Sony's Lack of Support for Cross-Play Has Made Them a Villain

Sony's Lack of Support for Cross-Play - Sony continues to get ridiculed by the media and developers alike for the lack of cooperation regarding cross-play. Sony's become a villain to gamers, publishers, and developers and is hindering the progression of the gaming industry.

[HeyHeyHeyGaming]

Sony needs to adapt to stay in control of the console market.

[DarkVoyager]

Sony should just allow crossplay so everyone will shut up about it. I’m tired of hearing the same old story every day.

I’ll never use the feature so I could care less myself. I didn't get a PS4 to play with Xbox or Nintendo gamers.

[Muzikguy]

I don’t think that’s the right move. Sony should stand their ground and do what they want. Not what other people tell them to. They’re not doing to dramatically change the landscape or anything like that. People themselves need to just give it a rest. Putting pressure on Sony to change when there are valid reasons why they don’t, will not make them.

[MuddyWaters]

Muzikguy, what are the valid reasons, I'd love to hear them?

CNBC is also on it,
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/0...

I really don't get it, people like to play online so why be against it?

ConsoleGamer,,

Please act like a console gamer. Your reasoning is not a reason at all that you should be concerned about and sounds rather immature to be honest. Still waiting to hear a valid point from any gamer.

[PowerOfTheCloud]

Muddy

The nr 1 valid reason would be that they can't let microsoft (which has no idea how to handle the console business and be succesfull without selling gamers 2 to 3 times the same faulty console AND in addition is using shady and dirty tactics to push their agendas, has the a low output of videogames of which the atleast the recent were of subpar quality) dictate how sony (which were successful since their first console and even their worst selling console selling 80 million units, has the highest amount of highly talented studios who create some of the most regarded videogames in the industry) has to run their business. That would send a wrong signal for the future. So ms would learn that all they have to do to influence sony to ms' favor is to launch a pr campaign.

[The_Jackel]

@muddywaters
they aint againts cross play, sony has been doing it alot longer then that of ms.
ms would have gone to sony like they did nintendo but put in their terms and conditions which would be for crossplay they need a xbl account just like on nintendo. and ms will be pushing this issue thinking sony will fold. but ms is wrong sony will do it but it cant be a one way street for ms. if ms wanted it thry could have had it last gen but refused.
also if im not mistaken isnt cnbc owned or in partnership with ms? making that article you posted the typicle ms stratergy they always try to pull.
cross play good feature but not needed, not on playstation anyway even though playstation already does it.

[Muzikguy]

CNBC isn’t “on it”. They’re just running with a controversial story for viewers/readers. I don’t know Sony’s reasons but they must have them to not allow it. Think about it though, they stand to lose more than gain so why would they? And honestly, they could be sour over last gen still. It does NOT matter to most about crossplay. If I wanted to play with Xbox people I’d buy an Xbox.

I’m not going to claim what their motives are I’m just saying that it’s not a big deal. Sony provides games and that’s all that matters. I guarantee if MS were in the lead this gen this wouldn’t even be a story.

@console

You make some interesting points. Just like Ms throwing money at things hoping they produce. Now the talk is Google because they’ve got money, but it takes more than money to create what Sony has

[PowerOfTheCloud]

@muddy

"ConsoleGamer,,

Please act like a console gamer. Your reasoning is not a reason at all that you should be concerned about and sounds rather immature to be honest. Still waiting to hear a valid point from any gamer."

I am a gamer and i'm happy what sony offers me for my hard earned money. I have nothing against crossplay in general but it would be a shame if a shady company like ms has too much influence over sony who atleast maintain a healthy symbiosis with the consumer (aka providing us with high quality games, what GAMERS should care about.) instead of trying to suck money from their consumers without being willing to actualy to provide a decent amount of games in return, as one of the richest companies in the world.

[Hardiman]

Then they'd get back on BC, the power of the X or exclusives don't sell consoles lol!

[Dragonscale]

@muddy, one reason, microsoft and thats all they need.

[bigmalky]

Maybe people should just flag the users who are recommending them for spamming the site with the same old crap daily.

[trooper_]

@ Muddy: Sony doesn't trust Microsoft, period. That's a possible reason.

[sampsonon]

if they have cross play i will not be buying those games.

