Apex Legends
| Video game fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name | Apex Legends |
| Developer(s) | Respawn Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Release date | 4 February 2019 (PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One) 9 March 2019 (Nintendo Switch) |
| Platform(s) | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch |
| External link(s) | Apex Legends official page |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Apex Legends is a 2019 multiplayer game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It is a free-to-play first-person battle royale style shooter, where players usually form teams of three and compete to become the last team standing on a map where the safe zone continually shrinks.
In universe, the battle royale is a form of entertainment for viewers and the legends all have various reasons for choosing to or having no choice but to be involved in the Apex games. In addition to the video game, a number of comics and short cartoons, which contain additional lore and story-lines have been released by Respawn Entertainment.
History
Shortly after release, Apex Legends quickly became one of the most played and popular multiplayer shooters globally and has remained popular through it's 19 seasons to-date[1] The game continues to be updated with new legends, maps, and modes being added, and challenge events being run.
The game has consistently been praised for it's commitment to diversity within the cast of its legends; including being named the most diverse video game in a 2021 study by Diamond Lobby[2]. Diversity amongst the legends has been present in the game from the outset and has only grown over the years; diversity across race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age are all included. While initially some fans were cautious about whether the diversity might be an attempt to do the bear minimum for the sake of drawing in players[3]over time many fans feel the team behind Apex Legends have put in a lot of effort to ensure genuine and authentic representation in their characters[4][5].
This commitment to diverse characters has, predictably, led to backlash from some fans over the years. Notably when the character of Bloodhound was confirmed as non-binary in 2019, and the character Catalyst – a trans woman – was announced in 2022, Respawn Entertainment often found their social media posts hit with transphobic comments and hate[6]. Racist, sexist, and homophobic complaints and hatefeul comments are also not uncommon. Over time, as it became increasingly clear that the complaints were not going to impact Respawn Entertainment's commitment to representation and inclusion, the frequency of them seems to have reduced.
Canon
The game is about a bloodsport where Legends from around the Frontier come together to compete against each other in teams. The various Legends have different reasons for either choosing to be a part of the games or having no choice but to be a part of them. In addition, various other story-lines, including those of betrayal, double-crossing, and the actions of those behind the games, play out in comics and one-off quest events in the game. To get the full canon, players have to read the comics which are available through the game itself, but ongoing updates and changes to dialogue and character interactions in-game hint to these story-lines as well.
Gameplay
Story
Fandom
Apex Legends is popular in gaming fan spaces, social media fannish spaces, and transformative fan spaces. With every new season, deep-dives into the new lore and conflicts between different characters are discussed and dissected on platforms such as Twitter and Reddit.
In fanfiction, in addition to a wide number of ships, courtesy of the ever-growing cast, there are many fan-works which explore the dystopian, exploitative and brutal world that the Legends occupy, including how many of them have been forced into the games by circumstance.
Shipping
With the constantly evolving dynamics between characters in Apex Legends, and the canonical pairings which have developed throughout the game, there are a lot of ships within the fandom, to the point that no single pairing can be considered a juggernaut pairing. For example, the biggest pairing as of February 2024, Mirage/Crypto has 617 tagged works within the Archive of Our Own fandom tag, which totals 6,710 works. M/M is the most popular category within the AO3 tag with over 2,000 works, but F/F, F/M, and Other all have over 1,000 works tagged as well, meaning the tag does not massively skew towards one category.
Achillean
Duaric
Sapphic
Other
Non-binary
Poly
Non-human
Reader Insert
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanart
Videos
Fanfiction
Zines
Other
Communities and Resources
- Apex Legends tag at AO3
- Apex Legends tag at Tumblr
- Apex Legends subreddit
- Apex Legends tag at TikTok
- Apex Legends tag at Deviant Art
References
- ^ How many people play Apex Legends? Player count in 2024, Dexerto., Archived version
- ^ Apex Legends shoots down the competition to be named the most diverse video game, Pink News., Archived version
- ^ Sadly, It's Surprising That There Are Two Black Women In Apex Legends, Gita Jackson., Archived version
- ^ How Apex Legends is doing diversity right, Dexerto, Archived version
- ^ Apex Legends Talk Authentic Representation In Developing LGBTQIA+ Characters, GameRant., Archived version
- ^ Apex Legends developer hits back at transphobic gamers, Gayming., Archived version