Nintendo Takes A Swipe At Sony Over Fortnite's Cross-Platform Issues On Switch

Think you guys may be reading a little too much into this. Great clickbait though.

I’m hoping Nintendo’s openness to collaboration and cross play leads to the Big 3 teaming up for something.

Or at least with Microsoft, seeing as how Ninty and MS seem to have a good relationship.

Yeah, Reggie, that's what I'm talking about. Say what you gotta say.

The comment from Reggie was very sincere and respectful. I see no "jabs" as the headline implies.

Yeah, he didn't specifically target Sony, so I wouldn't necessarily say he's calling them out. He doesn't really need to, though, because everyone else is. Sony can kick rocks for this anti-consumer BS.

The problem with cross platform play is that it puts Sony in an impossible situation. Whilst it is great to allow different consoles to play with each other, a major draw of the PS4 is that you can play with your friends. When I was at school, everyone in my year bought a PS4, and that was because once a few people had them, everyone else bought them so they could play online with them. So now, if Sony allows cross platform play, they take away a major draw of their console and their market, but if they refuse, they get all of this bad press. It's not a nice position to be in.

Also wonder how many of those 2 million have already been deleted 🤣

Sony also did this with Rocket League and Minecraft didn’t they? Claiming concern for young players’ safety or some crap?

@MH4 I've heard glimpses that due to the faltering Xbox, Microsoft have themselves made indications they're starting to think of their own IP as stuff that could eventually become multiplatform brands rather than continue forward with an "exclusive" console(especially after the money Minecraft, an IP they now own, keeps printing them no matter what console it's on).

It makes me wonder if their recent ease of multiplatform play with Nintendo may have something in common with this.

@BranJ0 Would that really be a bad thing this late into the generation though? Sony have already said their resources are starting to focus on next gen. Could appease both worlds these days considering the consoles sales already.

@XenoShaun That's this site in a nut shell though.

@BranJ0

That isn't a good excuse at all. People choose one platform over another to play with their friends all the time. My friend Shelby wanted me to get an Xbox this gen, but I got a PlayStation to play with my friend Jeremy. I didn't really care about one over the other, as long as I had a multiplatform box and my Nintendo platforms.

Sony is doing this to force people to play on their platform while Microsoft and Nintendo aren't. Don't apologize for them.

The headline was kind of misleading but it is a shame that Sony doesn't allow for cross-platform multiplayer.
I'm sure they have their reasons but I have no idea what they could be. They're lucky they have such a big audience because it wouldn't work so well on Xbox or Switch...

@Ludovsky @MH4 I wouldn't be surprised if we see some Microsoft IP come to Switch. They did throw support the DS' way.

Ugh, I hate how headlines are always written to imply some kind of attack. Reggie gave a respectful answer on Nintendo's policies regarding cross-platform play, they didn't put Sony down at all. Stop trying to start controversies and division, there's enough of that in the world.

@BranJ0 Though to a degree... if multiplatform increasingly grows to support PC/Xbox/Switch... it may well hurt Sony over time if Sony kept refusing to accept crossplatform support.

The Switch's population has a way to go and the Xbox is average at best.... but PC market is a market as massive as Sony. The refusal for crossplatform platform multiplayer may well, in time, bite Sony back in the rear so to speak. After all, if the draw was "Buy Sony's console so you can play with your friend" increasingly become "Your friends have to buy Sony's console if they want to play with you instead of the console of their choice"... it might lead to a backlash.

Which may well lead to "Avoid Sony's console if you and your friends who own different consoles want to play together."

This said, while I believe that... the specific comments made at E3 feels a bit hard to interpret as a Swipe more than just being respectful on the subject.

@Arehexes In fairness "We think Nintendo took a swipe at Sony but no proof or decent evidence to back that" would generate far less money for them.

This site has become ClickbaitLife

Played this game last night with my brother who's obsessed with it. Terrible game, but we had an all right time.

