Borderlands 3 is all set to support crossplay between all platforms – except PlayStation.
The news comes from the CEO of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford. In a tweet, he announces that the crossplay update for Borderlands 3 is just about ready to go. It will bring full crossplay support between all platforms, apart from Sony’s PlayStation.
“Good news or bad news first?,” Pitchford starts, jovially. “Good News: An update for Borderlands 3 has been prepared for release that includes full crossplay support across all platforms. Bad News: For certification, we have been required by the publisher to remove crossplay support for PlayStation consoles.”
From the sounds of Pitchford’s tweet, it’s possible to support crossplay on PlayStation, but it’s been removed at the behest of someone higher up.
Why won’t Borderlands 3 support crossplay on PlayStation?
We know from previously released documents that Sony charges publishers a fee to enable crossplay on its platform. This was the case when Fortnite eventually supported PlayStation crossplay in 2018.
Pitchford doesn’t clarify but says that the order to remove PlayStation crossplay support came from the publisher (that’s 2K Games). It could be that Sony refused to allow crossplay on PlayStation, or it could be that 2K refused to meet Sony’s demands.
We may never know the backend business deal that’s led to this decision, but it’s one that hurts gamers the most.
Several multiplayer games are starting to support the idea of crossplay and cross-progression. Call of Duty has done so since the release of Modern Warfare in 2019. Blizzard said recently that it’s “excited” about the prospect of crossplay for Overwatch 2.
While it’s disappointing to see that PlayStation players won’t be joining in on the fun, everyone else should be able to enjoy the update very soon. It’s supposed to release at some point in 2021, though Pitchford’s tweet suggests sooner rather than later.
Are you disappointed to hear that Borderlands 3 won’t support crossplay with PlayStation? Let us know across our social channels.
[Featured Image Credit: 2K Games]
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