Microsoft Announced Cross Network Play Across Platforms
Microsoft has announced the opening of it’s Xbox Live service, stating that the service will natively support cross-platform play between Xbox One, Windows 10, and other “online multiplayer networks.” This means that it opens the Xbox Live platform so that it can connect with players on Sony’s Playstation Network, among other platform’s networks as well.
This information was revealed on Xbox.com by Chris Charla, director of ID@Xbox, who said “it’s up to game developers to support this feature” and noted that players will “always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players.”
A fragment of Chris Charla’s letter:
This will be ID@Xbox’s third Game Developers Conference showing off amazing new games from independent developers in the ID@Xbox program. For us, it’s a great time to highlight new games, but also a place to connect with new developers and old friends and listen to their feedback about our program – what people are liking, and where we can do better.
We actually started ID@Xbox by going out on a listening tour that seemed huge at the time (more than 50 developers!), but today, with more than 1,400 studios creating games for Xbox One and Windows 10 via ID@Xbox, 50 seems like a pretty small number!
Our core principles haven’t changed though – make sure we deliver a huge variety of awesome games to players on Xbox One and Windows 10 by making it as easy as possible for independent developers to publish games on our platforms. The developers have certainly held up their end of the bargain! The list of unbelievably good games on Xbox One from independent developers is really too long to list. And we’re still listening, and we’re still working every day to make things better.
I’m excited today to announce a couple new things that grew directly out of developer feedback.
Cross-Network Play
First, in addition to natively supporting cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 games that use Xbox Live, we’re enabling developers to support cross-network play as well. This means players on Xbox One and Windows 10 using Xbox Live will be able to play with players on different online multiplayer networks – including other console and PC networks.
Of course, it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players. We’re thrilled to confirm that Psyonix’s Rocket League will be one of the first games to take advantage of this new capability by enabling cross-network play between Xbox One and PC players, with an open invitation for other networks to participate as well.
For more info visit the article at: Xbox.com
