Apex Legends Respawn: Here Comes a New Challenger

Now and then one video game company crafts a masterpiece and suddenly joins the big leagues in this industry. With Apex Legends Respawn Entertainment recently catapulted their name in the books of history. First, we already know that this market can be complicated most of the times. Because of the uncertainty of the ups and downs in the gaming industry, some companies usually take the safe route. Big names like Activision, Electronic Arts (EA), and Ubisoft tend to produce the same game (practically,) repeatedly, every single year. Most noteworthy though, they still earn their millions with this simple (but functional) approach. In contrast, Respawn Entertainment took the risk with an entirely new IP (Intellectual Property), in an oversaturated market (Battle Royale); and somehow, they were able to hit a gold mine. Another element to consider comes with the lack of advertisement from EA, who thought that the gaming community probably would see Apex Legends negatively.

In this article, we’ll discuss those essential moments in Respawn Entertainment history. Above all, those elements that led its founders Vince Zampella and Jason West to leave their current jobs and start a company on their own. Subsequently, we’ll clarify the ties between Electronic Arts, their current owners. Finally, there will be an examination of the company’s work, with a little emphasis on their latest work, Apex Legends.

What are the origins of Respawn Entertainment?

After constant arguments between Activision and two of its workers Vince Zampella and Jason West, the company decides to break their contract. At that current time, Zampella and West were working with “Infinity Ward” projects, until they had no other choice but to start a company on their own. With the aid of the EA Partners Program, they were able to obtain enough funds to make this happen. This program above gave them a good boost to start their gaming studio, which they named “Respawn Entertainment.” The same contract also stated that they’d keep the rights for their IPs. Consequently, when everything was complete, former colleagues from Infinity Ward took the risk as well and joined the team.

Their first project as Respawn Entertainment was an FPS (First Person Shooter) called Titanfall. Due to the current contract with EA, they could only sell their product in the Origin’s interface and EA partners (for PC). Although they had restrictions such as these, their first game was a success in this industry. Titanfall came with innovating mechanics that outline it from the rest of the video games of the same genre. Above all, this new IP contains new elements like huge robots which anyone got the chance to pilot and create some chaos. At the same time, its full of “parkour” movements that create better maneuvering around the map.

To continue with their recent success, Respawn Entertainment decided to add another game to their franchise with Titanfall 2. This sequel enhanced their gaming mechanics from the previous release and added improvement to the gameplay. Sadly, its release date obstructed its sales. Because it got crowned between Activision’s “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare” and EA’s own “Battlefield One” (yeah, it’s own Publisher). Even though the sales were not as expected, they kept updating the game and releasing free DLC to the public.

In November 2017, Electronic Arts changed its contract by acquiring the company for over $400 Million. This new settlement lets EA keep any IP from Respawn Entertainment. These changes created mixed reactions from the community, due to EA’s controversies and its infamous treatment of gaming studios.

For more, check this out: Prepare for a New Fight with Apex Legends Modes

Which elements contributed with Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends?

A few months (February 4, 2019, to be precise) after the new contract with EA, Respawn Entertainment releases Apex Legends to the public. The conception of the game was a mixture between the making of the next Titanfall sequel, the new contract with EA and the success of the battle royale genre. According to the lore, Apex Legends takes place 30 years after the events of Titanfall 2. They are continuing the same universe as their previous games, this time around though, with different gaming mechanics. Their innovate additions to this installment is the Legends elements, the parkour movements, and the grouping of a 3-player squad. Above all, each Legend comes with different abilities, roles, and gameplay.

On its initial release, Apex Legends only contains two gaming modes (tutorial and the 3-player squad), still though it never fails to impress. With practically a short time, it became the most viewed game on Twitch and a contender for the Game of the Year.

For more, check this out: Shooting Your Way with the Best Guns in Apex Legends

How about other upcoming games expected by Respawn?

While Apex Legends is still “on the works,” Respawn Entertainment already announced future games in the forthcoming years. First, we have a “third-person action adventure” game based on the Star Wars universe (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order). This game will focus more on the story, and it will have an interactive narrative. Now, there is no official release date (fall this year). Due to their past projects, we’ll probably get another masterpiece in the works.

Besides the Star Wars project, they announced another game that involves the VR experience. There isn’t too much information about it, no photos or gameplay videos over the Internet. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to see a little more information when E3 arrives this year.  

Better Games to Come

Since the formation of Respawn Entertainment, we have only seen amazing things from this studio. First, they started with the “right foot” with their Titanfall “IP” and its innovating gaming mechanics. Consequently, this universe grew ever further with a sequel and the recent spin-off. With Apex Legends, Respawn Entertainment became one of the fiercest competitors on the market, leading the top charts of every gaming lists.

With more updates on the works for Apex Legends and the upcoming games, we may get the chance to see their work leading the industry for a long while.

Don’t forget to check out our Apex Legends Wiki!