Speaking to Game Informer at the Tokyo Game Show, Grasshopper Manufacture director Goichi Suda aka Suda 51 was asked about his thoughts on what he expects with the next generation of consoles, namely the PS4 and Xbox One. Suda talked about going beyond the typical notions of multiplayer and actually emphasizing the relationship between players.
“If I were to use a term it would probably be ‘beyond multiplayer’. Right now multiplayer is set to that we’re connecting together one person with another person, and I think with next-gen the opportunity is there to create something in addition to that. So you’re putting two people together and these people are just playing together, but what is the relationship between these people?
“There’s another layer to that you can add. To go beyond putting one person with another person. Not just the connection but having an actual… I want to say ecosystem. Placing two people together in a room is simple, but the type of relationship these people are going to have is completely different. I think having that relationship is an additional layer that next-gen is going to be able to provide.
“Right now, we are all connected, but with next-gen I think you are able to connect with pretty much anybody in the world, and maybe between just a handful of people there’s this group with a really emotional relationship, and you’re able create something so deep that it affects your gameplay as well. That’s something I think will happen with next-gen, and that could probably change the gameplay experience depending on who you play with.”
How will it play out, especially considering that Grasshopper Manufacture hasn’t been going great guns with the recent Killer is Dead bombing in sales and with critics? We’ll find out, especially since Grasshopper is developing Lily Bergamo exclusively for the PlayStation 4.