Apex Legends will be the latest high profile multiplayer game to adopt crossplay later this year but fans are concerned the feature could cause more problems than it solves. For those not aware, true crossplay not only allows for owners of different consoles (i.e. PlayStation and Xbox) to mingle, but also introduces PC into the mix. While the latter allows for keyboard and mouse inputs, neither Sony nor Microsoft’s hardware supports their use, making gamepad the only option.
Given that the former offers objectively superior precision over arguably more comfortable thumbsticks, the worry is that PC gamers being included in the party would result in horridly one-sided lobbies where gamepad users are resigned to getting immediately dunked on. That outcome, while certainly possible depending on your own team’s platform composition, won’t be possible via normal means, according to Respawn’s Jake Smullin.
Eager to address the disquiet in a video recently posted on TikTok, Smullin says: “Have been seeing lots of console players worrying about this but don’t. Everyone should be excited,” he says, before clarifying that Apex players on console will only be matched with their PC brethren if, and only if, you have one on your team. Assuming everything goes according to plan, then, any combination of Xbox and PlayStation crew members will result in the entire lobby preventing the participation of PC players. Should you decide to party up with one, however, it’s fair game.
As for when you can expect to see the feature go live, Respawn says it’s aiming to have everything finalized by the fall, and this could well be the same time that it intends to introduce Apex Legends‘ own rumored clan system. For everything we so far on that front, see here.
