Formula 1 is on hold for the foreseeable future thanks to coronavirus, but the F1 2020 season is not totally gone thanks to the Virtual Grand Prix Series.
F1 2020 will be released later this year. While career mode is the bread and butter of the game, online multiplayer is always a wonderful way to race.
It is a walled-off world though, where your player pool depends on the hardware you use. This is no longer a universal experience when it comes to online gaming, so will wee see cross-platform play in F1 2020?
What is cross-platform play?
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Cross-platform play, or crossplay, is where gamers are able to play online multiplayer with players on other consoles. The days of only being able to play against only other PlayStation users on PS4, for example, would be over if this was available.
Not all games have it, as it's tricky to implement but those that do have far higher numbers being engaged in multiplayer.
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While not being a standard across the industry yet, large-scale releases such as Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Fortnite have implemented the feature.
It'd be surprising if series like FIFA, PES, NBA 2K and others continue to ignore this feature, especially with next-gen consoles being released this year.
Why it would benefit F1 2020
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: F1 2019 online was a great step forward
F1 2019 bought a lot to the table in terms of its online multiplayer. Thanks to tireless work from Codemasters, last year's release was the best online experience in the series' history.
Custom team liveries, better gameplay, and an all-round smoother time made F1 2019 better than its predecessors but online wasn't perfect. Crossplay would go a long way to making it a better experience.
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Crossplay would fill up the lobbies of all races, even as interest in the series dips towards the end of its life cycle. With PC, Xbox and PlayStation users all contributing to the same online environment, you won't struggle to find an online GP to join.
You also have to consider that some racing series won't be able to have this feature thanks to only being available on one console. For example, Gran Turismo (PlayStation) and Forza (Xbox) are only available on one console, this would be a huge feather for Codies to wear in their cap.
Will we get crossplay in F1 2020?
There's no official word yet on whether crossplay will be available in F1 2020 but it definitely cannot be ruled out.
It would be a huge step forward for the series in the final days of the PS4 and Xbox One before the next generation of consoles hits the shelves.
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We must remember as well that F1 2020 will likely drop before the start of the season. Codemasters will be looking to pull out all the stops to ramp up interest in their product ahead of its release.
This feature would without a doubt catch the eyes of fans that had otherwise ignored the official F1 game until now.