Cross-play for Apex Legends was promised in June, and it's finally happening: Respawn Entertainment announced today that a cross-play beta test, available on Origin, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, will take place on October 6. The company announced.

Cross-play beta participants will be able to add friends and party with players on all other platforms, and their friend list will show which platforms their friends are playing on. In-game chat will work for cross-platform parties, but cross-platform progression will not be supported in the beta. But it may be coming: Respawn says it will elaborate on that when the Steam version of Apex Legends is released later this year. (Cross-play will also be supported when the Steam version launches.)

Matchmaking will keep PC and console players separate once cross-platform goes live so that console players don't get constantly smoked by the mouse and keyboard crowd. Similarly, cross-platform parties are assigned to PC matches only: this means that PC players cannot participate in console matches, but console players can participate in console matches if they wish.

Cross-platform play can be completely disabled from the settings menu, so Apex players who want to avoid it all and stay on their home turf have that option. However, Respawn warns that turning it off may result in "very long" queues, as players who disable cross-play will only be matched with players who have also disabled it. The wait times for matches that do not support crossplay will depend on how many players decide to opt out, but crossplay has been enabled by default since the beta began, and Respawn expects that the majority of players will leave it on.

While crossplay is obviously a big topic that will be implemented on October 6, the new Flashpoint LTM will also be a good opportunity. Instead, players will regain health and shields by standing within zones called flashpoints scattered around the Kings Canyon map. Further complicating matters, LTM will also introduce the Always Be Closing rule: the ring will not close, so players will have to keep moving, and the ring will always close at flashpoints.

The event will also feature 24 different themed cosmetics in the game, which can be purchased directly or through the event apex pack. The After Market Collection event will run through October 20. More information is available at playapex.com.