Borderlands 3 now has cross-play, but not on PlayStation

Borderlands 3’s long-awaited cross-play update is now live, but it doesn’t support PlayStation consoles.

The new update, as revealed on a new blog post on the official Borderlands 3 website, adds cross-play support across Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Mac, Stadia and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Cross-play will be opt-in, and will require players to create a cross-play display name, which will allow them to compete against those on other systems through Gearbox’s Shift matchmaking functionality.

However, those playing the game on PS5 or PS4 won’t be able to take part in cross-play.

Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford said last month that the studio was technically ready to roll out cross-play for all platforms.

However, in a somewhat vaguely worded tweet, Pitchford claimed the studio had been “required” to remove cross-play support for PS5 and PS4.

It isn’t immediately apparent why cross-play support for PlayStation consoles was left out of the update.

However, Sony is reportedly the only platform holder that requires compensation for lost revenue during cross-play, and some fans have speculated that this could be behind the Borderlands 3 situation.

Prior to the game’s September 2019 release, Pitchford said Gearbox intended to offer cross-play support “as soon as practicable” and “on as many platforms as possible”.

Take-Two called Borderlands 3 “2K’s fastest selling title” in its full-year earnings presentation last month, with the game having shipped some 13 million units to date.

Earlier this month it also revealed Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a “high-fantasy take on a looter shooter” featuring characters from the Borderlands games, which includes a story-driven co-op campaign for up to four players.