Fortnite on PS4 getting cross-play with Switch, Xbox One
The clamored-for feature is entering beta now.
Fortnite on PS4 at E3 2018.
Despite long-term resistance to the idea, Sony has finally opened a crack in the door for cross-play with other platforms, starting with a beta test of the massively popular shooter Fortnite on PlayStation 4.
In a statement posted on the PlayStation blog on Wednesday, John Kodera, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said:
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.
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.
The program starts today and covers PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch , Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Mac platforms.
The recent furor over Sony's intransigence towards cross-platform play started when Fortnite was released for Nintendo Switch. Players who had created their Fortnite accounts on PS4 found that they couldn't play on Nintendo's console -- or any other. That a free-to-play game has forced, as Sony says, "a major policy change" on the biggest console is a signifier of where the power lies in the games industry in 2018.
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