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Mass Effect Andromeda Multiplayer Will Not Support Dedicated Servers
Mass Effect 3’ co-op multiplayer was a pleasant surprise, which crossed over with the single-player story mode in a clever and meaningful way, while remaining entirely optional. Mass Effect Andromeda, the first current-gen entry in the series, is aiming to be bigger and better than its predecessors in every way, and that extends to its online component.
However, BioWare’s next space opera won't have dedicated servers. Producer Fernando Melo confirmed as much in a Twitter response to a fan, stating that "MP is Peer to Peer (same as ME3).” In the same tweet, he also shot down the possibility of cross-platform play, so PlayStation users won't be able to save the galaxy with their Xbox brethren.
@tibermoon @Tinkham11 crossplay not in the current plans, sorry. and mp is peer to peer (same as me3)
— Fernando Melo (@DiscoBabaloo) January 27, 2017
Mass Effect Andromeda is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 21. To learn more about the game, visit our cover story hub here.
[Source: @DiscoBabaloo]
Our Take
Mass Effect Andromeda's multiplayer is focused on players cooperating to take down A.I. opponents, so having dedicated servers isn't as critical as it would be if the game was more focused on PvP. As for the potential of universal cross-platform multiplayer, it's surely more complicated than a switch that a developer can simply turn on. For now, despite a handful of games allowing some form of crossplay (Street Fighter V and Rocket League among them), its widespread adoption remains a pipe dream.
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