'Rocket League' is a historic first step toward PlayStation vs. Xbox games
If you're excited about Microsoft's freshly announced support for cross-platform play -- which could even allow Xbox and PlayStation users to clash, eventually -- thank Rocket League developer Psyonix.
"We were prodding everyone all the time," Jeremy Dunham, the studio's vice president, told Mashable.
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Psyonix pushed hard for cross-platform play, a feature that fans have requested for some time.
"We know it's a feature our community's been asking for since we announced on Xbox One," Dunham said. "Just the fact that we know at the very least that we can give that to them on the PC front ... is pretty great news, and we were really happy about it."
Lots of concerns bubble to the surface as soon as a game lets players using different online services -- such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Network or Steam -- compete with one another. It's especially complicated because each gatekeeper for those services has the same (or similar) concerns.
"The good news about Rocket League is that we're set up to either handle or prevent a lot of the concerns that a lot of the publishers usually have, which is why Sony already allowed us PS4/PC cross-play and why Microsoft is allowing us to do it as well," Dunham said.
"They've recognized that we've taken all the steps necessary to try to prevent people from harming other people's experiences. You can't even voice chat against another player on another platform."
It's not just voice chat. Each service has its own approach to keeping the player experience safe and positive. There are measures in place for reporting abusive players, preventing "griefing" and basic security.
"The good news about Rocket League is that we're set up to either handle or prevent a lot of the concerns that a lot of the publishers usually have," Dunham explained.
Indeed, Rocket League was originally built with cross-platform play in mind. It's something Psyonix considered, attempting to answer questions that platform gatekeepers might have if the feature ever became a reality.
"[That's] why Sony already allowed us PS4/PC cross-play and why Microsoft is allowing us to do it as well."
While it isn't outright stated in the announcement, Microsoft's expanded developer support opens the door for Sony to allow PlayStation users to compete with folks on Xbox. The simple question on most players' minds at this point is: When?
Dunham knows this isn't the answer that people want to hear, but it's hard to say right now.
"Today is the first day that anyone outside of Psyonix and Microsoft is aware of this."
"Today is the first day that anyone outside of Psyonix and Microsoft is aware of this," he said. "So obviously Sony is still getting as much information as they can and understanding the situation before they can really talk about it."
Dunham -- and the rest of Psyonix -- remains optimistic. He spoke glowingly of how Sony's always been a "good partner." There are just questions that need to be answered.
"The main process is now we have to talk about it," Dunham said.
"We have to discuss what [cross-platform play] means, what the implications are for PlayStation Network users and what the implications are in terms of the existing security protocols. Very similar to what happened with Microsoft and our long discussions with them."
Now, those discussions need to happen all over again, with Sony.
"We understand that Sony's got to evaluate everything that this means for them," Dunham said. "This is the first time in history that this is even a legitimate possibility for anybody. So we understand that it's going to take some discussion, but we're also really optimistic."
For all the uncertainty in the air, Dunham had a hard time containing his excitement. Especially with the recently announced Rocket League Championship Series, which marks the game's first entry into the esports scene.
"If Sony were to allow this to happen and we were to be on all three platforms, the implication would be that our league could then simultaneously happen across all platforms at once," he said. "There would be no need to divide them up into separate leagues, and you truly could find the best player in the world, period.
"That's something that has never really happened on an esports level for a game that's on multiple platforms without some kind of very complicated setup. So just the fact that that's also a possibility really excites us."
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Topics Gaming PlayStation Xbox
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
