Amid PS4 Cross-Play Complaints, Nintendo Touts Switch/Xbox One Support In New Trailer

With the recent launch of Fortnite: Battle Royale on Nintendo Switch, Sony's reluctance to allow cross-play has again become a hot topic. As was the case following Rocket League's release, the company has yet to offer a satisfying reason for why PS4 players can't join up with those on Xbox One and Switch. With a newly updated version of Minecraft now available for Switch that enables cross-play with Xbox One, a new trailer doesn't waste its opportunity to tout that functionality.

Indeed, the entire purpose of the new 34-second ad, which you can watch above, is to drive home the fact that you can seamlessly play Minecraft with Xbox One players on Switch (and vice versa). In fact, we even see an Xbox One controller used by a player throughout, and the video ends with a bisected screen featuring the Xbox One and Switch's signature green and red colors and their respective logos. Nintendo subsequently sent out a tweet mentioning Xbox, which you can see below.

This is no doubt meant to tout the game rather than serve as some sort of veiled shot at Sony, though it's likely to only encourage fans to keep up the pressure on the company to reverse its decision. Sony does allow cross-play with PC and mobile, but throughout this generation, it has prevented support for the feature with competing consoles.

John Smedley, a former developer at Daybreak Game Company (formerly Sony Online Entertainment), recently stated that Sony's decision is all about money. "[W]hen I was at Sony, the stated reason internally for this was money," he said in a tweet. "They didn't like someone buying something on an Xbox and it being used on a Playstation. simple as that. dumb reason, but there it is."

Smedley also encouraged fans to continue pressuring Sony, though it's unclear if that will have any effect. Sony has provided a range of reasons over the past few years for why it doesn't allow cross-play. Most recently, amid the frustration that stemmed from Fortnite's release on Switch, Sony released yet another statement that reveals very little.

"We're always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience," a Sony representative said to the BBC. "Fortnite is already a huge hit with PS4 fans, offering a true free-to-play experience so gamers can jump in and play online.

"With 79 million PS4s sold around the world and more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we've built a huge community of gamers who can play together on Fortnite and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms."