Sony Isn't Sure If It Can Do PS4 Cross-Play, Says Developer

While Microsoft and Nintendo have been leading and pushing the industry towards a future that includes console cross-play, as market leaders, Sony Interactive Entertainment has been dragging its feet and only began to support the feature once backlash hit substantial levels. Or at least that's how it looks from the outside looking in, but according to one developer, it's quite possible it's not a matter if Sony wants to fully-embrace the feature, but if it can.

Speaking to GamingBolt, Where the Bees Make Honey developer Brian Wilson revealed that Sony may not be reluctant to play ball on cross-play with Nintendo and Microsoft because it has less to gain from the feature than the other two, but because, well, development is hard.

"The longer I've been in this industry, the more I've learned that developing is far harder than it seems," said Wilson. "With that being said, I don't think Sony is hesitant on if they want, but rather if they actually can."

Wilson continued, noting that's he's skeptical that cross-platform play will be a defining feature of gaming in the immediate future, but eventually he believes all parties involved may break down the barriers.

"I think once and if it all works together, it will become the norm and that's really interesting for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo."

As you may know, Sony currently has a type of console cross-play beta going on, which has allowed a few bigger games to get in on the feature, such as Fortnite and Rocket League. But that's it, and who knows when that will change. Sony has notably been quite quiet on the feature since it initially announced it, suggesting it doesn't want to do too much more with it, or that it's still banging its head against the wall trying to figure it out.

Sony has suggested in the past that it comes down to developers to implement console cross-play on the system, but multiple developers have rebuked this, suggesting it's Sony not bouncing the ball back from its court.

Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think or hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know there. Will cross-play be a defining feature of next-gen consoles?

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