In Fortnite (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) seems to have crossplay between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One possible again. Is it a bug that came with the latest update V.2.2.0?
Crossplay and Fortnite have a long history. Because contrary to usual practices, it has been possible twice in the past for players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to play together.
Until now, Sony has always been strictly against it, while Microsoft appears as a strong advocate of crossplay. The developers at Epic Games are “Pro Crossplay” and advocate for “the players’ right to crossplay“.
This fits with the latest development, as apparently crossplay between the two consoles is possible again.
Is crossplay a bug from V.2.2.0?
Since the latest Patch V.2.2.0 of Fortnite, there are increasing indications of crossplay in the game. A player reported on Reddit that he saw another player in the Xbox lobby with a strange skin for his constructor.
The corresponding skin version is exclusive to PlayStation 4. How else, if not via crossplay, could this guy enter an Xbox lobby?
The second case also involved the Xbox lobby, where a player appeared with a hyphen in his name. However, such special characters are not allowed on Xbox. However, this was supposed to be a PC player. According to the official Fortnite website, this is also not possible.
Are PC players a problem in crossplay?
As great as crossplay between Xbox, PlayStation, and PC is, there are also problems. Last weekend, some players on PlayStation complained that they were taken out one by one and hardly had a chance to fight back.
The assumption: It was PC players who are now also playing on consoles thanks to crossplay. With mouse and keyboard, you can aim much more precisely than with gamepads. Hence the massacre of the console players.
If crossplay between PC and consoles is to remain in the game, the developers urgently need to come up with something to balance this disadvantage.
Will crossplay stay this time or will it be removed with a hotfix?
It seems that crossplay is back in the game. It was accidentally implemented in September 2017 and fixed again with a hotfix. In response to a corresponding tweet from Epic, Xbox chief Bill Spencer replied back then, “I would have preferred if it had stayed on.”
I would have liked to see them leave it on.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) September 18, 2017
So it remains exciting whether and how long crossplay will stay in the game. We have already inquired with Epic Games. Should we receive a response, we will publish it here.
Fortnite could also be the biggest battle royale game in the west without crossplay!
