Why is cross-platform play important for esports?

Online video games, casual or competitive, have started adopting cross-platform gameplay in the last few years. When a game is cross-platform, it means players can play the game with others on a different platform or get matched against the same during a match.

There has been an ongoing controversy regarding cross-platform gameplay, with many in support while few others are against it. The argument all boils down to the advantages and disadvantages of cross-platform play, however, it doesn’t affect the esports scene much as tournaments are almost on the same input for everyone.

Apart from that, cross-platform play also boasts a huge advantage for both the gamers and the developing company, and today we will have a look at these advantages and why it is important for esports.

Here's Why Cross-Platform Play Matters in Esports

5. Large player base

As mentioned earlier, the more a game is available, the larger the number of players, however, this isn’t what cross-platform play is. Having to game on multiple platforms with cross-play allows players to match with others on different platforms. It also allows friends on different platforms to play with each other without any issues.

Someone playing on PC can match or play with someone on Xbox or PlayStation or any other device available, which often keeps the player base active, which is very important for any esports game. This also helps when one of the platforms has a low player count as they can match with others without having any issues. Those who do not like this can also turn off the cross-play in the setting, although it can impact their game depending on the platform.

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4. Innovation and improvement

Crossplay allows developers to further make a quality of life changes to the game after feedback from the respective platforms and asses how much they differ from each other. Having cross-play forces devs to make necessary changes to balance out the game, so no particular platform will have an advantage over the other.

While this is not an easy task, it has been improving with time. It also allows the devs to test new gameplay strategies across different platforms, implement them and further improve upon them.

3. Ability to continue playing on other device

The majority of the games with crossplay, especially esports titles also have cross-progression. While crossplay allows players to match with others on different platforms, cross-progression allows them to switch platforms and not lose the progress they made.

This means players can switch devices and still play on the same account after logging into a different platform, as the progress is tied to their account and not the platform itself. This comes in very handy for many who want to switch the device they play the game on but don’t want to lose their months or years of progress in a game.

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2. Better revenue for the company

More players provide more monetization opportunities for the companies, considering they are reasonable in pricing and do not provide any pay-to-win aspects. With a large player base, more players might want to invest in these cosmetics considering the game will run for a considerable time-period.

Furthermore, players purchasing these cosmetics can show off them to players on other platforms which can further entice others to make a purchase, and all this would be possible only because the game had a crossplay system. In some cases, funds from player purchases also go into the prize pool of the big events. A great example is Dota 2 The International, where the more players purchase battle passes, the more funds are added to the base prize pool by Valve.

1. Bigger crowd at esports events

While players across different platforms play on different control schemes, when it comes to esports, every single player unites for their favourite game. It does not matter if the game is more popular on console or PC devices, players from both platforms will be there to support the esports scene.

The larger the crowd and number of viewers, the more esports events that game will get with a larger prize pool and further increase the production quality. One of the biggest reasons why any esports title fades away is due to players losing interest in the game, mainly either because of low player count or not enough incentive.

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