• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Minecraft CEO confirms Xbox Live login on Switch, really wants Sony cross-play.

Drkirby

Corporate Apologist
I bet Nintendo forces them to use the Microsoft Account Branding and not the Xbox Live branding, but it is effectively the same thing. "Your Xbox account is the same as your Microsoft account"
 

Richie

Member
I can imagine it going like...

Microsoft: So, you'd have to let your players log into Xbox Live
Nintendo: Hah, sure thing
Microsoft: Wow, really? I mean, you have DeNA there, wouldn't you rather rely on 'em?
*They stare at each other before cracking up in unison*

Really though, what times we live in.
 

black070

Member
Jim Ryan: We want to protect the children.

Press: But Nintendo's doing it.

Jim Ryan: Oh, huh... Well, we still don't want to.

Pretty much haha, I loved that they called him out on it - we need more of that across gaming journalism in general.
 

GHG

Gold Member
completely understandable. no different than needing an EA, UPlay, Square Enix etc accounts.


warriors are going to spin the defense though

As far as I know you don't need to link an EA/Uplay account to play those games online on Sony hardware. You do on the PC (where you also need to install their respective launchers) but I've never been prompted to do so on the PS4 or Xbox One.
 

JP

Member
Does that mean people who currently own the game won't be able to play it if they don't have or sign up for a Microsoft account?
 
Hmmm now I'm imagining a world where Nintendo does a deal for XBL on Switch rather than their own subscription...
I want to live in that world and get achievements for Nintendo games.

Does that mean people who currently own the game won't be able to play it if they don't have or sign up for a Microsoft account?
The game still works on PS4 but we can't do crossplay with other systems or get the new goodies like mods and graphic updates.

If you're asking other systems I seem to recall having to log into my Xbox account to play the Gear VR version months ago.
 

Izuna

Banned
All these PS4 and PlayAnywhere people already have a Microsoft account.

If you play Minecraft on Mobile, you also have one.
 

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
I can understand Sony having no interest in wanting to help further bolster Microsoft account numbers, but that's still a pretty petty (dare I say it? arrogant) reason to deny sweeping changes to an important game on their platform. It's not like I haven't played other games on PS4 that require me to log into another account in order to access certain features.



That's not how any of this works lol

XBL accounts are really just MS accounts... and i believe they are around or maybe higher than a billion users.

They don't need any bolstering of any kind.

As far as I know you don't need to link an EA/Uplay account to play those games online on Sony hardware. You do on the PC (where you also need to install their respective launchers) but I've never been prompted to do so on the PS4 or Xbox One.

Yes you do. You probably forgot the first time you had to use those accounts. I remember having to link uplay and EA before touching online many years ago.
 

Hilbert

Deep into his 30th decade
Actually curious because I don't play these games.

Does rocket league make you log in to some general account? Does SF5 make you create and log into a capcom account?
 

sibarraz

Banned
Never thought that Nintendo Unprecedented Partnership will came from Microsoft

Maybe this is a ruse to finally make a reality those ridiculous xbox/gc era rumours that said than Microsoft was totally buying Nintendo
 

ReaperXL7

Member
I'm not interested in signing up for Live so this wouldn't effect me even if Sony did allow it, my main question though is would you have to pay for gold in order to use this function? Seems strange that MS would allow all those extra subs to use live without paying for it.

The comments about Sony not being able to deal with potentially problematic situations in player interactions makes more sense also if this system would be run through Live.
 

Cornbread78

Member
But I don't remember my login and password for XBL.... I mean, I've only turned on my 360 a handful of times and it's been about 5 years...
 

tribal24

Banned
Sony redeemed. It's a bit much to tell Sony to force it's customers to sign up to Xbox Live if they want to cross play Minecraft. I wouldn't be thrilled if I was asked to do it. Why would Sony encourage their customers to give their details to it's number one competitor? Not gonna happen.

yeah i know for rocket league its not the same there has to be some sort of disconnect there. But this one looks like a pr stunt for microsoft as this would increase there MAU, for sure this one is not happening. But we need to start questioning why final fantasy 14 is not on xbox one cross playing with ps4 and pc as well its the same thing as rocket league.
 

