Apex Legends has started to fall behind Fortnite, after an explosive start, in part because of Fortnite’s ridiculous pace of updates, that Apex Legends has so far not matched. That, coupled with a Battle Pass that people view as disappointing, and the total silence from Respawn on where the game is going next, has created some discontent and uncertainly among fans regarding what to expect.
However, in a new update posted on EA’s website, Respawn broke their silence at last, acknowledging the frustration at the lack of updates for the game, and conceding that they didn’t manage expectations properly. However, they reiterate that they are not going to match Fortnite’s development pace, and weekly updates are out of the question. They emphasize that they most definitely do not want to do anything that leads to crunch working conditions at the studio, which is something Epic Games reportedly struggled with once Fortnite took off. They also mention that they will introduce at least one mechanic to change the metagame at the start of every season, and that they have taken the feedback for the first season to heart, and the second one will be better.
“We know that, in addition to addressing issues with the game, everyone is hungry for us to add new content,” wrote Drew McCoy, executive producer. “The studio culture that we’ve worked hard to cultivate, and the health of our team are very important. We take those things into account when we discuss our content roadmap, the production schedule, and the frequency in which we can update the game. Our long-term goal is to ensure Apex Legends always feels alive and thriving, with a focus on quality of content over novelty or speed of release. At the same time, we want to maintain our culture as a development team and avoid crunch that can quickly lead to burnout or worse.”
As for the second season, more details will be shared at EA Play 2019; in the meantime, Respawn is working on server, hitreg, and cheating issues, and will share more on those problems over the coming weeks. Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order are managed by two separate teams, so one won’t affect the other. That said, Respawn said that supporting Apex Legends means they will have to push their plans for Titanfall games out for now.
“In order to fully support Apex Legends, we are pushing out plans for future Titanfall games,” wrote McCoy. “No resources from the Apex Legends team are being shifted to other titles in development here at the studio, nor are we pulling resources from the team working on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”
God damn it.