Sony President Explains Why PS4 and Xbox One Cross-Network Play Won’t Be Easy

During the 2016 Game Developers Conference, Chris Charla, the director of the ID@Xbox program, dropped a bombshell announcement: The Xbox One will now support cross-network play between different platforms and consoles. Players on the Xbox One and PC will now be able to play against each other in supported games, with the possibility of Xbox One players playing against PlayStation 4 players now being on the table.

However, don’t get excited just yet. When reached for a comment, the president of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, gave a very by-the-books answer.

" I understand their policies changed, right? Yoshida said. They’re saying they’re going to do cross-platform play between Xbox One and PC with some games. We’ve been doing that with PS3 and PC, PS4 and PC most recently with Street Fighter 5 and Rocket League and other games. That’s noting new for us, in terms of working with developers and publishers to allow cross-platform play between PC and PS4. "

An interesting answer, though astute gamers will notice that Yoshida is dodging the question. We already know that the PlayStation 4 and the PC support cross-network play, with the question on everyone’s mind being “Will you play nice with Microsoft and make Xbox One and PlayStation 4 cross-network play a reality?”

When pressed further by other gaming journalism outlets and explicitly asked about cross-network play between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Yoshida gave a much more real answer.

" Because PC is an open platform it’s much more straightforward,” Yoshida continued. “Connecting two different closed networks is much more complicated so we have to work with developers and publishers to understand what it is they are trying to accomplish. "

Yoshida then went on to explain that even if the technical aspects were worked out, there are business aspects which need to be taken into account as well.

"We also have to look at the technical aspect – and the technical aspect could be the easiest. We also have to look at policy issues and business issues as well."

Taken at face value, it appears that even if Sony figured out the technical aspect of cross-network play between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the business aspect may stop Sony from implementing it into their console.

What does this mean for gamers? It means that while Microsoft has provided the keys to cross-network play, it’s up to Sony to take the keys and unlock the door. Unfortunately, that door might remain locked for quite some time. While Psyonix, the developer behind Rocket League and a huge advocate for cross-network play, is working on opening negotiations between both companies, it may be awhile before we see anything take form. Gamers should definitely not expect AAA games to take advantage of this feature for awhile; this is likely a feature we’ll see indies embrace first before we see a cross-network Call of duty.

By : http://vgpwn.com/sony-president-explains-why-ps4-and-xbox-one-cross-network-play-wont-be-easy/2/

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Sony President Explains Why PS4 and Xbox One Cross-Network Play Won’t Be Easy