The minds at Respawn Entertainment are wizards when it comes to the action-adventure genre. Twenty-fourteen’s Titanfall and its criminally underrated followup, 2016’s Titanfall 2, challenged traditional boots-on-the-ground shooters with a heightened sense of scale and verticality, while the more recent Jedi: Fallen Order etched itself as one of the greatest Star Wars narratives told in any medium. The Los Angeles studio’s fixation with exoskeletons, Blade Runner, and visuals that bleed Wachowski and Masamune Shirow’s Ghost In The Shell is nothing new, but they are intertwined with world-building to create headier pockets of science fiction bliss.
The perfect case study of all of this being Apex Legends.
The free-to-play shooter set in the Titanfall universe first launched in February 2019. No media previews. No marketing campaigns. No extended gameplay reveals that cringe out with comms from Chad and the rest of the QA team. Instead, the tiniest leak via Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek led to more hearsay, an unexpected cinematic trailer, and a count of 1 million players in the first eight hours and over 50 million in its first month. And all while relying on microtransactions and the sales of cosmetic items to secure a profit in the same fiscal quarter as The Division 2, Metro Exodus, and BioWare’s Anthem—which launched into early access just 11 days later.
Respawn's rollout for 'Apex Legends,' while impressively beginning with a captivating launch, signals that the game is just scratching its potential and has yet to reach an unprecedented heights.
Respawn's 'Apex Legends,' a free-to play battle royale phenomenon, shows no signs of slowing down and continues to thrive through regular updates that keep the game fresh for both old pros as well new entrants. Its longevity proves its title worth - it’sclear Apex has just hit its stride.
With its immersive gameplay and constantly evolving content, Respawn's 'Apex Legends'' promise of endless excitement is just beginning to unfurl.
