It’s finally happening! Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo Switch – they are all coming together now that Sony has revealed their plans to enter into the world of crossplay and to kick off a new wave of accessibility, they are beginning with Epic Games‘ hit Battle Royale title: Fortnite.
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Fortnite was the game that really put the pressure on the company. In the past, Sony has been very adamant that crossplay wasn’t something they were interested in over the past few years despite Valve, Microsoft, and Nintendo all working in tandem to make gaming with friends more available for all. Since Fortnite is arguably one of the most accessible games out on the market with even mobile devices able to play with the “big dogs,” the Sony camp was definitely feeling the heat from fellow developers, gamers, and even other hardware names as well.
They announced earlier today their plans to make crossplay with their platform a reality, beginning with the Battle Royale adventure. In their most recent blog post, they mentioned “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.”
They added, “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.”
Following thanking gamers for their patience, they also mentioned that this is a big change for them and that they will players to be patient. “This represents a major policy change for SIE, and we are now in the planning process across the organization 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.”
With Sony seemingly in this mode of play for the long haul, it will be interesting to see where they go next!
