Bethesda reveals Xbox One and PS4 multi-platform development not as simple as hoped for

Bethesda, the development team behind massive multi-platform games including the Elder Scrolls series and Fallout 3, has revealed that creating identical games across both the Xbox One and PS4 next-generation consoles is proving more complex than anticipated, branding the process a “nightmare”.

With both consoles sharing similar hardware specifications, and both using architecture closer to a traditional PC than their predecessors, the process of creating games for both new machines simultaneously had been thought to be a piece of cake. That, however, is now proving not to be the case, suggesting that certain multi-platform titles may perform better on one manufacturer’s hardware over the over.

“It’s really not easy, but it’s certainly much easier,” stressed Bethesda Vice President Pete Hines in an interview with OXM.

“They don’t all play with each other. PC and Mac play together, but Xbox One is its own thing and PS4 is its own thing. The whole cross-platform thing is just a nightmare.”

“I’m not trying to insult Sony or Microsoft, but they’re high-end PCs, the way they’re architectured. Though they’re still in development, they’re not done, they’re much easier to develop for.”

With some of the biggest launch titles for the two consoles being multi-platform (including the likes of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Call of Duty: Ghosts), it’ll be very interesting to see whether or not there will be a discernible difference favouring one console or the other. With the most recent pre-order figures suggesting the two consoles are fighting it out in a closely run-race for dominance, differences like this could swing greater sales towards either the Sony or Microsoft coffers.