Does wearing the white robes affect matchmaking?

Having thoroughly enjoyed Journey on PS3, I couldn't resist picking it up for another few playthroughs after it popped up for free in this month's free PS Plus games.

On the PS3 I played the game offline, so I figured this time round I'd make a change and experience it with other players. 2 playthroughs later and I'd met a good number of fellow players throughout various points in my travels - should one companion drop out, another would swiftly take their place, never leaving a gap of loneliness more than 30 seconds.

Through these 2 playthroughs I'd gathered enough collectibles to don the white robe. Giving a stark change in contrast to the normal dull red robes, I was looking forward to shocking some newer players with my striking outfit, then helping them through the game as well as finding the secrets I'd previously uncovered.

However, upon proceeding into the first area of the game where co-op is allowed (the bridge section), nobody appeared alongside me. I sat by the entrance where someone would spawn, ready to jump up and greet them for almost 15 minutes, yet nobody appeared. Running around the area seemed to change nothing, and throughout the whole playthrough with the white robe equipped, no other player was seen.

Unsure whether this was just an issue with my console, I reverted my clothes to the traditional red, and proceeded to return the the first bridge area once again. Sure enough, within mere seconds, a fellow traveller had appeared by my side.

Does wearing the white robe set affect the possibility of players joining your journey?

Solution 1:

Based on the wikia, there isn't any note of online play being affected by using it, however, a post in one thread suggests that there is some difference...

traveling as a first or second time red cloak does seem to give newer companions.

traveling as a second run white cloak seems to give a lot of variety.

traveling as a filled out white cloak seems to join with other advanced players, red and white.

If these observations are true, then it would seem that there weren't any players as experienced as you trying to queue up with anyone at the moment.