Sony is blocking Fortnite cross-play and progression between the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, and Fortnite fans are furious. Hundreds of Fortnite fans are reacting angrily on the Resetera forums and Reddit after learning that you can’t use a Fortnite account that’s been used on the PS4 with the Nintendo Switch. This means that any progress, skins, and purchases can’t be shared between PS4 and Nintendo Switch, so the dream of playing Fortnite at home on a PS4 and then using the same account on the go on Nintendo Switch is truly dead.
“This Fortnite account is associated with a platform which does not allow it to operate on Switch,” explains a message on the Switch version of the game if you attempt to log in with an Epic Games account that has been used on the PS4. While there are options to decouple a PlayStation account from an Epic Games account, Fortnite players are warning that this doesn’t fix the problems. It appears the only option for PS4 players wanting to use the Nintendo Switch Fortnite version is to create a new Epic Games account.
“Fuck you, Sony,” says one commenter on Resetera. “Because I played on a PS4 (on an account that I mainly play on PC, and is cross-platform compatible with the Switch), I can’t play on Switch. I would gladly un-link my PS4 from my account if it meant I could play on Switch.” Another over on Reddit describes Sony holding Fortnite skins hostage in 2018 as “an actual joke.” Reddit PlayStation fans are appealing to Sony to change its mind, and the replies to Sony on Twitter show the frustration is boiling over. Greg Miller at Kinda Funny is equally annoyed by Sony’s move, while Microsoft’s Xbox UK account is making light of the situation.
Fortnite fans have every right to be angry about this messy situation; it’s anti-consumer and comes from an arrogant position of market dominance in the current-gen console market. Sony is selling a lot of PlayStation 4 consoles, and it’s exploiting that advantage to block any threats to it selling more. This isn’t the first time Sony has blocked cross-play and progression, either. Microsoft revealed back in March that Sony has been blocking Fortnite cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One, and Sony has previously blocked cross-play between PS4 and Xbox One for both Rocket League and Minecraft, despite Microsoft and Nintendo both supporting it across Xbox One, PC, and Switch.
Sony’s prior excuses for blocking PlayStation and Xbox cross-platform play have been hostile and stupid, and the company has not commented on the reasons behind the Xbox One and Switch Fortnite block. The reaction to the latest Nintendo Switch block has been particularly fierce, though, and Sony might finally be forced to explain to gamers why the company that says it’s “for the players” isn’t letting people play the way they want.
