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Sony Is Blocking Fortnite Cross-Play Between PS4, Nintendo Switch Players (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the not-on-my-watch dept.

Earlier today, Nintendo announced during its E3 press conference that Epic Games' Fortnite would be coming to the Switch console. Unfortunately, when Epic Games PR representative Nick Chester confirmed cross-play compatibility, the PS4 wasn't on the list. The Switch version of Fortnite will only support cross-play with Xbox One, PC, Mac, and mobile. The Verge reports: That aligns with past cross-play implementations between Xbox One, PS4, PC, and mobile, with Sony blocking other console platforms from playing with its own. You can cross-play between PS4, mobile, and PC. Unfortunately, this also suggests that PS4 players of Fortnite won't be able to log in to their Epic accounts on the Switch, meaning you won't be able to have any weekly progress carry over or gain access to any of your skins or emotes. This is because your Epic account is tied up with your PSN username in most cases. For instance, you can't log in to an Epic account tied to PSN on the Xbox One version of Fortnite, and it sounds like the same will be true for the Switch.

6 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Who even wants this stuff by Zaelath · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'd have thought if you were on a console blocking PC players from joining would be welcomed...?

    1. Re:Who even wants this stuff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      FYI: This is not about mixing PS4 vs Switch on the same server. It's about once you've ever played on PS4, then Sony is making it impossible to ever use the same Fortnight account to play on Switch.

  2. I got 99 problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    and a Switch ain't one.

  3. Weirdly written by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Switch version of Fortnite will only support cross-play with Xbox One, PC, Mac, and mobile.

    What a strange way to word that. it will "only" work with everything but PS4.

    The Verge reports: That aligns with past cross-play implementations between Xbox One, PS4, PC, and mobile,

    So did the PS4 used to work with Xbox One, PC, and Mobile?

    with Sony blocking other console platforms from playing with its own. You can cross-play between PS4, mobile, and PC.

    Wait, no. Sony won't work with any other consoles. But it still works with PC and mobile.

    I don't even want to RTFA as it might say that it will work with NES, Atari 2600, Magnavox Odyssey and Ms. Pacman. And if you sacrifice a goat during a blue super moon it will also work with Duesenberg cars, the original Eli Whitney cotton gin, and any abacus built before 1874.

  4. Not about cross play by darkain · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those that don't want to dig into the details, here is the gist of it.

    Fortnite uses an Epic Games account to login. If you've EVER logged into a Sony's PS4 with this account and touched Fortnite on it, this account become permanently locked out of both Microsoft's XBox One and Nintendo's Switch. The issue is not about cross play even, people are accepting that it wont happen. The issue is the fact that the outside Epic account becomes locked because of a deal Sony forced upon Epic games.

    This of course became front and center in the spot light again today now that the Switch version of the game launched this morning, and a fuckton of people are pissed off that their in-game progress and paid content is entirely inaccessible on the Switch if they've ever touched the PS4 version.

  5. Re:Wait... what?! by Narcocide · · Score: 4, Funny

    With gyro-aim the Switch users are going to mop the floor with everyone using joysticks. That's the real reason Sony doesn't want to play with anyone.