Nintendo and Microsoft shame Sony with their Minecraft Cross-Play trailer
Nintendo and Microsoft shame Sony with their Minecraft Cross-Play trailer
The primary benefit of Minecraft’s Bedrock Engine is that the game will support multiplayer between PC, Xbox One, iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch, leaving Sony’s PS4 console as the only outlier, thanks to the limitations that the platform holder has placed on cross-platform play. Those who have purchased Minecraft’s original Switch version will retain access to that build of the game and can download the new version for free, with new purchasers only having access to the game’s Build Engine variant moving forward.
Sony landed themselves in hot water at E3 after the announcement/release of Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch, after which a large number of PS4 players complained that their account’s affiliation with Sony prevented them from playing Fortnite on Nintendo’s handheld gaming platform. Sony’s restriction is not only limiting cross-platform play, but they are actively harming the playability of select titles on other platforms.
To announce the release of the Switch’s new version of Minecraft, Nintendo has released a trailer which focuses on cross-play, showcasing who Microsoft and Nintendo console owners can play together. Sony is absent from this trailer.
PlayStation fans are starting to get aggravated with their platform holder, with popular games like Rocket League, Fortnite supporting full cross-play on every platform except PlayStation 4, leaving their community isolated.
Sony’s reasoning for the anti-cross-play policy is influenced by Sony’s dominance in the console market, as they want gamers exclusively on their platform. Why allow gamers to buy an Xbox and still get access to your multiplayer playerbase? Why not just force people to go for our console?
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