In a major step towards soothing their own player base, Sony today announced that Fortnite will receive full cross-play support across all consoles and mobile platforms. The decision to reverse their previous stance on not allowing PlayStation 4 players to play together with gamers on especially the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch caused massive negative press for a long time.
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO John Kodera announced the good news in a blog post today on the PlayStation Blog, where he gave details on the new “Extended” cross-play features in Fortnite, while also making clear how Sony will evaluate future cases.
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. – John Kodera
Starting today, Fortnite on PS4 will have a beta which allows the new and expanded cross-play feature, allowing PS4 players to play together with Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Android and iOS users. This beta targets to test the stability and should likely become the default multiplayer mode in future updates.
If you thought, this is going to be the end for Sony’s cross-play controversy from here on, you might want to read further. Kodera explicitly states that Sony is working on supporting a path towards cross-play features with regard to certain third-party titles. This is anything but a clear decision that starting from today every single game on the PS4 will support full cross-play.
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. – John Kodera
Today’s news is still an important step towards that goal however, and while nothing is set in stone yet, we are cautiously optimistic that the decision for Fortnite will become a precedent for more games with cross-play ability.
