Bethesda Doesn't Want To Play Sony's Cross-Platform Game

Sony's aversion to allowing cross-platform compatibility in games that release for the PS4 has been a source of frustration for a lot of gamers, but now one publisher is laying down an ultimatum. Bethesda is gearing up to launch its free-to-play card game, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, on console, and it seems to be saying that a PS4 release won't happen if Sony doesn't start playing nice with other platforms.

In an interview with Game Informer, Bethesda senior vice president of marketing and communications Pete Hines was pretty clear in saying that The Elder Scrolls: Legends won't launch on consoles that don't allow cross-platform functionality. He describes Legends as a game that offers "both cross-platform play and cross-platform progress," meaning that not only can you play with people on other platforms, but your progress is carried over as you move between those platforms.

Anyone who has played Fortnite on PS4 and then tried logging into their accounts on Xbox One or Switch know this isn't the way Sony operates. Instead, Sony locked Epic Games accounts to PS4, preventing players from accessing those accounts on other consoles. Though players can still access their accounts on PC and mobile, it seems that Sony doesn't want unfettered access on competing platforms.

"It is our intention in order for the game to come out, it has to be those things on any system," Hines said. "We cannot have a game that works one way across everywhere else except for on this one thing." He went on to say that these requirements are "essentially non-negotiable," adding, "We can't be talking about one version of Legends, where you take your progress with you, and another version where you stay within that ecosystem or its walled off from everything else. That is counter to what the game has been about."

Though Game Informer says that Hines never mentioned Sony by name, it's pretty clear he's referring to the company when he says this stuff. After all, Sony is the only one that has been resistant to cross-platform capabilities in other games, so it sounds like The Elder Scrolls: Legends might not get a PS4 version if Sony continues to block other platforms out. We'll see if Bethesda playing a little bit of hardball is enough to get Sony to change its mind, but given the PS4's dominance, it might not be. Stay tuned.