Following months of backlash, Sony made the surprise announcement that the PS4 will support cross-play with Xbox One and Switch for Fortnite. This is a feature that Microsoft and Nintendo have supported for some time in select games, but Sony kept its doors tightly closed until now.
While PS4 console cross-play is currently only available for Fortnite, Sony’s wording in their announcement suggests more games could be added to the list. This begs the question: what games will be next? To help out, we’ve compiled a list of the games we expect to receive cross-play and a few titles we’re more skeptical about.
Games Most Likely to Support PS4 Cross-Play Next
Rocket League
Multiple factors make Psyonix’s smash 2015 hit a prime candidate to follow Fortnite into the world of PS4 cross-play. Firstly, the game already supports cross-play between Xbox One and Switch. While Sony might have looked like the odd console out the last few months, console cross-play is still rare. Rocket League being one of the few that already supports this functionality makes it one of the clear next candidates for fans to ask for.
Second, Rocket League is popular. Fortnite is one of the most popular and profitable games in the world, and this clearly played a role in Sony’s decision. While Rocket League isn’t quite that big, it’s big enough to have some pull with Sony. A few weeks ago, Psyonix announced they had surpassed 50 million players since launch. Games with active users and a healthy profit stream will always have more sway with cross-play and, luckily for Rocket League, it appears to have both in spades.
The last factor is that cross-play is a feature Psyonix is extremely passionate about. Psyonix CEO Dave Hagewood recently took to reddit to explain his desire to see cross-play and how close he believes they are.
“I want everyone to understand just how much of a priority this is for us and always has been for our team,” Hagewood said in his post. “There are still many factors, some of which take time, that means we have to have some patience. I am excited beyond words and I wanted to make sure that our players know where we stand. I can’t wait to see our vision for a truly unified Rocket League community finally realized.”
With that determination and the player base they have cultivated, it’s not hard to imagine a cross-play future for Rocket League.
Games Most Likely to Support PS4 Cross-Play Next
Minecraft
For many of the same reasons that Rocket League is a good cross-play candidate, Minecraft might be even more likely. Console cross-play is already enabled for Xbox One and Switch, as you might have seen announced in one of the sickest burns of the year. Similar to Fortnite, Minecraft’s fanbase is already accustomed to cross-play, which might put pressure on Sony to make a change.
Also, and arguably most importantly, Minecraft is an absolute cultural phenomenon. Fortnite’s sales and players might be impressive, but Minecraft is on another level. Your grandma who can barely operate a phone likely knows about Minecraft, and that sort of cultural familiarity is rare and powerful for a video game. If Sony starts to lose Minecraft players over cross-play, it’s a safe bet they will make a change.
Honestly, the only clear barrier to this becoming a reality is the fact that Microsoft owns Minecraft. However, a Microsoft spokesperson recently dispelled this issue in a statement to IGN.
“We believe in giving gamers the opportunity to play the games they want with the people they want,” the spokesperson said to IGN. “Whether that means working with our partners to deliver cross-network play with games like ‘Rocket League’ and ‘Fortnite’ or enabling cross-device play with the likes of Minecraft, we are supportive of new scenarios that enable more people to play and have fun together while gaming. We would love to bring players on PlayStation 4 into our Minecraft ecosystem as well, but have nothing further to share at this time.”
With the green light from the owner of both Minecraft and Xbox One, the ball is officially in Sony’s court.
Games Most Likely to Support PS4 Cross-Play Next
Overwatch
While not as likely as Rocket League or Minecraft, Overwatch has a shot at being an early cross-play candidate. Like the previous games, Overwatch is an ongoing game with a large audience and no sign of slowing down. Just this year, Blizzard ended the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, a NFL-style professional league complete with a $50,000 salary minimum, millions of twitch viewers and a finale that sold out the Barclays Center in New York.
Overwatch is a beloved and successful game that could drum up noise if the cross-play wave continues to roll. While cross-play with PC may never happen due to the difference in power, there’s no obvious gameplay reason to block PS4 and Xbox One compatibility. Both consoles are close enough in power that, even for a reflex-based shooter like Overwatch, console cross-play should be viable.
Additionally, Overwatch’s publisher, Activision, has left the door open for potential cross-play talks.
“We’ve had a great experience with cross-play for Hearthstone on other platforms and have witnessed how compelling it can be for our community,” Activision told IGN. “There’s still a lot of work to do on both our side and the platform side to understand whether cross-play might be integrated into our other games, so we’ll be watching the upcoming test and will assess what the potential impact of this feature would be for our players and our games.”
Games That Likely Won’t Support PS4 Cross-Play
Fallout 76
Leaders at Bethesda have not been shy with their opinions about Sony blocking cross-play. Earlier this year, Fallout 76 director Todd Howard told German gaming site Gamestar that cross-play isn’t possible because “Sony isn’t being as helpful as we want them to be.”
However, even if Sony allows cross-play for Fallout 76, it may be too late for it to be implemented. Bethesda’s Pete Hines has shared this sentiment on Twitter following the Fortnite news.
Folks, chill. I work with a lot of devs and games for whom this is important going forward.
Fallout 76 does not support crossplay, for a number of reasons. I have no idea if it ever will. But I assure you it is not on our radar right now as we focus on B.E.T.A. and Launch.
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) September 26, 2018
It appears unlikely that Fallout 76 will get console cross-play support, or at least not any time soon. However, Bethesda has shown interest in cross-play in general, so they might pursue this for future games.
Games That Likely Won’t Support PS4 Cross-Play
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is an interesting one. While many of the same qualities of popularity and success that made cross-play with Fortnite happen will apply to Black Ops 4, there are also some differences.
First off, Call of Duty is a yearly franchise whereas Fortnite, Overwatch, Minecraft and Rocket League are ongoing titles that may never receive a traditional sequel. Treyarch is still working on Black Ops 4, and especially when considering the planned post-launch content, implementing cross-play could be something that takes time. If this game wasn’t built for cross-play, it might be a smart business move to hold off until next year’s title and use it as a selling point.
If cross-play does become a industry norm, then the Call of Duty series will almost certainly be among the games that features it. That being said, the reality of PS4 cross-play might have come too late for Black Ops 4. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but next year’s Call of Duty might be a safer bet.
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