Over the last several months, the idea of cross-play and cross-platform progression in gaming has become an extremely hot topic. According to The Independent, during the Sony press conference at IFA 2018, Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, talked about the company’s stance on cross-platform play and progression.
Kenichiro Yoshida at IFA 2018:Â
“On cross platform, our way of thinking is that PlayStation 4 is always the best place to play. Fortnite, I believe, partnered with PlayStation 4 is the best experience for users, that’s our belief.” He continued by saying “But actually, we already opened some games as cross-platform with PC and some others, so we decide based on what is the best user experience. That is our way of thinking for cross-platform.”
He also talked about Sony’s competition with Microsoft and Nintendo. “I think competition is always good. Healthy, fair competition is always good for the industry and growth,” he said. “I think competition with Nintendo and Xbox is a healthy situation.”
Microsoft and Nintendo have recently begun supporting cross-play in games on both platforms. In an unprecedented move, Nintendo referenced Microsoft in a trailer showing off cross-play functionality for Minecraft. Other publishers are also expressing a desire for cross-play, as Bethesda has stated that their strategy card game The Elder Scrolls: Legends might not be coming to PlayStation 4 due to a lack of cross-play support. We’ll have to see how things go over the next couple of years.