[bluefox755]

All Sony needs to do is keep making the best games on the market, which they've been doing consistently. I'm not against crossplay, but this idea that people actually care about crossplay, and it will affect their purchasing decisions is just laughable. Let's be honest here, if crossplay had ANY effect on Sony's bottom line, they would have done it already. The fact is, the vast majority of people simply don't care about crossplay. Sorry, that's just the reality of it.

[MuddyWaters]

Sony cares, which is why they offer it with PC and Mobile. If nobody cares then why would they purposely block the feature for console crossplay? Sorry, you can't have it both ways.

[UCForce]

Sony isn’t perfect for sure, but calling Sony a “villain” is a hypocrite from journalist.

[gamer7804]

why in the world would you be against crossplay, it should go without saying that no one should be against it. I get that some people "don't care" , but there are lots of others that do, including myself. sure I have lots of Rando's I can play with, but I have some friends that only play on one console, or have already bought the game on one console and don't want to buy it again.

[FGHFGHFGH]

@ Muddywates

well ps4 players have to pay to play multiplayer, so they are not going to let xbox players play for free. So if they do allow it, than someone is going to have to pay up.

[PurpHerbison]

You really don't want a bigger pool of players in competitive games? More competition is awesome and being able to rep your console of choice while diving into that competition is even better.

[sampsonon]

"I'm not buying a ps4 because it won't have cross play."

"wait what!? spider man, the last of us 2, ghost of tsushima, days gone, death stranding and god of war?
hell yeah!, where can buy one?"

so when will MS allow cross play with Steam? they should let Valve have their coding so they can play xbox games on Steam for free, and buy games at half price.

oh! and by the way, Sony has more cross play than the rest.

as posted by TheLethalDiva :

"Helldivers is the best, that has ps3, ps4, and vita crossplay and crossbuy.

Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator and BlazBlue: Central Fiction

DC Universe Online - And its free, starts off pretty cool and I really like the character creation process, ultimately feels a bit dated. I had a hard time really getting into it, just feels meh to me. Alot of people swear by it though and I suppose it could grow on you in time.

Toukiden 2 comes out first quarter 2017, that looks really cool and is going to be crossplay

Other games that supposedly have crossplay, but I haven't played yet...

Alien Breed

Atomic Ninjas

BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND

DiveKick

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (PS4/Vita/PS3)

Final Fantasy XIV (PS3/PS4)

Gundam Breaker 2

Hustle Kings (PS4/PS3/Vita)

Invokers Tournament (Free)

Natural Doctrine

Nidhogg

Skullgirls 2nd Encore (PS3/PS4/Vita)

Spelunky (PS4/Vita) or (PS3/Vita)

Switch Galaxy Ultra

Terraria (PS4/PS3/Vita)

Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PS4/PS3/Vita)

Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov’s Revenge"

MS - better catch up eh?

[Muzikguy]

No they don’t! Many times you adapt you lose your identity.

It sure is nice to see more no name sites getting in on this crossplay nonsense 🙄. Give it a rest already

[MuddyWaters]

Ahh I see, so third party games allowing crossplay with PC and Mobile gives them identify but blocking it with other consoles loses it? Great mental gymnastics you got there.

[UCForce]

They won’t stop it until Sony being force to open cross platform. Will they do it ? Might be, but Sony isn’t going to jump on boat right away.

[MuddyWaters]

UCForce
"They won’t stop it until Sony being force to open cross platform. Will they do it ? Might be, but Sony isn’t going to jump on boat right away."

It is always about money. Sony is not your friend, Microsoft is not your friend and neither is Nintendo.

What Sony is acting like is that this is a race, it is not a race. Why would you want a blemish to carry into next generation if you don't have to? The problem is Sony is taking this rather personal because I don't see any other reason why they are being so standoffish about it all. If anyone has built great relations with third party it is Sony which is why this is very baffling. I think too many suits are now running the show and the down to earth Sony we saw in the beginning of this generation is now gone. We seen it at this years E3 too, they are starting to lose touch with the common people.

Villain is a strong word but the media likes to hype things up, just like many of you who do this as well on how when one is the winner in sales that means all the rest are losers.

[Muzikguy]

@Muddy

No you’re the one doing gymnastics. I’m talking about Sony, not the third parties. Sony doesn’t need to adapt to anything because then they’ll be lost in a sea of “everything is the same” therefore losing their identity. If they don’t want crossplay they don’t want it. I feel like that should be the end of discussion.