@Audiobrainiac Rocket League on PS4 has cross play with PC. Same with Portal 2. I think it's the other consoles they have an issue with.

I had a blast with my son playing couch co-op tonight, him on the Switch, me on the Xbox. When we visit my parents we can do the same, only I’ll be on my iPhone.

Defend Sony’s policies all you like but that is something you definitely cannot do on the PS4.

@XenoShaun @Ludovsky I can easily see a Master Chief Collection, Halo Reach, or Rare Replay port selling well on Switch, or Banjo Kazooie or Master Chief in Smash Bros. being big crowd pleasers with unique movesets. It’d be really interesting to see.

Nintendo allowed the Xbox-character-themed skin pack in Minecraft onto Wii U and Switch, but Sony didn’t onto their platforms. 🤔 Makes me wonder if MS and the Big N have something in store for us other than crossplay.

Probably not. But a guy can speculate, can’t he?

Save us from corporate lingo! “Fan-forward” sheesh.

Anyway. Game is fun enough although I keep get my a$$ handed to me on a plate....

@MH4 @Ludovsky I would love to see Rare support again. Though I can see Microsoft thinking it as a conflict of interest as Switch can play them on the TV also. Unless the games bomb hard on Xbox.

Now a cross IP created game could very well be interesting. And would imagine Phil Spencer would be all giddy over that.

@XenoShaun Phil Spencer or Yves Guillemont of Ubisoft: Who would be giddier over a Nintendo crossover?

Jokes aside, the best ideas for a cross IP game I can think of is Halo meets Metroid. Microsoft and Mario wouldn’t mix well, imo.

@XenoShaun Also, as long as the Rare games made MS money, I can see them not giving a flip what platform they’re on. Technically, since you can play Xbox 1 games on a Windows laptop, I suppose it’s already portable-ish.

@OveDue You are correct. Rocket League has cross platform with PC but is unable to play with Switch ane Xbox.

Portal 2 on PS3 also has cross platform play with PC via logging into Steam, something the Xbox 360 did not support because Microsoft refused.

Sadly in Portal 2’s case, as of 22nd May 2018 due to GDPR, Valve has opted to shut down Steam support for Portal 2 and CSGO on PS3, meaning that for Portal 2 at least, there is no more cross platform support and you can no longer play online, meaning you cannot get all the trophies anymore. Apparently the reason given is the tech to update PS3 titles at Valve was retired years ago. Such a shame.

I think it’s amazing that folks that love Fortnite can now play on the Switch and bring that with them anywhere. My son loves the game and now he can play and not be tied to the Xbox.

Ignoring the clickbait title, none of this is really all that new. From the moment we first got cross-platform multiplayer on the Switch we've heard Nintendo execs say this same thing. We all knew that Sony would still pull this and with every cross-platform game we see this same outrage from the users.

I don't say this to lessen the impact of it. People are right to be riled up and raising a stink about it until Sony takes note of it and loosens up. At the same time there's no reason to be surprised about it because it's the same song and dance on repeat. And while on one hand this works in Sony's favor a little by keeping current users on their platform on the other hand it's going to encourage a lot of people to jump ship with the next hardware generation to a platform that gives them a larger selection of people to play games with.

Sony will cave eventually.

@MH4 I could see Nintendo's usual characters working with Rare IP, but that would be a bit too predictable and "safe" perhaps.

Samus could quite easily fit in the Halo universe or vice versa with Master Chief. Could make a fun game, that unfortunately fans will tear down before giving it a chance.

Perhaps Mario going on a road trip in Forza? Hahaha.

2 million downloads in a day?

"But nobody will play this on Switch cuz Fortnite is already on other consoles, PC, and mobile..."

Ultimately, I think the big loser here is Sony. As someone said in a precious comment, it could scare people away from buying a PS4 or whatever new system they come up with if Sony refuses to support cross-platform gameplay, now, or in the future.

