Ubisoft is adding quite a bit to Ghost Recon Breakpoint, implementing prone camo, lifting teammates’ bodies to help them, and even different classes that players can switch between. While it’s playable both solo and in co-op, it seems that AI squadmates are no longer thing. Speaking to PCGamesN, Ubisoft confirmed that the player will have a drone to help them with Sync Shots, among other things.
But why, especially given Ghost Recon’s reputation as a squad-based shooter? According to community developer Laura Cordrey, there were “multiple reasons.”
“Firstly, we offered the option to turn off AI companions in Wildlands, and players really liked that full solo experience,” she said. “Secondly, with the story here [in Breakpoint], you’re stranded alone behind enemy lines, so we really want players to be able to dive into this fantasy. But we also offer the mechanics so that the game is fully playable in solo and co-op. Those who want to have the solo experience can, and players who want to have the four-player co-op experience can as well – we just want to offer as much variation as possible.”
But how does the storyline reconcile having three other people in your squad when playing online co-op? “When you do originally crash land on the island you come in on one of four choppers [so] for the narrative’s sake there are more survivors in the other choppers,” said lead dev test Sebastien Leprestre. Which sounds plausible.
However, given that your AI squadmates could help make things manageable in Ghost Recon Wildlands, it remains to be seen how the game is balanced around their absence. A proper solo demo showcasing all the things that the drone is capable of would definitely help. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is out on October 4th for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The PC version is confirmed to be exclusive to the Epic Games Store and Uplay.