Recently, on November 14th, we saw the release of Psyonix’s massively popular mash-up of cars and soccer Rocket League on Nintendo Switch. The launch seemed to go without a hitch, with everything working properly, and not to mention the fact that it is now very much a well-established game for fans to purchase.
Perhaps one of the most attractive qualities that the Nintendo Switch version possesses is that it is entering into a community that is rife with many, many players. Not only will they be mixed in with fellow Switch players, but also those on PC and Xbox One platforms, courtesy of the game’s cross-platform capabilities. On the first night of release, the Switch version managed to attract 80,000 concurrent players, therefore boasting a pretty successful launch overall.
However, what it does emphasize is the isolation of PS4 players, which is a hindering decision made by Sony. The great thing about the cross-play between PC and Xbox One was that it brought in a wealth of new talent and opportunities for players to go head-to-head with, as well as bringing players together regardless of what platform they had out of the two. The Switch has now joined this ecosystem, making it quite the head scratcher that Sony still don’t want to indulge in what is a massively growing playerbase between platforms.
Not only that, but as Psyonix publishing VP Jeremy Dunham stated earlier this year, it would be such a simple process to bring cross-platform to PS4:
“[Cross-platform play on the PS4 is] literally something we could do with a push of a button, metaphorically. In reality it’s a web page with a checkbox on it. All we have to do is check that box and it would be up and running in less than an hour all over the world. That’s all we need to do.”