Horror master Supermassive Games has revealed that the reason Little Nightmares 3 only features online co-op is to ensure playing with a friend doesn't detract from the horror game's signature "atmosphere and immersion".

Whilst co-op was "the most requested feature from fans" and something the team was keen to implement, Supermassive said that it needed to balance the fun of sharing the spooky happenings with ensuring playing with a pal didn't ameliorate the tension.

"Co-op was the most requested feature from our fans, so it was really important for us to give them that," Bandai Namco producer Coralie Feniello told GamesRadar. "I do think that it will add a layer to the game as well, by letting you experience it with a friend.

"But at the same time, we really want the player to experience it as they want. So that's why we kept single player, so if you don't play online co-op you would be able to play with AI with you."

"We've been asked questions about online versus couch co-op," added game director Wayne Garland. "Couch is something that we considered, but again, when you come back to the atmosphere and the immersion that we're trying to elicit through Little Nightmares, I think it was important for us that we stuck to our online co-op only rather than traditional more party aspects."

The Dark Pictures anthology studio Supermassive Games is developing Little Nightmare 3 for release in 2024 on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.