Minecraft, Rocket League, Fortnite, etc CrossPlay on every Platform but Sony because...

[iroboto]

XBox One and PS4 players find themselves online together in Fortnite.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...m-play-switched-on-in-fortnite-players-report

I wonder how long this will last.
Fortnite has been all over the map with its cross play policies, with an added bonus of indicating that with one of their patches "Per policy discussion with Microsoft, removed ability for PC friends to join players on Xbox One". At a later date, they had to remove that comment from the patch notes; now reads:

• Removed ability for PC friends to join players on Xbox One

(wtf?)

And then there was cross play between PS4 and PC, but that was never advertised either. And now there is cross console play.

Its weird that MS would deny cross play with PC. So I'm not sure what's happening here, and then this.

I have a sense that Epic is just doing whatever they want.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The important thing is it's happening, proving the possibility. More than that, if it's happening without MS and/or Sony approval, it means very clearly it's politics and one side or other being obstructive. Fortnite give impetus for gamers to bring pressure to bare, as technical excuses won't rub.

 

[Scott_Arm]

The important thing is it's happening, proving the possibility. More than that, if it's happening without MS and/or Sony approval, it means very clearly it's politics and one side or other being obstructive. Fortnite give impetus for gamers to bring pressure to bare, as technical excuses won't rub.

Also the middle-aged people with disposable incomes that are the ones funding the industry.

 

[iroboto]

The important thing is it's happening, proving the possibility. More than that, if it's happening without MS and/or Sony approval, it means very clearly it's politics and one side or other being obstructive. Fortnite give impetus for gamers to bring pressure to bare, as technical excuses won't rub.

Can't put the genie back in the bottle type thing?

Possibly yea, but then again we see this with Minecraft and the joining of mobile and Nintendo with Xbox. I think people knew it was always politics, they just didn't care as long as they were somehow benefitting from it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Epic responded saying it was a configuration error. So there we have it - cross play can be achieved with as little as a configuration in UE4. Notions of incompatible back-ends seem shot.

 

[BRiT]

I wonder how long this will last.
Fortnite has been all over the map with its cross play policies, with an added bonus of indicating that with one of their patches "Per policy discussion with Microsoft, removed ability for PC friends to join players on Xbox One". At a later date, they had to remove that comment from the patch notes; now reads:

• Removed ability for PC friends to join players on Xbox One

(wtf?)

And then there was cross play between PS4 and PC, but that was never advertised either. And now there is cross console play.

Its weird that MS would deny cross play with PC. So I'm not sure what's happening here, and then this.

I have a sense that Epic is just doing whatever they want.

They want it as an option and clearly spelled out, hence different multiplayer lobbies. That's not weird and seems to be MS Policy around this.

 

[iroboto]

They want it as an option and clearly spelled out, hence different multiplayer lobbies. That's not weird and seems to be MS Policy around this.

but that seems like a simple fix? Maybe I'm wrong.

I was unsure as to what the issue is, part of me felt they side stepped/skirted cert on cross play, and now that they discovered it, they failed and need to patch before enabling it again. But I guess it could be purely policy.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Epic responded saying it was a configuration error. So there we have it - cross play can be achieved with as little as a configuration in UE4. Notions of incompatible back-ends seem shot.

I'm not somebody who engages in multiplayer so I've not been following this issue but trying to read between the lines it sounds like Sony's excuse (we know the actual reason) was about not being able to take action against people violating there online terms of service because they're outside their ecosystem?

It is surely simple enough for Sony to block user X (by identifier or name) from network Y if you've had sufficient complaints from PSN owners but when would PSN be aware of player X in it's network? Prior to the lobby party system or after? You wouldn't want it after, particularly of the lobby system is lengthy.

I can't see Sony "winning" this.

 

[iroboto]

Nothing Sony can do to reverse this situation. It's not part of their business model currently and i imagine even if they want it to be, it would take time to integrate. Perhaps next gen for them.

 

[chris1515]

And it will probably never be it will be until they lost big marketshare like with the PS3...

 

[iroboto]

And it will probably never be it will be until they lost big marketshare like with the PS3...

Not necessarily.
Licensing is their main driver of revenue, and while you can own the whole market, you can't force your user base to buy games, and if you can't get them to buy games, or attachment rate is slow, so will revenue.

Changes in the gaming landscape can cause business models to change. One such change is the move (for console space) to move into the idea of generation-less games, games that you can play indefinitely on any console you own. You move to that space, and certain games will be played forever. It's a one time purchase, but people keep investing hours into that game. See any top 10 twitch.tv game. These games, all make the most revenue, and quite a few of them are in fact free 2 play. Many of these games require huge populations to stay alive and to generate revenue, so crossplay is a definite requirement for them to success.

So if this is the future, and this becomes the buying habit of your future player base, by excluding yourself from cross play, you've removed yourself from that market. While I can see Sony doing that today, as they've got a strong first party showing, I can't see them doing that indefinitely. There will be a point in time in which, Nintendo, XBox, PC are united in these large market games and Sony will not be able to afford to stay out of it, lest they want to stay an exclusive machine.

 

[chris1515]

Not necessarily.
Licensing is their main driver of revenue, and while you can own the whole market, you can't force your user base to buy games, and if you can't get them to buy games, or attachment rate is slow, so will revenue.

