Sony May Be Refusing Cross-Platform Play for Minecraft

One of the biggest announcements yesterday for Minecraft fans was the revelation that, for the [...]

By Matthew Hayes

One of the biggest announcements yesterday for Minecraft fans was the revelation that, for the first time ever, Minecraft players on all platforms will be able to play together (see yesterday's trailer above). Players on PC, tablets, Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Nintendo Switch will all be able to play together, which is an incredible thing, but you may have noticed that someone is missing from the party. Where's the PlayStation 4, and why can't PS4 players be included in this cross-platform fun?

According to Windows Central Editor Jez Corden, that was Sony's doing. "RE: cross platform Minecraft. Yes to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation refused." When pressed for more details, Corden admitted that he hadn't reached out to Sony personally, rather he had heard of Sony's refusal second-hand. Some are suggesting that since Microsoft will own the dedicated servers for all of the cross-platform play, sweeping PS4 players into the fold is much more advantageous for them than it is for Sony; financially, at any rate.

We're not sure how true that is, but that seems like a pretty petty reason not to let your player-base of 60+ million interact with gamers on different platforms in one of the most popular games in the world. If this truly is Sony holding out because the cross-platform play might give Microsoft a financial boost, then maybe Sony isn't really "for the players" after all. We've reached out to Sony for comment, and until we hear from them officially, we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

It's also important to keep in mind that Sony has expressed an openness to cross-platform play in the past with games like Final Fantasy XIV and Rocket League. In those cases, Microsoft seemed to be the one getting in the way. If memory serves me correctly, I believe Microsoft has a policy in place to ensure that no games come to Xbox One later than other platforms without some kind of significant, exclusive features. Perhaps that's why Final Fantasy XIV still hasn't made it's way to Xbox One players yet. Again, we don't have any official statement confirming as much, just a feeling.

Stay tuned to WWG for all of your E3 coverage. Ubisoft and Sony will be presenting later this afternoon and evening, and we'll have all of your breaking news right here!

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