"Fortnite"/Epic Games
"Fortnite: Battle Royale" has made some bigchanges to matchmaking.
- "Fortnite" got its second patch of Season 8 earlier today, bringing gameplay updates and big changes to Battle Royale matchmaking.
- Players on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will share a crossplay matchmaking pool when playing in battle royale matches; those who opt-out of crossplay will only be able to play in "Fortnite's" Creative and Playgrounds modes.
- Players on the Nintendo Switch will be matched with people playing on mobile devices for Battle Royale. Switch players were previously grouped with Xbox and PlayStation 4 players.
Last year "Fortnite: Battle Royale" became the first video game to feature crossplay on all major video game platforms. Crossplay means that regardless of what platform players prefer - Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, or Android- they can always play "Fortnite" together.
Now, "Fortnite" will make crossplay mandatory for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players who want to join Battle Royale matches. When "Fortnite" patch 8.10 went live earlier this morning it mixed the player pool of the two consoles together. In the past players could opt-in for crossplay, but were otherwise grouped with players on the same platform. Now if players want to join Battle Royale, the most popular mode, they'll need to accept crossplay as the new standard.
Fortnite developer Epic Games said the change is designed to help optimize the game's server load, and could help them run more types of game modes alongside Battle Royale. Like before, Xbox and PS4 players will still have to opt-in for crossplay from "Fortnite's" settings, but if they don't, they'll only be allowed to play in Creative and Playgrounds mode matches.
Epic Games
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will now be competing full time in "Fortnite: Battle Royale."
Also starting today, players on the Nintendo Switch will be matched with players on iOS and Android devices. Switch player were previously grouped with PS4 and Xbox players, but Epic Games said that matching Switch owners with mobile players should provide for a more consistent experience for both parties.
Because "Fortnite" already had optional crossplay, the change probably won't have much of an effect how the game plays. Players on Switch may have an easier time competing against primarily mobile players than they did facing players on PS4 and Xbox, but in the past Epic has said they are confident that "Fortnite" has skilled players across all platforms.
Here are the other important changes coming to "Fortnite" with the 8.10 patch.