Respawn might be planning to add Apex Legends cross-progression after all
Respawn Entertainment[jwplayer ePrNLj8A]Respawn may actually be on the verge of adding cross-progression to Apex Legends alongside the planned Steam update, despite dubbing the feature “impossible” during the title’s launch all the way back in February 2019.
Apex fans have basically resigned themselves to the fact cross-progression is a pipe-dream. At launch, then-lead producer Drew McCoy dubbed the feature “impossible,” in part because of “the way systems were set up early on.”
As it turns out, that pipe-dream may not be so impossible after all. Renowned Apex Legends dataminer Shrugtal appears to have uncovered code strings for a cross-progression system that Respawn is testing behind-the-scenes.
The uncovered backend code — proxy/commerce_gateway/valuetransfer/transfer?personaId=%s&platform=%s&accountId=%s_%s&offferId=%s&locale=%s — appears as a run of transfer values, which Shrugtal suggested is the basis for “some kind of cross-progression system” currently undergoing dev testing.
These strings suggest Apex Legends accounts could soon be able to transfer ‘value’ (skins, charms, and cosmetics) or even account ‘entitlements’ (starter pack access, for example) from profile to profile.
The related segment begins at 2:28 in the video below.
It’s certainly interesting to hear Respawn is at least toying with a cross-progression system in their dev labs. Outside of crossplay — which is now finally being added to the game — it’s one of Apex’s most highly-requested features.
If Respawn does indeed add it to the battle royale in an upcoming update, Apex Legends fans will have to choose which console they want to use as their “main” account. That profile will then share its collection with all connected accounts.
Other blockbuster titles, including Fortnite, Rocket League, Minecraft, and recently Destiny 2, have all flicked the switch on cross-progression in the past few years. The moves came after Sony backflipped on their cross-play policy.
Respawn EntertainmentWhether or not the newly-discovered code strings lead to cross-progression being bundled in with the crossplay update or not will likely be confirmed in the next few weeks, according to reports.
Apex Legends is expected to drop crossplay as part of the upcoming ‘Aftermarket’ collection event. That event has been penciled in for a Tuesday, Sep. 15 release date behind the scenes, with datamined leaks backing up that drop-date.
Don’t forget, crossplay isn’t the only thing Respawn has planned for Apex this year either. The character-based battle royale will finally make its long-awaited debut on Valve’s Steam game browser. Apex’s platform move will happen this month.