Need for Speed Devs Attribute "Always Online" to Autolog, Snapshot Features

Since the announcement of Need for Speed Extra-Cheesy Spectacular Reboot V2 back in May, it was confirmed that the game would always be online.

"But why?" most of us have wondered.

Today, the developers have unveiled the reason to the Official Xbox Magazine.

According to Executive Producer Marcus Nilsson:
 

"We've been pretty big with Autolog throughout the years and, as we know, it's a really powerful feature. This time around we're going to give it more of a human voice. It will treat your friends' play as if it is part of the narrative experience."

For those that are stumped on the Autolog feature, EA has you covered with this FAQ. According to the FAQ, Autolog is a "suite of online features that allows you to connect, compare, and compete with your friends playing Need for Speed." To put it simply, Autolog is basically a digital stalker, tracking everything you do and comparing the results of everything you do with the results of your friends. These results are then--of course--broadcasted. Even more unfortunate, Autolog tracks the number of resets. For the reboot, developers want to give Autolog a human voice, most likely meaning that your friend's results will be narrated to you. (Editor's Note: Self-consciousness warning! I can see it now... "Wow, looks like INSERTNAMEHERE called for do-over seven times! What a loser!")

This is the reasoning behind NFS's "always online" feature, but does the explanation justify the feature?

Personally speaking: not even close, considering Autolog was used in a previous NFS title--Need for Speed The Run--which had an offline mode.

However, there's another reason for the feature, which involves snapshots. 
 

"We also have a new snapshot system, which is taking pictures of a lot of different moments, which go out to the Need for Speed network where people can 'like' them, and those 'likes' are pushed back into the game as currency. So you get progression from sharing your photos."

In other words, your 'likes' will be an important part of your progression. (Editor's Note: Unsure as to how I feel about this...) Regarding the sentence of the explanation, it seems that the snapshot system will be automatic, taking lots of pictures whenever and uploading them automatically. Otherwise, there definitely wouldn't be a need for an "always online" mode, considering you could upload these screenshots manually, even if your net is knocked out for a little while. 

For those with unstable or no Internet connection, these reasons behind the lack of an offline mode probably aren't sufficient, and for good reason. Though one thing's for sure: The developers were serious about focusing on sociability. 

Need for Speed will release November 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.