Sony Is Finally Allowing Cross-Play On The PS4

Having resisted for so long, Sony is finally giving in and allowing cross-play on the PS4 “for select third party content”, meaning PlayStation 4 owners will soon get to play the same game against people on competing consoles.

In a blog post, Sony say:

Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third party content. We recognise 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.

That path begins now, with an open beta for Fortnite that’ll let PS4 players go up against people on the Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac and mobile.

In perhaps an admission as to why this has taken so long, when the competition has allowed it for ages, Sony adds that “This represents a major policy change for SIE”, and say there’ll be more information on “other titles going forward” when “we have more details to share”.

It would make sense that it’s been a policy challenge rather than a technical one, since cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One was accidentally turned on last year before being quickly disabled.