Sackboy: A Big Adventure will only include local co-op at launch

Online multiplayer support is coming in a free update before 2021, and some levels in Sackboy are ‘co-op only’

Online multiplayer support has been a thorny issue for some games recently, and the same can be said for Sackboy: A Big Adventure. While Sumo Digital is planning to support local and online co-op by the “end of 2020,” at launch, only two- to four-player local co-op will be included in the PS4 and PS5 game.

“We’ve made the difficult decision to delay the full online multiplayer functionality within Sackboy: A Big Adventure,” design director Ned Waterhouse said today on the PlayStation Blog. “The team have been working hard to ensure that online is the very best experience it can be for players and we just need a little more time to get it right so you can enjoy it to the fullest with your friends and family.”

Whenever I hear that online multiplayer is coming later (in this case, it will be added in a free patch shortly after launch), I get a little nervous. When it does show up, will it be stable? Will it need further fixes? It’s also worth noting that Sackboy will have “cross-generation multiplayer” on PS4 and PS5.

This delay doesn’t change my outlook either way – I’m still looking forward to Sackboy and I still think platformer fans shouldn’t sleep on it – but it is a bummer for anyone planning to go the online co-op route. I have an extra DualSense controller, so I’m good to go whenever I end up getting this game.

It’s not even a budget concern as much as it is a time issue. I don’t have enough!