Apex Legends’ PS5 and Xbox Series X/S update is still ‘in the works’

Respawn has said it’s still planning to release a next-gen update for Apex Legends but isn’t yet ready to commit to a launch window.

While the battle royale shooter is playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S via backwards compatibility, with a performance boost up to 1440p, publisher EA said last year that “more formal enhancements [were] planned” for 2021.

Asked to provide an update on those plans in a recent Reddit AMA, Respawn’s director of communications, Ryan Rigney, could only assure fans that a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S update is being worked on.

“Oh man, I WISH I had an update to share but we can’t say anything definitive at the moment—so can’t spoil anything here. Trust us tho, it’s in the works and we’re excited about it too,” he wrote.

Respawn Vancouver team director Steven Ferreira said in February that 120 FPS was one of the studio’s goals for Apex Legends’ next-gen update. “Can’t promise anything but with the core mechanics ‘feel’ of Apex being such an important piece of the player experience this one is high on the priority list.”

During the recent Reddit AMA, Rigney also confirmed that Apex Legends cross progression will launch “next year,” although he said it’s proving difficult to get across the line.

“Cross progression is gnarly as hell in terms of being a problem to solve,” he wrote. “It’s not only that you have to solve the technical challenge of merging existing accounts, but there are also legal and contractual issues to navigate with purchasing on other platforms.

“Different regions have different laws. It’s a mess. But we’re working on it, and we’re committed to delivering it,” Rigney added.

Further reading

Apex Legends Season 10 will add new hero Seer and the Rampage LMG

Emergence will also include an updated World's Edge map when it launches in August

EA said last week that Apex Legends averaged more than 13 million weekly active players during Season 9, and that the game set a new record for peak daily players across all seasons.

Apex Legends Season 10, Emergence, launched on August 3, introducing new Legend Seer, the Rampage LMG and an updated World’s Edge map.