It has been revealed in the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine, that this year's entry to the Tomb Raider franchise, Rise of the Tomb Raider, will offer no multiplayer experience.

In 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot, we saw a newly introduced multiplayer package, pitting teams of players against one another, in arena maps. These maps were populated with traps and gadgets inspired by the singleplayer story, and while the gameplay had unique elements, this section of the game felt rather tacked on. The multiplayer development for Tomb Raider was outsourced to Eidos Montreal, a separate team than those who worked on the core campaign.

Now, thanks to OXM, it has been revealed that Rise of the Tomb Raider will ship with no multiplayer experience, unlike its predecessor. This cutback means that extra time can be put into the singleplayer gameplay, expanding on what is obviously the focus of the game.

"With multiplayer cut from the experience, Crystal Dynamics needed to make this core campaign as entertaining as possible”

While it’s always a sad sight to see features cut, the reasoning behind this move is clear. Personally, not long ago, I revisited the Tomb Raider reboot late last month on PC, and failed to easily find a game with a reasonable amount of players. Innovation in the last title was welcomed, however with the population so low, it is hard to justify a return of multiplayer.

Rise of the Tomb Raider releases this fall, on Xbox One and Xbox 360. For those hoping to pick up the title, the most recent entry to the series, titled 'Tomb Raider' will be free with an Xbox Live Gold membership on Xbox One this month, in anticipation for the release later in the year.

Source: OXM Issue #128 via Gamepur | Image: Crystal Dynamics