If the game is a first-party title, why is there no crossplay?

[Vental]

Let me explain my thought process:
The main reason 3rd party studios don't do cross-play (specifically with playstation) is because sony requires a "cross-play tax". Meaning, they [third-party titles] have to pay a certain fee or else sony doesn't allow it. Sony's reason for this (to my understanding) is because they see playstation as the "head of the game" when it comes to multiplayer, and thus don't want to offer anything to the competition when they hold themselves as the dominant force.

This logic though doesn't really apply here when Housemarque (dev studio) is owned by Playstation Studios since 2021 and the game ITSELF is published directly by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Meaning there would be no tax because it would only be taxing themselves. It isn't to hurt steam either because if that was the case, they just wouldn't put the game on steam.

I bring this topic up because my friend was considering getting this game to play with me, but since there is no cross-play he no longer sees a point. I have seen other people have similar scenarios like "2 brothers live together, they have 1 gaming pc and 1 playstation 5" or things of that nature. I bring this up because, in disabling it, rather than encouraging people to just buy a PS5, it only incentivizes select people to just not buy the game,






With all that being said, the only conclusion I could come up with would be sony wants PS5 players to buy the game a second time on PC (meaning they just want to hurt their own customer base, which, ouch) or it's just technical difficulties/at worse, reasonless pride and/or laziness. I don't want to believe any one of those options are the reason. But if we are talking in terms of just "business motive", I don't really see the motive here as it's not the same scenario as third party studios. That's why I bring the question here to you. Cause I'm stumped.

[Salfaden]

I'm pretty sure Sony acquired Housemarque AFTER Returnal released

[Trichouette]

Originally posted by Vental:

I bring this topic up because my friend was considering getting this game to play with me, but since there is no cross-play he no longer sees a point.

Just FYI, the game doesn't allow 2 players to progress at the same time.
When you're joining someone, you're using that person's progress in term of upgrades and story line and you can't advance your own.

[KillScreen]

Devs didn't gave a reason, its a business decision and its not gonna happen.

[Vental]

Originally posted by Salfaden:

I'm pretty sure Sony acquired Housemarque AFTER Returnal released

But not before the game was ported to pc. And even besides that, it doesn't change that it's still first-party published. Meaning it always would have been sony taxing sony.

[Vental]

Originally posted by KillScreen:

Devs didn't gave a reason, its a business decision and its not gonna happen.

Explain to me how you can claim it as a "buisness decision" with no business oriented motive in mind? 🤔

[Salfaden]

Originally posted by Vental:

Originally posted by KillScreen:

Devs didn't gave a reason, its a business decision and its not gonna happen.

Explain to me how you can claim it as a "buisness decision" with no business oriented motive in mind? 🤔

they want you to buy a ps5 to play it, profit

[Vental]

Originally posted by Salfaden:

Originally posted by Vental:

Explain to me how you can claim it as a "buisness decision" with no business oriented motive in mind? 🤔

they want you to buy a ps5 to play it, profit

pls re-read the op, i have both already touched on that topic as well as had already stated how thats not how this works >_>