Sony created some buzz among gamers worldwide when decided to block cross-play feature for popular games like Fortnite between PlayStation 4 and its fiercest rivals, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Although Microsoft and Nintendo accepted the cross-platform play feature without many debates, Sony refused it, and it’s still against it, as the Sony CEO recently stated that “PlayStation is the best place to play,” so there’s no reason for them to support cross-play.
“On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play. Fortnite, I believe, partnered with PlayStation 4 is the best experience for users, that’s our belief,” said Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida during the IFA 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
The Sony CEO also stated that they already opened cross-platform play for some titles, but they only do it depending on the best user experience. “But actually, we already opened some games as cross-platform with PC and some others, so we decide based on what is the best user experience. That is our way of thinking for cross-platform,” Kenichiro Yoshida added.
Some game industry figures accused Sony’s refusal to embrace PlayStation 4 cross-play for games like Fortnite
However, the remarks made by Yoshida didn’t go unnoticed by the rials from Microsoft Xbox, and Xbox engineering chief Mike Ybarra commented on Twitter that Sony is still not listening to its gamers.
“[Sony] still isn’t listening to gamers. All games should be cross-play and progression with the right input flexibility and gamer options,” wrote Ybarra on Twitter. “Larger gaming audience who wants to play together. Gaming is diverse, if you only serve to bring joy to the part of an audience then you are behind in many, many ways,” Mike Ybarra added.
Also, Pete Hines, the Senior VP at Bethesda, considered Sony’s stance on refusing PlayStation 4 cross-play for games like Fortnite as annoying. As regarding Elder Scrolls: Legends, one of the Bethesda’s titles, Hines stated that the “cross-play is non-negotiable.”
