COMMENTARY - Hood: Outlaws And Legends Not Supporting Cross Platform Invites Is A Big Mistake

Missing a trick.

By Jay Tee
15/04/21

At the start of this console generation, I developed a real hunger for new IP. It Takes Two and Knockout City are two examples where said hunger has been thoroughly satiated, and Hood: Outlaws and Legends is primed and ready to be next on that list. The problem is, it’s launching with a rudimentary cross play implementation that lacks cross platform invites or progression, and as a result feels like a squandered opportunity which could potentially hamper early support.

Now, to be clear, I think it’s doing a lot of things right: a gritty visual aesthetic, clever randomised elements to make each round feel fresh, the complete absence of microtransactions, and a smartly priced budget release. But when you’re launching a multiplayer only game, with grand plans for free updates, seasonal content, and ongoing evolution, segregating your community seems like a step in the wrong direction.

Gaming as a whole is becoming an increasingly crowded space, and when titles like Fortnite, Rocket League, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends, right through to games with smaller dev teams like No Man’s Sky, World War Z, and Dauntless are all capable of implementing cross play the right way, it’s sort of baffling that Hood is taking this approach.

Competition is fierce, and if there’s barriers to entry like this that could have been avoided, it makes players less likely to jump in because their focus is already being pulled in multiple directions. The idea that I can’t actually party up with my friends on other platforms, even though when I jump into matchmaking it will be part of a shared pool across devices, is sort of bonkers to me?

I can understand if there’s budget limitations that prevent the kitchen sink from being included out of the gate. But if that’s the case, I believe cross platform invites should have been a greater priority. I’d have happily waited longer for the launch of the first Battle Pass, or any of the planned seasonal content, if I knew that from Day 1 I could actually play and enjoy this game with my pals wherever they may be.

With any luck, the talented team at Sumo Newcastle will get this sorted further down the line. But for the time being, my worry is this will deflate some initial enthusiasm and prevent Hood from assembling a connected community from the outset.