For Apex Legends players, the introduction of new characters in each seasonal update was something of a staple until recently. In Season 16, we saw a complete rework to Apex Legends’ classes dominate discourse. Now, in Season 18, we’re seeing a similar situation with Apex Legends’ Revenant rework. If you’re hoping that this was all just a short break from an otherwise regular release schedule for new Apex Legends characters, we have some bad news for you. Respawn Entertainment is actively trying to slow down the rate at which it releases new legends.
Unpacking Apex Legends’ latest update and the state of the battle royale itself with a select panel of media outlets during a roundtable discussion, designer Evan Funnell was asked whether Respawn Entertainment was worried at all that in the future, the number of legends would grow enough to become a substantial barrier to entry for new players. This query continued onto a clearer question asking whether Respawn would reach a point where it would choose to continuously rework older legends, rather than introduce new characters to Apex Legends’ roster.
Responding to this, while also saying that Respawn Entertainment “don’t want to commit to anything when it comes to [this],” Funnell explains that the development team is actively trying to slow down the rate at which it adds new legends to Apex Legends. While this isn’t conducive to this being one of the best competitive FPS games out there, it will be something that some are saddened by.
“I think creating new legends is still a very important part of the process for us… There’s ways that we’re trying to slow down the number of legends that we are creating… to give breathing room.”
Thankfully, though, if you’re interested in an ever-expanding Apex Legends tier list, Funnell did state that “it’s not necessarily [the case] where we see that there’s a point where [the number of legends] might be too high – at least right now”. Respawn Entertainment is just acting on what the game needs each season, and making the decisions it is based on what’s best for the game.
We know the fact that there’s an Apex Legends bundle the same price as Baldur’s Gate 3 – a game that has quickly become one of the best RPG games of all time – is a little contradictory to that statement (because it doesn’t feel like it’s what’s best for the game, at all), but that’s Respawn Entertainment’s stance on things right now.
If you want to know more about what Season 18 has to offer ahead of Apex Legends Season 19 release date, in which we could see a new legend added to the roster, you can find out more about the changes to Apex Legends’ ranks and ranked system here. It’s also worth checking out how Respawn essentially nerfed Apex Legends’ reworked Revenant before he even dropped here.