[MuddyWaters]

"No you’re the one doing gymnastics. I’m talking about Sony, not the third parties."

Nobody expect to crossplay God of War with Switch and Xbox one. We are clearly talking about third party titles here so yes, you are indeed doing full on mental gymnastics. Sony isn't going to lose its identify to do console crossplay and they certainly didn't lose their identity by offering crossplay with PC and Mobile.

You started this conversation they should not adapt, which makes no sense. They have already adapted, just not fully. I also don't need to hear from you why Sony is against it, you need to speak on behalf of yourself. If you don't care about the feature that's fine but what is bad about an option to enable it just like you already have an option to enable it now with PC and Mobile?

[UCForce]

@Muddywater “It is always about money. Sony is not your friend, Microsoft is not your friend and neither is Nintendo.” Ok, then why you defending on MS all the way ? You could ask the same question about me, but I already said it with my comments history, so I’m not gonna repeat it. Yes, Sony is corporation just like MS and Nintendo which I awere that these companies care about profits. But like I said before, Sony isn’t going to jump on the boat right away. Sony might do that in the future. But for me, online gaming is afterthought and I more care about single player games. As long Sony keep making great PS4 Exclusive, i won’t care about online gaming.

I know you are going to laugh at me and saying that i’m talking nonsense and calling me “Sony” shill or something those lines. But the true is that, I don’t care about online gaming from the beginning. Back then, I thought online gaming was just simple and basic, but now online gaming is just nonsensical to me.

[TheCommentator]

@ Musikguy

When logic gives way to WTF: "Sony doesn’t need to adapt to anything because then they’ll be lost in a sea of 'everything is the same' therefore losing their identity."

OMG, you're SO RIGHT, if Sony allows 3rd party console crossplay then surely their 1st party exclusives will become meaningless and their identity will be gone FOREVER. /s

LOL, how do you people dream up this nonsense???

[Muzikguy]

@Muddy

I’m telling you, you just don’t want to listen. YES, a company that conforms will indeed lose their identity. They don’t need to offer crossplay. That’s it. That’s me telling you what you don’t want to hear so you don’t listen and keep asking for a different response. I don’t care about the feature. Never have. Obviously
There are reasons Sony feels the same. Is just leave it alone and move on. If you want to play with the PS fam then get a PS4. You should get over those gymnastics too because you’re not making much sense anymore. I’m talking about Sony NOT a third party. When Epic makes its own game system then they can do crossplay with everyone if they want to. It’s Sony’s console last I checked

[MuddyWaters]

UCForce
"But for me, online gaming is afterthought and I more care about single player games. As long Sony keep making great PS4 Exclusive, i won’t care about online gaming.
I know you are going to laugh at me and saying that i’m talking nonsense and calling me “Sony” shill or something those lines. But the true is that, I don’t care about online gaming from the beginning. Back then, I thought online gaming was just simple and basic, but now online gaming is just nonsensical to me."

The only time your preference would be a problem is if you vehemently defend them, are you? That is where the question arises because you say you don't care about online, so why do you have a dog in this fight? If you don't care then you don't care but your comments show otherwise.

Muzikguy
"I’m telling you, you just don’t want to listen. YES, a company that conforms will indeed lose their identity. They don’t need to offer crossplay. That’s it. That’s me telling you what you don’t want to hear so you don’t listen and keep asking for a different response. I don’t care about the feature. Never have. Obviously
There are reasons Sony feels the same. Is just leave it alone and move on. If you want to play with the PS fam then get a PS4. You should get over those gymnastics too because you’re not making much sense anymore. I’m talking about Sony NOT a third party. When Epic makes its own game system then they can do crossplay with everyone if they want to. It’s Sony’s console last I checked"

To break it down what you are trying to say is voice chat made them lose their identity, Sony lost even more of its identity when they started charging for online. Going crossplay with PC and Mobile didn't lose their identity. Yup, that makes perfect sense.

As for leaving it alone, that's not how progression works. Sony's stance is anything but progressive. In fact it's counter productive. Maybe you should leave it alone, unless you want to keep your identity.

[Aceman18]

Yyyyyyyaaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnn

They'll activate when its beneficial to them.

