Xbox gamers won't have to put up with toxic cross-platform PC and PlayStation players if Phil Spencer gets his way

techradar.com:

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested that there should be a global ban-list across multiple gaming platforms. The proposed program would see individuals banned no matter where they play. 

This proposal comes as an idea to clean up the gaming space in a more comprehensive manner, creating a centralized ban system that operates across multiple platforms. Ideally, he posits it would see individuals punished even across platforms. 

In an interview with the New York Times, Spencer floated the idea about the multi-network ban system, saying: “Something I would love us to be able to do--this is a hard one as an industry--is when somebody gets banned in one of our networks, is there a way for us to ban them across other networks?”

As Spencer acknowledges, this would be difficult to implement as it would require several companies to work together. On top of that, they would likely need a homogenized Terms of Service, as a ban on one platform may only apply to that platform and not others agreeing to that kind of arrangement. 

However, he did offer a more conceivable alternative. Spencer posited a system that would allow users to bring over banned lists of players between platforms. “And I'd love to be able to bring them to other networks where I play. So this is the group of people that I choose not to play with. Because I don't want to have to recreate that in every platform that I play video games on,” he explained.

This would still require some harmonization between platforms. The issue seems like it would be figuring out which users share profiles across platforms that stay within the remits of reasonable privacy. That being said, the idea of a universal ban list seems like it could have legs. 

Cross-platform has come a long way in