Elder Scrolls game threatens to ditch PlayStation if Sony won't approve cross-play

Bethesda, the video game studio behind the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, is trying to convince Sony to add cross-play, and it may hold one of its games hostage until the PlayStation manufacturer does.

While Microsoft and Nintendo let you play games with friends on different consoles, Sony refuses to allow cross-play compatibility. So PlayStation players aren't able to play with their Xbox or Switch friends, or even log into their Fortnite accounts elsewhere.

Recently, Bethesda had to omit cross-play in Fallout 76 because Sony wouldn't allow it. But Bethesda is being much more steadfast about cross-play on its new game The Elder Scrolls: Legends.

Bethesda VP Pete Hines told Game Informer that cross-play is such a major cornerstone of its The Elder Scrolls: Legends game that it would only release on platforms where cross-play was available. He called it "essentially non-negotiable."

"We can't be talking about one version of Legends, where you take your progress with you, and another version where you stay within that ecosystem or its walled off from everything else. That is counter to what the game has been about," Hines told Game Informer.

This puts more pressure on Sony to add cross-play or miss out on a game release, on top of pressure from Nintendo and Microsoft with cross-play for Minecraft earlier this year, and an outcry from Fortnite players who found themselves locked out of Nintendo Switch. If more game makers take a hard stance on cross-play, perhaps Sony could finally bring cross-play to PlayStation.