At E3 2013, “fully immersive” was the go-to marketing catchphrase used to characterize the dawn of the new console generation.

Consistent with the perfunctory facade of flashing lights and booming speakers which decorates the Los Angeles Convention Center year after year, publishers gleefully showcased their interpretations of what this elusive ‘immersive’ experience should consist of, as far as they saw it.

Be it enhanced visuals, or new engines; state of the art virtual reality support, or transforming living rooms into all-in-one entertainment playgrounds: this was next-gen as we’d come to expect. And if you didn’t know it beforehand, you surely did thereafter.

Assassin's Creed Unity E3 Co-Op Gameplay
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The implementation of online co-op seems to have thrust its way to the foreground of what now defines next-gen.

Fast forward a year, and the parameters which delineate the next-gen landscape appear to have slightly shifted. Gone are the days where flashier visuals, higher polygon counts, and equally greater frame rates solely epitomized new console cycles; these are now criterion we’ve grown to expect from each passing generation. Now, several months into the new generation, the implementation of online co-op and, most importantly, how it is integrated within the single-player sphere seems to have thrust its way to the foreground of what now defines next-gen. The concept - for better or worse - is something the games industry wants us to get excited about.

Leading the cooperative charge is Ubisoft. The majority of its latest and forthcoming titles lean heavily on the appeal of hybrid, seamlessly interchangeable single-to-multiplayer adventures. When it released earlier this year, Watch Dogs boasted competitive drop-in multiplayer bouts, accessible anytime via the protagonist’s cell phone, which allowed a welcomed layer of depth in addition to the game’s single player missions. What largely felt like a distraction in this instance, however, is something upcoming games Far Cry 4, The Crew, The Division, and Assassin’s Creed Unity are set to capitalize on, adopting more focused degrees of multiplayer/cooperative interplay. Ubisoft is of course not alone in this designated push, as games such as Bungie and Activision’s Destiny look to further the same modular diversity.

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Do we really need, or even want, such online co-op intrusion?

But all of this begs the question: do we really need, or even want, such online co-op intrusion? It’s all very well being told we need something, but another accepting its worth - one needs only look as far as Microsoft and its Xbox One U-turns over past year or so to appreciate how publishers can in fact get it wrong, on occasion. Is this boosted level of integration invading our single-player franchises?

“Co-op is a massive part of the new game,” said Alex Hutchinson, the creative director on Far Cry 4, during the game’s co-op gameplay trailer at this year’s E3. “It’s one of our big ways of opening up the open world and letting you play any way you want.” The demo showcased how players can join forces in tackling some of Far Cry’s best known features: outposts, fortresses, and towers, for example, without affecting the single player campaign. Like Watch Dogs, the cooperative inclusiveness on show here looked appealing, however it could be argued that playing “any way” we want should fall first and foremost under the canopy of single-player.

Likewise, since Assassin’s Creed Unity was first teased in March, Ubisoft has spoken rather candidly about its aim to incorporate online co-op features, while blurring the lines between the game’s single and multiplayer settings. “Playing with friends means that combat is cooperative, deeper, and more challenging,” said Lesley Phord-Toy, the game's producer, during Unity's E3 co-op gameplay trailer, perhaps suggesting the game will be less involving in single player mode. Unity’s single player E3 demo also concluded with the player being flanked by three other multiplayer allies, again suggesting single-player playthroughs will, or at least could, be seamlessly interrupted at any given time.

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When playing online, dropping in and out of games or playing in short bursts becomes increasingly difficult as you are suddenly partly responsible for other players’ experiences.

Granted, long gone are the days of huddling round the once coveted multi-tap at a mates’ house - hell, even local split screen co-ops are a dying breed, limited almost entirely to the indie spectrum - but why is it that we’re faced now with such enthusiasm for shared narrative? Perhaps the ‘always on’ rhetoric touted at E3 2013 has finally infiltrated popular opinion, or perhaps pushing social inclusiveness - Sony dropping the Start/Select makeup of its DualShock 4 in favor of its ‘Share’ button, for instance - is part and parcel of progress, much similar to how online multiplayer planted its flag amongst the FPS console ranks last gen. Whereas monetization is likely an influencing factor as far as plugging multiplayer settings are concerned, there is really no obvious fiscal motivation within the context of online co-op.

As a consequence, casual players will likely be those hit hardest by such insistent online cooperation. When playing online, dropping in and out of games or playing in short bursts becomes increasingly difficult as you are suddenly partly responsible for other players’ experiences, not just your own. Video games are the only medium where this interconnectivity has any level of profound impact, as watching Netflix independently from, but at the same time, as a friend has no real bearing on shared experience.

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That said, it’s unlikely that this concerted drive towards online co-op will be the death of the single-player mode as there are still plenty of games flying the solitary flag for single-player ventures. Games like Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto V show there is still a distinguished demand for solo campaigns in the open world array, whilst the indie sphere continues to create classic boutique adventures in the likes of The Stanley Parable and Gone Home.

Co-existence will ultimately be key, but games like The Division - Ubisoft’s highly anticipated upcoming MMO with a distinctive co-op focus - could determine whether this is easier said than done, as publishers continue to target the next ‘in-thing’ and the eighth generation marches forward.