Changes in the gaming landscape can cause business models to change. One such change is the move (for console space) to move into the idea of generation-less games, games that you can play indefinitely on any console you own. You move to that space, and certain games will be played forever. It's a one time purchase, but people keep investing hours into that game. See any top 10 twitch.tv game. These games, all make the most revenue, and quite a few of them are in fact free 2 play. Many of these games require huge populations to stay alive and to generate revenue, so crossplay is a definite requirement for them to success.

So if this is the future, and this becomes the buying habit of your future player base, by excluding yourself from cross play, you've removed yourself from that market. While I can see Sony doing that today, as they've got a strong first party showing, I can't see them doing that indefinitely. There will be a point in time in which, Nintendo, XBox, PC are united in these large market games and Sony will not be able to afford to stay out of it, lest they want to stay an exclusive machine.

You will need to wait long time... For the moment Sony is far ahead... I don't even think it will be something important for them before three or four years into PS5 lifecycle....

 

[chris1515]

Nintendo and Xbox/PS buyers are very different... PC are a bit different too than Xbox/PS abut cross play is interesting for some title (shooters mostly, multiplatorm racing title....)

 

[iroboto]

I think this article about MS sums up its direction for Xbox and MS very well in general; It's worth a read through, because a lot has changed in 2 years time, from what MS once was.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40457458/satya-nadella-rewrites-microsofts-code

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I think this article about MS sums up its direction for Xbox and MS very well in general; It's worth a read through, because a lot has changed in 2 years time, from what MS once was.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40457458/satya-nadella-rewrites-microsofts-code

I read that earlier in the day and it's a very good read. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in the business management side of things.

It's both good and bad. Good that Microsoft has become a bit more nimble and is embracing other platforms. Bad in that being nimble means that you don't have as much time to "bake" products to make sure they are robust and as bug free as possible. Windows 10 feels like a rushed product compared to previous versions of Windows, but that's unavoidable when going with a rapid iteration system that allows you to be more nimble and respond more quickly to changes in the market. Edge feels like an extremely unfinished and unpolished product and it's shocking to me that MS would release it in the state that it is in. However, again, it marks a departure in release philosophy compared to how things were previously (rapid iteration, ditching the past in order to try to anticipate the future). Again, good and bad.

In most things I prefer the old ways, where stability and robustness were more important than trying to stay up to date with the latest trends in tech. On the other hand it's also nice not to have to wait potentially years for something to receive major support (internet standards for instance).

Regards,
SB

 

[iroboto]

It's both good and bad. Good that Microsoft has become a bit more nimble and is embracing other platforms. Bad in that being nimble means that you don't have as much time to "bake" products to make sure they are robust and as bug free as possible. Windows 10 feels like a rushed product compared to previous versions of Windows, but that's unavoidable when going with a rapid iteration system that allows you to be more nimble and respond more quickly to changes in the market. Edge feels like an extremely unfinished and unpolished product and it's shocking to me that MS would release it in the state that it is in. However, again, it marks a departure in release philosophy compared to how things were previously (rapid iteration, ditching the past in order to try to anticipate the future). Again, good and bad.

You have no idea how crazy it is or maybe you do. But their release cadence is insane. When I was told how fast it was, I was jaw dropped. This is across the company, some products have faster cadences then others.

 

[BRiT]

Cross-Play enabled for Gwent: The Witcher Card game between Xbox One and Win10 PC platforms.

https://twitter.com/x/status/915632771535720448

 

[BRiT]

Gamespot covered this topic on a recent article: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-boss-isnt-sure-if-cross-play-with-ps4-will-ha/1100-6453994/

Blurb:
------------

Now, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has provided an update on where things stand with Sony. He told us at the Brazil Game Show today that Microsoft speaks with Sony all the time, but the conversations haven't amounted to anything--and they may never.

"We talk to Sony all the time. With Minecraft on PlayStation, we have to be one of the biggest games on their platform in terms of sales and gameplay," Spencer said. "Same with Nintendo. The relationship with Nintendo on this front has been strong. They've been great supporters and we continue to collaborate with them. But I think Sony's view is different. They should talk about what their view is..."

Asked if cross-play between Xbox One and PS4 is a lost cause, Spencer said he doesn't want to speak for Sony. Nothing is ever set in stone, but the way things are now with Sony makes Spencer believe the company may never come around.

"I have a real struggle making comments about their motivation or timelines. I know there is a certain view that says if my friends have this console, they can't play with people who buy another console. That's a reason they go buy my console," he said. "That reason is not going to go away. So we're putting Minecraft out there as one of the biggest games on any platform and allowing people to play together regardless of what device they bought. I don't think everybody is taking that same approach to the ecosystem. So I'm never going to call anything a lost cause but I think some of the fundamental reasons and certain scenarios, they're not really going away. So I don't know what would change."

Speaking generally about the appeal of cross-play, Spencer said it allows the multiplayer environments for games to stay rich, because the player pools are larger than they otherwise might be.

 

[BRiT]

Add another game to announce cross-platform play for majority of gaming platforms except noPlaystation.

"We are happy to announce the Cross-Network Play for #CrazyJustice between #NintendoSwitch #PC #XboxOne #indiedev #gamedev #UE4 #indiegame"

https://twitter.com/x/status/918816246782709762

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Now, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has provided an update on where things stand with Sony. He told us at the Brazil Game Show today that Microsoft speaks with Sony all the time.

"You suck."
"No, you suck."
"No, you suck."
"Nu-uhh."