Cross-play between consoles and PC continues to be a hot topic for video game players. Examples include Fortnite's cross-play, which is wildly successful, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds adding PS4/Xbox One cross-play just this past week, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare featuring cross-play at its upcoming launch. News was shared today that Blizzard could be the next to join in the fun with Overwatch, though it may yet be some time before cross-play can be finished.
Overwatch principal producer Wes Yanagi recently spoke about Blizzard's prospective plans for cross-play in Overwatch. Sadly, he wasn't able to provide firm confirmation that Blizzard is moving forward on adding the feature, but he did say the next best thing: "We are exploring how to bring [cross-play] to Overwatch, but do not have anything to share at this time." Blizzard is at least evaluating what it would take to implement cross-play in Overwatch.
Yanagi does ask fans to be empathetic with the process, however. While many games have added cross-play in recent years, that doesn't mean it didn't take a lot of effort to make happen. "The truth is that implementing cross-play for Overwatch is more difficult that people realize," Yanagi admits. But that doesn't mean he and Blizzard aren't passionate about it. "Cross-play is something that would definitely be compelling for players, and as a player, I would love to see it happen."
For fans who would love to see cross-play implemented in Overwatch, the best thing to do is continue to ask. While the push for cross-play may be due in part to Microsoft grasping the opportunity to get an advantage over its competition, Sony has responded only because fans have wanted it. Developers are more and more often seeing it as an opportunity rather than a risk. Blizzard just needs to know that it's something Overwatch players really want.
To be fair, Overwatch cross-play is likely to be limited even if it does get implemented by Blizzard. Overwatch is a fast-paced first-person shooter and that specific genre doesn't compete well between PC and console. But even if PC/console cross-play won't work, PS4/Xbox One cross-play certainly would. And Overwatch launches on Nintendo Switch in less than two weeks, adding a third platform that's cross-play-worthy.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It releases on Nintendo Switch on October 15.
Source: GameSpot