Parity is something that happens when something is successful and everyone else wants to get on board with that. In the video game industry, that happens all the time. It started with consoles, then handheld, motion controls, being an “all-in-one” system, and more. It’s just how it works. And yet, there is one aspect of the video game world that one publisher is basically refusing to get on board with. And that’s Cross-Play. Despite many games using it, and both Microsoft and Nintendo loving it, Sony doesn’t want any part of it.
This trend started off simply enough. After all, Cross-Play wasn’t around forever. It began with Rocket League, who helped champion in the notion of Cross-Play, especially when it came to Switch. Then, Minecraft and Fortnite began to promote Cross-Play as well, and by this time, gamers were all for the concept. Yet, only Microsoft and Nintendo were up for it, not Sony.
Not only has the world noticed this, but Microsoft and Nintendo recently released a commercial for Minecraft showing an Xbox One player and a Nintendo Switch user playing together. This was a clear shot as Sony, and many are tired of them dragging their feet.
At the Gamelab conference today, a fan made a very blunt statement to Executive Shawn Layden:
There seems to be an issue at the moment, that Sony isn’t listening to its players – or doesn’t seem to be – and that’s cross-play, Fortnite particularly.
Like I said, bold, and this statement represents a lot of what fans of the PS4 are saying right now. But, Layden took it in stride and noted:
“We’re hearing it. We’re looking at a lot of the possibilities,” said Layden. “You can imagine that the circumstances around that affect a lot more than just one game. I’m confident we’ll get to a solution which will be understood and accepted by our gaming community, while at the same time supporting our business.”
This answer was very non-committal, and in fact, it was downright basic in terms of what was and wasn’t said. We’ll just have to see how the company reacts to Cross-Play in the future.
so xbox and nintendo do cross-play who cares