Frontier removes offline mode from Elite: Dangerous

The crowdfunded game Elite: Dangerous will not get an independent offline mode. Developer Frontier Developments believes that the mode would become unacceptably limited and too static compared to the online mode.

The goal of the developer of Elite: Dangerous is to have all players play in the same universe and player actions therefore influence the development of that universe. In order to create such a world, Frontier Developments says it is important that the gamer’s discoveries match the findings of other players. The developer reports that it is therefore necessary for the player to connect to the Elite: Dangerous server from time to time.

The decision is still being followed up on the developer’s forum. The entire system of Elite: Dangerous would rely on the online servers and furthermore, the size of the data would not translate into an acceptable offline version of the game.

Frontier Developments previously announced that Elite: Dangerous would support an offline mode. It was immediately noted that the player could not use certain functionality.

Elite: Dangerous is the sequel to Elite, which was released in 1984. The game will be released for Windows on December 16; the release for OS X systems should follow a few months later.