Where's the Splitscreen?

[Hakudamashi]

Can someone explain to me why it is that more and more games nowadays are choosing to not have local multiplayer?
I fear that eventually we're gonna start seeing fighting games and racing games with no local multiplayer option, which would just be the silliest thing.

As in, what am I supposed to do when my friends or family decide to come over? Tell them to bring their own consoles that they don't have? And what if I ever get married with children? Do I seriously have to buy a console for every room in the house just to play with my family?

[Elija2]

Probably because most people play online now and it requires effort to program in split-screen multiplayer.

[Hakudamashi]

But people are more willing to buy a new console for each room?

[jkid101094]

I can't think of a single game that needs local multiplayer and doesn't have it.

[Hakudamashi]

It's not so much a matter of need, as much as I really don't understand why not.
Like Destiny.

[jkid101094]

I have no idea what kind of game Destiney even is, but I know, off the top of my head; Pikmin has it, Mario Kart has it, Mario Party has it, WWE has it and everything else I care about playing with my sister has it.

[Elija2]

Funnily enough, while Nintendo are one of the few big companies still developing split-screen multiplayer games they're still far behind when it comes to online multiplayer. Games like Nintendo Land, Super Mario 3D World, and Wii/Mario Party don't have online even though they should.

[Hakudamashi]

Why can't we be lie Mario Kart and have both?

[jkid101094]

Why can't we be lie Mario Kart and have both?

Because apparently the only two companies cool enough to realize we want both are Nintendo and 2K.

Oh, and the fighting game scene as a whole.

[Hakudamashi]

Oh, and the fighting game scene as a whole.

weeeelllll, that's technically not split-screen, since the screen doesn't split
So, y'know...

[Elija2]

Because apparently the only two companies cool enough to realize we want both are Nintendo and 2K.

Ahem...

Funnily enough, while Nintendo are one of the few big companies still developing split-screen multiplayer games they're still far behind when it comes to online multiplayer. Games like Nintendo Land, Super Mario 3D World, and Wii/Mario Party don't have online even though they should.

[Ioshyriku]

Sad but true... That's why I stick to older platforms.
Although this "ditch the local multiplayer" started way back in the early 2000s.

weeeelllll, that's technically not split-screen, since the screen doesn't split
So, y'know...

The older DBZ games had split screen if the characters went too far from each other.

[Hakudamashi]

The older DBZ games had split screen if the characters went too far from each other.

But that's like, one fighting game franchise :U

[jkid101094]

Ahem...

They do for the most part, though. Don't rule out Smash, Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion, Pokemon and everything else just because a few other games don't have online multiplayer.

[Elija2]

They do for the most part, though. Don't rule out Smash, Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion, Pokemon and everything else just because a few other games don't have online multiplayer.

The same could be said for other developers not having local multiplayer.