Rocket League, the ultra popular RC-car-meets-soccer game, is about to become the widest reaching cross-platform game in existence thanks to a patch scheduled to be pushed through at 6 p.m. PST (3pm EST). This patch will enable Xbox One and PC players to be matched together across both platforms. Combined with the PC to PS4 matchmaking that the game has had since launch, PC players will soon have a completely unrestricted pool of players available to them — as soon as the boundaries of both Sony and Microsoft’s respective consoles are lifted.
While hardly alone in implementing some degree of cross-platform multiplayer — Killer Instinct Season 3 and Street Fighter V, for example, both supported crossplay between PC and their console platforms at launch — Rocket League now sits as the most open multiplayer game on the market. What this update does not do is allow Xbox One to PS4 matchmaking, though given Microsoft’s announcement back in March, a future in which that is possible is not completely out of the question. Given Psyonix’s track record so far, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising for Rocket League to become the first truly cross-platform game either.
It’s worth noting that the Xbox to PC matchmaking will be an optional toggle, so if Xbox owners prefer to remain nestled in the familiarity of their Xbox LIVE ecosystem, they’ll have that ability, and on the PC side, this feature only works with the Steam version of the game. All in all, the news of this patch bodes well for the idea of a less inherently divisive gaming community, and the longevity of Rocket League’s online multiplayer.
Published: May 24, 2016 08:11 am