Though Shadow of the Colossus is regarded by many as one of the most immersive single-player experiences in video game history, creator Fumito Ueda initially intended for it to be an online title. While this is a well-known fact, Ueda recently gave some extra insights into the game’s conception, including the title that inspired him to (attempt to) make an online co-op game in the first place.
In an interview with Denfaminicogamer marking Shadow of the Colossus’ 20th anniversary, Ueda says that back in the day, he found himself playing a lot of DICE’s multiplayer FPS Battlefield 1942. Impressed by the fact that each of the 64 characters in a match had a human player behind it, he thought to himself, “This is the future of gaming.”
NICO (an abbreviation of Next ICO) was a pilot movie included in the pre-order bonus disc for Shadow of the Colossus. In it, several player-controlled characters on horseback can be seen chasing a colossus before mounting and attacking its weak point. This concept of cooperative monster hunting is very similar to Capcom’s Monster Hunter (which would subsequently release in 2004). However, Ueda and his team realized that they lacked the technical resources needed to realize their vision, so the idea ended up being scrapped.
Ueda recalls how he was drawn to the intensity and live feel of online play, as well as how these feelings gradually faded over time.
“While I used to enjoy the excitement of competitive play, as I got older, I started seeking a different kind of immersion. That’s when I began reconsidering the appeal of games you play alone. Figuring out how to create the experience of something that feels alive, even when playing solo, became the core of my interest.”
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