Fortnite Going Cross-platform With Xbox and PlayStation, Separately

Epic Games has recently announced partnerships with Microsoft and Sony to feature cross-platform functionality for Fortnite.  This means that Fortnite will feature cross-platform gameplay, progression, and purchases across the different versions of the game.

However, the news comes in two different announcements.  One that announces a partnership with Sony, and one that announces a partnership with Microsoft.  What it means is that Microsoft will have cross-platform features with Fortnite on PC and mobile, AND Sony’s PlayStation will also feature cross-platform play for PC and mobile, but players between these two pools will still be separate.

Unfortunately, these partnerships still have the Fortnite community confounded,  wondering when and if the PlayStation and Xbox platforms will ever play nice together.  We know that the technology is there to have Xbox players and PlayStation Fortnite players playing together, as Epic accidentally flipped a switch recently that made it so for a short period of time.

While that was a short-lived “mistake” it still makes you wonder why and what Microsoft and Sony are waiting for to make this a reality.  The big winners here will be those playing Fortnite on the newly announced mobile version of the game.  Since all progress, purchases, and progression can be carried over, Fortnite fans really have no reason not to give the iOS or forthcoming Android version a try.

Fortnite on mobile isn’t available just yet.  Epic is rolling out the game in invitation-only waves, and those invites will only be for the iOS version of the game.  They say that Android support will be coming in the next few months.  However, this mobile version of Fortnite is said to be “the same 100-player game you know” from the platforms it’s currently available on.  We’re curious about just how close Epic can come to replicating the console and PC experience on a phone or tablet.

Perhaps Microsoft and Sony will come to an agreement to allow Fornite players to play together across the Xbox One and PlayStation consoles, but it’s not looking likely at the moment.