Far Cry 4 Map Editor No Competitive Multiplayer

While one of the main draws of the Far Cry franchise has always been the single player campaign, many gamers find themselves increasingly enticed by the multiplayer portion of each title. In addition to taking to online battlegrounds with friends, a key feature that has developed a strong following is that of the map editor. Unfortunately with the launch of Far Cry 4 drawing near, it has been confirmed that the game will not support some of these much-loved features upon release.

Much in the same way this past week has given new life to the debate of quality vs. quantity, an early Twitch stream of Far Cry 4 has sparked an increasing amount of vitriol regarding the upcoming game's map editor. For many, the ability to create maps that can then be used in competitive multiplayer is an essential component of the Far Cry experience. When the feature was not found in the early stream, fans took to the game's official forums en masse to criticize its absence.

To address these criticisms, Ubisoft Montreal creative director Alex Hutchinson took to Twitter to explain that budgets and timelines often make it difficult to include everything that one would like to. In the end, they are "always prioritizing" and trying to "squeeze in as much as [they] can." While not an alleviation of the frustrations of the game's map-making community, Hutchinson then went on to state that the game would be receiving post-release support.

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It may not be a concrete promise, but even the slightest glimmer of hope is something compared to nothing. With a map editor already present in the package, one can hope that competitive multiplayer support will make its appearance down the road as DLC, like "Valley of the Yetis" changes the game up. While Alex Hutchinson sympathizes with the map-making community, he went on to explain the central reason why competitive multiplayer support didn't make the initial cut.

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This is hardly surprising considering the amount of effort that has gone into crafting the narrative of the franchise's next iteration. The game is shaping up to be an incredibly chaotic experience, but there's a decidedly large focus on the single player campaign. While there will be a PvP mode, it doesn't seem to be as central to the experience. That is not to say though, that post-launch support can't help to augment this. Only time will tell.

Putting aside the issues surrounding its map editor, Far Cry 4 is shaping up to be a massive experience worthy of its name. From an expansive map to all manner of deadly wildlife, there's sure to be a ton to do outside of the game's core narrative. Add to this the game's unusual Guinness World Record and you have a title that's worth following.

Is a lack of competitive multiplayer support for the map editor something that will impact your purchase or not? Will you be spending more time in multiplayer or single player?

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Far Cry 4 launches on November 14, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

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Source: Alex Hutchinson (1, 2, 3), Far Cry Forums