500,000 concurrent players on Steam is nothing to smirk at, but Nimble Neuron has managed all of that and more with Eternal Return, a multiplayer adventure that fuses League of Legends with Genshin Impact and Fortnite. Unfortunately, the MOBA‘s solo and duo modes were removed Eternal Return at launch, leading to backlash from some within the community. Speaking exclusively to PCGamesN, Nimble Neuron CEO Seunghoo Kim has explained why.
“Solo/Duo/Squad were each different games,” Kim tells PCGamesN. “Each mode required different types of systems and balance. Having to make exceptions and compromises to suit each of the modes actually led to a system that didn’t mesh well. We called this ‘illegal architecture.’
“With the official launch, we wanted to restructure the ‘architecture’ so that we’d be able to focus on making a truly engaging and integrated game,” he continues. “This decision led us to temporarily suspend Solo/Duo modes. Players who enjoyed Solo/Duo mode might feel robbed for having taken their ‘game’ away; we can’t stress enough that it was also a very tough decision internally that we are deeply sorry for, but one that the development team really felt was necessary.”
So when will we see the modes added back into the game? “Internally, our goal is to find a way to bring back Solo/Duo as quickly as possible,” he tells me. “Unfortunately, we cannot say when that might be just yet.
“We expect (and have received) a lot of feedback from players after the launch, and we take all of it into account to determine our priorities as well as our schedule. So yes, we are looking forward to bringing back the two modes.”
While that may not exactly be what you want to hear, I don’t envy Nimble Neuron’s position. It’s always hard to pull a beloved feature, but it’s better that bugs and glitches are caught early instead of further down the line. As a largely solo player, I’ll be awaiting the return of Solo/Duo, but in the interim I suggest getting a squad together and diving in – it’s worth it, I promise.
If you’re still waiting for the return of Solo and Duo queue, we have a list of other multiplayer games that will keep you occupied in the meantime. If Eternal Return’s aesthetic is more up your alley, though, we have a rundown of all the best anime games, too.