Two years on from release, plans to restore the original multiplayer modes in Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered have finally been laid to rest, with Saber Interactive’s chief creative officer confirming it won’t be happening.
The original version of the game was released in 2009, developed by Terminal Reality for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. In its initial release, Ghostbusters featured online multiplayer, allowing up to four players to engage in missions distinct from the main storyline, including capturing as many ghosts as possible in a set amount of time, or defending ghost disruptors as they charge.
However, when Saber Interactive released its remaster of the game in 2019, it launched without any multiplayer, with the developer instead focusing on preserving the game’s single-player campaign in the highest quality possible. Part of the reason for this was the poor state of materials for the multiplayer code – the mode had been outsourced to a different studio and had been based on an unfinished version of the main game.
Saber eventually found six different iterations of multiplayer code, with no indication which version had shipped. At the time of the remaster’s release, Saber’s VP of business development Matt McKnight told VentureBeat that although the company had no set plans to recreate the co-op modes, it was “evaluating” the possibility of doing so.
Now, speaking to MP1st, Saber Interactive’s CCO Tim Willits has finally buried any chance of the mode returning. Willits said, “This is something the team really wanted to include when working on that remaster a few years ago and had been attempting it, but the state of the original multiplayer code unfortunately just didn’t cooperate.”
“We did look into it but ultimately had to focus on recreating the single-player experience fans were expecting from us,” Willits added.
