Nintendo Switch gamers have been waiting a long time for Apex Legends. Next week marks the two-year anniversary of the game’s original release, and four months since the delay of the game’s Switch port. However, Respawn has now announced that Apex Legends will finally be coming to the Switch in March!
Apex Legends Coming to the Nintendo Switch
Rumours of an Apex Legends release on Nintendo Switch first surfaced shortly after the game’s release two years ago. At the time, many battle royale titles were making the move to the Switch. Indeed, it seemed a sensible next move for Apex too. However, Switch fans would have to wait over a year before any official announcement of a Apex Legends release on the platform.
Just over eight months ago, Respawn announced that Apex would finally be coming to the Switch during an EA Play event. Its initial release window was ‘Fall 2020’. As time went on, the release looked increasingly likely to coincide with Apex’s Steam release, and the launch of Season 7, on the 4th of November. Howevere, this was not to be.
Shortly before that date arrived, Respawn announced that the Switch release was being being pushed back to 2021. The studio did not confirm a new release date, or even a release window, besides the year. Now, after a four-month wait, fans finally know when to expect it; the Nintendo Switch port of Apex Legends will be launching on the 9th of March.
Writing in a recent blog update, Game Director Chad Grenier laid out the studio’s plans for the release. “Porting Apex Legends to its smallest screen yet is a major achievement,” he writes; “and we couldn’t have done it without our friends at Panic Button. We’re very proud of what the team has been able to achieve with some smart optimizations for the Switch port to deliver a full-featured Apex Legends experience on the go.”
As promised, the game will launch with full cross-platform support. (And, of coure, full feature parity with all other versions of the game.) As such, you’ll be able to play with friends on any other platform. The release will be coming shortly after the start of Season 8, and so Grenier goes on to explain that Switch players will get some bonuses to make up for that lost time compared to other platforms; “Switch players will be granted 30 free levels for their Season 8 Battle Pass. For the first two weeks after launch, playing on Switch will also earn you double XP.”