Minecraft’s cross-platform play comes with a catch for Switch players

3.9
A recent revelation about how Minecraft will handle cross-platform play might explain why PlayStation decided not to get on board.

Confirmed by both Xbox head Phil Spencer and Mojang CEO Jonas Martensson that, in order to log in for cross-platform play, all users will need to sign in with an Xbox Live account, even Nintendo Switch players.

How that will actually work is still yet to be seen. When asked whether Switch players will earn achievements, Spencer was “guessing no,” as that aspect of the system is up to Nintendo.

Another game with cross-platform play, Rocket League, allows players to sign in with their native accounts, whether it’s Xbox Live, PSN or Steam. But Rocket League is a third-party game, whereas Microsoft is probably much keener to keep a close eye on its first-party cash cow while also offering a convenient and transferable experience on all platforms. According to Spencer:

We use Xbox Live as the way to make sure we know who our players are, controls around parental controls and other things that we put into our platform are there. And as you’re buying things in Minecraft, you want to make sure you have them available on other platforms, so we have to know who you are. If you have a realm that you’ve created on the PC and you want to get to it on the Switch, we have to have an identity system and we just use Xbox Live.


One question that remains is whether Nintendo Switch players will have to pay $60 for a yearly Xbox Live Gold subscription just to play with Xbox and PC players.

Posted:
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/minecrafts-cross-platform-play-comes-with-a-catch-for-switch-players/

Comments

"Minecraft’s cross-platform play comes with a catch for Switch players" :: Login/Create an Account :: 12 comments

If you would like to post a comment please signin to your account or register for an account.

EternityPosted:

Decy Instead of having Xbox Live on the switch why not link accounts together that would make more sense?


+1

If they require an Xbox live account, they should just link to an existing account relative to their current online account (depending on their system of play).

They had better not require a membership to Xbox Live either if you aren't playing on an Xbox. That's just silly of them. Rocket league is an excellent example of how to handle cross play. Sure, they want to promote their first party account service but it's counter-intuitive of "bringing everyone together" if it's harder than it needs to be.

DecyPosted:

Instead of having Xbox Live on the switch why not link accounts together that would make more sense?