Nintendo Land Does Not Include Online Multiplayer

Yes you read that title correctly. Despite the “Nintendo Network” logo on the box art of Nintendo Land, none of the game’s attractions will be playable via online, making it a solely local experience. Bill Trinen, who we thought perished in the hurricane before E3, confirmed this recently, saying not including online multiplayer is a smart move. Here’s what he had to say on the matter.

“Nintendo Land is not. It’s not going to be played over the network. There’s actually a logical reason for why they decided to do that. I think for… Up until now, basically, when people have said, “What does a network mean for video gaming?”, the answer has always been “online play.” We look at online play and we think that it’s important, and obviously for games where it makes sense, we’re going to leverage it. But for Wii U launch specifically, one of the things that we want people to understand is that a network connection to a game can mean a lot of different things. It can mean online gaming, but it can also mean other unique ways to connect to other people.”

Although Nintendo does do local play very well, I think online multiplayer was a no-brainer for this game. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to be able to play all twelve minigames on my own, as getting four other people to play a round of The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest with me will be a bit harder than convincing my family to play Wii Tennis or MarioKart. I’m sure the Miiverse functions of the game will be fantastic, but it doesn’t stop my disappointment of being unable to play Mario Chase with my fellow ZI staff members.

What do you think of this? Is Nintendo taking the right approach? Sound off in the comments below.