PS5 Launch Title ‘Godfall’ Creates a Controversy Sony Doesn’t Need

• PlayStation Store states ‘Online Play Required’ for PS5 launch title Godfall.
• The official Godfall Twitter account has confirmed as much, but makes clear that this isn’t a ‘service game.’
• Fans have taken to social media to voice their discontent, notably at the always-online requirement for single-player.

Counterplay Games and Gearbox’s next-gen slash-a-thon Godfall will require a persistent internet connection regardless of whether you jump in solo or co-op.

The game’s official Twitter account confirmed as much after fans unearthed a troubling ‘Online Play Required’ stamp on the game’s PlayStation Store listing .

In response to people querying whether Godfall is a live service game and voicing their concern about the always-online requirement, the Twitter account noted :

“Godfall is not a service game, but does require an internet connection to play.”

While looter games incorporating some form of online requirement is nothing new, it’s a curious addition in Godfall’s case, notably for single-player mode.

Developers generally introduce such measures to keep tabs on progression and loot server-side to prevent the use of exploits in multiplayer sessions. With no PvP mode, the impact of players hacking their way to better gear and stats for co-op play will be marginal.

Would-Be Godfall Fans Aren’t Happy

The news has gone down well with fans, with many taking to the responses to voice their concerns. The always-online requirement for single-player is particularly contentious.

One onlooker points to how other online co-op titles have successfully incorporated an offline mode, even using the over-a-decade-old Demon’s Souls as an example.

As multiple people note, the measure doesn’t bode well for those looking to play Godfall years down the line, either.

Others raise concerns that Godfall is a service game all but in name.

Godfall looks solid enough but doesn’t reinvent the gaming wheel by any stretch of the imagination. It’s fair to say that Godfall won’t be contending for Game of the Year. An always-online requirement does no favors to a game that doesn’t offer all that much to begin with, especially one priced at $70 .