Nintendo shocked the world at this year’s E3 by announcing it is open to more games going cross-platform. For once, the company was looking to be ahead of the curve when it comes to something related to technology. With games like Rocket League and Minecraft, players will be able to game with friends who are on an Xbox One or PC (but not PS4).
This is huge news in the gaming community. This means players can own whatever console they want without fear of fracturing a group of friends. While there aren’t any specific plans just yet, Nintendo’s new stance is a welcome sign. Ultimately, the decision will come down to whether the developer wants it or not.
In an interview with GamesBeat, Nintendo of America corporate communications director Charlie Scibetta talked about how cross-platform play came about, and where he thinks it will go in the future.
“We want people to have a good time. In the case of Rocket League, if that’s what the people like yourself — you just said you love that game and you want to be able to play cross platform. We said, let’s make that happen. It’s really not more complex than that,” Scibetta said. “Every game is different. Some games are great for multiplayer, some are better as a single-player experience, some are better in all kinds of situations for all kinds of games. Rocket League works best with cross platform play. Let’s make it happen.”
Of course, not every game should be cross-platform compatible. Scibetta says it all comes down to a game’s functionality. “It always comes back to the developer, too. In this case [with Rocket League] the developer is into it, so let’s make it happen,” he said. “We tend to give most of the decisions in terms of what functionality to use for the system—for example, the game pad back in the Wii U days, or motion control for Wii. We place those decisions in the hand of the development team. Obviously the Rocket League team wanted to go cross platform, so we said, let’s do it.”
Scibetta also talked to GamesBeat about how the company is strategically releasing new games one after the other, instead of multiple games all at once. The goal for this decision, according to Scibetta, is to keep gamers interested in the console months after release.
“Just as you get through a game and you’re starting to put your head up, put the periscope out to see what else is out there, hopefully we’ll have something right there for you,” said Scibetta.
So what do you think? What games would you like to see go cross-platform on the Switch? Do you wish Sony would change its mind and open up the PS4 to the others? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
