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Sony’s blocking cross-platform play to protect us, you guys

Sony has told Eurogamer it is blocking cross-platform play with PS4 and Switch, Xbox One and PC to protect the security of its user base.

As part of E3 2017, it’s been announced that both Minecraft and Rocket League will allow for cross-platform play between owners on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC.

“It’s certainly not a profound philosophical stance we have against this. We’ve done it in the past,” Sony’s Jim Ryan, global sales and marketing head, told the site. “We’re always open to conversations with any developer or publisher who wants to talk about it. Unfortunately it’s a commercial discussion between ourselves and other stakeholders, and I’m not going to get into the detail of that on this particular instance.”

In the cases of Minecraft and Rocket League, those attached to the titles have already confirmed Sony has blocked the functionality on PS4.

“And I can see your eyes rolling,” Ryan added.

Ultimately, Ryan says the lack of cross-platform play is to protect PS4 players.

“We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base,” he said. “Minecraft – the demographic playing that, you know as well as I do, it’s all ages but it’s also very young. We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe. Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it’s something we have to think about very carefully.”

Psyonix said that it had to meet stringent security guidelines to enable Rocket League cross-play functionality on Xbox One.

What do you make of Sony’s response?


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Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.