Sony has announced that it is to allow Playstation owners to play Fortnite with players on other gaming platforms.

The company had faced sharp criticism earlier this year over their refusal to allow 'cross-play' - despite Nintendo and Microsoft allowing players on their platforms play with and against others playing on rival consoles and devices.

While Playstation players could play against mobile and PC players, they could not play with Xbox or Nintendo Switch gamers. 

Criticism intensified following the Switch release of the massively popular 'battle royale' game earlier, when players on the Nintendo device found they could not use their accounts if it had previously been used on Sony's platform.

This meant that players could not access any items that had been earned or purchased on their existing account if they'd played on PS4 before.

Now, in a major policy shift, Sony has announced that they are beginning an 'open beta test' that will allow Playstation 4 owners to play Fortnite against players on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac.

John Kodera, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, explained: "Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third party content.

"We recognise that PS4 players have been eagerly awaiting an update, and we appreciate the community’s continued patience as we have navigated through this issue to find a solution."

Mr Kodera added: "This represents a major policy change for SIE, and we are now in the planning process across the organisation to support this change. We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta timeframe, and what this means for other titles going forward."

The PS4 remains the top selling console of the current 'generation', with more than 80 million sold since its launch in 2013.

The free-to-play blockbuster Fortnite, meanwhile, boasts more than 100 million players - with reports that developer Epic has earned more than $1 billion revenue from the phenomenally popular title.