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Ark: Survival Evolved devs say console cross-play would only take a few days

The makers of Ark: Survival Evolved continue to argue that cross-play isn't technically difficult, just a matter of policy.

Bryant Francis, Senior Editor

August 29, 2017

1 Min Read
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"If all those Ark players want to be satisfied and play together, these cross-network play policy things really need to get sorted out - and then we'll do it. We're really excited about it."

- Studio Wildcard co-founder Jesse Rapczak

Last week, Studio Wildcard got in a bit of a Twitter dustup when it alleged that Sony was the company holding back any cross-play between the Xbox and PS4 communities for Ark: Survival Evolved. 

Apparently, that tweet kicked up a hornet's nest back at Sony HQ. In an interview with Eurogamer, Studio Wilcard co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz wryly remarks "Let's just say we got a phone call over that one," before letting fellow co-founder Jesse Rapczak explain the current state of console cross-play for Ark: Survival Evolved. 

What’s interesting is that Rapczak says enabling cross-play would only take “a few days.” “It's easy for us to do technically and it's just policy issues,” he states in the interview. “And until that gets worked out we're not different than any other game, even the big games that want to do it.”

It’s interesting to see Rapczak and Stieglitz chomping at the bit to implement cross-play even after alleged pushback from Sony HQ. Microsoft did say it was game to open the doors earlier today, but Rapczak still says both console manufacturers “need to work it out” before anything can happen. 

About the Author

Bryant Francis

Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Bryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios' upcoming 4X strategy game Zephon and Amplitude Studio's 2017 game Endless Space 2.

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