You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Alex Hutchinson’s new game Revenge of the Savage Planet is set to launch on May 8, 2025. A largely different game from its predecessor with the game anti-corporation vibe, the new third-person adventure boldly offers a return to split-screen local multiplayer, a rarity of the modern day. With games like Halo: Infinite removing split-screen from campaign and many other games just ignoring the feature outright, Hutchinson explained that it is difficult to make, but recent games like It Takes Two and Split Fiction prove that players really gravitate towards the feature. Alex Hutchinson on why split-screen is still needed Speaking to VideoGamer prior to the game’s release, Hutchinson explained that split-screen is “expensive” from a technical point of view. It’s not as easy as many people believe to simply add a second player on the same screen. In fact, it’s quite difficult, especially as games get more complex. “It’s very expensive to do it and if you and then if you don’t do it from the start it’s very difficult to patch in,” Hutchinson told VideoGamer. “You’re essentially duplicating your UI, your user interface, to have two on screen, so it’s technically tricky to keep performance [high], there’s usability issues [etc].” Hutchinson explained that developers may not have experience creating split-screen games as the industry has largely moved away from that form of multiplayer, and jumping straight into the multiplayer option without prior experience isn’t easy. “There’s all kinds of weird things you’ll come across, so it can be quite tricky,” he explained. As for Revenge of the Savage Planet, the game’s split-screen co-op was actually inspired by Hutchinson’s past development experience on Army of Two. During that time, the developer flew to Korea and ran into American servicemen from a local military base, and quickly learned about how important local multiplayer was for those without a constant online connection. “We’re at the bar and they were like, ‘hey what do you guys do for work?’ And we’re like, ‘we make video games’. And they’re like, ‘what, video games?’. And we’re like, ‘oh, we’re working on Army of Two’. And it turns out they were the biggest Army of Two fans. And told us about how they have one system on every army base they transfer to and they play it together split-screen over and over and over. You know, military personnel, college, dorm rooms, siblings, all of whom have one system. You know, they want to play together.” While most modern gaming studios have abandoned the usual split-screen multiplayer, Hutchinson admits that Hazelight’s adventures have proven the modern audience still has an appetite. While “hardcore gamers” who have every system may not be interested in sitting down with a friend and playing on a single screen, there’s a lot more people who do only have one system. (And with the increasing price of games consoles that’s only going to increase.) “That’s actually the normal situation for most people,” he said. “So we’ve always thought, and I think Hazelight [has] shown that’s a real thing. You know what I mean? We can get caught up in you know, enthusiast press, as they would say, like yourself or other developers like me, and we have everything. You know what I mean? My basement is pinball machines every system under the sun, but that’s not normal, you know?” Hutchinson explained that Revenge of the Savage Planet’s split-screen multiplayer mode isn’t necessarily for the hardcore gamer, although they are more than welcome to it, but it’s for those who don’t spend hours talking to gaming friends online or jump between systems on a whim. But, at the end of the day, split-screen is a feature for everyone, even if it’s a pig to actually implement. Revenge of the Savage Planet Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X Genre(s): Action Adventure Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share