Bethesda: Xbox One, PS4 Cross-Platform Work a ‘Nightmare’

Moving a game from the PC, to the Xbox One, and then over to the PlayStation 4 isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. Although most multiplatform products may look just about the same when they finally make their way to different boxes, each piece of hardware has a specific architecture that must be learned and practiced. Bethesda Softworks had difficulties making it all work on the PlayStation 3 with Fallout 3 and Skyrim, and while the new consoles are more analogous to powerful PCs, the process is still a “nightmare.”

"It's really not easy, but it's certainly much easier," Bethesda vice-president Pete Hines told OXM during an E3 chat. "I'm not trying to insult Sony or Microsoft, but they're high-end PCs, the way they're architectured. Though they're still in development, they're not done, they're much easier to develop for."

Once again, that doesn’t means it’s a smooth, seamless move between platforms. There are still quirks that make things a bit difficult for the studio.

"They don't all play with each other. PC and Mac play together, but Xbox One is its own thing and PS4 is its own thing. The whole cross-platform thing is just a nightmare," he continued.

It’s a big challenge, and one that’s only more complex with a game like The Elder Scrolls Online. The MMO, which we had a chance to check out during E3, will arrive on both PC and consoles, so it’ll take some sleepless nights to incorporate that large, highly populated world across all hardware.