PC Gamer is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
By published
They’re going away later this month.
Based on the replies when Firaxis announced it was «retiring services» for the multiplayer and challenge modes in XCOM 2, it seems like a lot of players didn’t realize XCOM 2 even has multiplayer. It does! Or at least it does until March 28, when an update will remove it from the Steam version on PC. Guess we’ll have to get the achievements before then.
«The decision to retire these services isn’t something done lightly,» Firaxis wrote, «but it does allow us to refocus our resources. We appreciate your support and thank you for your understanding.»
While competitive multiplayer in the XCOM games was never seen as its main attraction, it was enjoyed by those who dove into it. Here’s a showdown between two of PC Gamer’s staff in XCOM: Enemy Unknown from all the way back in 2012. There were even multiplayer mods, like one that added co-op to XCOM 2. It’s a shame to lose the multiplayer, though presumably whatever resources were tied up in keeping it online will be diverted into Firaxis’s current project, Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
This update will only affect the Windows version of XCOM 2 on Steam, with multiplayer in the Mac, Linux, and console versions remaining online.
Jody’s first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia’s first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He’s written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody’s first article for PC Gamer was published in 2015, he edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and actually did play every Warhammer videogame.
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
