Game developer The Coalition officially confirms the inclusion of split-screen co-op for PC players of the forthcoming third-person shooter Gears of War 4.
Last week, The Coalition held a preview event for Gears of War 4 which led to the game's technical director Mike Rayner to confirm that its PC version will have LAN support, as well as multiplayer crossplay with the Xbox One. Furthermore, not only will the forthcoming third-person shooter contain those features for its PC iteration, but also it was announced at the affair that it's set to support local split-screen co-op on the platform.
In describing the addition of the feature to Gears of War 4's PC version, Rayner declared it to be a "labor of love," and that The Coalition took it upon itself to incorporate split-screen co-op on the platform after garnering feedback from fans who wanted it in March for the launch of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Of course, making the option a reality for the forthcoming game wasn't necessarily the easiest thing to do, as the title's technical director explained why most studios avoid adding split-screen co-op for PC titles altogether.
"From a development standpoint, it is quite difficult to support. We have to deal with multiple inputs, we have to deal with focus, we have to deal with UI placement … developers have got to put some effort into it to do it right, it’s not just something you can tack on."
The addition of split-screen co-op on Gears of War 4's PC iteration ought to please many fans on the platform, especially after the Ultimate Edition's somewhat shoddy PC release. As a matter of fact, with the feature officially making its way into the game, a lot of folks will probably see it as yet another sign that Microsoft and The Coalition are attempting to stand by its word on intending to give the PC version the best treatment possible. After all, when Gears of War 4's graphics settings and menus for the platform showed up online, plenty of fans practically drooled over all of the customization options.
Perhaps the most encouraging news regarding Gears of War 4's split-screen feature on PC and Xbox One is that it won't be relegated to one particular thread of gameplay. As it happens, every mode will have split-screen capabilities, including, but not limited to the story campaign, Horde 3.0, and even the title's versus multiplayer.
Taking all of this into consideration, Gears of War 4's developers seem intent on delivering an experience that caters to almost every potential gaming preference once the title launches next month. While some may argue such a point, it's safe to say that The Coalition has at least given those who want split-screen multiplayer to make a healthy return some hope for future releases.
Gears of War 4 is set to launch on October 11, 2016 for PC and Xbox One.