Video game developer Respawn Entertainment discusses the possibility of including cross-play support for its forthcoming first-person shooter Titanfall 2.
As is the case with the majority of video games at this point in time, Titanfall 2 in its current state for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One will only be playable with other fans on the same platform, meaning that cross-play is not presently supported and probably won't be on its release date. However, according to a recent interview with Shacknews, game director Steve Fukuda has said that Respawn Entertainment is still leaving the option on the table when it comes to bringing the feature to Titanfall 2 in the future.
After being asked if Respawn Entertainment's forthcoming first-person shooter would ever allow for PC players and Xbox One owners to share digital space, with PlayStation 4 fans and those on personal computers possibly crossing paths in the game, Fukuda declared that it's just not in the cards right now. However, cross-play with Titanfall 2 is indeed possible, as he specifically said, "We aren't planning on doing that at launch. For now, the answer is no, but we aren't closed to the possibility."
Interestingly enough, this isn't the first instance of cross-platform play being mentioned in the same breath as Titanfall 2. For instance, back in June, after showing the game's multiplayer trailer at E3 2016, it was revealed that the current lack of cross-play support is not completely due to the issues that could come up when fans using controllers play against PC users with a mouse and keyboard, as lead programmer Jon Shiring told CNET. According to Shiring, the main problem stems from voice chat and party systems not being technically proficient across platforms at the moment.
Furthermore, producer Drew McCoy has said that cross-play for Titanfall 2 could work if the game's matchmaking systems could put players together when taking into account their individual skills instead of relying on the notion of controller schemes. However, it only works hypothetically right now, for as he put it, "It's a problem that, in theory, you can solve that way."
As of late, the notion of cross-play being introduced into the development of games has been an extremely prevalent issue, for not only do fans want the feature to be put in place, but also a lot of creators are outspoken as being in favor of it, for apparently, it won't be too difficult to implement. As a matter of fact, Rocket League developer Psyonix has gone on record to say that PS4 and Xbox One cross-play is "inevitable."
While it seems as if the tide is slowly surging toward eroding the boundary walls between gaming platforms entirely — Microsoft is certainly ready when it comes to merging the Xbox One and PS4 online spheres — Titanfall 2 won't be one of the torchbearers for the feature just yet. As of now, Respawn Entertainment is still focused on getting the gameplay itself right, as the title's next beta begins this weekend.
Titanfall 2 is set to launch on October 28, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.