Universe at War to cross-play
PC gamers, meet 360 gamers.
Petroglyph's upcoming real-time strategy title Universe at War: Earth Assault will join the growing number of dual PC/Xbox 360 releases to offer cross-platform multiplay through Microsoft's "Games for Windows - LIVE" initiative.
Publisher SEGA points out that this actually makes it the first third-party title announced to support the feature - Shadowrun, the other one, having been an internally produced effort from Microsoft partners FASA.
Universe at War is due out this winter on PC and on Xbox 360 in Q1 2008.
Given the differences in control schemes (you may remember that Petroglyph made a big deal of this when the Xbox 360 version was unveiled), the developer is working hard on the balance and promises multiple modes for cross-play.
"SEGA is delighted to be working with Microsoft and join them at the forefront of a new dawn for gaming," said SEGA's Gary Knight. Crikey. "The power of the Xbox 360 console means that games once exclusively the preserve of high-end PC gaming are now finding a new home on console also."
You can read more about Universe at War through our PC and Xbox 360 gamepages. One feature we're intrigued to hear more about is the "Conquer the World" mode, which promises to draw inspiration from massively-multiplayer and competitive online titles with its use of persistent elements.
Watch out for more around E3.