Spencer Suggests The Roadblock Rests With Sony
Back in August, we told you how Microsoft was talking to Sony about crossplay and how Xbox was hopeful that Sony would be supportive of it. Not much has happened since then but lately, there continues to be a bit of talk regarding the possibility of seeing PlayStation 4 / Xbox One crossplay features. By all accounts, it appears Sony is being stubborn and not willing to change its stance on the matter. According to what Phil Spencer recently said, it seems like things won’t be changing anytime soon.
Speaking at the Brazil Game Show with Gamespot, Phil Spencer confirmed they’re talking with Sony all the time about cross-play; however, the Japanese company doesn’t seem like it will concede to the idea. Phil said:
“I have a real struggle making comments about their motivation or timelines. I know there is a certain view that says if my friends have this console, they can’t play with people who buy another console. That’s a reason they go buy my console. That reason is not going to go away. So we’re putting Minecraft out there as one of the biggest games on any platform and allowing people to play together regardless of what device they bought. I don’t think everybody is taking that same approach to the ecosystem. So I’m never going to call anything a lost cause but I think some of the fundamental reasons and certain scenarios, they’re not really going away. So I don’t know what would change.”
Specifically talking about Minecraft, Spencer did mention that another Japanese company has been a great partner on the matter and that the collaboration with them will continue in the future.
“We talk to Sony all the time. With Minecraft on PlayStation, we have to be one of the biggest games on their platform in terms of sales and gameplay. Same with Nintendo. The relationship with Nintendo on this front has been strong. They’ve been great supporters and we continue to collaborate with them. But I think Sony’s view is different. They should talk about what their view is…”
For now, it appears like the dream of PS4 / Xbox One crossplay is dead. What are your thoughts? Would you like to see this feature?