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Infinity Ward has revealed that the multiplayer aspect of its current project, Modern Warfare 2, has been in development “since day one”.
And yet the Californian studio – which many observers say has found new heights in reputation – is still dedicating time on the game’s online play component.
Writing on his personal blog, Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling explained:
“As always, our internal QA team has daily multiplayer tests, in addition to company-wide nightly MP tests we hold from the moment MP is in a running state throughout development.
“Multiplayer has been in development since Day 1 of working on Modern Warfare 2, and this is the essential run up to launch when we’re playing everyday, hammering away on it to make sure it’s as polished as can be by launch.”
Infinity Ward’s apparent dedication to multiplayer gaming is part of a broader shift across the industry.
Where once multiplayer was considered subordinate to single-player campaigns, a growing number of publishers are seeing the benefits of players returning to the same game for months after purchase.
2K Games recently announced that it had enlisted Canadian developer Digital Extremes for the sole purpose of creating the multiplayer component of the upcoming Bioshock 2.
