Apex Legends seriously needs to address cross-progression as players are left in the dark

We’re now officially over the halfway point of 2022 – and Apex Legends still doesn’t have cross-progression. Despite developers at Respawn reiterating that the feature is coming, players remain in complete darkness over when to expect such a crucial feature.

Cross-progression is simply the ability for a player to move between different platforms (e.g. PlayStation, Xbox, PC) while maintaining one singular game account. This means progress and cosmetics they own are available no matter what device they play on.

It’s especially valuable in games where there is a lot of paid-for cosmetics like Apex Legends, as players don’t want to have to fork out for the same item twice, just so they can have it when switching from console to PC, for example.

It’s also become somewhat of a standard in cross-play titles, such as Apex, with games like Fortnite and Warzone supporting cross-progression. So, why is it still not available in Apex, after years of confirmation that “it’s coming”?

Respawn’s cross-progression challenge

There’s no reason to doubt Respawn’s claim that cross-progression is “gnarly as hell in terms of being a problem to solve” – something they said almost exactly one year ago.

But, either it’s deliverable or it’s not, and if it’s not, at least on a reasonable timescale, that needs to be communicated.

Right now, there are countless players caught in limbo. They don’t want to switch to a new platform, or if they’ve already switched, don’t want to buy anything, in case cross-progression miraculously becomes available.

Some items in Apex are objectively expensive. It costs roughly $160 to acquire an heirloom. Why should a player have to spend that twice, just so they can have their heirloom on PC and console?

With Respawn keeping players guessing, due to a severe lack of communication on the matter, players are kept on their toes, wondering, hoping, for a scrap of clarity.

So, where is cross-progression?

The last ‘official’ update we had from Respawn on cross-progression was in December 2021. Apex producer Josh Medina simply said it was “in progress” for 2022.

We’re now in July 2022, and there hasn’t been a peep. Well, other than a rather concerning comment on July 22 from a developer, responding to a fan eager to get cross-progression before their switch to PC:

“Forget it – I don’t think we’ll set up the system exactly as you want it.”

It’s not even clear what this means exactly, so we won’t try to analyze it.

One thing is sure though: Respawn either needs to provide a clear timeline for cross-progression’s arrival this year, or be upfront and confirm to players that it won’t be coming this year due to the difficulty of implementing it.

The continued silence on the topic is doing more harm than good.