Image: Epic Games
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Crossplay has been an extremely contentious issue for gaming over the last decade and while we’re now reaching a point where companies are able and willing to work together, it’s been a long, difficult road towards making it happen. Now, thanks to the ongoing
Epic Games v. Apple court case, we know more about this struggle and how Sony
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Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has revealed that Sony can extract compensation from game publishers that implement cross-play in their video games, though this only comes into effect in certain circumstances.
The revelation came as part of the first day of the Epic Games vs. Apple court case, with Sweeney’s time on the stand detailing how the Fortnite developer relentlessly pushed Sony to allow them to implement cross-play for their game. Sony dragged their heels on the matter, given the dominance of the PlayStation 4 on the market, but eventually did allow for cross-play in certain games.
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If somebody were primarily playing on PlayStation, but paying on iPhone then this might trigger compensation.
The Verge also reports that Sony s policy stipulates publishers can t transfer virtual currency to or from PlayStation, and there must be a setting to disable all cross-platform interactions.
The Verge also says Sweeney confirmed Sony is the only platform holder that requires this compensation for crossplay.
Eurogamer has asked Sony for comment.
Sony only enabled crossplay on PlayStation 4 games back in September 2018 after enormous public pressure and negative press that had ramped up over the course of a year.
Speaking on the issue, then PlayStation Worldwide Studios boss Shawn Layden pointed to technical, business and customer service issues the company had to sort out.
ExtremeTech
Sony Loathed the Idea of Crossplay on the PS4, Leaked Docs Show By Joel Hruska on May 4, 2021 at 10:01 am
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Lawsuits occasionally offer fascinating windows into the internal debates within companies. The Apple vs. Epic lawsuit that kicked off this week has already given us a new perspective on Sony’s approach to crossplay between the PS4 and other consoles. While Sony occasionally made mouth noises about not enabling crossplay due to the PlayStation Network offering the best user experience, internally, the company was much more candid about its position: Crossplay was bad for the PlayStation