So whereas Nintendo is dead last in terms of overall sales this generation (not counting the Switch here), Sony could very well be dead last next generation if they continue these business practices.

@Spudworthy But @BranJ0 has a point though. It only matters to the platform holder with the biggest numbers. Microsoft is potentially losing customers because they're picking PS4 over Xbox One to play with their friends. Plus, their userbase is smaller, and therefore the amount of active players in online games. It's beneficial to Microsoft to allow cross-play, they only benefit from it. Sony doesn't, apart from bad press.

Last gen it was the other way around. Sony wanted cross-play, but Microsoft was the market leader and they said no. Now it's the other way around.

That being said, I don't think there's much to lose if they allow it now, late in the generation. Plus, they have the games that Microsoft don't, so it's not like they would be losing their position. However, it also means that once you've said yes, there's no going back. You can't start next gen and not allow it anymore.

Refusing Cross Play is absolutely anti-consumer and Sony should allow cross play, but it's also expected of the company that's currently winning the console war to not.

Having the largest multiplayer player base is a huge selling point for the PS4, and people pay a subscription fee to be part of it. Sharing it for free doesn't make any sense business wise.

Microsoft sure as heck wasn't sharing their user baser when the 360 was at the top either.

@XenoShaun Mario Kart: Forza Grand Prix 😃

Fans tore down Mario + Rabbids before giving it a chance, and that game is brilliant. If this would follow the same pattern, Halo x Metroid would be the laughing stock of the industry for a while, then the laughing would stop, and the reviews would pour in positively, and it would give M+R a run for its money as the best-selling 3rd Party Switch game. 😃

I don’t see either Microsoft and Nintendo in as direct a competition as Microsoft and Sony. This is great news for switch as it opens up a greater player base. I got rocket league a few days ago and love it, when seeing online players I think it’s well over 100k - great for increasingly lifespans of online games. I’ve played too many PC games where there’s a great initial online player count and the number it just tanks. I feel sorry for the Sony crowd if this happens to them.

I downloaded Fortnite, played twice and deleted. Glad it’s there for people who like it. Gyro aiming would help, but I still probably wouldn’t be into it.

@XenoShaun I can sympathize with them though, it's not like they have much more to report on considering how lame E3 was.

Nintendo is allowing and promoting a feature of online play that Sony won't allow. What world am I living in?

Errr,... After E3 everyone kind a knows who developers want to work with. A free game EPIC will put on a toaster if they could - not a good metric.

Also, how does this have anything to do with Nintendo? Publishers all need to do their own thing on the Switch.

First XBox UK's tweet is painted as a Swipe at Sony in the media, now this. Seriously, guys. Yes, Sony's policy in this case raises legitimate questions, especially if the issue encompasses accounts used on PS4 after they were created elsewhere (not allowing crossplay matches themselves is within their right even if it's a bother for consumers), but we aren't in the 90s or 2000s - console media wars are largely the domain of fandoms now.

and "this is for the players"?

always bothered me that sony made dis-avantage over microsoft's one mistake.

actually its a BIG HARDWORKING Company that dont care about the players, but use it against the competition to influence gamers.

they make great console's though.
the playstation is always worth your money on a long term.

from I've read. they both are doing it to each other. why no one is really saying anything about it. pc is really the only one's who can invite everyone.

@agroyboy then you have very clearly been paying zero attention. Some 2 or 3 years ago microsoft went out and did the work for sony and nintendo to make sure that cross plat would work. and they did get it to work and told them both they were ready when they were. nintendo has been warming to the idea which is why you can play minecraft with who ever you want from any console EXCEPT playstation. sony is fighting it all around.

So can you play with players on xbone?
I noted that in the lobby there is reference to system playing on shaded out.

