Shroud explains why Apex Legends crossplay will never be “balanced”

Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, ex-CS:GO pro turned full-time Twitch streamer, has explained why crossplay in Apex Legends, and other video games, will never be “perfect” or right for competitive play.

A few years ago the idea of Xbox, PlayStation, and PC players in the same lobby would have attracted nothing but confused faces. Now, though, more and more video games are incorporating crossplay into their multiplayer modes, including Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Naturally, the incorporation has sparked debate and reignited the controller vs mouse and keyboard discussion.

Shroud, though, believes that is the crux of the problem, and the main reason why crossplay will never be balanced, despite being the ‘future’ of video games.

Respawn Entertainment

Crossplay has been added to Apex Legends, with some still waiting for cross-progression.

Speaking on Apex Legends, the 27-year-old said: “It’ll never be balanced, that’s what sucks. Like you get rid of aim assist, then controller sucks. You have aim assist, then controller’s too strong. Like there’s no perfect balance there and it sucks because crossplay really is the future of gaming for sure. I wanna be able to play with anybody I can. It’s just a tricky thing that’ll never get fixed, because there’s no fix really.”

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Because of the greater precision available from mouse aiming, aim assist is used as a balancing factor for those on controller.

However, some on PC feel it is generally too strong, and goes too far in aiding controller players hitting their shots.

He elaborated on his views in his July 31 Twitch stream, suggesting that the lack of balance means crossplay should be avoided in professional events. He specifically mentioned the Apex Legends Global Series, and how Apex teams seemingly have to have at least one controller player to be in with a chance of winning.

“Let it exist in casual play all day,” Shroud said. “Just don’t mix in a professional environment. The fact that Apex professional teams have to have at least one minimum controller player does not sit right with me.”

Despite shroud’s concerns, more and more esports are implementing crossplay, allowing competitors on all platforms to compete together.

Because of that evolution, it doesn’t seem like the controller vs MnK debate will slow down, or stop, anytime soon.