After a very long wait, PlayerUnknown's BATTLEGROUNDS has finally received an update on consoles to support cross-platform play on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Cross-play is a concept that's been gaining a lot of ground in recent months, thanks to several major games popularizing the concept. In truth, it's great to see hardware manufacturers like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo work together to the benefit of gamers. Best of all, it doesn't appear as if the feature will be going anywhere soon.
For example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is set to be another major piece of the cross-play equation when it arrives this month. Finally, Xbox and PlayStation users will be able to go head-to-head in one of the biggest franchises in gaming, but it won't be the only major game supporting the feature. It's been known for a while now that PUBG will get cross-play, but that doesn't make its arrival any less exciting. While plans were to release it in September, the PUBG Corporation wasn't all that far off.
The 4.3 update which has now officially released for PUBG finally introduces cross-platform play to the game, allowing Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users to square off against one another. Console owners that jump into a game will be able to join the same matchmaking pool as those on competitive consoles. From there it's as easy dropping into the Battlegrounds to encounter Xbox or PS4 players for the first time–depending on which platform the user frequents.
According to the official press release, update 4.3 also introduces "a new method of tracking progression in the form of Survival Mastery, which rewards players for their survival skills in each match." What does this mean? Well, gamers will now have access to a PUBG ID which you can deck out with a unique nameplate, emblems, and or a pose of your character. It's designed to help players flex their creativity and help individualize their character on the Battlefield.
Finally, update 4.3 also adds a "brand new crate weapon, the double-barrelled, pump-action, DBS shotgun. Holding 14 shells and able to fire off two shots per second, the DBS will be essential in late-game close-quarters combat." All things considered, it sounds like a rather substantial update to PUBG and one that provides a number of reasons for lapsed players to jump back in. The more games that support cross-play the better. Plus, with a combined console community, longterm support is almost a guarantee, so here's hoping that plenty of others take the plunge and follow.