LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, like most of the other games in the series, doesn't have an online multiplayer option in-game. LEGO video games' iconic split screen did make its way back into The Skywalker Saga but only for local co-op. While the game is enjoyable to play solo (or in local co-op), many fans were hoping to see an online multiplayer mode implemented into the game.
In the lead-up to The Skywalker Saga's release, there was suspicion that the game might feature a multiplayer mode, but that fell through once Traveller's Tales made an official announcement that it wouldn't. All the other non-mobile LEGO Star Wars games in the series except The Complete Saga (2007) don't have an online mode either, so it came as no surprise that this one followed that same trend. Despite that, though, the game has managed to be the top hit for April 2022 video game releases thus far, receiving some quality reviews; however, the game isn't without its problems - with the lack of online multiplayer being one of the biggest.
So, why didn't LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga have online multiplayer? That answer, unfortunately, isn't all too clear. In fact, there's been no in-depth explanation from the developers at Traveller's Tales on the reasoning, but most evidence points to the studio not having enough time. If that's the case, it does beg the question about potential future implementation.
Crunch Likely Caused LEGO Star Wars' Lack Of Online Multiplayer
Throughout its development phase, The Skywalker Saga underwent an extensive crunch time. When push came to shove, it needed more time for development, and it made this LEGO Star Wars game receive a release delay. Initially, it looked as though the game would incorporate multiplayer before the massive crunch problem, but that part of the plan doesn't seem like it was the most prioritized aspect during development. And indeed, The Skywalker Saga excels in a lot of areas, such as the over-the-shoulder gameplay perspective and gamers' choice to start off playing any chapter they want. These new aspects were probably the main priority for the devs to finally meet the game's launch requirements, but online multiplayer might be on the way soon.
Out of all the problems in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the lack of multiplayer ranks near the top, and it was a disappointment for a lot of fans eagerly wanting to see it return from The Complete Saga days. There's still a chance that Traveller's Tales could add online multiplayer later, and that doesn't seem like an outrageous thought since it was originally in the game's plans. However, no official announcement has been made at this time. Currently, the only way to play LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga cooperatively is either locally or on PC using the exclusive Steam remote play function.