PUBGCorpPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is finally getting crossplay support between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early October, it’s been confirmed. Microsoft made the announcement during the Inside Xbox Gamescom stream yesterday, bringing us one step closer to a truly unified future. Bless.
The cross-platform shenanigans have, for now, been limited to PS4 and Xbox One, meaning Xbox and PlayStation players won’t be matching against PC users anytime soon. It’s unclear if/when we’ll be seeing PC join the fray, but it’s probably wise to see how PS4/Xbox crossplay goes first.
PUBGCorpPUBG Community Manager Cecilia Lee wrote:
Our first goal with cross platform play was for 100 players from both console communities to be able to play in the same match. Our second goal was to improve our matchmaking times, which we expect to be shorter for due to the wider matchmaking pool. Shorter wait times and more enemies on the battlegrounds = more opportunities to earn those chicken dinners. WIN.
Lee described crossplay as “hands down, the most requested feature since we launched on consoles”, so I’ve no doubt that players on both platforms will be thrilled that they’ll soon have the chance to tear each other down using more than just unkind words about platform exclusives and framerates.
Cross platform play between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 gamers will be available for testing on the PUBG Public Test Server in late September before going to live servers in early October, according to Lee. Keep an eye on the official PUBG forums for more details on how and when you can get involved.
Sony famously thawed on its stance on crossplay last year, when a policy change (after much fab outcry) finally allowed cross-platform play on Fortnite and Rocket League. We can also expect PS4/Xbox/PC crossplay for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, with two betas dedicated to testing the endeavor scheduled for October.
PUBGCorpIt was a fairly eventful Inside Xbox show. In addition to the PUBG news, we also learned that Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition finally has a release date, and we were treated to a first look at the Horde Mode in Gears 5.
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Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.