The unprecedented success of Apex Legends when it launched back in February came as a surprise to everyone, not least its creator.
Respawn Entertainment has reiterated numerous times its bafflement at the battle royale’s insane rise to stardom, a feat made all the more impressive by its meagre advertising campaign. Genre fans in their millions have since flocked to the shores of Kings Canyon to put Fortnite‘s closest competitor through its paces, but the honeymoon period has since come to an end.
The shooter’s player base has continued to shrink in the weeks and months since release and some have wasted no time finger-pointing to the potential root cause. For streamers, in particular, blame has primarily gone on a continued lack of long-form content to keep the treadmill spinning, while others have directed their ire in the direction of poor performance and lag issues. Regardless of which fault is to blame, one overarching criticism has been a lack of communication and clarity on the part of Respawn, a failure that the studio itself has recognized as requiring drastic change.
During an interview with Insomniac Games’ Ted Price at GamesBeat Summit 2019, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella tackled the issues outlined above head-on, in turn providing some much-needed context for why they exist. Most notably, he says, the recent announcement of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has stolen the limelight, somewhat, and while development teams for both are separate, they still fall under a single banner.
What’s more, as an ever-changing canvas of potential ideas, Zampella says the team simply “doesn’t know yet” what Apex Legends‘ future looks like. Essentially, it’s due to the developer having yet to solidify its plans that fans are left hanging for additional details, though Zampella reiterates his intention to improve that current disparity moving forward.
Tell us, though, is Zampella’s statement enough to reassure you of Apex Legends‘ bright future, or are you of the mindset that actions speak louder than words? Let us know in the usual place below.
