Apex Legends launch date on Nintendo Switch possibly revealed

A new crop of Apex Legends players are set to arrive in the game. According to a report by Ascii, the Nintendo Switch version of Apex Legends is confirmed and set to launch in the very near future. The news was then confirmed by Respawn Entertainment on Twitter.

Apex Legends is reportedly set to launch on March 9, 2021.

With Season 8 freshly launched and Switch players set to miss out on the action, EA Games is set to reward newcomers who missed out on the first half of the season. Per Dexerto, new Switch players will receive 30 free levels in the Season 8 Battle Pass.

Apex Legends Nintendo Switch version will have cross-play

New Apex Legends fans on Nintendo Switch will have the opportunity to enjoy cross-play. Apex Legends cross-play was made possible in October 2020 and while the Nintendo Switch offers some technical challenges given its lower horsepower, Switch players will be able to fight alongside their friends who play on Xbox One, Xbox Series S & X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. 

Adding friends for cross-play multiplayer is easy in Apex Legends.

To do so, players just need to use the Find Friends function on the main menu and search for their friends by username. This allows players to search for other competitors across all versions of the game and send them a friend invite. Once the invitation is accepted, players just need to add them to their party and queue for a game.

Is Apex Legends good on Nintendo Switch?

The Nintendo Switch version of Apex Legends will likely be playable, but may be disappointing for players accustomed to playing the game on a high-performance PC or next-gen console. Apex Legends’ Switch port is being developed by Panic Button, a studio that has a strong pedigree of porting games onto weaker hardware.

This first started in 2013 when Panic Button dealt with the PS Vita port of DC Comics fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us. In 2016 it handled the porting of Rocket League to the Nintendo Switch, and has done similar work on other AAA releases including Doom, Wolfenstein 2, Doom Eternal, and Subnautica.

Though the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have the processing power of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, the Switch version of Apex Legends is still likely to be a solid representation of the game. Fans will to avoid a situation similar to the ugly rollout of Overwatch on Nintendo Switch.