Bethesda open to cross-play for Fallout 76, but Sony won't play ball

Cross-play is quickly becoming a standard feature for many games despite the fact that Sony continues to hold out. Fortnite, Minecraft, and other titles allow Xbox One and Nintendo Switch customers to play together. It's safe to say that cross-play is the future of the industry and only one major hurdle remains.

In an interview between GameStar and Bethesda's Todd Howard, Howard revealed that the team wanted to add cross-play to Fallout 76. Unfortunately, that didn't happen because of certain restrictions. The following segment from GameStar's interview with Howard reveals why cross-play wasn't a part of Fallout 76. GameStar is a German publication so we translated the text to the best of our ability. The complete conversation is available as a free episode on GameStar TV.

Todd Howard said Bethesda wanted the first multiplayer offshoot in the Fallout series to feature cross-play, because… it's a big trend in the games industry. Unfortunately, the PlayStation group was not as helpful as everyone would like. Howard added that the company would love to do it, but right now it's not possible.

It's unfortunate that Sony continues to hold out. However, it's understandable given PlayStation's considerable sales advantage over the competition. Maybe one day the company will reconsider, but it'll probably only happen if it is at a sales disadvantage in the future.

Even though Fallout 76 is entirely online, it isn't a massively multiplayer online game. At any given time you'll be playing with dozens of people, not thousands. It's similar to titles like Anthem and Destiny 2. However, if you don't like playing with other gamers, you can also experience the title on your own. However, it's much easier if you have help, especially when it comes to gathering resources and building.

Fallout 76 isn't a hardcore survival game like Ark: Survival Evolved or Conan Exiles. Bethesda's Todd Howard called it "softcore survival" but it's unclear what that means. It seems that the focus will mostly be on completing quests rather than mining resources or chopping down trees.

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.