Sony Enables Cross-play for Fortnite on PlayStation After All

After a series of backlashes, Sony is finally making a major change to its culture. So far, the company hasn’t been supporting cross-play on the PlayStation platform. The approach was noticed when Fortnite started coming to more platforms, especially the Nintendo Switch when many PlayStation owners couldn’t carry on their progress and content from their PlayStation to the Switch.

All of that is changing today. Yes, really.

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Sony announced earlier this afternoon that the company is testing extended Fortnite cross-play support in beta today, allowing cross-platform gameplay, progression, and commerce across all platforms. “Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players. In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform,” said Sony’s CEO John Kodera.

Kodera mentions the policy change isn’t only tied to Fortnite, and the company hopes to expand the same policy across the entire organization to support this change, citing it as a “major policy change” for Sony. The change will be widely welcomed by the gaming community, despite all the flack Sony has received in the past.

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Conversation 13 comments

  • Tunrip

    26 September, 2018 - 11:57 am

    <p>With Sony being the market leader I really didn't see them doing this. I think it's absolutely fantastic that they're finally allowing this and hope it continues across more games!</p><p>(Destiny 2 cross-saves, please! 🙂 )</p>

    • spacein_vader

      Premium Member
      26 September, 2018 - 1:52 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#328060">In reply to Tunrip:</a></em></blockquote><p>The market leader is the pc. Steam alone was reporting 125m active accounts three years ago. Add in the other platforms too and it dwarfs the rest.</p>

      • Skolvikings

        26 September, 2018 - 1:57 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#328095">In reply to spacein_vader:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p><em>The market leader is the pc. Steam alone was reporting 125m active accounts three years ago. Add in the other platforms too and it dwarfs the rest.</em></p><p><br></p><p>Source?</p>

        • spacein_vader

          Premium Member
          27 September, 2018 - 3:56 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#328100">In reply to Skolvikings:</a></em></blockquote><p>So it seems the comments don't like me posting links but if you Google "Steam Lionsgate press release" the top hit is their release in 2016 that mentions the size of the user base in the 4th paragraph.</p><p><br></p><p>Also a website called SteamSpy used Valves API to figure out things like this until the API was altered earlier this year. According to their 2017 report, (Google "SteamSpy 2017 report",) 291m accounts played at least 1 steam game at least once that year.</p><p><br></p><p>That's just Steam, while they are the biggest there is also GOG, uPlay, Battle.net, Origin, MS Store and many other storefronts, plus huge f2p games like world of tanks, league of legends and fortnite. There will be overlap but you'd be surprised how few fortnite players (for example,) play many other games on other pc platforms.</p><p><br></p><p>The PC is the biggest market, but its strength (diversity of options,) also makes it hardest to quantify.</p>

      • maethorechannen

        Premium Member
        27 September, 2018 - 5:09 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#328095">In reply to spacein_vader:</a></em></blockquote><p><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> Add in the other platforms too</em></p><p><br></p><p>You can't just do a straight add, because the player bases overlap. You might find the odd person with a GOG account but not a steam one, but they're going to be few and far between.</p>

        • spacein_vader

          Premium Member
          27 September, 2018 - 10:46 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#328189">In reply to maethorechannen:</a></em></blockquote><p>If you read my whole post I stated as such. But there are several games played by people who don't tend to play games on other services. Minecraft, World of Tanks, Fortnite, The Sims and World of Warcraft players may very well not have Steam accounts. </p><p><br></p><p>That said, even if you only took the Steam figure into account the PC is still the biggest market.</p>

  • ReformedCtrlZ

    Premium Member
    26 September, 2018 - 12:10 pm

    <p>I refuse to be "happy" that Sony is finally starting to do what they should have done years ago in this respect. But it is nice that with this change I may actually be able to game with some longtime friends who happen to be in the Sony camp again in the near-future.</p>

  • Daekar

    26 September, 2018 - 12:31 pm

    <p>Huh, I might actually be able to buy a Sony platform in the future now.</p><p><br></p><p>Welcome to the modern world, Sony.</p>

  • bdollerup

    Premium Member
    26 September, 2018 - 12:43 pm

    <p>@Mehedi, you even write like Paul ?</p>

  • Skolvikings

    26 September, 2018 - 1:56 pm

    <p>PS4 users have always been able to play Fortnite against PC players. They just weren't able to play with people using other consoles. This is a welcome change.</p>

  • waethorn

    26 September, 2018 - 4:13 pm

    <p>Fortnite is trash.</p>

    • FalseAgent

      27 September, 2018 - 1:46 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#328129">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>it's a decent game….but it's a turn off for many because the community has lots of kids in it</p>

      • waethorn

        27 September, 2018 - 2:47 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#328181">In reply to FalseAgent:</a></em></blockquote><p>Kids' games attract kids.</p>

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