With the Nintendo Switch, Diablo 3 will be released in November on what is now the seventh platform. Unfortunately, these cannot play together.
Update 14:10: As Blizzard now reports (via dualshockers), they love the idea of players being able to play across all platforms, but currently have no plans to implement crossplay for Diablo.
This can only mean: Apparently, the employee’s statement to Business Insider was not coordinated with the company, and they gave a personal opinion instead of representing Blizzard’s official position.
The original announcement:
Seven platforms chasing Diablo: In addition to PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, Diablo 3 will also be available on the Nintendo Switch starting November 2 with an Eternal Collection. All these consoles remain currently isolated.
According to Blizzard, this is expected to change, as an employee revealed during a play session of the Nintendo Switch version in a conversation with Business Insider. Although there is no official announcement yet, they are supposedly “intensively working with partners Sony and Microsoft to enable crossplay between each other and with the Nintendo Switch.”
Wait, cross play between Microsoft and Sony? At first glance, this may sound trivial, but it is actually a pretty big deal. After all, console manufacturers have taken turns blocking cross-platform play in the past. The debate reached a tentative peak during the release of Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch.
Because Sony opposed cross play, accounts created on PlayStation 4 could also not be used on Nintendo’s console. After a major outcry from the gamer community, Sony eventually relented and not only allowed cross play, but work is also underway on the use of cross-platform accounts.
The fact that Blizzard is now pushing for cross play for Diablo 3 and wants to actively shape it suggests a profound change in the industry. Just a year ago, such considerations would have been unthinkable.
Whether more game developers will actively support and promote cross play in the future is still unclear. From the players’ perspective, it would certainly be desirable.
What do you think about Blizzard’s efforts to offer cross play for Diablo 3? For which games would you wish for this?