@Ludovsky and you are just ignorant in general. that or you need to get off of the nips of sony and pc. for one you cant support pc and not support xbox now unless you have a mac then that just means you have no idea what you are talking about. xbox isnt faltering at all lol. they know what they are doing and its working. just like sony and nintendo know what they are doing. they are all focusing on completely different things and thats what people dont understand. sony just thinks that they are competing with microsoft when in reality they arent even playing the same game anymore. while sony is trying to be king of the console wars, microsoft stopped playing the console war and focus on what was important and that what the fans want. and nintendo is over there just trying to have fun.

are only few cross platform games? not talking about Microsoft and Xbox. since they both are the same company. I could name 3 both being 1 group. FFXI, FFXIV and fortnite. yes every system cross platform would be awesome. being able to play with my friends on other systems would rock. we're just have to wait and see what happens.

@BranJ0 good. If they want more sales, they should focus on remaining competitive. Better hardware and software, better exclusives... not peer pressure. I hope the bad press escalates, that kind of tactic is underhanded. Sure, it makes business sense, but that doesn’t mean it should be rewarded, it’s punishing consumers for no reason. If their system was superior there shouldn’t be a worry that people won’t buy it because they can crossplay from other systems.

@Laxeybobby the only game that lets you play crossplat is minecraft right now and as far as i know is anyone anywhere on anything.(not including playstations.)

So can I play vs my friends on Xbox?

He didn't really jab Sony, though he rightly could have. But he is clearly alluding to them.

@Supadav03 you will be able to. They are still rolling out a couple of features in the next few days supposedly.

Honestly I hope Sony sticks to their stance on this, just so we can see all the teenage rage online for everyone who spent money on this and can't play it on the go with all of their swag

An easy dunk was set up, but kept it classy and threw a 3-pointer.

Sony was for crossplay last gen but Microsoft refused and nobody game a damn, but now it's flipped everyone is losing their BEAUTIFUL minds and it's all Sony's fault.

@DarkKirby, Microsoft changed their ways, can Sony say the same?

@shadowof5 sony might have thought of crossplay, but not with Nintendo or pc. now it is different.

Like someone said above.

Nintendo are the LEAST customer friendly of the big 3.

Totally agree

Seems more like an "Oh well, what can you do" than an actual jab at Sony. Misleading much?

@ekwcll Sony has crossplay with pc, they had it on the ps2, ps3, and PS4. Nintendo never had crossplay till now

We went through this during last year's E3, right? It's crazy how so many have successfully been convinced that cross platform play is a wanted feature that supposedly is better for consumers.

It's not.

Want to play with friends? Play on the same ecosystem. Regardless of cross platform play, that's the requirement. You can't hop on with your Nintendo Network ID and create a lobby in a multiplayer game and invite your friend on Xbox Live or PSN. It just doesn't work that way.

So what people are really complaining about here is not being able to play with randoms on other platforms.

@greengecko007 except there’s no technical reason for this, especially in the case of fortnite since unreal engine makes multi platform easy. so “it just doesn’t work this way” is some business puke saying “no”. and as consumers we don’t have to accept it if we don’t like it. sony should focus on making the console innovative so people want to buy it, not because they have to in order to stay socially relevant in the gaming communities.

Nintendo are my favourite video game company...like ever. But...if the big N was in Sony's position they would do the exact same thing as Sony and word it in a way to suit they're own objective. In other words, its corporate BS that only die hards belief.

@tekknik Despite the fingerpointing and vilification of Sony on this, none of the big 3 really want that. As direct competitors, none of them want your friends to be able to purchase a competing system rather than their own and be able to easily play online games with you.

And of the big 3, Microsoft probably wants it the least. With the smallest and least diverse catalog of exclusive content, they know who would be the odd man out in terms of losing sales to competitors since consumers wouldn't need to buy an Xbox to play with friends.

Cross platform play in its current state is a gimmick being used to paint Sony as the bad guy. In the case of Fortnite, with 2 million downloads already, does anyone really think they need to add randoms from other ecosystems to ensure they have an ample playerbase on Switch?

Sony is on top right now and that is why they are less consumer friendly. It happens to all three companies when they are on top. This rivalry between fans is stupid.