We all know the reason why M$/Ninty teamed up is because M$ needs bodies to fill their servers, and Ninty has the sh*ttiest of online services.

So stop pushing pushing this its benefits gamers crap, all these companies see is $$$$$$$ period end of discussion.

Also where's this fake outrage for FF14 not being on the xbox without crossplay? I know SE pitched it to M$, and predictable enough M$ said no they wanted their own servers for their gamers to which SE said NO.

[Muzikguy]

More people should read your comment. Seriously, MS and Nintendo aren’t the heroes in this.

[letsa_go]

They should rename it to Xbox Dead instead of Xbox Live, because the servers are deserted!

[tulholdren]

I was wonder that too no one saying anything about FF14 on Xbox must be because they know why and only want to talked about bad things that Sony does in their eyes.

[Brazz]

Sony doesn't need to do @#$#@ about crosplay whit xbox and nity. Sony already can make crossplay whit pc, android, ios and they are leaders in sales by a long shot! For some reason media outlets are making a big deal of this, and some are even saying that playstation is "isolated and alone", but this is #$#@$#!
Sony got more players than xbox and nity, playstation is the console that dominates in number of players, they don't need crossplay, on the other hand, i'm sure the other two would love crossplay since their user base is so small compared to playstation user base.

[neutralgamer1992]

Hey

They are winning every month and selling the most software of that's not control than I don't know what it

Anak

Nothing changed for Nintendo they are still doing their stubborn things by not making it easy for consumers to have the games on bluray because they don't want to pay Sony

Morgan

They are so desperate to play with us man. Sony actually has data stats to know how many gamers actually use this feature of this was such a huge feature why is ps4 outselling Xbox one and switch

EON

Are you looking for logic from these sort of articles

[UCForce]

As long Sony is doing well, they aren’t going to jump “cross play” thingy right away. And I hope they keep making great exclusive games.

[Eonjay]

True

[Bathyj]

https://goo.gl/images/aVcig...

[Inzo]

Nope, Sony IS in control of the gaming market and will stay in control of the gaming market by doing one thing and that is produce great quality games, which they are. That is all a true gamer cares about, we dont care about cross-play, we dont care about apps, we dont care about features because while they are nice to have its the games that matter.

[UNCHARTED2FANATIC]

Thats actually what could be said about sony's competitors since sony is in the strong lead

[shinoff2183]

I don't play online but I belive you are alright. Unfortunately there are alot of fickle people out there that will go out of there way to trash a company they wouldn't even buy product from to begin with

[G3ng4r]

Sony is the good guy! Everyone is picking on playstation and it is REALLY hurting my feelings.

[UCForce]

Sony is not good guy and neither MS and Nintendo. But calling Sony a “villain” is just hypocrites and pathetic from journalists. Yeah, don’t be delusional, here,buddy.

[Rude-ro]

Sony has 40 crossplay titles.
Microsoft has 17/ish
Nintendo 14

[leoms]

hmm? Who's currently in control of the console market?

[trooper_]

People need to stop telling Sony how to run their business.

Again, if crossplay with Microsoft was a huge necessity, Sony would have followed through already.

[uth11]

if Sony allows crossplay, they will lose a bunch of sales and they know it. everyone who chooses a console based on what their friends play..

i guarantee that's a bigger market share than 'people so pissed off about crossplay that they are abandoning Sony'

[killswitch80]

no they don't ..this is just Microsoft and Nintendo ganging up and having their friends at Bethesda join in. Its the only play these guys have because Sony is just murdering them and rightfully so. Not a fanboy I am a multi platform fan boy

[ChickenOfTheCaveMan]

They don't need to but they should. But I also think they should wait until the next gen to do so at a grander scale. I mean they already have a bunch of cross-play with Steam and with Xbox is the next step. But they need to make sure that they are not taken advantage of, the structure needs to be even at financial and gameplay level between X and PS.

[madpuppy]

Sony is doing just fine, Cross play is not some watershed issue that is going to make or break console gaming. Only the loud mouthed minority make it seem like it is, If I had a choice of the PlayStation and it's wide array of gaming choices and Exclusive titles or MS with it's virtually non existent Exclusive line up and grandiose promises that go nowhere as well as cross play with Nintendo and the PC, Ill take The PlayStation EVERY TIME and I believe that the smart gamer as well as the Average Consumer that has done their research will choose the PlayStation brand as well.

