Paladins, Smite, Realm Royale all finally getting cross-play support on PS4
But still no cross-progression.
Hi-Rez Studios is finally bringing Paladins, Smite, and Realm Royale players on PlayStation 4 into the cross-play fold, and those on Sony's machine will be able to team up with - or battle against - those on Switch, Xbox One, and PC starting today.
Hero shooter Paladins, its battle royale spin-off Realm Royale, and MOBA Smite all received support for cross-platform play between Switch, Xbox One, and PC earlier this year. Around the same time, Hi-Rez Studios' CEO, Stewart Chisam, fired shots at Sony on Twitter, writing that "It's time to stop playing favourites and tear down the crossplay/progression wall for everyone." Chisam told Sony it had versions of its games "ready to go when you are."
Now, some seven months later, the studio has announced that, following work with Sony, cross-play support is now live for Paladins on PS4, with updates for Smite due on 17th September and Realm Royale in "early October". To celebrate, Hi-Rez has release this thing:
While cross-play is certainly welcome, it's worth noting that, even with its arrival, the PlayStation 4 versions of Smite, Realm Royale, and Paladins still won't have feature parity with Xbox One, Switch, and PC. These platforms also support cross-progression, meaning that players can hop between versions and maintain access to their progress and purchases.
"Hi-Rez Studios and Sony are working together to bring cross progression and cross commerce to players looking to connect their accounts across all platforms", the developer wrote in its official FAQ, but there's no anticipated timeframe for these features on PS4.