Sony is thinking long term. As is Microsoft. It's short-term to cater to a specific game that happens to be popular today.
In the long term, neither console maker wants cross-platform support. They want to create a situation where everyone has to have both the Sony device and the Microsoft device. That's an equilibrium that both companies are happy with. Pure cross-platform play ends in consumers not needing both devices and hence total sales will drop.
When the "pendulum swings" and Xbox has a dominant generation, expect Microsoft to reject cross-platform play.
I don't fully agree that Microsoft would be doing this if they were dominant. Maybe under Mattrick, but Phil Spencer has been making a lot of right calls since becoming head of XBoX, like bringing all their games day 1 to PC and going all-in on backwards compatibility for their 360 and OG XBoX titles. Even their adaptive controller is cool, even if I'm not someone who would use it. I recommend watching his interviews with Jeff from Giant Bomb that he's done every year at E3 to get an idea of his views when it comes to this stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70z2jtcQf4s
Companies change all the time, though. The next head of XBoX could go back to the Mattrick days and completely burn all the good will they have. But, as long as Phil and Nadella are around, I don't think they'll be blocking cross-play anytime soon, even if they do become the dominant platform.
Plus the 360 era examples are fascinating given historic context.
Microsoft had 360-PC cross-play in a very small number of games (under the now much maligned Games for Windows Live banner and DRM regime), such as Shadowrun (FPS). Microsoft wanted some consistency in the network stack, and GfWL was a part of that attempt.
Apparently Trion when building Defiance (MMO related to TV show) asked both Sony and Microsoft for cross-play (and technically demoed it), but was rebuked by Microsoft's "network experience" concerns, which at the time were at least somewhat valid, particularly compared to what Microsoft was trying to do with Xbox Live and GfWL.
A couple titles (one of the FF MMOs, 14 was it?) just built in cross-play between 360/PS3, didn't ask, didn't really advertise it, and mostly were successful and not shut down.
On the one hand, Microsoft downplayed cross-play with Sony in the 360 generation for fear of "filthy non-paying gamers with no proper user accounts" ruining the Xbox Live experience, but on the other hand Microsoft was very excited for cross-play as an opportunity on Windows.
Microsoft's change in stance here on cross-play over the two generations could be entirely attributed to lessons learned from GfWL's failures, and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with dominant position on console one way or the other. A lot of Microsoft's current excitement about cross-play doesn't look that different than from the 360/GfWL era, beyond, of course, branding changes (Microsoft Store, Xbox Live (on Windows)) and some relaxation/evolution on network accounts and DRM/anti-cheating (for instance, Xbox Live on Windows is "free" now, Gold status is no longer required for PC multiplayer; Microsoft Store is little bit of a friendlier DRM regime than GfWL at its worst; etc).
I wouldn't be so sure. There has been some talks about bringing Final Fantasy XIV to Xbox & Switch for quite a while, but the condition for that from FFXIV side is cross-platform play like the case is already with PC & PS4 (and previously PS3, latest expansion dropped PS3 support). From sounds of it Nintendo and Microsoft had some issues regarding that.
That's not what I understood from the article you linked. It sounds like the issue mainly stems from uncertainty on whether Square Enix would be able to push a patch out and have it reach all of their player's across platforms at the same time. But Yoshida never points fingers on which of the three is to blame (my guess is Nintendo, they're online infrastructure has never been great).
"One of the issues Yoshida noted, however, was that many companies don't consider how updates to the way online services are operated and regulated can impact an MMORPG.
"Those can become a hurdle when we consider operating FFXIV for an extended period of time," he said. "So when I talk to those first-party companies, I ask them, 'Do you have the capability to prepare for that, do you have the resolve that you're going to make sure to take responsibility and take care of those, do you have that willingness?'
"If we are able to come to some sort of agreement, a handshake so to speak, or if it does end up being that unfortunately we can't do a handshake with Final Fantasy XIV, either way we'll make sure to communicate with our players. But we have been tenacious--we've been trying to keep at it and be persistent about our conversations.""
Considering that cross-play between Microsoft, Nintendo, and PC is supported for multiple games now (Rocket League, Minecraft, and Fortnite), I think it's safe to say that Sony's the one holding back cross-play as a whole. As in to say, even if the above issues were fixed, I wouldn't be surprised if Sony said no anyway.
Fair points. I personally disagree that Sony is making the right long term choice - its hard to come back from a widely negative perception among consumers in such a perception-driven industry and they have other ways to drive Playstation adoption.
But I totally agree that Microsoft would be doing exactly the same stuff if they happened to be the market leader.
In the long term, neither console maker wants cross-platform support. They want to create a situation where everyone has to have both the Sony device and the Microsoft device. That's an equilibrium that both companies are happy with. Pure cross-platform play ends in consumers not needing both devices and hence total sales will drop.
When the "pendulum swings" and Xbox has a dominant generation, expect Microsoft to reject cross-platform play.