@Fist_of_Belial I can see the logic in Sony trying to protect their generation winning lead. But dont forget that Microsoft were ontop at the end of the last generation and made some very non consumer friendly decissions just as Sony are doing now.

I think its shortighted and will harm their brand.

The headline just shows how Nintendo Life has dramatically lowered its quality on delivering news.

@XenoShaun I only say I read into it too because, I have the game on PS4 and with the idea I could play anywhere (I take my switch to work... so what?) and possibly get used to the game, I put it on switch. What? I can't even register my email with this version because Sony won't allow my deets over to switch? This isn't read into too far, this is a case of Nintendo being a bit coy, in a business sense. Anyone that has it on Xbox or PC won't even notice. Only those that also have a PS4 version.

Pretty clear. Nintendo are the good guys. Sony are the bad guys.

This might cost Sony the first place lead next gen if they keep at it. If the PS5 won't do cross platform, ontop of the zero backwards compatibility the PS4 had while the XBox....Whatever promises those 2 things and more, gamers might flock over back to XBox again like the 360. Microsoft shot themselves in the foot at the start of the XBONE but they have been learning from those mistakes. Will it take a loss of the market share for sony to learn not to get cocky again?

imagine a smash type cross platform game where the console you use has a roster of that companies characters and IP's.... kart racer or whatever. then fan boys could have at it

Another bone headed decision by Sony for sure, and there's really no excuse for it. Either way, it's not like it would hurt Sony if they enabled it. Sony's known for making bad decisions when their on top/see success, just look at the early PS3 days and look what happened to the Vita.

@greengecko007 again, who cares what they want? it’s a free market and we all get screwed by crap like this. i’m definitely not spending my money to give a company what they want, they should earn it. and since sony is the only one doing this, it’s hard to not point the finger and it’s also easy for them to stop the finger pointing. i have a ps4, xbox and switch. of the 3 the ps4 is definitely my least favorite, what is different about it over the ps3? a touchpad? wooo..... same with the xbox one. all either console manufacturer did was add more power. graphics don’t make the game more fun, this has always been true and always will.

@BranJ0 not sure I get what you're saying. If they allow crossplay, that will somehow prevent PS4 people from playing together online? Wouldn't that mean they'd have more people to play online with, since they could also connect to XBox and Switch users?

A lot of people saying that Xbox was blocking cross-play last gen. Not quite right - X360 had crossplay and it was in several games. What they wouldn't allow was Steam on the Xbox. That meant games like Left Behind and Portal couldn't crossplay.

Anyway, that aside, looking forward to trying out Fortnite on the switch, although disappointed that Save the World isn't there. Wonder if it's planed?

Whatever the case with this article, shame on Sony. I created my account on PC and have played on PC since then, I just linked my account into Ps4 since I wanted to test Fortnite on Ps4, and because of that, now I can't use the same account on Switch. I mean come on. That is pretty bad Sony, people will surely really appreciate you and buy your stuff more than ever before... Sure, there was some free Ps4 exclusive costume and stuff and I wonder if that is the reason to block crossplay, which would be weird since I can use those stuff on PC anyway. Well whatever the reason is, Sony shouldn't do that.

Ya I can take Fortnite with me and play anywhere on my Switch....as long as I have a strong 150mb/s wifi signal and a back up charger.

"players who already had Fortnite on PS4 found that they couldn't carry their progress or purchases over to the Switch version because Sony won't allow it.

Speaking at E3, Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime addressed this issue, stating that Nintendo - unlike Sony - has no problem with cross-platform play because it's "fan-forward" and in the "best interest" of the game"

There's two issues being muddied here. One is that people can't use purchases and progress on one platform on another. Thats not cross play which is a different thing and arguably a 'nice to have' but not why people are upset. The issue is it is so restrictive now that anyone thats used the game on the PS4 gets error messages logging into an Xbox or Switch and have to create a brand new Epic account.

