PlayStation is, at last, caving in to peer pressure and will be adding Fortnite cross-play with the Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch – we never thought we’d see the day.
This is a historical moment for gaming; it’s the first time ever that players from all consoles, including PC’s and mobile phones, will have the opportunity to play together as one community.
Cross-play will only be for one game at launch and that is, as previously mentioned, Fortnite. Fortnite has done magical things in the gaming world, from bringing superstars onto streams to uniting the gaming community one console at a time, so whether you love or hate Fortnite, you must at least thank it for its achievements.
Sony’s boss John Kodera said this on the official PlayStation blog earlier today:
“Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third-party content. We recognize that PS4 players have been eagerly awaiting an update, and we appreciate the community’s continued patience as we have navigated through this issue to find a solution.
“The first step will be an open beta beginning today for Fortnite that will allow for cross-platform gameplay, progression and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems. We see the beta as an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play is best on PlayStation, while being mindful about the user experience from both a technical and social perspective.”
“For 24 years, we have strived to deliver the best gaming experience to our fans by providing a uniquely PlayStation perspective. Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players. In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform.”
“This represents a major policy change for SIE, and we are now in the planning process across the organisation to support this change. We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta timeframe, and what this means for other titles going forward.”
It’s good to see that Sony is finally letting their guard down with regards to cross-play. You may remember a while back when Xbox players were being matched with PSN players on Fortnite – this proved that it wasn’t technicalities that were stopping cross-play from happening, it was Sony.
Epic Games were quick to address the issue. However, is it possible this was all orchestrated by Epic Games? Just to show players how easy it was and to start an uprising for cross-play? The more people that play their game the more money they make, and if people can play with all of their friends then they’re more likely to play, right? I guess we’ll never know.
Hopefully this is just the first step for cross-play and maybe one day in the not too distant future we can all be playing as one on games like Call of Duty, Overwatch and FIFA – you can’t say yes to one company and no to the others right?
Here’s what Microsoft had to say about the news:
Marvel: “Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover event in history”
Fortnite: https://t.co/MXtONGWeuQ
— Xbox UK (@xboxuk) 26 September 2018
Speaking of Microsoft, cross-play was a good feature for the Xbox One, it was something that the PlayStation didn’t have, until now (it still needs to catch up in terms of cross-play titles such as Rocket League and Minecraft). Admittedly, Sony should have implemented cross-play some time ago, but what does the Xbox really have going for it now? The best exclusives are arguably on the PlayStation, PlayStation also has VR and it has the larger player base – maybe Mouse and Keyboard support on the Xbox One will be enough to see Microsoft through.
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