The popular video game “Fortnite” from Cary, NC-based Epic Games has finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch, but not without some controversy.
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime told Polygon Wednesday that “Fortnite” had been downloaded more than 2 million times within the first 24 hours of the game’s launch on the Switch.
He said high demand for the game to be on the Switch console led to the surge in downloads.
But there’s been some controversy since the game became available on Switch. According to The Verge, Sony hasn’t let its PlayStation 4 gamers compete against Switch players.
For the uninitiated, “Fortnite” has a free-to-play battle royale mode where players compete in a “last man standing” environment. You can play solo or join up with a group of friends to take down the rest of the gamers. The game also features in-game unlockable items — which are for aesthetics, rather than to improve your skill.
The game also allows players to connect across platforms. For example, an Xbox One player could compete against PC gamers.
But Sony isn’t letting that happen for Switch players. Moreover, Sony has blocked account progression syncing between devices. That means all the items you unlock while playing the game on one system won’t appear when you log in to the game using a different system.
Thousands of “Fortnite” fans have reached out to Sony to change its mind.
Sony responded to the controversy in a statement The Verge called “weak.”
“We’re always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience,” the statement read. “Fortnite is already a huge hit with PS4 fans, offering a true free-to-play experience so gamers can jump in and play online. With 79 million PS4s sold around the world and more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we’ve built a huge community of gamers who can play together on ‘Fortnite’ and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms.”
Sony previously blocked cross-platform play between PS4 and Xbox One gamers for “Fortnite.”
Fils-Aime told IGN he believes companies should do what’s best for fans.
“We embrace working with a developer and enabling them to bring their vision to life,” he said in a statement sent to IGN. “And whether that’s Fortnite, whether that’s a number of the other games that have cross-platform play on our console, from a developer standpoint that’s what we want. And we work hard with them to bring that to life.
”What competitors do is their decision to make,” he said. “We believe being both developer-forward and fan-forward is in the best interest of the game.”
Regardless of the controversy, “Fortnite” continues to have a successful run through the video game community. More than 125 million people have played the game since it launched on July 27, 2017, Epic Games announced Wednesday, according to Insider.