[ArchangelMike]

Talk about hyperbole."Sony is hindering the progression of the gaming industry" my a$$.
Why are you not satisfied playing across Switch-PC-Xbox?
If you want cross play that badly then go get one of the above systems.
End of.

[rainslacker]

Apparently them supporting cross play, and even creating API's to easily implement it for over a decade now was such a huge boost to the industry that it changed the tide of everything. Funny how Sony has done more for cross play than any company out there. Now that they are resistant to console cross play for a couple years, they're holding back progress. Maybe all this controversy is just the product of today's society which seems to want instant gratification, and when they don't get it, it's a major conspiracy that demands retribution.

What the hell is wrong with all these sites? I expect fan boys on comment sections to be stupid, but the gaming press seems to have no freaking clue about gaming history, or what the various companies have done up to this point in time to promote the very thing they seem to think is instrumental in moving the industry forward.

Sony can be credited with a lot of things that have moved the industry forward. They can even be credited for supporting things that others failed at, and some of those things are actually advancing gaming as a whole. Those things may not fall into this perfect utopia that these sites or fan boys think needs to happen in the future, but Sony isn't in any way holding back the industry.

[TheCommentator]

"I expect fan boys on comment sections to be stupid."

You meet those expectations quite nicely. You try at every turn to make Sony out to be perfect and constantly shift the topic from a negative attribute to one that suits your "Sony is perfect" agenda whenever you post. You do the opposite when you post about MS. Truth is that all three companies can be credited for moving the industry forwards AND holding it back. You just can't help your ignorance of the negative aspects of Sony though, can you?

"Now that they are resistant to console cross play for a couple years, they're holding back progress."

Barring anything else you've said in your post, you're correct. The industry wants it... Sony doesn't.

[shinoff2183]

Bluray comes to mind.

[getbacktogaming]

they can do whatever they want but or some folks I guess they have the option of making a great product even better with crossplay... not that I care either way but what are they afraid of losing?!?

[nowitzki2004]

All I care about is GAMES.. MS stance on that is much more embarrassing.

[CaptainOmega]

Morgan Lewis makes some bad argument in this article.

Sony isn't stopping Bethesda from doing Cross-Play with PC and Xbox One.

"They’ve become a villain to gamers, publishers, and developers".
-> Such a hyperbolic statement. The vast majority of gamers don't care that much about cross-play to throw up their arms in disgust and change platforms just because they can't play against Xbox users in Rocket League and Fortnite. . At the end of the day Fallout 76 will be on PS4, and other big games will be on PS4, along with other platforms. Oh, I can't cross-play a look-alike pokemon game? The world won't end.

As for their rationale? Their working it. They are obviously hearing people's concerns about the matter and they will deal with it appropriately. I'm sure there are issues behind the scenes that need to be taken care of.

Of course Nintendo doesn't have an problem with CP, they want as many people playing their games and buying their system. They'll jump at every opportunity to promote their platform.

"Sony’s refusal to engage in cross-play is hurting the gaming industry, and moreso, gamer".
-> No it's really not. Software sales are still strong and millions of gamers are playing games on the PS4.
The real question is, is it hurting the industry for Playstation to have such a large Marketshare?
-> No, no it's not.

Not surprising you're not talking about Xbox requiring you to pay via Xbox Live for free-to-play games.

[porkChop]

"Not surprising you're not talking about Xbox requiring you to pay via Xbox Live for free-to-play games."

That's not surprising because that's not the topic at hand. Yeah it's stupid to lock F2P games behind a paywall, I absolutely agree with you. But that's not what this opinion piece is about. There have been many pieces about that over the years, Microsoft hasn't just gotten some free pass over it. They've just chosen to stay the course, which is stupid and I hope they change that policy next gen.

[CaptainOmega]

I'm saying the hyperbole over this by calling them villains, and they are hurting the industry and gamers is just complete nonesense.

Talk about something that is actually relevant.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Porkchop, there have been many articles about why gamers have to pay for Xbox live. But could you show me the many, MANY articles stating that you are required to pay for Xbox live to play *free to play games*? And the uproar over getting ripped off by Microsoft. And, how anti consumer it is?

