Pearl Abyss has announced that its fantasy MMORPG Black Desert Online will be getting PS4 and Xbox One cross-platform play, however, fans on PS4 say that they don’t want it. Black Desert Online is now one of several games supporting cross-play between the two consoles, after Sony first allowed cross-play with Fortnite in September 2018.
In a press release, Pearl Abyss confirmed that starting from March 4, 2020, Black Desert Online players on PS4 and Xbox One will be able to play alongside each other. Typically, news about cross-play is met with celebration from fans. Gamers were excited when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare confirmed cross-play and when Dauntless and Rocket League confirmed it before that. However, Black Desert Online players say that they are unhappy with the announcement as PS4 and Xbox One players aren’t on a level playing field.
In response to the cross-play teaser trailer on YouTube, one player said that the update is going to be “a dumpster fire” and another said that “this is going to destroy the PS4 community.” Responses on Twitter are also negative about the Black Desert Online announcement.
There are several reasons why PS4 players are unhappy about this announcement. One of these is that Black Desert Online isn’t optimized very well on PS4. In Black Desert Online reviews, critics talk about how great the game looks and its many character customization features, but because of poor frame rate and lag, PS4 hasn’t been able to enjoy it as much.
The other issue is that the PS4 version of the game is behind the Xbox One version in terms of content. Pearl Abyss only announced Black Desert Online for PS4 in summer 2019, which is some time after PC and Xbox One players had been enjoying the game. PS4 players don’t have access to regions such as Kamasylvia and the archer class. This means that PS4 players will not be as strong as Xbox One players, and are likely to get beaten down in PvP.
Some fans have also said that while Pearl Abyss may add Kamasylvia to the PS4 version the same day as the cross-play update, PS4 players are going to have to fight much harder to get to areas where the better items are. They have asked that Pearl Abyss delays the update until a month after Kamasylvia is released on PS4 so that all players of the popular MMORPG can enjoy the same gameplay, but it’s unclear if the company plans to do that.
Black Desert Online is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
