Game publisher Activision warns players about its latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise.
The latest entry to an annual blockbuster franchise, "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare," launched November 4 on consoles and computers, but those on Windows PCs may find that who they can play with depends on where they bought the game from.
Copies of "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" purchased through Microsoft's Windows Store will put multiplayer participants together while copies that register through the more well-established Steam Network form a separate player population, it has emerged.
Game publisher Activision advises players of the situation with a list of Frequently Asked Questions that includes one that few would have thought to ask due to its unprecedented nature.
"Can I play Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered for Windows 10 on Windows Store with my friends that are playing on another PC platform?" one question reads.
"No, you can only play these titles with other users of Windows 10 on Windows Store," is the matter-of-fact answer.
It's not immediately apparent how the unusual situation arose, with a Microsoft representative telling Windows Central that "we support cross-play between devices and platforms for partners who want to enable it," implying that, for whatever reason, Activision chose not to activate cross-play between Steam and Windows 10 copies of the game (per Kotaku.)
The Windows Store has enjoyed a surge in popularity among PC gamers for the practical reason that Microsoft has been releasing its latest wave of top-tier exclusives as titles for not only its Xbox One console but also for Windows PCs -- as long as they are Windows 10 PCs, with the games bought through the Windows Store.
Watch Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare multiplayer trailer:
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 "Microsoft, Activision, Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, Infinite Warfare multiplayer, Windows PC, XBOX One, Windows Storage, Steam")
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