Fortnite PS4 cross-play has FINALLY arrived – and this is how to make it work
In 'a major policy change', Sony announced it is going to let people playing some third-party games on PS4 play with those on other platforms
SONY has backed down and will now allow people playing Fortnite on PS4 compete with those playing on Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
The huge U-turn will apply to "select third party content", not just Fortnite, but is starting with a beta programme for Fortnite today.
HOW TO TURN CROSSPLAY ON
FOR now, crossplay only works when you're already in a party with people on your Epic friends list.
<p>This means that first you've got to link your console account, whichever platform that is, with <a href="//accounts.epicgames.com/login" target="_blank" rel="">your Epic Games account</a>. </p><p>If you want to add friends who play on other platforms, you have to do this via Epic as well, using either their mobile app or website.</p><p>Once you've set your friends there, you should be able to see them in the lobby when you're trying to form a new party.</p><p>Then it's just a matter of adding them to your party, and dropping in!</p><p>Bear in mind that if you party up with a PC player -- or a console player using keyboard and mouse -- you'll end up in the PC matchmaking pool rather than the controller-based console ones.</p><p><br data-mce-bogus="1"></p>
The beta will "allow for cross platform gameplay, progression and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac."
Previously anyone who had played Fortnite on a PlayStation 4 wasn't able to use that account to play on Xbox One or Nintendo Switch, and PS4 players were only ever matched against each other or PC players in-game.
Sony Interactive Entertainment's CEO and President John Kodera made reference the hordes of angry Fortnite fans who had been demanding this change by saying Sony "appreciate the community’s continued patience" before confirming the first step was a Fortnite beta.
"We see the beta as an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play is best on PlayStation," said in a blog post announcing the change.
"The communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players," Kodera said, indicating that Sony would make sure "the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact" as they "open up the platform".
"We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta timeframe, and what this means for other titles going forward," he concluded.
Epic Games added to the announcement by announcing that those people who had previously created multiple accounts so they could play on PS4 as well as other platforms will soon be able to merge those accounts in November.
Epic also confirmed that in "a few days" it would be possible for players to unlink their accounts from specific consoles .
Nintendo and Microsoft joined forces for the first time in living memory to troll PlayStation over this issue with a joint ad back in June, mocking the Japanese giant for the lack of cross-play in Fortnite and Minecraft.
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