Sony gets with the times, adds PS4 cross-play support, starting with ‘Fortnite’

By Steven Petite Published November 9, 2018

Fortnite Fly Explosives — Image used with permission by copyright holder

After a prolonged standoff with disappointed Fortnite players, Sony has finally reversed course on cross-play. In a blog post penned by SIE CEO and President John Kodera, Sony announced it would begin supporting cross-play with other platforms for select third-party games. Fortnite will be the first PS4 game to feature full cross-play support. An open beta for the feature kicks off today, September 26.

In explaining Sony’s new approach, Kodera wrote: “Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third-party content. We recognize that PS4 players have been eagerly awaiting an update, and we appreciate the community’s continued patience as we have navigated through this issue to find a solution.”

Recommended Videos

As to why Sony is framing this addition as a “beta,” Kodera explained: “We see the beta as an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play is best on PlayStation, while being mindful about the user experience from both a technical and social perspective.”

It’s nice to see Sony get on board with cross-play, even though it has taken some time for the company to get to this point. On numerous occasions over the past few months, Sony has suggested that PlayStation 4 didn’t need cross-platform play. Considering that Fortnite, the most popular game in the world, has supported cross-play across Xbox One, Switch, PC, and mobile devices for months now, Sony’s previous stance on the matter didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Kodera acknowledged how times have changed. “Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players.” Indeed, adding the PlayStation community into the overall Fortnite player pool will add a large swath of new players into the mix.

It’s unclear what other games Sony will include in the new program. One notable possibility is Rocket League. Right now, Rocket League on PS4 supports cross-play with PC but not Xbox One and Switch. Meanwhile, Switch and Xbox One users can play Rocket League together.

Sony promised to provide updates moving forward about its cross-play initiative, so hopefully we’ll start to see more PS4 cross-play support in the near future.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

Red Dead Redemption is coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4 this month

red dead redemption switch ps4 release date key art

The original Red Dead Redemption is coming to two new platforms, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, later this month. It'll retail for $50 on both platforms.
Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare Coming to Switch and PS4
Rockstar Games' open-world western game first launched in 2010 for Xbox 360 and PS3. It was critically acclaimed and a smash sales hit, creating a new franchise for Rockstar that could stand alongside the likes of Grand Theft Auto. It received a sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, in 2019, but the original Red Dead Redemption remained stuck on older platforms outside of backward compatibility support on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
That's why fans got excited when a rating for the game from the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea popped up. We've now learned that this rating is for new Nintendo Switch and PS4 ports of Red Dead Redemption by Double Eleven Studios. Red Dead Redemption will release across both of those platforms digitally on August 17, with a physical launch to follow on October 13.

It will cost $50 and includes the base campaign as well as the zombie-infested Undead Nightmare expansion; the Red Dead Online multiplayer is not included. This is the first time Red Dead Redemption will ever be on a Nintendo system, although it doesn't look like the port will have much in the way of Switch-exclusive features. That said, a press release does reveal that this will be the first version of the game to include Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Latin American Spanish, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese localizations.
Red Dead Redemption comes out on PS4 and Nintendo Switch on August 17.

Gaming

PS Plus subscribers can get PS4’s most underrated exclusive for free next month

Art fights a giant bird in Dreams.

Sony announced the three-game lineup that PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can redeem for free throughout the month of August. It's an odd batch of titles that includes a sports game, one of 2021's best indies, and a user-generated, content-focused PS4 exclusive that never got the love it deserved.

Specifically, those three games are PGA Tour 2K23, Death's Door, and Dreams.

Gaming

Dreams live support is ending — and that’s a big misstep for PlayStation

Art fights a giant bird in Dreams.

Sony could’ve had its own popular proprietary game engine and metaverse. Instead, it just let it slip through its fingers.

Media Molecule is ending live support for Dreams, its highly ambitious game-creating and playing tool for PS4, on September 1. Its servers are staying online for now -- and it has a few more content updates in the pipeline before then -- but after August, there will be no new tools, ports, or events for Dreams. That means it’s not coming to PS5, PlayStation VR2, and, most critically, PC.