As of Jan 14 Rocket League lets PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and PC players join the same matches. — AFP Relaxnews
Radio-controlled car soccer game Rocket League has implemented full cross-platform multiplayer across consoles and computers, allowing its PlayStation community to team up with and against Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, Mac and Linux players.
Four months after the massive Fortnite forced PlayStation's hand, Rocket League now lets its community play with and against each other, regardless of the console or computer they're using.
PlayStation 4 players can now group up with Rocket League fans on Nintendo's Switch and Microsoft's Xbox One and Windows PC, the game's developer announced through the PlayStation Blog.
Cross-platform play is enabled by default, toggled through the Rocket League gameplay options menu, a feature that will be further enhanced by an upcoming Cross-Platform Party System update.
The critically acclaimed Rocket League was one of the PS4's earlier successes, given away upon its July 2015 launch to PlayStation Plus subscribers and amassing further momentum for itself and the PS+ scheme as a result.
PlayStation owners could play with the game's PC community but not, until now, with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch players.
It's the second game to offer full cross-platform regardless of console brand, after PlayStation relented over Fortnite in September 2018.
Traditionally, console manufacturers have maintained a hard division between their communities, using exclusive releases and friendship groups' network effect to build commercial and reputational advantages.
With the PlayStation 4 leading in console sales, Microsoft and Nintendo had joined players in pressuring for full cross-platform play and, perhaps, PlayStation risking its current and future position.
Late in 2017, Fortnite developer Epic Games demonstrated that full cross-platform play was technically viable after a back-end oversight let PlayStation and Xbox communities mingle over a September weekend.
Already available on mobile, when the Switch version launched mid-2018, PlayStation's resistance prevented existing Fortnite players from connecting their accounts. PlayStation began to look glaringly out of touch, a complete reversal from a 2013 high-point when Xbox was in the barrel.
By September 2018, PlayStation was indicating that it would begin allowing cross-platform multiplayer for select third-party content, Fortnite being first up and Rocket League the next obvious candidate, its developer, Psyonix, keen on the idea.
Microsoft and Nintendo had already collaborated on cross-platform Minecraft between Xbox, Switch, Windows 10 PC (sold by Microsoft) and mobile, to PlayStation's exclusion; Microsoft has owned the game since 2014. – AFP Relaxnews
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