Sony has announced that it will finally allow PS4 gamers to play Fortnite with those using an Xbox , iPhone , PC, Mac or Nintendo Switch .
It will also allow users to take their progression and purchased items from a PS4 to another device. This is important as Fortnite, while free, does have in-app purchases and a lack of portability is a problem for players.
The social media team at Xbox jumped on the Sony announcement tweet with a jaunty emoji wave. Interaction between Sony and Microsoft’s respective games platforms is rare, so bitter is the rivalry.
Sony drew a lot of criticism for blocking cross-play when players found that their Fortnite account wouldn’t work on a Switch or Xbox unless they unlinked it from their Playstation Network account.
The company had rejected demands from users to support moving an account from one console brand to another and allowing all Fortnite players to game together.
Sony simply insisted that the Playstation was "the best place to play Fortnite".
From Sony’s perspective cross-play isn’t really in its interest. It would like players to buy PS4s because all their friends are on that platform, cross-play removes this incentive.
However the decision to allow cross-play will likely be important in the future. Games like Fortnite rely more heavily on in-app purchases as a source of revenue, which changes how people use games consoles.
While an exclusive game on PS4 might drive new customers to the console the reverse may be true if Sony locks out cross-platform games. Why buy a PS4 when you can carry on your Switch Fortnite account to an Xbox, but not Sony’s console.
It’s not yet clear exactly how players will opt-in to the open beta. The fact that Sony has called it an open beta does mean that it will be available to all users if they wish.
Sony says it will update players when it has more details to share.
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