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Developers Accuse Sony of 'Playing Favorites' With PS4's Cross-Platform Support (arstechnica.com)
After years of fighting the idea, Sony announced last September it is finally bringing "cross-platform gameplay, progression, and commerce" to the PlayStation Network, with Fortnite as the first example. Months later, the company's efforts have yet to gain wide traction and now we may have identified the bottleneck: Sony. Several major third-party developers have accused the company of standing in the way of letting the PS4 versions of their games play nicely with other platforms. ArsTechnica reports: "We just launched Wargroove with crossplay between PC, Switch, and Xbox," Chucklefish CEO Finn "Tiy" Brice wrote on the ResetEra forums. "We made many requests for crossplay (both through our [Sony] account manager and directly with higher-ups) all the way up until release month. We were told in no uncertain terms that it was not going to happen." Brice's comments came days after new Hi-Rez Studios CEO Stew Chisam tweeted at Sony that the studio was "ready to go when you are" for cross-play on Smite, Paladins, and Realm Royale. "It's time to stop playing favorites and tear down the crossplay/progression wall for everyone," he said.
In a follow-up tweet, Chisam explained that Xbox/Switch cross-play has led to a direct improvement in the Paladins online user experience, including reduced wait times, more balanced matchmaking, and fewer "bad" matches overall. Brice's comments in particular come in direct response (and contradiction) to a recent Game Informer interview in which Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Shawn Layden said that cross-play was open to pretty much any PS4 developer that wants it.
In a follow-up tweet, Chisam explained that Xbox/Switch cross-play has led to a direct improvement in the Paladins online user experience, including reduced wait times, more balanced matchmaking, and fewer "bad" matches overall. Brice's comments in particular come in direct response (and contradiction) to a recent Game Informer interview in which Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Shawn Layden said that cross-play was open to pretty much any PS4 developer that wants it.
if the community isn't big enough to support the PS4 players and the game is bringing in money for Sony they allow Cross Play.
Also, if the game is big enough the publisher can threaten to pull the game they'll allow Cross Play.
If you fall somewhere in the middle then you're SOL.
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It's far worse to be Sony'd than it is to be Munson'd.
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They have complete disrespect for their customers. Although, I wanted to change consoles to Xbox over Christmas but just could not bring myself to buy one bundled with Fallout 76, for free.The only way they can sell that game I guess...
*Except when Sony doesn't want it to be. Speaking of Sony and Nintendo, hopefully they jump on the accessibility bandwagon now that Microsoft has set the bar with their Adaptive Controller.
:)
Saw on Facebook that a friends son is using one now. Great that he can more easily play games with family and friends.
https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/xbo...
I'm shocked that Sony would behave this way.. shocked.
Microsoft pulled largely the same stunt last gen, during which it was well ahead in sales for the majority of the time, Sony only catching up right at the end.
Roll on a decade and the PS4 is absolutely killing the XBO in terms of units stripped, suddenly it's Sony who are being dicks.
I can understand this is anti-consumer, especially when it comes to PS4 / PC as they can't really be said to be poaching each others customers. However Sony have been given the opportunity to give Microsoft a good kicking whilst they are down and make their customers regret not buying a PS4 like their friends, and they'd be rather stupid not to take it.
If Sony are stuck in the past, then leave them to it.
If MS Xbox, and Nintendo get with the times, then all the better for them. And as the article points out, this has benefitted players directly (which in turn would make them enjoy the game more on those consoles that support it)
So that leaves the 10 players still using playstation to play on their own. Good for them!
Shawn Layden, Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman, is saying that it is a future he thinks they're heading towards:
"PS4 and PS4 Pro provide what, of course, we think is the best gaming experience, but the other consoles out there, be it Switch, Xbox One X, or tablets, or phones – there are great experiences across all these. What we need to do is recognize all that. We’re not little gaming ghettos that are not federated or aligned at all. We’re all part of the same gaming community, we just come at it through different doorways. I think the future will be an extension of that metaphor. Your platform is not your hideaway. It’s just your doorway to all these other gamer folk."
Great hardware, greater control freaks. If they'd made mini disc open, it could've dominated the PC portable storage market for a decade. If they hadn't put DRM malware on CDs I wouldn't have boycotted them (still do).
If they hadn't put DRM malware on CDs I wouldn't have boycotted them (still do).
The Sony Music DRM malware incident was not only with a different part of Sony but also in 2005, which is fourteen years ago. When should a boycott end? For example, should a boycott end once the people responsible for a bad decision are no longer with the company? Or should people, say, boycott Red Hat in 2019 because of parent company IBM's actions in the 1930s?