PUBG could be coming to PS4, prompting questions about cross-play
Until now, the only major battle royale available on PS4 was Fortnite (although the Call of Duty Blackout beta provided a temporary alternative last week). The new classification, however, seems to suggest that a PS4 release for the more realistic mainstay of the genre might not be all that far away.
According to the Ratings Board, a PS4 version of PUBG was received on September 11, and was discussed earlier today, before then being awarded its classification. You can read their findings here (although they’ll need translating from Korean). There’s nothing all that surprising in there – reports of a “survival FPS” with “excessive violence expression,” and “violence expression through realistic weaponry and red blood color expression accordingly [sic].” Unsurprisingly, the game has been classified as “Not for Youth.”
A PS4 release has ramifications beyond the console market, as it raises questions about crossplay. Currently, PC players are unable to play PUBG alongside their Xbox cousins, but PUBG mobile allows full cross-play between Apple and Android.
Elsewhere in the battle royale market, however, cross-play has been something of a sore point. In Fortnite, all platforms can, theoretically, play together. Sony, however, has consistently blocked attempts to allow full cross-play, as their CEO says the PS4 is “the best place to play” Fortnite.
Whether the same thing will happen with the PS4 release of PUBG is yet to be seen. It may be, as with Xbox and PC, that subtly different versions of the game won’t allow for crossplay at all. If they do, however, Sony could again decline to allow for joint matchmaking across the two platforms. The PUBG PS4 release date is not yet known.
