Psyonix confirms that the studio is capable of implementing PS4 and Xbox One cross-play forRocket League, but is waiting on Sony’s permission to do so.
Ever since Microsoft said that theXbox One was ready for cross-play with PS4, gamers and developers have been waiting for an official announcement on the feature. Cross-platform play between the two consoles still isn’t confirmed, butRocket Leaguedeveloper Psyonix has decided to prepare its popular soccer-with-cars game for the feature anyhow, and is capable of activating it in one business day.
This is according to Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham, who said that the only thing the company is waiting on is Sony’s approval, with Microsoft already giving the go-ahead, apparently. If Sony says it’s okay,Rocket Leagueplayers wouldn’t have to wait long to test out what would be one of the most significant developments in the history of console gaming. “It’d literally take a few hours to propagate throughout the whole world, so really we’re just waiting on the permission to do so,” said Dunham. However, it remains to be seen if Sony will give its permission or not.
In the past, Sony has seemedinterested in the possibility of PS4/Xbox One cross-play, stating that it would be “happy to have the conversation” with any publisher or developer, even its chief competition. It also pointed to its history of supporting cross-platform play between PC and PlayStation consoles to show that it is open to the idea.
But cross-platform play between a home console and PC is not the same as cross-platform play between two directly competing products. By allowing this feature, Sony could be helping out the Xbox brand, as it would mean people would not have to own a PS4 to play multiplayer games with their friends on the system. SincePS4 has a significant sales lead over Xboxas it is, it’s hard to see how Sony would benefit from this move.
Of course, gamers would want to see this happen, so maybe Sony will allow it just for the good publicity. It’s not like the company is necessarily hurting for good press, however, coming hot off the heels of anE3 press conferencethat was met with a lot of enthusiasm from the gaming community, and dominating the NPD sales charts month after month. If the roles were reversed, it’s doubtful that Microsoft would support Xbox One to PS4 cross-play, especially since it didn’t even support Xbox One to PC cross-play initially.
At this point it could go either way, but if Sony does give the thumbs up for Psyonix to proceed withRocket Leaguecross-platform play, it would mean big things for the industry moving forward. With Psyonix on the cusp of making PS4/Xbox One cross-play a reality, hopefully fans won’t have to wait too long for Sony to make its decision.
Rocket Leagueis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