For what its worth I fail to believe that Epic couldn't have implemented something to allow the same account to be used cross platform, but to not transfer DLC if thats Sony's requirement.

Now before Nintendo throws stones in glass houses, if we're talking about not being able to use the same account because of DLC being locked to a platform, lets not overlook the YEARS of frustration Nintendo customers have had with content being locked to a single hardware system or the fact that customers have been forced to repurchase the same games over and over again as they move from generation to generation since Nintendo wouldn't let purchases on one system translate over for the exact same titles.

I mean, thats their choice but Nintendo even today can't be overly critical of Sony for seeking to lock down content to a platform when Nintendo's has perhaps the worst reputation of all three console players of not even allowing content to move between systems for a common user account in its OWN ecosystem. Thats before we get into other related issues like the Switch taking 18 months to get the ability to export save data from a system etc.

I'd love to see this all sorted out but as above, I refuse to believe Epic isn't partially responsible and rather than develop a solution that would allow an account for a single system, they've just blocked access as its easier and are expecting people to sign up multiple times. Other services like Ubisofts allow connection to multiple gaming services and a shared account across all after all.

Nintendo is too nice to take a jab.
Microsoft on the other hand: https://twitter.com/xboxuk/status/1006605714620665858

@BranJ0 why does any of that matter when the PS4 is ahead of the pack by a longshot in sales. It looks bad on them and very anti-consumer for not allowing it. Hell, I'm ok with them being against crossplay but don't hold my epic games account captive bc you wanna play hard ball.

@OveDue I was referring to these articles:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/06/xbox_boss_wades_in_on_sonys_decision_to_block_minecraft_cross-platform_play

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/06/switch_owners_wont_be_able_to_play_minecraft_or_rocket_league_against_ps4_owners_and_heres_why

That's some suitwearing mumbo-jumbo right there. And I'm not downloading this until it has gyro aiming, but I do hope everyone is having fun.

Can you "play anywhere"? I thought you needed wi fi ?

@BranJ0 No it doesn't, since they allow cross-platform play with Final Fantasy XIV !

Players on both PC and PS4 can play together.

It's when Sony started realizing that the PS4 was greatly outperforming the Xbox One in sales, that they suddenly started to become hostile against Cross-platform play!

This is a pure business decision ala Apple to lock people into their ecosystem! Nothing more, nothing less.

Funny thing is, that even though Apple's ecosystem is very much locked in, they actually do allow cross-platform play with games and Apps.
So Sony could take a note of that.

@Supadav03 I believe it's only randoms, you can't invite friends from other systems.

@MH4 To be honest, recalling some Microsoft interview talking about the potential of crossplatform multiplayer -and- multiplatforms IPs in the first place... I see Microsoft simply gradually backing away from the concept of an "exclusive" console in the first place.

Perhaps even releasing an "XboxTwo" only for the sake of it, but otherwise increasingly gradually graviting back to PC.... but with an eye open for ways they could make more IPs into more multiplatform successes like Minecraft has very much proved to be even after they acquired the IP from Mojang.

So without being an official collab with Nintendo, I could well see the consoles of other companies(like Nintendo in particular, instead of Sony which makes crossplatform MP impossibly in a lot of cases) as that much more potential platforms on which to succeed rather than wall itself off behind an exclusive consoles that would then immediately falter once exclusives moves elsewhere.

Like I kinda picture Microsoft's future to be a renewed dedication for PC+whatever other consoles could be decent platforms for it's PC offerings, with increasedlevels of crossplatforms functionalities and multiplayer. If they release a new console, it may even become not-and-Xbox but rather "a TV screen's PC" proper with proper support for PC apps like Steam/etc or their own stuff. Basically instead of trying to make TV and PC gaming separate things... trying to better unify them into a single, synergetic, platform in the way the Nintendo Switch managed to unify Nintendo's handheld and TV-gaming fans on a single platform rather than two separate ones often existing in exclusion of each others.

