Just before the release ofElden Ring, FromSoftware announced that it would be taking down the online services for allDark Soulsgames on PC. This was due to a dangerous exploit being used online for those games, so FromSoftware did not want to compromise the release ofElden Ringin any way. It was only months after the release ofElden Ringthat theDark Soulsgames were brought back online. However, among those titles available on PC, it was announced by FromSoftware thatDark Souls PTDEwould not be brought back along with the other games in the series.
Dark Souls PTDEwas the initial version ofDark Soulsthat was released on PC and came with theArtorias of the Abyss DLCpackaged with it. Despite all the technical issues that the PC port had,Dark Souls PTDEedition has a passionate group of players that had fun with the game regardless. A lively modding community and regularly organized events for the game kept it alive many years after the game’s release. However, that support was not reciprocated by FromSoftware or Bandai Namco. It has been further emphasized with the recent news thatDark Souls PTDEhas been getting the short end of the stick.
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The Release of Dark Souls Remastered Destroyed Dark Souls PTDE
Years afterDark Souls PTDEwas released,Dark Souls Remasteredwas released for multiple platforms. It was being marketed as the definitive way to play the game, with multiple quality-of-life improvements and graphical enhancements. As the years went by, it would become more and more apparent that FromSoftware and Bandai Namco did not want players to play thePTDEversion of the game. From the start ofDark Souls Remastered’s release,Dark Souls PTDEbecame unavailable to purchase. Having games de-listed from platforms has no benefit for the player and makes them turn towards the other options available.
There was little reason forDark Souls PTDEplayers to get an upgrade as well. For the people that ownedDark Souls PTDE, they were offered a discount for a limited time rather than a free upgrade. The price tag ofDark Souls Remastered, while not full price, was still too much for some people to warrant an upgrade. Players could not convert their characters over to the remastered version of the game due to the different versions being incompatible. With this in mind, people who playedDark Souls PTDEhad no reason to ditch their characters and pay for a slightly better version of a game that they were already playing for years.
Dark Souls PTDE Being Taken Offline Kills Community Support
TheDark Soulsseries is deeply linked with its online functionality. While they are primarily single player games, the online connectivity creates a sense that the player is not alone. Along the player’s journey throughout Lordran, messages by other players are left on the ground. Themessages inDark Soulscan range from helpful hints to trollingcomments to little jokes about the environment. It gives some personality to an otherwise bleak and dark world. Without online connectivity, the only messages that appear in the world are the ones put there by the developers, acting as basic tutorials and other scarce instances.
Many more game mechanics, like covenants and invasions, are linked to online play. These aren’t just a tacked-on feature, but they havelore implications in the story and world ofDark Souls. Solaire’s grand speech about jolly cooperation in the game now has little meaning outside of summoning AI-controlled characters. No longer will the player hear the bell tolls of other players as they progress through the game either. Online functionality being removed from the game will make replayingDark Souls PTDEfeel more barren, like the player truly is alone. Much like the inhabitants of Lodran, the world ofDark Souls PTDEis going hollow.
The removal of online functionality was bound to happen eventually forDark Souls PTDE. It makes sense whyFromSoftware and Bandai Namco would want players to playDark Souls Remasteredinstead, with it being the newer version of the game. However, there will always be a player base that prefers one version of the game over another. It is great news that theDark Soulsgames are being brought back online after months of being offline, but it is unfortunate to seeDark Souls PTDEgetting the short end of the stick once again.
Dark SoulsRemasteredis available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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