Have you noticed the growing trend of games shifting towards three-player teams and modes? If so, you’re not alone. In a recent Reddit thread, players discussed the reasons behind this change and how it can leave that fourth friend feeling left out. While games like Call of Duty and Halo still offer four-person parties in their FPS releases, other genres seem to be moving away from this format. With multiplayer games like Apex Legends opting for three-player parties, it begs the question of whether we’ll see fewer four-player options in the future.
A self-proclaimed AAA game designer shared some insights on this topic in a comment on the Reddit thread. Here are a few reasons they provided for the rise of three-player parties:
- Easy majority decisions: In games with four-player parties, disagreements can easily arise, leading to an even split within the group. However, in a three-player party, whatever two players agree upon, the third must comply, resulting in fewer conflicts.
- Lower “participator” syndrome: With four players, each person carries 25% of the responsibility and impact, allowing some players to freeload and still succeed. In contrast, three-player parties distribute 33% of the responsibility and influence to each player, demanding more skill and experience to accomplish tasks.
- Increased dependency and teamwork: Larger parties often lead to less dependency on individual players, resulting in lower impact or less severe consequences when someone dies. In three-player parties, if a player with 33% influence and responsibility dies, the remaining two face a challenging situation, fostering greater dependency and cooperation.
- Less need for “randoms”: Coordinating multiple people to be in the same place and on the same page can be difficult. With three-player games, there’s a higher chance of having at least one familiar player and one random player. Even if you end up with a random teammate, they are likely to follow the group and contribute to the team’s success.
Many other players in the thread agreed with these points, sharing their own experiences and emphasizing the additional effort required to cooperate with larger groups. These arguments provide a solid foundation for the increasing popularity of three-player parties in new game releases. However, the question remains: What should we do with that extra friend who was a regular in four-player parties? Hopefully, game developers will address this concern and provide a solution.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
