Shroud Feels Crossplay Should Not Exist in Competitive Games

Content creator, Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek feels that crossplay should not exist in competitive games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone to ensure players on all input methods have even footing. While crossplay is seen as a great feature in the gaming industry, when it comes to esports, it can be difficult to maintain parity between the two as each input method has its own advantages. Aim assist has been a topic of contention in FPS titles recently with the Apex Legends community calling for nerfs and Respawn considering potential tweaks to controller aim assist.

What does Shroud think about aim assist in competitive games

In one of his recent streams, Shroud was asked what he thinks about controller players and cross play. He said, “There’s nothing wrong with controller players. There’s nothing wrong with crossplay” and when players from both input devices are playing competitively, they should be separated. He feels that in casual games “you’re literally playing in a random lobby with a bunch of random people” and crossplay is fine. However, in competitive games, controller players need to be separated from mouse and keyboard players according to him.

Shroud is not the only content creator who feels this way about crossplay. Recently, Herschel ‘Dr Disrespect’ Beahm IV said that, “ With cross-play becoming the norm for FPS games, aim assist is becoming a huge issue. We need some devs prioritizing balance between the two inputs. I’m gonna break something.”

Esports titles are focusing on crossplay

Apex Legends developer, John ‘JayBiebs’ Larson, shared his thoughts on the state of aim assist in Apex Legends recently. He said, “When I see top-level controller players saying they would be alright with nerfing aim assist, I definitely take note. Players should not feel forced to use a specific input type, and if I see players converting out of what they think is necessity, I would 100% be concerned."

Last month, 343 Industries introduced the Halo Championship Series ahead of Halo: Infinite’s launch later this year. The upcoming game will feature crossplay and will not restrict players into using a specific input method. Apex Legends Global Series Year 2 will also allow players to use any input method.

While crossplay in esports allows for more competition, it might not be the best way forward as balancing both input methods can be very challenging and it is unlikely to offer an even playing ground for players.