Capcom pulls switcheroo with Resident Evil: Revelations 2

Offline co-op for the PC version is a no-go

No stranger to controversy, Capcom is again making the headlines of popular gaming websites after delisting an offline cooperative mode that was advertised for the PC version of the episodic Resident Evil: Revelations 2 prior to its launch.

It’s an unfortunate situation for those who were looking forward to playing the game locally with a friend. Our own Chris Carter seemed impressed with the feature in his review of the Xbox One version, going so far as to say that “local co-op is where it’s at.”

The features list for Revelations 2 on Steam shows assistive co-op play as being available, but the entry has been edited to remove any mention of co-op functionality after the game’s launch.

What customers see today when ordering:

• Assistive co-op play – Players will need to switch between the two characters (Claire/Moira, Barry/Natalia) to overcome the nightmares.

What customers saw before when pre-ordering:

• Assistive co-op play – Players will need to switch between the two characters (Claire/Moira, Barry/Natalia) to overcome the nightmares in either single player mode with an AI partner or offline co-op.

Alongside the updated feature listing, Capcom has also added a disclaimer at the bottom stating that online Raid Mode co-op functionality will be added at a “later date” and notes that “The PC version does not support offline co-op play in the Campaign or Raid Mode.”

Destructoid’s Brett Makedonski has been looking into the story for a few days now, reaching out to Capcom directly for clarification on the discrepancy between the console versions and PC.

While offering no comment on the issue pertaining to offline co-op on the PC version, a representative for Capcom did have this to say: “Regarding co-op for Raid mode for all versions of Revelations 2, the ability to play online will be patched into the game for free shortly after the final episode and retail release.”

At this juncture, no one’s quite certain on what the specific reason is for the discrepancy between the console and PC versions. According to a statement Capcom made to VG247, the decision to not include a local co-op mode for the PC version was to “ensure a stable user experience across a variety of different PC settings and devices,” whatever that may mean.

Following the vague PR-speak explanation provided to VG247, a Capcom representative recently responded to disappointed Steam users in an apologetic update on the game’s store page, and in it reiterated that online co-op was never intended for the PC version of the game.

While it’s looking extremely doubtful that offline co-op will ever make it to the PC, the representative did close by offering another vague, but encouraging-sounding statement: “We are currently looking into the matter and potential solutions and we hope to have new information to share very soon, so please stay tuned. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

I suppose “staying tuned” is the only recourse left to customers who’d purchased the title under the false impression that the feature would be present in the Steam version of the game. As the story evolves, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.