Overwatch Game Director Intrigued by Cross-Platform Opportunities
Cross-platform gameplay is starting to become more of a reality, with games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite both supporting play between PC, console and mobile platforms. This trend has rekindled some questions about whether or not Overwatch will ever support cross-platform play.
Cross-platform play is has been a bit of a fantasy for Overwatch players. Blizzard said in 2016 that mixing mouse, keyboard and controller has “balance and competitive issues.” However, play between consoles seems like a more likely option. With technology always expanding, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan said in an interview that he hopes to see platforms “open up and embrace the way players want to play more.”
“The technology and the desire exist,” Kaplan said. “I believe it would be beneficial to everyone to open platforms up more to bring players together. I’m definitely hoping for more cross-platform opportunities.”
Kaplan also touched on the influence PUBG and Fortnite have had on the gaming industry with their cross-platform support.
“Cross-platform experiences, especially in social games or games with persistent progression, are very exciting,” Kaplan said.
That being said, it’s important to not get our hopes too high since Kaplan was merely expressing his interest in seeing other games explore cross-platform opportunities made no specific mention of these experiences coming to Overwatch. While it may be a viable option for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players, it is just impossible to make cross-platform play with PC fair.
Last month, though, Kaplan did mention that cross-platform progress sharing is something Blizzard has considered, but technical limitations have proved to be a challenge.
Players that choose to enter the Overwatch fray on various platforms would surely love to see their progress carry from console to PC or vice versa. Right now, if you choose to switch from Xbox One to PC, you will be completely starting fresh at level one.
“It’s something we would very [much] like to explore,” Kaplan said in an interview with PCGamesN. “It’s very challenging for many reasons, and I won’t get into all the details as to why, but I think it’s a very valid desire that our players have and it’s something that the Overwatch team would love to figure out.”
There’s no estimated timeline yet on if or when this feature will be available to players. Even though its frustrating to make the switch to PC or console and lose all your hard-earned skins and progress, none of the loot is truly gone forever.
Overwatch’s upcoming Anniversary event, which kicks off Tuesday, will bring back tons of old skins and brawls as well as new content for fans to enjoy. So this week is an excellent time to start anew for prospective platform switchers.