Implementing cross-progression is difficult, according to Apex Legends

This story about taking a while to implement new features, boiled down, in 1:48 minutes.

What's the fuss?

Fans of Apex Legends have long requested for cross-progression capabilities. According to the developer, the implementation is surprisingly much harder than it seems, especially when you add it on to the laundry list of other requested features.

The situation

Battle royale game Apex Legends, which is available on seven different gaming platforms, is having somewhat of a renaissance in an arguably saturated genre. 

• Originally releasing out of nowhere in 2019 to much fanfare, the game eventually dipped in its active player base the following year.
• Two years after release, Apex Legends looks to be having its most successful year yet, thanks in part to a large migration of players from a cheat-ridden game.

Alongside the influx of new players, among the most highly requested features is cross-progression: the ability to carry over a player's progress (i.e. level, items, etc.) from platform to platform. 

• The topic was directly touched upon by the developer in a Reddit AMA (a Q&A session hosted on Reddit), in which they mentioned that implementing the feature is "gnarly as hell" and thus will be available next year.
• Not only does the technical challenge of merging accounts on different platforms exist, but there's also legal issues surrounding in-game purchases occurring on different gaming platforms.

Boiling it down

Cross-progression (and cross-play) are becoming standard in modern multiplayer games. 

• Both these features are huge draws for gamers, and can even be a major decisive factor on whether to play the game in the first place.
• Since these are relatively new features having only been recently widely adopted, large strides are needed to get all of the major gaming companies on board.

Adding cross-progression to a game is a big challenge, especially when the developers have many other features to implement in the pipeline.

• Developers must skillfully prioritize fan requests, bug fixes, new content, as well as numerous other updates to keep the game dynamic for its players.
• Recent hack attacks on the game doesn't help things along either, as the developers need to prioritize the game's security.

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