Why Titanfall doesn't support cross-platform play

Why is there no cross-platform play in Titanfall? The Xbox 360 version is one reason to blame.

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Titanfall launched today on Xbox One and PC (review here). With PlayStation platforms forever excluded from this Microsoft-exclusive, some have been wondering: why is there no cross-platform play? The Xbox 360 version is one reason to blame.

"Mostly, the reason for that is with the 360 version--we're not developing it," engineer Jon Shiring explained to Engadget. "We're not going to be the ones doing the patching on 360. We could get ourselves into a very bad spot where if we patched all the servers, the 360 people couldn't play for a while until Bluepoint (the studio behind the Xbox 360 version) applies the patch and gets it through cert."

Another bottleneck: Xbox Live and Origin. While the game may be Microsoft-exclusive, the PC version uses EA's Origin service. That means Xbox Live players wouldn't be able to see Origin players and vice versa. "It's not one huge technical thing stopping us; it's a lot of little ones," Shiring added.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    March 11, 2014 12:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Why Titanfall doesn't support cross-platform play.

    Why is there no cross-platform play in Titanfall? The Xbox 360 version is one reason to blame.

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      March 11, 2014 12:05 PM

      Is this worth picking up? Especially with the huge PC install, and the fact I have heard more excuses from Respawn about why this game doesn't have this or that (course, EA could have something to do with it) I'm a bit hesitant.

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      March 11, 2014 12:06 PM

      Real reason? Mouse+keyboard VS gamepad = lots of unhappy console players :)

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        March 11, 2014 12:15 PM

        Whats funny is there seems to be a big contingent of gamepad players on the pc these days. Just anecdotal of course.

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          March 11, 2014 12:22 PM

          And they will never rise above the unwashed masses, forever doomed to flounder around the lower rung of the scoreboard, All hail the PC master race.

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            March 11, 2014 12:25 PM

            lol paying a FPS with a gamepad is like playing guitar with a pick attached to your elbow.... very precise

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          March 11, 2014 1:43 PM

          Not in competitive MP games.

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          March 11, 2014 2:03 PM

          I play all the time on PC with a gamepad because games like Dark Souls, Skyrim, and The Witcher 2 feel better to me with a pad and I even sometimes play single player FPS like Bioshock with it but I still play any high precision or online FPS with a mouse and keyboard as well as preferring the mouse for games like Diablo 3 even if they had gamepad controls available.

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          March 12, 2014 4:03 AM

          [deleted]

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        March 11, 2014 12:20 PM

        The crossplay in Shadowrun was fun enough. Unfortunately the game itself wasn't that great.

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        March 11, 2014 12:24 PM

        [deleted]

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        March 11, 2014 12:25 PM

        This! While there are people extremely good with the gamepad (and better than some kb+mouse players), the average kb+mouse user is always going to have an advantage over a gamepad player.

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        March 11, 2014 12:31 PM

        [deleted]

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          March 11, 2014 1:29 PM

          Good luck sniping a pilot mid-air with the 30mm cannon using a gamepad.

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          March 11, 2014 1:36 PM

          I get shit on every time I say this, but just because you use a control scheme capable of higher precision doesn't mean you are automatically more precise than someone not using that scheme. Individual skill/familiarity with a specific device plays a huge role. Everyone assumes that if you're using a M+KB vs. dudes with gamepads you're automatically fatal1ty playing against a bunch of toddlers.

          I use a gamepad for a good number of modern FPS games on my PC, and it's not like I get owned immediately upon loading in, otherwise why would I continue to use it? I do just fine, if I say so myself. I wouldn't even consider myself particularly skilled with a controller - especially compared to some console gamers I know.

          Especially for something like Titanfall, I don't think the gulf is as wide as many would assume. It plays totally great with a gamepad, I never felt like I was at a disadvantage.

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            March 11, 2014 1:42 PM

            [deleted]

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              March 11, 2014 1:54 PM

              No, the disparity is that the average M+KB user will beat the skilled gamepad user. The former is and has always been easier to master as a precision input method.

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                March 11, 2014 1:59 PM

                I think you're giving PC gamers too much credit. Plenty of people just plain suck at videogames, regardless of input device. I think that metric is more important than "average M+KB player skill vs average gamepad player skill".

                I sincerely don't think it's as huge of a deal as everyone (especially on sites like this) want to make it out to be. But what ya gonna do.

