[GameSpot] - Borderlands 3 Cross-Play Update Is Ready, But PlayStation Consoles Are Being Left Out

[343iBot]

Cross-play is finally coming to Borderlands 3 for all but one platform. According to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, cross-play support for PlayStation consoles had to be removed.

It is not immediately clear why PlayStation consoles had to be left out for the Borderlands 3 cross-play update. In a tweet announcing the update, Pitchford said, "For certification, we have been required by the publisher to remove cross-play support for PlayStation consoles."

However, Borderlands 3's publisher 2K may not be the main cause of Sony's consoles being excluded from cross-play. During the Epic vs. Apple trial, documents submitted to the court revealed that Sony would require that developers adding cross-play functionality to their games pay a royalty fee. Sony would calculate this fee based on the popularity of the PlayStation version of the game in question, and how much money it made on the PlayStation Network.

Good news or bad news first? Good News: An update for Borderlands 3 has been prepared for release that includes full crossplay support across all platforms. Bad News: For certification, we have been required by the publisher to remove crossplay support for PlayStation consoles.

— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 27, 2021

Historically, Sony hasn't been a fan of cross-play, with Rocket League developer Psyonix saying that the tech giant has been hesitant to allow cross-play on PlayStation consoles. Sony has defended its stance on cross-play by saying it was protecting its userbase. In the time since, Sony has become more lenient with allowing cross-play on PlayStation consoles, with multiple games supporting the feature.

We have reached out to 2K for comment on this situation and will update this story if we get a response.

In other Borderlands 3 news, the game has a new event slated to start today. Players today can tackle the True Trials event for the Trial of Discipline. Until 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on June 3, the Trial of Discipline boss will have more health and deal more damage, but also reward players with two legendary weapons.

Borderlands 3 is currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PS4, PS5, Stadia, and PC. Assumedly, cross-play will be heading to all of those platforms save for the PS4 and PS5.

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