Cross-Play Is Finally Coming To Overwatch

Overwatch, as a game that bolsters multi-player experiences and encourages team-play, is once that was thought to be one of the first on the trend of cross-play. Finally, mates being on different consoles was a worry of the past, as games can now link to their own servers and let players squad up despite their hardware restrictions.

Blizzard's hero-based multiplayer title Overwatch has been slow on this fact, even pushing their fans to frustration by making them buy multiple copies of the game to play with their friends and not even allowing cross-progression either. But finally, cross-play is a reality.

Overwatch Announces Cross-Play

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Finally, after years of waiting, Overwatch is finally introducing a quick-play feature. Game director Aaron Keller has shared the details in a short video detailing the feature’s applications in-game, insisting it is coming to all of the game’s platforms and will allow anyone on any console to play together. Cross-progression isn’t yet to be introduced, but Keller addresses this in the video. “We understand that this feature is important for some of you, and it is something that the Overwatch team is excited to work on in the future”.

In order to get involved in cross-play, console players need to link their accounts to a BattleNet account.

Also, to celebrate the announcement of cross-play, Overwatch players that sign into the game before the end of the year will receive a free legendary loot box when cross-play is finally released.

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Of course, while cross-play is exciting, it suggests some things that have worried players. Luckily, though, some game modes will be unaffected.

Overwatch Cross-Play Will Not Affect Competitive Games

As will come as a relief to many, Overwatch’s cross-play will not affect the competitive side of the game. This is a huge relief for serious players on console, as many players feel that those playing on PC and with a keyboard and mouse have a vast advantage on the game, allowing them greater maneuverability and reaction-time. Cross-play will still exist in competitive but will exist in two different categories, with console players able to play against each other, and PC gamers being left out of cross-play for fairness.

Here’s the full video by director Keller:

We’re yet to learn when cross-play will arrive, but knowledge alone that it’s coming is great news for Overwatch fans. Finally, the community play of the title stretches across platforms, and will likely unite the community.

Images via Blizzard