Cross-platform play for Overwatch is only a dream right now—but one that’s becoming increasingly more possible as technology changes.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite both have cross-platform play that spans between PC, console, and mobile platforms. With those popular games making use of the feature, questions have arisen again about Overwatch.
Blizzard likely still has no plans to open up cross-platform play between console and PC—the developer said in 2016 that mixing mouse, keyboard, and controller has “balance and competitive issues.” But across consoles? It could be an option. Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan said in an interview with magazine games™ that he hopes to see platforms “open up and embrace the way players want to play more.”
Related: Cross-platform progress sharing in Overwatch isn’t impossible, but it’ll be a challenge
“The technology and the desire exist,” Kaplan said. “I believe it would be beneficial to everyone to open platforms up more to bring players together. I’m definitely hoping for more cross-platform opportunities.”
Kaplan also noted that way the PUBG and Fortnite have affected the video game industry with their cross-platform expansion. “Cross-platform experiences, especially in social games or games with persistent progression, are very exciting,” he added.
But does this mean that cross-platform will ever be a thing for Overwatch? No. Kaplan may want to see more cross-platform experiences in other games, but made no mention of any explicit intention from Blizzard to do the same for Overwatch. While it would be an exciting addition for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players, there’s no real way to make cross-platform play with PC fair.
In April 2018, Kaplan noted that cross-platform progress sharing is something Blizzard has considered, but technical limitations have been a challenge for the developer. Overwatch players want to be able to keep progress-made between platforms, especially should a player choose to switch after playing the game for so long.
H/T wccftech