As for the article, it's as beardeddrachen said, the article doesn't prove anything with facts. Something that seems to be hard to come by nowadays. Facts. Truth. Honesty.

They have cross play already and will have with these upcoming games. Their sales before and after E3, their push for more and better exclusives and the gamers looking foward to them shows that all this noise....and that's all it is is noise from those that found their voice on a feature as usual, but not actual games, is telling of who is leading the charge on this. It's definitely not the Playstation crowd. We don't mind. But we also don't care about *features* over games that don't sell consoles. One particular crowd seems to always big up features as amazing. But are deafeningly silent on getting more quality games. When a certain company has beyond the funds necessary to have them.

Microsoft's marketing PR, followed by the shill articles, that lead the blind to think Sony is some type of villain for protecting their bottom line, is beyond hilarious. If Sony does it, it has to be for all third party games. Not just one or two games. But the consequences is that Sony will lose revenue on third party add on sales being sold in their online store. It takes more thought than just flipping a switch. How much do they lose in revenue? Not just from that. But from those not needing to buy the console to play with friends and family. Something some gamers don't seem to care about. But should because the more Sony makes, the more they can risk on new IPs and things like VR. Something **I** care about.

Edit: And who buys three or four copies of the same game hoping to jump around on pc, consoles, mobile,etc? That's a waste of money to me.

[ClanPsi1]

It damn-well f*cking should be. Why XBots aren't up in arms over it is just ridiculous to me.

[gangsta_red]

"Not surprising you're not talking about Xbox requiring you to pay via Xbox Live for free-to-play games."

Also not surprising that you guys make excuses for Sony while trying to shift the blame on to MS.

All the while ignoring that most 3rd party developers want this, not just MS and not just for F2p games.

You and others love to only focus on MS and then point out what they're doing wrong but then turn and say it's okay for Sony to do it because it's they're business.

You guys are a literal walking contridicts and it's an absolute blast watching you guys spin this.

Especially when the majority of the same Sony fanboys we're pulling their hair out when it certainly to DRM, GaaS, TV TV TV and ...the ...PARITY CLAUSE!

Aaah, yes the parity clause, folks couldn't get enough calling MS out for that. Sony was the hero of the little man when they all thought MS was rejecting 3rd party indie games.

Like I said before, it's going to be great seeing something coming from MS that will draw attention from the folks here. Let's see if they'll go to bat for MS with the same excuses as they are for Sony.

[CaptainOmega]

I'm making no excuses for Sony.

I've stated that many gamers ultimately don't care enough about cross-play to the point where Sony will lose marketshare.

The issue with Fortnite was cross-save, not cross play.

Sony stated that they will work on a solution.

To say they are villains and are hurting the Industry is simply nonesense.

I wonder if these same people bashing Sony for being hesitant on cross play showed the same outrage at MS last generation ( I highly doubt it).

[O-D-C]

They really are being positioned as the villains, especially by both Microsoft and Nintendo.

[Eonjay]

That's because they are winning.

[ClanPsi1]

Not Nintendo, they don't care. They're happy to hop a ride on M$'s servers. It's M$'s loyal XBot family who are leading the slander campaign.

[neutralgamer1992]

Since E3 ms has been trying their hardest to paint Sony as anti consumer when Im fact ps4 has twice the number of games that offer cross play with pc

If ps4 wins month of June with all this hate than we will know that all the noise really didn't matter. Vast majority of gamers don't care about cross play. Why are Xbox and switch gamers so desperate to play with us? Why is FF14 online not on Xbox

Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida has said he's still interested in bringing the MMORPG to Nintendo's Switch and Microsoft's Xbox One, and has had meetings with executives from the respective platform holders to make it happen.

Speaking to Kotaku, Yoshida said he "would love for as many players to be on FFXIV as possible" and "conversations have been had with Phil Spencer of Microsoft, and the upper management teams of Nintendo

However, Yoshida has said he wants both companies to meet one major condition: "the game has to have the capability of cross-platform play." One of the issues Yoshida noted, however, was that many companies don't consider how updates to the way online services are operated and regulated can impact an MMORPG.

"Those can become a hurdle when we consider operating FFXIV for an extended period of time," he said. "So when I talk to those first-party companies

[nibblo]

Because in this case they are, it's not complicated.