How business interests shape cross-platform gaming

Cross-platform gaming, also called cross-play, is the ability for players using different video game hardware to play with each other simultaneously, commonly by letting players on one console play alongside players on another console or a computer.

2 articles, 1 book · about 31 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   cross-platform gaming · Wikipedia · 27 min read

   For console cross-platform play, the primarily limiting factor, once technical challenges can be overcome, has been the terms of service and acceptable use policy for consoles' online services. Sony's Shuhei Yoshida said that, between PlayStation and Xbox, "the technical aspect could be the easiest" to overcome compared with policy and business-related issues. Nintendo made cross-platform play easier on Switch by adopting existing toolsets and game engines. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 in June of that year, Nintendo announced support for cross-platform play between PC and Xbox One versions of Rocket League and Minecraft on the Switch. Cross-platform play can help keep a game's player base large several months after its release.

2. Read
   

   "Sony E3 2017: PS4 needs to add cross-platform support for 'Minecraft' and 'Rocket League' " · mic.com · 4 min read

   For cross-platform gaming, Sony executive Jim Ryan described Sony's refusal to allow cross-play in Minecraft and Rocket League as a business decision. He called it "a commercial discussion between ourselves and other stakeholders" and said he would not discuss the details. Sony executive Jim Ryan said Sony had to be mindful of its responsibility to its install base when discussing Minecraft, noting that its players include very young people. The page author, not Sony, wrote that companies primarily exist to make money, not lose it.

3. Book
   

   Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made · Bookshop.org

   Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier examines the development process of Uncharted 4, Halo Wars, and Destiny, describing the challenges and demands of design.

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