Overwatch: Blizzard Is “Keeping An Eye On” Nintendo Switch Cross-Play
For years, Blizzard’s popular shooter Overwatch has offered fans a means to play on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, but questions remained whether the Nintendo Switch would (or even could) ever join the party. This past week finally saw speculation end when Overwatch was officially confirmed for the hybrid console, the previously-unprecedented port scheduled to go live later next month. While fans will finally have access to the team-based shooter on Switch, it appears the occasion will not mark the addition of cross-play.
In a recently-released statement (via Engadget), Blizzard confirmed that while the ‘Legendary Edition’ release of Overwatch will include much of the game’s last three years of content updates, users won’t be able to play across platforms or carry over their save progress. However, Blizzard did hint at the feature’s future implementation, the team acknowledging fan demand and assuring they are “keeping an eye on how cross-play systems and technology develop.”
“We’ve seen how compelling cross-system play can be for our community, and we’re excited about the potential,” Blizzard revealed in the statement. “There’s still a lot of work to do on both our side and the platforms’ side to determine whether this is something that makes sense for Overwatch, and we’re keeping an eye on how cross-play systems and technology develop.”
Though the release of Overwatch on Switch looms, cross-play is likely quite a while away from happening, leaving new Switch users little option but to restart their progress from the beginning. However, with Switch ports like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Rocket League all currently featuring some form of cross-play, the possibility exists that Overwatch could eventually pull it off–especially as Blizzard has already achieved multi-platform support in the past with card-based title Hearthstone.
Overwatch is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and hits Nintendo Switch on October 15th.
What do you think? Are you bummed that cross-play won’t be available when Overwatch hits Nintendo Switch, or are you just glad that Blizzard is “keeping an eye on” the feature in the first place? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
