Microsoft first announced support for cross-platform play at E3 2016, but Sony has resisted supporting PS4 vs. Xbox One gaming
Microsoft first announced support for cross-platform play at E3 2016, but Sony has resisted supporting PS4 vs. Xbox One gaming. In a surprise announcement yesterday, Epic Games revealed Fortnite will support cross-play and cross-progression between the PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, iOS, and eventually the Android versions of the game. The Xbox One was suspiciously absent from the list, but Microsoft has confirmed to The Verge that it’s working with Epic Games to enable this in the future.
“We have been working closely with the team at Epic Games for some time to bring this functionality to all current and future versions of Fortnite and expect it to be available on Xbox along with other platforms,” says a Microsoft spokesperson. “Microsoft has long been a leading voice in encouraging the adoption of cross-platform play and the potential of connecting players across PC, mobile and all consoles.”
Microsoft doesn’t specifically confirm Fortnite players will be able to cross-play between Xbox One and PS4, but it’s clear there’s going to be some cross-play support involving Xbox and other platforms. The cross-play feature of Fortnite will allow smartphone players to game against PC, PS4, or even Mac owners. The matchmaking across devices will be opt-in, and it’s primarily designed to allow groups of friends to play with each other, as playing from your phone against a skilled PC player won’t be an experience you’ll want to opt into regularly.
Sony has previously refused to enable cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One for both Rocket League and Minecraft, despite Microsoft and Nintendo both supporting it across Xbox One, PC, and Switch. It looks like Fortnite could be the first title to enable this functionality, and we previously saw it enabled due to a “configuration issue” last year. Sony used a rather odd excuse for not enabling cross-play last year, and its position on Fortnite should now pave the way for future games to let any console gamers play against each other.
“We have been working closely with the team at Epic Games for some time to bring this functionality to all current and future versions of Fortnite and expect it to be available on Xbox along with other platforms,” says a Microsoft spokesperson. “Microsoft has long been a leading voice in encouraging the adoption of cross-platform play and the potential of connecting players across PC, mobile and all consoles.”
Microsoft doesn’t specifically confirm Fortnite players will be able to cross-play between Xbox One and PS4, but it’s clear there’s going to be some cross-play support involving Xbox and other platforms. The cross-play feature of Fortnite will allow smartphone players to game against PC, PS4, or even Mac owners. The matchmaking across devices will be opt-in, and it’s primarily designed to allow groups of friends to play with each other, as playing from your phone against a skilled PC player won’t be an experience you’ll want to opt into regularly.
Sony has previously refused to enable cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One for both Rocket League and Minecraft, despite Microsoft and Nintendo both supporting it across Xbox One, PC, and Switch. It looks like Fortnite could be the first title to enable this functionality, and we previously saw it enabled due to a “configuration issue” last year. Sony used a rather odd excuse for not enabling cross-play last year, and its position on Fortnite should now pave the way for future games to let any console gamers play against each other.