Sony Chief: PlayStation is the best console to play Fortnite

Fortnite players on PlayStation awaiting cross-play with players on other platforms can abandon all hope. Sony believes that the PlayStation 4 offers the best experience for playing Fortnite and allowing cross-play with players on other consoles apparently compromises the experience.

Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida clarified this to The Independent on the sidelines of IFA 2018 last week. He said, 

On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play. Fortnite, I believe, partnered with PlayStation 4 is the best experience for users, that's our belief. But actually, we already opened some games as cross-platform with PC and some others, so we decide based on what is the best user experience. That is our way of thinking for cross-platform."

Yoshida, however, did acknowledge the importance of the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One in fueling healthy competition. He said,

I think competition is always good. Healthy, fair competition is always good for the industry and growth. I think competition with Nintendo and Xbox is a healthy situation."

Fortnite is currently one of the top games right now with players across almost all platforms including PC, Mac, Xbox One, PS4, iOS, Switch and, more recently, Android. While Xbox One players are able to cross-play Fortnite with those on other platforms, they have not been able to play with PS4 players. PS4 players can, however, cross-play with those on PC provided they have befriended them on their Epic Games account. 

Xbox Chief Phil Spencer and even Epic Games wished for PS4 and Xbox One cross-play functionality in Fortnite. According to Microsoft, it is Sony that is holding back the possibility. Speaking to Kotaku, Microsoft said, 

Microsoft has long been a leading voice in encouraging the adoption of cross-platform play and the potential of connecting players across PC, mobile and all consoles. We’ve worked closely with Nintendo to allow cross-network play between Xbox One and Switch and our offer to do the same with PlayStation players still holds."

So there you have it, folks. While it is understandable that Sony would want to retain as many players as possible on its console, the average PS4 gamer who wants to challenge an Xbox One player stands to lose out on the possibility. Let's hope Sony re-evaluates its stand on the matter sometime down the line.

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