OryoN

Member
Signing in is one small aspect of the cross-play experience. Even if Sony objects to using Xbox Live in anyway(which is actually understandable), that in itself doesn't explain why they would need to reject the whole cross-play feature altogether. So that excuse doesn't fly either.

Sony made a poor decision that doesn't reflect the interests of the actual community. It's as simple as that. Each company makes these dumb decisions from time to time. Don't bother holding out for that "logical explanation" that will satisfy you as a gamer. It is what it is.
 
I dont think they will give up those sales, but it would be nice if they say: either join the family or piss of

it's not about the sales. it's about the monetisation

MXT revenue on XBox Live is without the cut
Realms is monthly revenue generated


this is how it will be on Switch:
Game sale 70%MS and 30% Nintendo
MTX recurring spending or Realms: 100% MS because the transaction will happen on XBox Live
 

fbutron

Member
Now I see what MS want to do there, so MAU will increase for the next quarter instead of cratering to the ground...ja ja Smart move but shameful
 

Thraktor

Member
This isn't terribly surprising. It's not much different than connecting to uPlay in Ubisoft games, and there's not really any other solution for playing with friends on other platforms.
 

Jonboy

Member
Nah, it somewhat does explain it. This is a Trojan horse, and if the first game to implement crossplatform play starts with a bitter taste, the rest can't be an easy exceptional.

You can't say "but that was different!"

Yeah I see that. Just seems like Microsoft owning the game though and require an Xbox account is a bigger "issue" than Rocket League, which would just work with your normal PSN account I'd assume.
 

Vroadstar

Member
I can understand Sony having no interest in wanting to help further bolster Microsoft account numbers, but that's still a pretty petty (dare I say it? arrogant) reason to deny sweeping changes to an important game on their platform. It's not like I haven't played other games on PS4 that require me to log into another account in order to access certain features.

That's not how any of this works lol

Yes but they are not direct competitors in the console hardware space (Ubisoft, EA account). I mean looking at it in reverse, would MS allow their users to go log-in to PSN? I would doubt that very much.
 
Yeh they need to sort out a solution but I doubt they will be ok with their users having to go through a competitors interface to play online. On steam it's fine because they are just a store front and I guess in Nintendo's case they will welcome the extra activity online but Sony are not going to see something like that favourably given their current position. It doesn't make it any less bullshit though, especially given the fact that PS4 players will be cut off from content/updates in the case of Minecraft.

I understand they're reasoning, but it's a stupid reason. It also doesn't explain why they're against companies like Psyonix with Rocket League and their own implementation.
 

MechDX

Member
I'm not interested in signing up for Live so this wouldn't effect me even if Sony did allow it, my main question though is would you have to pay for gold in order to use this function? Seems strange that MS would allow all those extra subs to use live without paying for it.

The comments about Sony not being able to deal with potentially problematic situations in player interactions makes more sense also if this system would be run through Live.

Are you on Windows 10? If so you already basically have a Live account.

They will allow those "free subs" because they will make the money back they would usually get for a sub tenfold with Minecraft micro transactions.
 

Tecnniqe

Banned
As far as I know you don't need to link an EA/Uplay account to play those games online on Sony hardware. You do on the PC (where you also need to install their respective launchers) but I've never been prompted to do so on the PS4 or Xbox One.
I've had to link my XBL and PSN to both EA and uPlay before
 

see5harp

Member
I didn't think Nintendo would be down but this basically confirms stuff like invites and everything. That is pretty sweet.
 

