Although Fallout 76 has seen a number of improvements since launching in 2018, cross-platform play still isn't part of the online RPG. Bethesda's very aware of player demand for the feature, but sadly we won't be getting it any time soon due to technical constraints.
"We are looking into it, and we have plans to try to scope out what that work is going to entail for us. It's just not in the immediate plans for us. We know players want it," Jon Rush, creative director on Fallout 76, explained to Polygon.
The issue stems from how the game was built. Crossplay is something you want to be thinking about relatively early in a project's development, either as a facet of launch or in a later update already earmarked on your roadmap. Neither was the case for Fallout 76.
"It's just huge technical hurdles that are things that you tackle before release," Bill LaCoste, production director, adds, "during your actual development of the product, so going back and retrofitting it to do that, when you have different places that players are pointing into, and now you're having to worry about entitlements and account purchases and currency."
La Coste maintains that Bethesda will "continue to investigate" what's needed and how the team can facilitate crossplay. "Just not in the short term," he finishes.
Disappointing as this may be, at least it shows the devs are trying to make it happen, and it's not for want of trying that it hasn't yet. There are more ambitious plans for the nuclear MMO this year, with the plan to start adding more depth to the overall experience. On the back of the Amazon TV show, Todd Howard's been hoping people check out Fallout 76, and it definitely seems like a good place to start, at least while we wait for Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters.