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                  March 11, 2014 2:03 PM

                  It mainly comes down to you having thoughts and feelings, and the rest of us citing actual cross-platform attempts as examples.

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                    March 11, 2014 3:03 PM

                    I wouldn't call them 'thoughts and feelings' just anecdotal experience. I'd love to hear some official examples and data about this stuff though, it's interesting.

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                    March 11, 2014 6:25 PM

                    You haven't cited shit yet.

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                      March 12, 2014 1:21 AM

                      Shadowrun for the XBOX 360 supported cross-platform play, and the 360 players got fucking WRECKED.

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                        March 12, 2014 1:27 AM

                        Yeah and Shadowrun's gamepad controls were shit compared to titanfall.

                        I don't think anyone is denying KB+M is better, its just not the automatic incredible boon to every gamer that people like to make out it is.

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                        March 12, 2014 4:12 AM

                        [deleted]

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                  April 12, 2014 10:40 AM

                  Just take CS for example. How quickly can you do a 180 and headshot the guy standing behind you, with a gamepad. Not quick enough.

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              March 11, 2014 2:05 PM

              I hear Titanfall have aim assist when using a controller on PC? Any truth to this?

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            March 11, 2014 1:52 PM

            Why do you think Titanfall would be less prone for the disparity? It is a twitch shooter, and requires more precision (outside of Titan-on-Titan combat) than the average console shooter.

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              March 11, 2014 1:57 PM

              It's a lot more forgiving than you think. Either that or I am a fucking prodigy with a gamepad (I'm not). I had plenty of great runs in the beta.

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              March 11, 2014 1:59 PM

              autoaim pistol?

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                March 11, 2014 2:01 PM

                The autoaim pistol is a pretty bad counter example. Every stream and video I've seen, and even own experience last night was evidence that the SMG and assault rifles have superior damage output.

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            March 11, 2014 2:03 PM

            Mmm, with how easy it is to vault around behind players I feel the turn speed on a gamepad would be really detrimental in Tf.

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            March 11, 2014 5:54 PM

            Agreed. Everyone totally underestimate how poorly everyone else is playing in a pub match. If you're paying attention, not AFK, and familiar with the mechanics -- you're already pretty far ahead of the crowd. Think about all the fools playing with no sound, or who're talking to someone in the room, or a zillion other things that make you have a mediocre round.

            The point about M+KB destroying controllers makes more sense in a scrim/league setting, but that's almost beside the point. Nobody doing league play is going to handicap themselves, so the problem solves itself.

            Players really do learn to adapt pretty well to substandard conditions. I think the mistake is in calling every pub round some sort of skill-based fight to the death.

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            March 12, 2014 3:14 PM

            180 degree snap shots and things like that are kind of an issue with a controller...I've always thought that was a bigger limitation than precision...you can pretty much instantly turn 90 or 180 degrees with a mouse which is often handy.

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        March 11, 2014 12:39 PM

        Wait, what? Keyboard AND mouse? Since when was that an option?! FS.

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        March 11, 2014 3:16 PM

        Lol ok

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      March 11, 2014 12:23 PM

      That should be a huge red flag for anyone considering the Xbox 360 version.

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      March 11, 2014 12:28 PM

      So, they thought about doing it just found out there was no easy way to connect all the services.

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      March 11, 2014 12:28 PM

      [deleted]

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      March 11, 2014 12:40 PM

      2014 and we still have to explain this? The streams will never cross, especially for twitch shooters.

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      March 11, 2014 12:41 PM

      Why not just let One and PC users cross platform?

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      March 11, 2014 1:15 PM

      Thanks again, Microsoft.

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      March 11, 2014 1:16 PM

      I understand why for Titanfall. But why was it not done for BF4? Good lord that would have been perfect.

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        March 11, 2014 1:18 PM

        [deleted]

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          March 11, 2014 3:15 PM

          The game itself doesn't support 64 players.

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          March 11, 2014 3:22 PM

          Yup. 360 / PS3 Battlefield is still 24 players while XOne / PS4 is 64. Incompatible because of that alone.

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          March 11, 2014 6:57 PM

          but you could have had cross server support for the small game modes.

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      March 11, 2014 5:27 PM

      Thanks, Obama!

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      March 11, 2014 6:14 PM

      [deleted]

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      March 11, 2014 7:01 PM

      Not to mention PC players will own Console payers because of keyboard and mouse vs controller.

      It has been tried other times, it doesn't have a solution yet, and... i doubt it will ever be, the difference is just too big.

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