Earlier today, Sony Interactive Entertainment finally opened the door to PS4 cross-play for Fortnite, which has led many gaming fans to wonder what other titles could eventually receive the treatment at some point down the line. When it comes to Fallout 76, however, Bethesda has now officially confirmed that the forthcoming post-apocalyptic multiplayer release will not be getting cross-play support.
As seen in the tweet below from Bethesda Softworks' Vice President of Marketing and PR, Pete Hines, the publisher and developer won't feature cross-play "for a number of reasons". As it so happens, the company doesn't seem to be too concerned with that fact, as it's focused on Fallout 76's beta and its launch in November instead. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem as if cross-play is ruled out entirely, as Hines admitted that he has "no idea" if the feature will ever be implemented in the game.
Several months ago, Bethesda's Director and Executive Producer Todd Howard expressed a desire to allow full cross-play in Fallout 76, but stated that it was not possible due to Sony's prior stance on the issue. While Sony appears to have taken a more lax approach to PS4 cross-play as a whole, it looks as if Fallout 76 will not be benefiting from the company's revised attitude regarding the subject. Again, though, that doesn't necessarily mean cross-play won't ever be enabled post-launch.
All things considered, even though Fallout 76 won't have full cross-play support, it will be interesting to see if Bethesda manages to make Sony budge on the issue with The Elder Scrolls: Legends. For those unaware, Hines has previously stated that the trading card game will skip platforms without the feature. So, there may be a chance that Sony will at least provide PS4 cross-play for The Elder Scrolls: Legends in order to ensure that the console's player base can get the title when it comes out.
Fallout 76 is scheduled to release on November 13, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Pete Hines – Twitter