Hi-Rez Studios bringing cross-platform play to Smite,_ Paladins_, and Realm Royale

Newsbrief: Hi-Rez Studios has announced plans to bring cross-platform play and progression to three of its free-to-play games: Smite, Paladins, and Realm Royale.

The feature is due to hit Smite soon and will launch for Paladins in the game’s upcoming season. For Realm Royale, Hi-Rez says it’ll offer PC and Xbox One crossplay during the console closed beta period.

The developer is just the latest to offer cross-platform features for its online multiplayer games but, despite a recent change of heart from PlayStation leadership, the PlayStation 4 is once again absent from the list of consoles being supported. 

In an FAQ on its website, Hi-Rez notes that cross-play is supported for various launchers across PC, Mac, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch and that it is “technically ready to support cross-play on other platforms as the opportunity arises.”

Though PlayStation is not explicitly named, this echoes the sentiment shared by many other developers over Sony’s ongoing reluctance to open up the PlayStation 4 to cross-platform possibilities. Though the popularity of Fortnite prompted the company to reconsider its stance for “select third-party content,” that position has yet to spread to most other multi-platform online games.