Following the backlash over Fortnite PS4 Crossplay, Sony has decided to give an official statement about the matter. As fans were not particularly happy about their answer, competitors Nintendo and Microsoft give their own side of their story and their companies’ strategy on crossplay.
The Fortnite PS4 Crossplay Backlash escalated after Epic Games accounts created on PlayStation 4 seem to be blocked on Nintendo Switch. Fans were quick to make accusations to Sony for not supporting crossplay with the Switch and the issue just got bigger from there on. The company finally decided to give an official statement on the matter, which was not exactly what we expected:
We’re always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience. Fortnite is already a huge hit with PS4 fans, offering a true free-to-play experience so gamers can jump in and play online.
With 79 million PS4s sold around the world and more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we’ve built a huge community of gamers who can play together on Fortnite and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms.
Pretty evasive right? As a company, Sony has every right to stick to its own policies, but a straightforward answer would be much better right now than a strict “terms” statement. In response, both Xbox head Phil Spencer and Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime gave their own view on the matter.
Speaking to Giant Bomb, Spencer stated:
If it doesn’t help the developers and it doesn’t help the consumer, then it doesn’t feel like it helps to grow gaming to me.
I get the business side of it, and I’m not going to judge anybody else making their decisions because they’ve got to run their business… Our goal is to be relevant and important to every gamer on the planet. If people want to go buy someone else’s console and play games there, great, as long as we’re all leaning in to how do we make this business for everybody as vibrant as possible.
Here’s Reggie Fils-Aime’s response to the Fortnite PS4 Crossplay Backlash:
You have companies like mine that encourage cross-play and enable cross-play. You have a developer and content owner that wants cross-play and is encouraging cross-play, and then you have the other platform holders and what it is that they do.
And when it comes to other platform holders, as much as you have influence on other platform holders, I don’t. And that’s a decision that each of them are making, and some are supporting cross-play and some are not.
The answers of both Microsoft and Nintendo if not positive are strategic at least. Support of crossplay not only for Fortnite but any multiplayer title is a big plus in 2018, as games are becoming more of a social interaction than ever before. Could this be the time for Sony to stand down and give people what they’ve been asking for?
What’s your opinion on the matter? Should Sony stand its policies down for the fans’ sake? Should crossplay of any kind be supported on all consoles? Give us your insight in the comments’ section below.
