'Elder Scrolls: Legends' may skip PS4 due to cross-play ban

Sony's ban on cross-play for PS4 titles may create more than just inconveniences for some gamers. Bethesda's senior global marketing VP Pete Hines told Game Informer in an interview that the console version of The Elder Scrolls: Legends won't launch on any system that doesn't support cross-play -- in other words, it would skip the PS4. The card battling title revolves around an experience you can carry from device to device, Hines said, and it would be unacceptable to have one version walled off from everything else. The feature is "essentially non-negotiable," the executive said.

Bethesda isn't making the firmest stand against Sony's policies, since other games like Fallout 76 are still destined for the PS4. It's doing this because Legends' cross-play is a selling point, and because a card game doesn't need the performance of a living room console.

However, it's telling that the developer is willing to forego sales on a strong-selling console just to ensure that a game lives up to its vision. And that may be a concern both for Sony and gamers. It's one thing when PS4 owners have to play a game solely within their own ecosystem, but it's another when certain games aren't available at all on your platform of choice. While it's unlikely that you'll see a mass exodus from the PS4, this suggests that other big studios might skip the system for other releases that depend on cross-play to succeed. In that light, Sony's talk of a possible 'solution' for cross-play limitations can't come soon enough for gamers who want access to as many titles as possible.