Fortnite is a free-to-play thirdperson shooter which features building mechanics and even a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds-like battle royale mode. The title has garnered incredible popularity over the past few months due to the developer's continued support and its addictive nature.
Fortnite supports cross-play between , PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. Sony is the only company that keeps on blocking the ability due to its dominant market position. Instead of focusing on making cross-play a reality, it seems like Sony plans on keeping its network closed off from others.
According to a report by The Independent, Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida believes that PlayStation Network is the best place to play games, that's why cross-play isn't needed. Speaking at the IFA technology show in Berlin, Yoshida said the following.
On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play. Fortnite, I believe, partnered with PlayStation 4 is the best experience for users, that's our belief. But actually, we already opened some games as cross-platform with PC and some others, so we decide based on what is the best user experience. That is our way of thinking for cross-platform.
Despite evidence to the contrary — an independent IHS Markit study said Xbox Live beat the competition — Sony is firm in its stance. However, the issue that needs to be addressed here is that cross-play doesn't offer any advantage to the company.
Sony has a large volume of users, and it doesn't seem like there's a lot of demand from PlayStation 4 owners for cross-play. While it may be a consumer-friendly move and dramatically increase the number of players for Xbox Live and Nintendo Switch owners, PlayStation Network always will have access to more.
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