Fortnite Switch crossplay has been altered considerably thanks to the game’s latest patch. Fortnite update 8.10 altered crossplay matchmaking, putting Switch players in the same matchmaking pool as mobile devices. Epic Games said the change is to improve the per game experience for mobile and Switch players.
Fortnite Switch crossplay underwent these changes with the latest patch. Mobile and Switch matchmaking pools are now combined, whereas Switch had been pooled with Xbox One and PS4 before. Xbox One and PS4 player pools are now combined through an opt-in approach. Epic Games said, “motivating factor is unlocking optimization potential allowing us to run more playlists during more hours of the day while supporting more data center locations.”
Fortnite on Switch has had a number of problems since it released on Nintendo’s console last year. Chief among them is the game’s 30 frames per second cap, which still doesn’t provide rock-solid performance. Other bugs and glitches persist, most notably a problem with weapon fire rates at 30fps. According to Digital Foundry analysis, weapons fired 5.2 percent slower at 30fps than at 60fps. This put Switch players at a tangible disadvantage against PS4 and Xbox One players.
Fortnite Switch players can still match and play with PS4 and Xbox One players by entering a party with players on those systems. The change isn’t as drastic as cutting Switch players off from other consoles entirely as some originally believed it was.
Fortnite on PS4 and Xbox One is now standard on console and mobile platforms, and playing battle royale requires opting into crossplay. Epic has yet to fix the weapon fire rate glitch at 30fps, and might have split the pools to give themselves more time to work on a fix. The game continues to be a massive success, but rivals like Apex Legends are nipping at the heels of the battle royale juggernaut.
