[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he console war was a huge thing in many hardware generations. However, the latest trends in the gaming world offer us a glimpse of the future where all games will be playable no matter the platform you’re on. For years, Sony was against this type of thing, but with the introduction of PlayStation 4’s cross-play beta program cross-platform play is taking off.
While some PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo elitists might disagree with the idea of cross-play, shouting the names of quality exclusive games, cross-platform play is a great feature. It has a huge potential to keep some games alive for many years by increasing player numbers and supporting communities there while in other case, a particular game might fall in popularity.
Cross-platform games also extend the audience and allow to connect players who previously weren’t able to play their favorite multiplayer games alongside friends on other consoles. In fact, we already have a couple of good examples that have (or will have) cross-platform play enabled, with many more coming in the near future. Here are a few titles that you can buy on Eneba digital games store and play together with friends on other gaming platforms.
Rocket League
One game – one community. That’s the philosophy that Psyonix, the developer of Rocket League, has been trying to implement for years. Last year, this became reality as the game developer finally added cross-platform play to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC simultaneously. Previously, console versions of Rocket League had a cross-play option with PC, however, other consoles were not included.
Fortnite
In fact, Fortnite community is the main reason Sony folded their console exclusivity cards. Sony has created PlayStation 4’s cross-play beta program due to a large number of Fortnite fans who signed petitions and flooded Sony’s mailbox with requests to play together with their friends. Now, Fortnite is the game which supports cross-play on all consoles as well as mobile phones.
Dauntless
Dauntless is a fresh game designed for a niche audience but it’s growing in popularity. The main reason, of course, it’s free, but being able to play Dauntless at launch with your friends playing on other consoles also helps. While the game is not yet released for Nintendo Switch, the developers are already working on the port.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
New AAA titles are also starting to take cross-platform play seriously. Activision recently announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will support cross-play on all platforms which is a clear sign for the new trend shaping up. In fact, some of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s competitors are already bashed by the community for not following the footsteps of Activision’s title.
And this is only the titles that feature full cross-platform play. We know that the list is quite short for now, but we sincerely believe that it’s only a matter of time until things start changing. Games like Hearthstone, Minecraft, Final Fantasy XIV already features at least a partial cross-play functionality.
So, we’re optimistic. Some of you might remember the iconic moment which happened during the previous Game Awards ceremony where heads of PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo shared the same stage. This might indicate that in the future all gaming companies will bury their hatchets and start working together to make all platforms better for all gamers.