So on such an unified console, you could still play with your friends even if they still only own a PC rather than that console, due to a new philosophy focused on crossplatform support... and if Microsoft is the publisher of the game, they'd still win in the end. Like they're winning with the success of Minecraft on Switch despite it being not "their" console.

This more than anything might actually end up hurting Sony, even if in a longer term kind of thing. Because who would want to be isolated on a single console(no matter how big) if it means being unable to play with all your friends who went on, well, basically any other consoles... be it Switch, PC or even phone?

That's something that could blow in Sony's face if they don't change their way of doing thing and could indeed be a smart move from Microsoft. The exclusive console races may well be flipped on it's head because it'd utterly negate the advantage of any console being "exclusive" beyond the specifics of the platforms(and this is where, despite weaker hardware, Nintendo would still shine. You still get for it to be something you can play everywhere. Now imagine if your Microsoft PC game got cloud saves usable n your Switch console to boot?).

@Fist_of_Belial It is. But I'm saying there's moves being made that may well indeed change the game in the first place. Exclusives only make senses if indeed everyone is trying to be truly "Exclusives".

I.e.: "Come and get MY exclusives instead of this other guy?"

Meanwhile Microsoft is gravitating away from he Xbox subtly and it's crossplatform support is not a bad idea in the slightest. The Xbox might be a small console, but you're forgetting the sleeping giant a lot of folks are forgetting about: the PC. And that's one Microsoft had a strong link with well before the days of the Xbox.

In a way my point about the way this could hurt Sony doesn't involve the Xbox or the Switch. It's that by setting their sight on the PC and crossplatform support for stuff like multiplayer... Microsoft might be about to eventually enact a move that might well isolate Sony in the longterm.

With 80 millions consoles sold, it wouldn't have much effect immediately.... but when we reach a point where PC, Switch and maybe whatever console Microsoft releases(which might not be an Xbox anymore, though we'll see, but literally an unified "PC console" concept optimized for TV play but supporting PC games/multiplayer)… it might in the longterm very much leave Sony isolated and multiplayer game developers pressuring Sony to "open up" the console's multiplayer if people increasingly start skipping the PS4 version of games just to continue playing games on a console that can play on all the different hardware owned by their friends.

In a way, seeing the Xbox falter as it did has shown the weakness of the "exclusives only" philosophy and the fact Nintendo's own WiiU taught Nintendo a similar lesson may well have taken part of their reasoning that "perhaps the race for exclusives is a game better not played". If you're already winning, cool, but otherwise it's hard to reverse the steam.

So informally uniting to basically flip the tables on the whole concept of exclusivity might well be a good way of turning the entire game on Sony. I've already got friends who're interested in Monster Hunter World who don't know which version to buy -because- they want to play the game but not in a way that would isolate them from playing with their friend. So their hope is -literally- that the PC version see enough people migrating back to PC because they absolutely don't want to buy a PS4 just for a single game when already invested on PC.

And even without Steam... that's the big deal right now is that when it comes to crossplatform multiplayer, PC gaming IS kinda the sleeping giant in the room that a lot of people are forgetting about, and that's the one thing which might bite Sony in the rear if they're not careful about being too defensive of their multiplayer platform... 80 millions consoles sold or not. Because the potential of this is not in the short term, but very much in the long term.

If everyone else starts teaming up together informally, it can hurt you a lot to be the one stubbornly stuck in your own isolated corner.

@thatstonedarrow and thats what people dont understand. sony just thinks that they are competing with microsoft when in reality they arent even playing the same game anymore. while sony is trying to be king of the console wars, microsoft stopped playing the console war and focus on what was important and that what the fans want. "

That's basically... sort of my point? Sony is still playing the "console war", but Microsoft's increasing support of crossplatform indeed just directly changed the game.

Heck, regarding macintosh stuff... even the Microsoft Office stuff is now available on Mac. Why close off a source of revenue after all if you can simply support it on that other platform and still earn profits?

