Coming into the next generation of gaming consoles, there’s been a lot of discussion and controversy involving the topics of cross-play and cross-buy. On one side we have the consumers, overwhelming in support of both systems in as wide of an application as possible. On the other, we have the game publishers and console manufacturers, each faced with myriad safety, legal, and intellectual property concerns.
Though the last year alone has seen significant progress on both the cross-buy and cross-play front, we’ve still got a long way to go before these ideas become standard. Taking the consumer’s point of view, we want to examine why these concepts are so important, looking at the advantages they give for both players and the games themselves.
The Community
Looking directly at the games, perhaps the biggest advantages for their lasting popularity comes from the possibilities of community growth. A large portion of a game’s long-term viability comes from the development of the community, and this is only helped through cross-play and cross-buy availability. Cross-buy means that, once a player owns a game, they won’t have to give it up should they move to another platform or sell or lose their original device. This keeps them engaged and comes with the obvious advantages of allowing them to sidestep the rebuy/purchase-another-game dichotomy.
Cross-play serves a different purpose, keeping multiplayer servers active for longer. This delays the inevitable decline of player numbers, meaning more consistent engagement for fans. As a side effect, a more active player-base can also serve as inspiration for developers, meaning ongoing support where games might otherwise be abandoned.
The Industry
The idea of centralisation through cross-play could also make the jobs of tech and gaming sites that much easier.
For video games, reviews can often include splitting information up to cater to the necessary differences which exist between platforms. While cross-buys wouldn’t eliminate the need for the coverage of different platforms, it would at least mitigate issues which can arise between versions. This would eliminate the difficulty of choice and allow for the best possible experience.
Looking at a Cross-Future
As with many elements of the gaming industry, the biggest hurdle to initial adoption can be a lack of mainstream visibility. While cross-play and cross-buy have been done before, they’re still arguably far from seeing an introduction on the highest AAA gaming scale. This could change into the next-generation, however, with studios like Ubisoft and CD Projekt Red setting the stage with Assassins Creed and Cyberpunk 2077 respectively.
As such, the entire state of the next generation of cross-buy and cross-play could depend on the first few months of the coming generation. With such undeniable advantages to both the players and the supporting industry, we can only hope that the ideas manage to fulfill their promise. Until then, users should still consider their next choice in console carefully just in case the best doesn’t come to pass.