What's the difference to the end user? I'm supporting indie devs by buying their retro shooters. Asking for server software and map editors don't hurt the the devs. It hurts the stock investors that demand the line goes up.

What I don't buy are Live Service games. This game was going to be my first in a while after being burned the few times I've tried before, but Sony thought they could fuck around.

The idea that there's a high amount of technician problems that need to be overcome to achieve crossplay though is nonsense. Just pick an engine with proven netcode and go from there. The biggest issue would be whatever red tape the console manufactures put up.