Crossplay is a concept that can be traced back to the turn of the millennium. But today, it’s driving the collective community aspect of online gaming. Back in 1998, the first ‘crossplay games’ emerged, but it would be another twenty years before the technology became a) online, and b) super-seamless. In this guide, we’ll discuss how crossplay games work and figure out what developers are doing to give crossplay meaning.
But is crossplay bad for your gaming experience? We’ll cover the concerns that lurk behind the seemingly innocent concept of crossplay gaming as a key part of this breakdown.
It’s one of those situations where it does what it says on the tin. With crossplay, players are given the ability to connect with gamers on other platforms, even those on rival platforms. Crossplay games can be enjoyed by players regardless of which platform they’re gaming on.
For years, the best crossplay games have driven the industry forward at an alarming rate. At the top of the table sits the likes of Fortnite, which allows players to compete alongside one another regardless of what platform they’re playing on. Since 2019, Call of Duty has boasted crossplay mechanics, bringing the community together as one and ensuring nobody plays alone. However, some developers are unwilling to get on board with crossplay features.
Unfortunately for online players, GTA 5 crossplay features don’t exist. Typically, crossplay titles will be those built around multiplayer platforms, which is why Call of Duty and Fortnite do so well as crossplay franchises. But that isn’t a strict rule. For example, Rainbow Six Siege crossplay also doesn’t exist.
Image Credit: No Man’s Sky
For some players, crossplay mechanics are a bad thing. It’s partly why almost every crossplay game boasts the inherent ability to turn off crossplay mechanics. This restricts players to their platform of choice, and there’s typically one reason why gamers actually do this.
It all comes down to a ‘fear’ of PC gamers having an advantage over console players. There is an idea that’s prevalent in the gaming industry, and it suggests that cheaters are much more common on the PC platform. It’s not necessarily I, but it isn’t false either. Furthermore, many gamers believe that PC gaming boasts several advantages – higher frame rates, field-of-view options, better graphics, and so on. Therefore, console-based gamers are more likely to turn off crossplay features altogether.
There are other terms to bear in mind as well when taking part in this discussion: cross-progression, and cross-generation, for example.
What is cross-progression? That’s a conversation for another guide.
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