IMO Split-Screen should be a thing with all racing games from the jump.

[@OldSchoolgamer49]

The lack of caring about single players does not only effect racing games, the M.U.T. portion of Madden killled the single players franchise mode. But back to racing, there is a reason I still own nfs most wanted 05 on disc, and nfs carbon on disc, and the reasonlI keep going back to nfs hot pursuit 2, Rivals, most wanted 2012. Yes I played most wanted 2012, it was not the sequel to the orrignal we all hoped for, but i also know, Criterion wanted to make that game into a sequel, it was the ass hats at EA that made them scrap it and release what we got. Oh and also thanks to those ass hats, we can no longer emulate any of the NFS games older than most wanted 2012 unless you already own it as you can no longer get the source ROMS. The rich ass hats found a way to block that now too. Anyways, my reason for sticking with older nfs games is because online people are toxic! If I didnt figure out how to play nfs rivals offline, I would not be playing it. Online is THAT bad! Especially, if you're new! All of these online players with their overpowered supercars targeting the new guy in his starter car. Yeah, thats fun! Single player all day for me.

[@KevLP]

The sad Thing is that this isn’t even a problem for Racing Games only and that not since recently either. Alot of Online Games cant really be accessed or lose their Purpose because the Servers have either been shutdown or because the The Crew Scenario happened… A few „now mostly or completely unplayable“ Games are Club Penguin, PS Home, ModNation Racers or of course The Crew 1 just to name a few. And its also a Shame that the Devs or Studios behind the Games mostly completely forget about those Games and dont even try to bring the Games back via making a new Title or ofc try to make the Servers alive again…

[@BeyondTheApexMotorsport]

First and foremost this was a phenomenal video Great explanation with good key details that got right to the point. I would like to push back on one point by factoring in sim racing. Since the pandemic there has been an explosion and sim racing games and equipment. The most expensive wheel and pedal setup used to be about $2,000 and now it's very easy to slip into the five and $7,000 range. On top of that more competitive Sims like iRacing and ACC. Many of these software titles include hundreds of dollars of DLC if not thousands for some of them and a lot of the player base is buying a lot of that content. It's a big signal to these companies that competitive online play it's a big deal. I would say Gran Turismo 7 is a perfect example wherein I actually think it's a great game and the main career was pretty enjoyable and long enough for me to be satisfied but I will strongly agree with you and say the idea that I needed an internet connection to play single player races didn't make a lot of sense but it does now because they officially support weekly race add-ons as well as daily races. For my understanding adding daily content to a game that doesn't have an always online feature is actually pretty difficult. Back in the day we had games where maybe you bought one or two or three DLCs and that was it but it's not like that anymore and people are expecting fresh new content from practically every game they play almost every week if not every day. Well some other people in the polls may say one thing I think their actions of the general gaming community say another. Once again though great video, Cheers and sorry for the TED talk

[@Suprasumo93]

I haven't watched the video yet but online play is essentially what makes people come back or just outright stay playing games these days, especially on a heavily live servicey and post content update world that we live right now. Amazing games such as Hot Wheels Unleashed 2, pretty much died out because of poorly implemented online as a lot of great indie races that don't release with a online component. Do a think it should be the main priority? Not really, but if they can make it work I know I can rely on that game for months to come.

[@FormulaProg]

The gaming industry always seems to be about 5 or 6 years behind on what customers actually want.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Considering how long some games take to make it's no surprise that the games we actually want sometimes are in early development now

[@TunaIRL]

​@@crestofhonor2349 Yes, a very rare thing to consider. The games people want nowadays, will go into production now, and only be ready years and years after. At which point the same people already want something different. It's almost like people think these things spawn out of thin air. Which makes sense as you rarely see the full development cycle.

[@ld9387]

Just give me a single player campaign like Gran Turismo 4. Is that too much to ask for😭?

[@simeonyves5940]

"Not Profitable enough" -Sony Computer Entertainment America :(

[@buxycat]

So, keep my PS3 and GT6, got it, thanks.

[@rexsong4835]

I think there are fundamentally 2 different groups of players in the racing game. The competitive type and those who just enjoy driving. I fall strictly in the competitive type so the only racing games I truly enjoyed in the past few years are Mario Kart 8 Delux (I don't care about being taken out by other drivers because it is what the game is about) and iRacing (it is forbidden to drive poorly). Neither of these 2 games have good single player content. I only play single player in these games to be better at multiplayer. I enjoy the way they are. I think there's a uniqueness in beating a real human. The emotion you feel when you win, lose, or crash is so much higher than any single player experience can provide. In single player racing games, winning is like grinding and losing is bad. In multiplayer games, coming second to last can be an unforgettable experience. I think it's the same reason why FPS games are now more and more multiplayer competitive focused. You don't get that many single player campaigns in FPS genre either.

[@TunaIRL]

I would say there's a 3rd group too, ones that enjoy both. I love being competitive yet also enjoy just playing something chill. Thing is, both are mostly only true with friends. If I play with friends who are competitive, I want to compete with them. If I play with friends who want to just drive something more relaxed, I can just chill with them. While single player campaigns and career modes can feel satisfying but if that same campaign could be achieved with real people, I think it would always be better. In a perfect world.

[@kentonbrewer3232]

WE DON'T WANT MORE RACING MMO'S! I don't understand how so many of these video game companies are just trying to copy the same formula of Forza Horizon. I'm done buying new games until they do away with the always online necessity. I don't want to lose my games when the publisher decides it doesn't make them enough money anymore. I'd much rather stick to my PS2 stuff where I'll have those games forever.

[@andrewbossie6976]

The problem is these devs arent asking what players want they're telling players what they want.

[@kubenjbcz]

Motorfest and The Crew 2 will get an offline patch and will still be playable, so I think the crew in the future will go this way from now on

[@simeonyves5940]

Offline Installers as well! :)

[@DeadBatteryRed]

I really wish more games had slitscreen I love that feature. Back in the early halo days I would play those campaigns nonstop with friends when they would come over.

[@boy-who-likes-bats]

i wonder, could it be that games are also so horribly optimized today that running splitscreen would be unplayable on local hardware?

[@motherurck7542]

That's pretty much the excuse

[@dmcpartlin17]

This is why i am an active patron of night runners. It isn't going to reach a huge audience, but that's the point. It has soul.