It was revealed some time ago that Splatoon would not include voice chat for online multiplayer – a huge disappointment to many, as this has become a staple in the online shooter genre. As always, loud opposers have taken to the internet to voice their opinion, claiming that this will make Splatoon a freaking poop game that it will never compete with Call of Duty –– but with all the inappropriate profanity.
They are the reason.
As Splatoon co-director Yusuke Amano told Edge Magazine in an exclusive interview:
“When I played online games, I didn’t like the negativity I got and people telling me ‘You’re crap. Go away’. So we wanted to focus on the positive aspects of online gaming”.
The benefits of voice chat are clear: allowing players to strategize and give each other updates and feedback in-game. However, this comes at the price of allowing players to freely voice their frustration toward others. Amano felt that the aggressive skilled players would push away potential newcomers, ultimately limiting the game’s audience.
This is doubtlessly a huge omission, and I’m not sure the reasoning behind it is strong enough. At some point you have to just suck it up. That said, the exclusion of voice chat won’t stop me from buying the game, as I personally don’t use the feature.
But what do you guys think? Do the pros of the voice chat outweigh the single con? Does this omission affect your chances of picking up Splatoon? Let us know in the comments below!