@XenoShaun I forgot about those, thanks for pointing it out!

Seriously, I do see Microsoft refocusing on the PC but with an eye out for multiplatform stuff like that. Why close off sources of revenues after all when you can profit everywhere?

So yeah, Microsoft IPs on the Switch is something I could picture. After all, Minecraft headed to that console despite already being owned by Microsoft at that point.... and that version has printed them a lot of money.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next "Xbox"... might not literally end up "just not an Xbox anymore" but instead a literal TV console meant to be crosscompatible your PC collection. This could be a brilliant move, and one which might even bring PC gaming back into retail stores by simply making all of that console's games be one crosscompatible with PC gaming/etc.

No wondering if you get the Xbox or PC version. Just get whichever and it'd still be compatible with both. Played cleverly this could put a dent not just in Sony, but very much Steam itself.

After all, just look at the popularity of the Xbox 360 era and now imagine that all your retail copies of Xbox 360 titles lining retail stores back then would suddenly be compatible on your PC, cloud saves support and all, thanks to an unified crossplatform Microsoft environment? That could be a -huge- game changer in the game industry to suddenly unify the sleeping giant of PC gaming with console gaming like that.

After all, why play on Sony and be stuck playing only on PS4... when your friend on PC/MicrosoftConsole/Switch are all able to play together?

There’s a lot of comments, haven’t read them all. Is someone frustrated with now motion enabled aiming for this game or is just me? Is a configurable thing?

I don't think he was making a dig at them, so much as respecting their right to give their players a less enjoyable experience.

@ekwcll

Microsoft changed their ways because they screwed up badly with the Xbone and lost a huge majority of their users to the PS4.

It's because Sony is currently definitively winning the console war that Microsoft and Nintendo teaming up against them is basically no risk and all reward. This would not be the case if Microsoft was winning the console war, or at the very least was about even with Sony.

Don't y'all just love how often NL posts Buzzfeed-worthy headlines as clickbait?

Oh wait, Buzzfeed ads are on this site too? Hmmmm.

Yes, i may be an old man, and yes i often yell at children to get offa mah lawn (metaphorically; i live in the ghetto and there are no lawns), but damn son.

To paraphrase Doctor S(priograph) from The Simpsons:
"Do you know there's a direct correlation between the loss of James and Corbie with the decline of Nintendo Life? THINK ABOUT IT!

@ogo79 @Tasuki
(i'm @'ing you both because you know what i'm talking about)

@the_shpydar

Reading into it a bit but yeah, Sony went a little far with this. I found it hard to believe when I had to restart my account entirely on the game, but I still did it. As far as I'm concerned, my PS4 account is tainted, infected with Sony's BS. I've been buying most of my games for the Switch lately anyways, the PS4 just isn't as convenient to play on.

@Tasuki

were gonna be here 4 eva

@BranJ0 By allowing cross-platform play on a game that isn't their IP or even an exclusive, I fail to see how Sony takes away a major draw of their console and their market. The game is available on phones, and PC as well. So it's not even a game exclusive to consoles. They allow cross-platform play with PC for this game, right? The PC is a far larger competitor to Sony, and console gaming in general, right?

I haven't downloaded it yet mainly because I don't know if I can move the game to a microSD when I have one. And can I still use my save-files then? I have Pokemon Quest on my Switch, but fear it is locked now to the internal memory.

Sony really sucks for doing stuff like that. I downloaded it on PS4 a while back but luckily I never brought a battle pass or make an account so hopefully I will be able to play it on the Switch? However look at Nintendo's stand on YouTube and anyone uploading a video of their IP's! Kinda dumb also.

Sometimes everybody gets a bit cross when they play, especially from campers in CoD. No room for camping in Fortnite as the rad storm closes in. It isn't the end of the world just start a new account on the Switch version. Ok if you have been flash and spent a bit of cash on this free game for some skins or emo's, just spend it again on the eshop like Mark Miller from ignore has done. Sorted.