Apex Legends crossplay announced for PS4, Xbox One, PC

[jwplayer 2r7Ix61z]Apex Legends has finally announced what many fans have long been waiting for: crossplay across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

During EA’s Play event, Respawn Entertainment confirmed what has been the source of rampant speculation in the months since Call of Duty: Warzone proved crossplay could be effective for battle royale titles — Apex Legends players will soon be able to compete with their friends across consoles and PC.

As of yet, no specific date was mentioned but fans have been told to expect the debut of crossplay sometime “this Fall.”

The announcement came alongside a bevy of others, including that the high-mobility BR title will also be coming to the Nintendo Switch—which suggests a high probability that the title could find itself distinguished even further from Warzone by being across four platforms instead of three.

• Read more: Apex Legends is releasing on Nintendo Switch

While we don’t know full details just yet, this is a hype announcement since it ensures a greater breadth of competition and shorter queue times for people who have trouble finding matches at higher ranks.

The announcement also coincides with the debut of a Season 5 Lost Treasures Collection event that has some ridiculous skins and cosmetics alongside a new “treacherous” limited time mode, and, as fans have wondered about for the past few weeks, the Crypto Town Takeover.

Other battle royale titles like Fortnite and Warzone have had their fair share of issues with crossplay, with PC players bemoaning aim assist and console players constantly accusing mouse-and-keyboard flicks of proving hacks.

At the moment, those concerns aren’t pressing for Respawn Entertainment. The developers seem content with Season 5, which has been reported to be Apex Legends’ most successful season yet, but they’ll have to cross the bridge of competitive integrity across inputs by this Fall.

It was also announced that Apex Legends will be coming to Steam, giving millions of PC users who may have been reluctant to obtain the game through EA’s Origin game store.

• Read more: Apex Legends is coming to Steam: release date, download size, more

This is a tremendous play for a continually upsurging title in a crowded space, as broadened access to the game will be pivotal for its ascent among a casual base and as an esport.

With a new mode, new access, and new esports ventures like the $500,000 Apex Legends Global Series: Summer Circuit, EA’s free-to-play battle royale should be dropping in hot well into Fall 2020, when its players from different systems will finally be able to match up.