Highlights
- Remnant 2, the sequel to Remnant: From The Ashes, is a co-op game that excels when played with friends in a squad.
- The question of whether Remnant 2 supports cross-play remains unanswered, which could hinder player adoption and success.
- A lack of cross-play in Remnant 2 may disappoint fans and limit the ability to play with friends on different hardware platforms, unlike other successful live-service co-op games.
Since its reveal at The Game Awards 2022, fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of Remnant 2, the upcoming sequel to Remnant: From The Ashes. Contrary to other Soulslike titles that are typically single-player focused experiences, Remnant 2 is very much a co-op game and truly shines when playing in a squad with friends. With many returning players to the franchise drawn in by the appeal of Remnant's co-op gameplay, the lingering question on many fans' mind is actually one that hasn't received a definitive answer from developer Gunfire Games. The title enters its early launch period today ahead of the official release of July 25, and whether Remnant 2 supports cross-play is still unknown.
The issue of cross-play is a prominent one for fans considering picking up a new co-op focused live-service title, as being able to play with friends is predicated on everyone using the same hardware if cross-play isn't an included feature. Remnant: From The Ashes notably featured cross-play, albeit in a limited fashion, with players limited to playing cross-play between hardware generations. While PS4 and PS5 owners could play together, they couldn't squad up with their Xbox console-owning friends. With other major live-service releases embracing cross-play, the apparent lack of that feature during Remnant 2's launch window may hinder player adoption.
In a Packed 2023, Remnant 2 Needs Cross-Play to Be Competitive
With no definitive confirmation from developer Gunfire Games on the title's support of cross-platform play, the possibility of Remnant 2 launching without the feature intact appears ever more likely. While there is still hope that the developer will add cross-play functionality in a future update or patch, there is also still the question of how that cross-play will function. Given that Remnant: From The Ashes only allowed for players to link up across different hardware generations from the same manufacturer, the implementation of fully-fledged cross-play in Remnant 2 would be a welcome addition. Not only that, with Diablo 4 still fresh in players' minds it's practically a necessity.
Woes about loot drop rates and class nerfs aside, Diablo 4's launch and first season have essentially been a rousing success. From a technical standpoint, linking up with friends and fellow clan members works seamlessly regardless of platform thanks to players' accounts being tied to their Battle.net tag. While Remnant 2 is a very different type of game coming from a developer that arguably doesn't have the same resources as Activision Blizzard, it is another game with co-op play as one of its definitive draws. For one of the year's biggest and most-anticipated co-op releases to arrive without cross-play is unfortunate in terms of its launch window success.
In the increasingly populated live-service co-op space, games that feature cross-play are automatically set up for greater success than those that don't, thanks to a lack of limitations placed on who players can team up with. While players who own multiple consoles and a PC have their pick of which platform to purchase Remnant 2 for, others may have to contend with one choice of hardware that, without cross-play, locks them out of playing with friends. For a co-op focused game that has a dedicated legion of fans from its predecessor, this lack of cross-play could turn off would-be players.
The safest option for players hoping to pick up Remnant 2 and get the squad back together is to agree on which platform everyone will purchase the game. However, with other live-service titles not requiring this kind of logistic alignment, it's a shame that the cross-play functionality featured in Remnant: From The Ashes wasn't at the forefront of the developer's priorities at launch. After all, Remnant 2 is only available on modern-gen consoles and PC, which should theoretically make implementation of cross-play a no-brainer without having to worry about multiple generations of hardware. With any luck, cross-play functionality will be present at the official launch on July 25 or added in a post-launch patch.
Remnant 2 releases on July 25 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
