On November 2, Diablo 3 will be released on the Nintendo Switch. In the years since the game’s initial release, it’s been made available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
While all those releases have made for a large player base (Diablo 3 is third on the list of most sold games following Minecraft and PUBG.), it’s a fractured player base. Players on different platforms can’t play with each other.
But that will be changing according to an article on Business Insider Australia, who recently attended a demo of the Switch version of the game.
During the demo, they asked about cross-platform play and were informed that Blizzard is working on it, with the Blizzard Entertainment representative even going so far as to say, “It’s a question of when, not if.”
According to the rep, Blizzard is working with both Microsoft and Sony to enable cross-platform play with the Nintendo Switch.
Now, there are a few questions here — aside from the “when”. During the discussion, the representative specifically mentioned “cross-console” play and said nothing of PC. While it might have been an oversight, it’s also possible that Blizzard intends to keep PC Diablo 3 players in their own walled garden.
The other question is, “Will Sony actually go for it?”
That answer is, most likely, “Yes”.
Sony did actually agree to cross-platform play when it comes to Fortnite. They even added that it could be implemented for other “select” third party games. The question is whether or not Diablo 3 is one of those games.
For the sake of the players, let’s hope they get on board. Gaming is always more fun when you have someone to share it with.
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more news on Diablo 3 and the Diablo franchise as it develops.
Published: Oct 12, 2018 02:38 pm