Sony is softening its usually hard-boiled stance on cross-play by letting PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 owners play matches on Psyonix's 2015 hit Rocket League.
That's right — Rocket League players can now duke it out regardless of which console they're playing it on. Psyonix and Sony have now added Rocket League to the PS4's ross-play beta program.
That beta program was somewhat the result of outcry over Sony's infamous unwillingness to let PS4 players battle it out with other console owners. It was launched in September following significant grievance over the fact that Fortnite players on PS4 couldn't engage with other folks. Needless to say that this represent a major attitude shift on Sony's part. Cross-platform play is now possible in all of Rocket League's online match types, including casual, competitive, and extra modes.
How To Turn On Cross-Play On 'Rocket League' For PS4
Cross-play should be enabled by default, says Psyonix, but to make sure it's on, head to the "Main Menu," select "Options," then go to the "Gameplay" tab and make sure the "Cross-Platform Play" box is ticked. That's basically it.
According to Psyonix, cross-platform party support is coming in 2019 as part of the game's first update for the new year. Details about that update are yet to come, but the studio said it will let players "partner up with friends on any platform with the push of a few buttons."
Rocket League cross-play has been a longtime request from PS4 players. Other platforms have been more generous at this compared with Sony, a notorious holdout on such a feature. The reason behind Sony's apprehension when it comes to cross-play isn't exactly clear, especially as Microsoft and Nintendo have been far more lax about it in recent years.
In any case, Psyonix thanked fans for continuing to pressure Sony on allowing cross-play.
"It's because of you, our fans, and our generous partners on all systems and services that have made this possible in the first place," said Jeremy Dunham, the company's publishing VP. "On behalf of the entire team, thank you for your passion and persistence as we continue to do our best to make Rocket League the best experience we can."
Cross-Play
Attitudes change all the time, of course. After all, both Microsoft and Nintendo didn't start out being so gracious when it comes to cross-platform interactions. Nintendo for one, is big on propriety. Microsoft, on the other hand, used to disallow cross-play between Xbox and PlayStation players.
