PlayStation 4’s cross-play functionality is reportedly now out of beta, and available to any developer that wishes to use it in their games.
Sony initially announced that it would be enabling cross-play support for gameplay, progression and commerce between PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Android, and iOS last September, following increasing pressure from both developers and consumers. Up to that point, the publisher had continued to drag its heels over the feature (arguing in June 2018 that its anti-cross-play stance was necessary to protect children), despite it already having been enthusiastically embraced by rival platform holders.
The caveat, however, was that its cross-play services would, initially at least, remain in beta, with only select games permitted to make use of the functionality. First in line was, unsurprisingly, Epic’s battle royale juggernaut Fortnite, and the list has steadily grown since then, with the likes of Rocket League, Dauntless, and Paladins joining the cross-play jamboree.
Now though, as reported by Wired in an interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, PlayStation 4’s cross-play functionality has completed its beta phase and can now be utilised by any developer wishing to incorporate the feature in their games. The first big-name title to make use of the newly liberated functionality is likely to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which releases later this month on 25th October.
And thus begins a new, and hopefully long, chapter in Sony’s cross-play saga. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes some of the more notable cross-play omissions – Microsoft’s perennially popular Minecraft perhaps being one of the biggest examples – to introduce PlayStation 4 support now that restrictions have been lifted on the platform.
