Twitter claims they are offering new ways to integrate with PlayStation.
Last week, Sony revealed that they were dropping Twitter integration for PlayStation consoles. This meant that PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users could no longer easily share clips, pictures, or updates to Twitter using the API.
This did not mean that PlayStation users could no longer share their PlayStation activity on the platform. This does mean that there is considerably more friction for those interactions. PlayStation 4 users will have to go to Capture Gallery from their console. For their part, PlayStation 5 users have to use the PS App on their phones. Of course those phones have to be connected to the console as well.
As reported by PSU, Twitter’s official XDeveloper account responded to PlayStation’s announcement. They said:
“To clarify, this is a legacy integration. We’ve reached out to explore new integrations including live-streaming. Stay tuned!”
As of October 31, 2023, Twitter is valued at $ 19 billion, a 55 percent devaluation of what the company was worth when Elon Musk purchased it the year before. Under Musk, the website has made decisions that have perplexed and antagonized its own users, investors, and advertisers. Twitter has lost a significant amount of users as well, but the social network continues to have enough users and relevance to keep going.
As you may note, many of the stories we share on GameRanx itself are sourced from Twitter accounts. That includes some users who have scoops on gaming news, some game leakers and hackers, and even official accounts of game industry leaders, developers, and official company accounts.
So gamers and the game industry at large are not likely to stop using Twitter. But the company’s individual actions have led to smaller separations, as stakeholders continue to lose confidence in the website.
As for Twitter’s current statement, could it just be a matter of saving face? When companies like PlayStation used Twitter for integration, use of the API was free. Twitter makes it seem like they might make similar offers to PlayStation today. But if those new integrations don’t include free tools, Sony may choose not to pay up.
After all, Twitter users will still tweet about PlayStation even if Sony itself left the website and shut down their official accounts. A lot of what makes Twitter valuable is out of the control of the company itself. Companies like PlayStation, Microsoft, Rockstar Games, Devolver Digital, etc, will continue to benefit from Twitter’s very existence without having to pay a cent to its company.
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