Wow, I did not see this one coming. Not at all, but I’m happy to see Sony has changed their mind. Previously, the company was adamant against allowing PlayStation 4 Fortnite players on being able to play with/against others on the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. However, as of today, it looks like the walls are crumbling down.
According to Sony, they’ll be releasing an open beta that will be available today, that will allow cross-play with Xbox One, Switch, ioS, Android and PC. This will serve as a test on whether Sony officially allows cross-platform play, so it could go either way. Still, it’s nice to see that Sony has at least provided the opportunity to get the ball rolling. I suppose all those articles, posts on Reddit and thousands of tweets have shown the company that the demand is there.
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.
Hopefully, this goes well. Because it if does, then not only will everyone be able to play Fortnite together. But this would also open doors for other games to include cross-platform play. Games such as Rocket League and Minecraft, both games that also feature cross-platform play. Which is something that will only help evolve gaming multiplayer as we know it. I know this is a big risk for Sony, however, this is the very thing that we need and I’m glad to see that Sony has allowed this to happen.
Exciting times indeed.
Source: PlayStation Blog
