Microsoft shocked gamers everywhere when the company recently announced that Xbox One would be gaining the ability to support cross-network play between other online gaming services, including PlayStation 4's PSN...if Sony would allow it.
Rocket League looked to be the first game that would support the new feature, and developer Psyonix seemed anxious about the possibility of connecting PC, Xbox One and PS4 players all under one banner. Since then Sony has said they are open to idea of cross-network play, saying it ultimately comes down to what developers want.
That puts the ball firmly back in Psyonix's court, who now says they've already started working on cross-play between Xbox Live and PSN. Even better, the developer says they've already figured out how cross-play between Xbox One and PS4 will work.
"Technologically everything works, we've got it figured out, just a little bit of time to get everything up and running," Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham says in an interview with Gamespot. "Right now, excitement is the best way to put it. We just want to get in there and make it happen."
He goes on to say "The only thing we have to do now is sort of find out where we stand politically with everyone, and then it's full steam ahead to finish the solution that we've already started."
Viewed in that light, it looks like cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One, at least for Rocket League, is mighty close to becoming reality. If Sony truly is okay with the idea, it doesn't like there will be any other obstacles Psyonix will have to overcome in order to make their dream a reality. Dunham went on to explain the benefits of having the networks come together.
"More players, for everyone, means more games, and more games means more participation and community feedback, which we can then put into the game as a whole and not have to worry about siloing off certain features of certain platforms because this version doesn't have it, or whatever the situation may be," he says.
It's a convincing argument, and one that players may soon be able to experience for themselves.
