There were some major surprises in terms of cross-platform play at E3 2017. Minecraft was revealed to be getting a free “unified edition” that would allow players on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and all mobile platforms to play together. Then, Rocket League was announced for Nintendo Switch, and would also support Cross-play between Xbox One and PC. What you might have noticed is that PS4 is not listed on either of those titles. Turns out, Sony blocked cross-play between those games.
Turns out, Sony didn’t want to hurt their current fan base, as SIE global sales and marketing head Jim Ryan said to Eurogamer, “We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base.”
He went on to specifically talk about Minecraft:
“We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe,” he said. “Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it’s something we have to think about very carefully.”
Help Support PopGeeks
PopGeeks runs on reader support. We are not backed by corporate media, driven by algorithms, or overloaded with invasive ads. We are an independently run site created by fans, for fans, and we cover what we love: movies, TV, video games, comics, and tabletop RPGs.
Support PopGeeks for just $1/month and help keep our content free and ad-light. Your support covers hosting, pays our writers, and helps sustain independent coverage of movies, games, TV, and geek culture. Every dollar makes a difference.
This is a voluntary support payment. No physical goods or exclusive digital content are provided. PopGeeks content remains freely accessible to all. Sales tax does not apply.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping PopGeeks stay fan-run, freely accessible, and fully independent.
