Mass Effect: Andromeda Won't Support Cross Play
By Weston Albert 29 January 2017
Some of the leading developers working on Mass Effect: Andromeda reveal new details about the upcoming sci-fi RPG, including the status of cross-play between PC and consoles.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is less than two months away, and BioWare is slowly releasing more details about its grand space opera RPG. In the last few days, a number of BioWare’s developers have taken to Twitter to answer fan questions about Mass Effect: Andromeda, including the nature of cross-play on the game’s multiplayer side.
The news isn’t good for those hoping to jump into Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s multiplayer with friends on a different platform. BioWare lead designer Ian Frazier and producer Fernando Melo say Mass Effect: Andromeda will not feature cross-play in any form.
@tibermoon @Tinkham11 crossplay not in the current plans, sorry. and mp is peer to peer (same as me3)
— Fernando Melo (@DiscoBabaloo) January 27, 2017
To be honest, the lack of cross-play is not a big surprise. Cross-play between consoles and PC is still in its relative infancy, with few developers and games implementing the feature. Although cross-play between all platforms has been called “inevitable” by some, Xbox has just recently begun allowing Xbox One and Windows PC to cross-play with one another. And no one has been able to bridge the gap between Sony and Microsoft, with both companies keeping their online ecosystems separate, despite Microsoft saying it’s ready for such a feature.
In addition to the news about cross-play, Melo also revealed that, like Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer, Mass Effect: Andromeda will use peer-to-peer networking for its matchmaking and mutiplayer suite. Most gamers prefer it when a game uses dedicated servers to decrease the likelihood of latency and other connection problems. Popular shooters like Call of Duty, Gears of War 4, and Star Wars: Battlefront use dedicated servers, but there are plenty of games that also use peer-to-peer including Destiny, Uncharted 4, and the upcoming For Honor.
While some may be disappointed by the lack of cross-play and dedicated servers, there’s some good news for those with high-end gaming PC rigs. In the roundup of info collected by DualShockers, the BioWare developers revealed that the PC version of Mass Effect: Andromeda will have an unlocked frame rate. That means that if the PC is up to snuff, players could send the frame rate soaring past the 30 FPS the game is locked at on PS4 and Xbox One. That’s great news for those who prefer a higher frame rate, and could let the faster paced gameplay of Mass Effect: Andromeda, that the developers have talked about, shine even more.
In addition to this information, BioWare also says it is keeping the game’s romance options a secret until launch. Also, be sure to check out the game’s latest cinematic trailer and some information about a few of the new companions players will meet in the game.
Mass Effect: Andromeda launches March 21, 2017 on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
