After E3 2021, the future of co-op games is looking pretty bright, as announcements and showcases ofgames likeRedfallandBack 4 Bloodshow that cooperative online multiplayer games are here to stay. Unfortunately, despite the cooperative nature of many upcoming games, very few of them seem to support split-screen couch co-op.
Earlier this year,the incredibly successfulIt Takes Tworeminded gaming enthusiasts just how exciting couch co-op can be. As such, it makes sense that many fans of the genre are disappointed about the lack of split-screen multiplayer in the many upcoming co-op titles. Here are five games that deserve to have couch co-op features that don’t look to be getting them anytime soon.
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Redfall
Serving as something of a mic-drop for Microsoft at the end of their E3 2021 presentation,Redfallis aLeft 4 Dead-inspiredvampire shooter by Arkane Studios. Though not much is known aboutRedfall, as it was announced with nothing more than a completely computer-generated trailer, it seems like it won’t support couch co-op. This is a shame, as the game seems to be built for playing with friends in the same room while players fight off the undead.
Halo Infinite
Released in 2001, the originalHalo: Combat Evolvedhelped establish couch co-op as an important part of multiplayer gaming in the Xbox and Xbox 360 era. However,the most recent entry in theHaloseries,Halo 5: Guardians, dropped split-screen co-op entirely. PlayingHalocampaigns and online multiplayer with friends in split-screen mode was a defining part of the Xbox brand, but it seems like the company might drop that aspect of the series for good. 343 Industries has promised thatHalo Infinitewill bring backHalocouch co-op, but there hasn’t been any update on that front in over a year, so it’s possible that, in the delay and shift in focus, the game might omit that feature.
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Bloodis the spiritual successor to the hit zombie co-op shootersLeft 4 DeadandLeft 4 Dead 2, so when it was announced thatBack 4 Bloodwould be skipping couch co-op features, some fans were disappointed. In an E3 2021 interview with Turtle Rock Studios executive producer Matt O’Driscoll, it was confirmed that the game will not have split-screen multiplayer. Still, it seems like if fans are vocal enough about the lack of couch co-op features, studios might look into patching them in like in the case withHalo Infinite.
Watching campy horror movies together with friends is one of the best ways to experience them, soEvil Dead: The Gameshould allow its players to experience it in the exact same way. While it hasn’t been confirmed that couch co-op will be missing from the game, there isn’t anything in its marketing to suggest that it will feature split-screen modes. WithEvil Dead’s nature as a somewhat quirky multiplayer-based survival game, it seems like a no-brainer to include couch co-op. At this point in time, however, its inclusion seems unlikely.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Now, clearly,Microsoft Flight Simulatorhas very little to do with the rest of the games on this list due to its genre. However, as it’s finally made its way to consoles this month, the game should get split-screen multiplayer support. After all, airplanes are complicated machines that require pilots to keep track of quite a bit, so it would make sense to add in a co-pilot update that allows friends to fly together and help each other out. There’s already co-op in the game, but players aren’t in the same cockpit together. Further, withthe console version ofFlight Simulatornot offering split-screen co-op of any kind, this addition would be welcome.
