Apex Legends is one of several popular live service games that doesn’t currently utilise a public test server system for upcoming updates – but, should it? It’s a system that has proven a useful tool for developers working on games like Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege, so fans want to know whether it’s something Respawn Entertainment are looking at. Well, while they don’t speak for the whole development team, one Apex Legends developer has shown support for the introduction of the system on Reddit.
In the replies to a Reddit thread on Apex Legends developers presence in said Sub-Reddit, an unnamed Technical Game Designer at Respawn Entertainment that uses the username ‘RobotHavGunz’ has shared their personal belief that Apex Legends would benefit from a system that employs public testing servers.
When asked whether the development team at Respawn Entertainment was simply not big enough to cope with the demand Apex Legends requires, RobotHavGunz revealed that “yes, there are some problems that can be solved by simply throwing more people at the problem – but it’s often less than you’d think.”
Following on from this, the developer shared that they “personally believe a PTR / public-test program would be fantastic” as an alternative to a sheer increase in manpower. However, they reveal that this is ultimately “way above [their] pay grade” when it comes to implementing this.
That’s not to say we won’t see one in the future, of course, but it’s not something that seems to have come up – and you have to wonder whether it’s something that Respawn Entertainment has already considered and decided against.
Adding to their response, which we have discussed above, RobotHavGunz offered an interesting insight into the world of game development and the issues Respawn Entertainment face – even if it’s a very vague overview.
“ Software developers are very much in demand – it’s a job-seekers market – and while we are hiring and growing, it takes time to onboard people, and then there’s also processes that need to change as the team becomes that much larger,” they share. “ More people to fix things also means more people to break things”
Interestingly, they comment that some problems just don’t lend themselves to what would be considered shared work – meaning that, on some occasions, increasing the people-power working on the issue isn’t going to solve it any quicker.
You can read the rest of the Reddit thread right here – which started off as a post calling out toxic behaviour from fans.
It’s hard to discern whether Apex Legends actually does need a public test server system being on the outside, looking at the Apex Legends tier list and the state of new legends when they’re introduced, it’s clear that there could be more balancing work done – but, new additions to the roster are never quite as overpowered as you’d expect. The popularity of Apex Legends’ Newcastle has seen Lifeline’s pick-rate tumble, but this could just be due to the fact that he’s a new face and offers a new way to play the popular shooter.