OmegaFax

Member
You'll likely always require a third party system for crossplay so there's no reason to get hung up on that. You want to keep things organized and reduce duplicate names and any oddities and issues, so keeping them as part of one single system like MS's live account system makes sense for Minecraft.

Rocket League will likely be a similar deal. I just don't know what their service is.

I don't think cross-platform parties are possible to form. There was some technical hurdle, I think. I think communication is limited. Each service (Live, PSN, and Steam) all connect to a common server and it's all done from there. I don't think an additional login should be needed.

Hmmm now I'm imagining a world where Nintendo does a deal for XBL on Switch rather than their own subscription...

There are plenty of reasons why some of this stuff will be done on a case-by-case basis. It doesn't sound like online functionality for Minecraft will require Nintendo's paid online service but it's a question about how Nintendo has layered it on top of this game. Maybe it will.

There's also a matter of control and pricing. Nintendo obviously will want to maintain their own network if there's features they want to promote for their own platforms, promotions they want to make, or games that do not require Microsoft in order to mediate.
 
Signing in is one small aspect of the cross-play experience. Even if Sony objects to using Xbox Live in anyway(which is actually understandable), that in itself doesn't explain why they would need to reject the whole cross-play feature altogether. So that excuse doesn't fly either.

Sony made a poor decision that doesn't reflect the interests of the actual community. It's as simple as that. Each company makes these dumb decisions from time to time. Don't bother holding out for that "logical explanation" that will satisfy you as a gamer. It is what it is.
If I recall correctly Sony was the one that started the idea of cross platform play, with PSN and PC gamers. It's just MS they don't want to work with.
 

LNBL

Member
Signing in is one small aspect of the cross-play experience. Even if Sony objects to using Xbox Live in anyway(which is actually understandable), that in itself doesn't explain why they would need to reject the whole cross-play feature altogether. So that excuse doesn't fly either.

Sony made a poor decision that doesn't reflect the interests of the actual community. It's as simple as that. Each company makes these dumb decisions from time to time. Don't bother holding out for that "logical explanation" that will satisfy you as a gamer. It is what it is.

Stop making so much sense.
 

Iced Arcade

Member
As far as I know you don't need to link an EA/Uplay account to play those games online on Sony hardware. You do on the PC (where you also need to install their respective launchers) but I've never been prompted to do so on the PS4 or Xbox One.

Strange... I have on both.
 

Synth

Member
I guess I dunno what's happening then. I remember FFXI not being something that MS wanted back in the day, and when it happened they had to allow PSU (fun times). Something about not wanting another online service?

FFXIV's situation is that Square don't want to run Xbox-only servers. MS requires crossplay to have the option for Xbox players to opt-out... and if they do, guess where they'd need to be hosted?

Yeh they need to sort out a solution but I doubt they will be ok with their users having to go through a competitors interface to play online. On steam it's fine because they are just a store front and I guess in Nintendo's case they will welcome the extra activity online but Sony are not going to see something like that favourably given their current position. It doesn't make it any less bullshit though, especially given the fact that PS4 players will be cut off from content/updates in the case of Minecraft.

Steam is hardly "just a store front". Every description you can give to how PSN or XBL are an ecosystem applies to Steam also (and more).
 

Shock32

Member
Are you on Windows 10? If so you already basically have a Live account.

They will allow those "free subs" because they will make the money back they would usually get for a sub tenfold with Minecraft micro transactions.

Getting the account isn't the problem. It's Sony posting an Xbox live account set up on PSN. Why would anybody think they'd want something like that?
 
Sony redeemed. It's a bit much to tell Sony to force it's customers to sign up to Xbox Live if they want to cross play Minecraft. I wouldn't be thrilled if I was asked to do it. Why would Sony encourage their customers to give their details to it's number one competitor? Not gonna happen.

That's fine, but now they're stuck with an inferior version that their fanbase has to deal with. At some point you have ask yourself if it's worth it. Sony is pretty much telling their audience to buy the W10 version.
 
Top Bottom