ID@Xbox’s Chris Charla announced PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) will be getting cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The feature is expected to roll out sometime in early October after a testing phase in late September.
The announcement came as part of Xbox’s Gamescom 2019 presentation, wherein PUBG‘s season four was also revealed.
PS4 and Xbox One are the only platforms included in this new update. PUBG Mobile is still its own thing, and PC players won’t be able to enter matches with console players since the aiming capabilities are completely different on PC than console.
The move is important for a few reasons. There’s the obvious benefit of players being able to enjoy the game with their friends who own a different console. However, it also means there will be more players across the board in general, which increases the chances players will be matched with others near their own rank.
For an online game, especially one like PUBG that isn’t exactly a spring chicken, keeping the player pool alive and growing is vital.
This new change is another sign that PUBG does things at its own pace. Where once, it was in a fight to the death rivalry with Fortnite, which already introduced cross-platform play on all platforms, it focuses more on improving the existing experience and special events than it does on outright competition.
It’s also an important step for Sony. Earlier this year, the company got a bit of flak for refusing cross-platform play or, at the very least, being somewhat picky about which games were eligible for it.
Implementing cross-play in PUBG isn’t indicative of a complete change of heart, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the once-recalcitrant Sony.
What with Nintendo and Microsoft growing ever closer and Sony finally realizing players have friends who own other consoles, it seems we’ve entered a new era of competitive cooperation in the games industry.
