Gearbox wants crossplay in Borderlands 3, but it won't launch with it

Gearbox wants Borderlands 3 to be one of a growing number of games that have bridged the console gap for online multiplayer, but the feature won’t be offered when it launches in September.

Taking to Twitter, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford explained that the team at Gearbox is “committed to supporting crossplay for Borderlands 3” but that, when the game launches, multiplayer team-ups will be restricted by what platform people are playing on.

He says that Gearbox is working with its partners to support the feature “as soon as practicable after launch,” but cannot offer a timeframe or anything more concrete at this point in time. As other game devs can attest, the most difficult part of enabling cross-platform play across platforms like PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 can sometimes be convincing the platform holders themselves to allow the feature.

That being said, cross-platform play is becoming more common in this day and age. Dauntless, for one, recently launched on consoles with day-one support for cross-platform multiplayer, and games like Fortnite and Rocket League have also opened up to multi-platform online play sessions.

In a follow-up tweet, Pitchford clarifies that it is currently working with Gearbox’s partners to “create a positive crossplay experience as soon as practicable. We are committed to crossplay on as many platforms as possible.”