The first season is scheduled to begin in March.
Update February 7, 10:00 a.m.: Apex Legends’ developers have opened up about the possibility of cross-play for the battle royale game, which does not currently support multiplayer across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Lead Producer at Respawn, Drew McCoy, told Eurogamer that the developer “plans to allow players to play with their friends on other platforms” sometime in the future. Currently, only Fortnite and Rocket League support cross-platform play on PS4 with other platforms like Xbox and PC, as part of Sony’s cross-play beta initiative.
Stay tuned to IGN for more as any potential cross-play details are announced.
Update February 6, 11:00 a.m.: EA has announced that Apex Legends saw 2.5 million players in its first 24 hours, and 600,000 peak concurrent players in that first day.
Since its launched, we’ve also learned why Apex Legends doesn’t feature titans.
Original story follows:
Originally published on February 4, 12:54 p.m.
Respawn Entertainment has officially announced and released Apex Legends, a free-to-play battle royale shooter set in the Titanfall universe.
Apex Legends allows players to choose between eight “Legend” characters, each with unique abilities and play styles. Legends include Bloodhound, a tracker who can see recent enemy activity on the map and Lifeline, a battlefield medic who can protect teammates and revive them when they’re close to death.
Being a squad-based battle royale, the last team standing wins the match. In teams of three, the game allows players to choose their drop point using the Jumpmaster system, giving the squad control over where they start the match. Respawn Beacons, one-time use locations where defeated teammates can be revived, are also featured alongside a contextual ping communication system that lets players call out enemies, weapons, locations and more.
“Our goal in every game you play is that you come in with a plan but you leave with a story,” said lead producer Drew McCoy. “We’re building a game that is not only going to deliver a fun and memorable experience at launch, but something we can keep growing for a long time to come.”
Respawn has revealed that Apex Legends’ first season is scheduled to begin in March, and will feature a Battle Pass that will grant players access to exclusive cosmetic items earned through gameplay. A seasonal model will continue, with each themed season bringing new content in the form of weapons, Legends, skins and more.
For more on Apex Legends, check out the official launch trailer and a gameplay deep dive trailer. Apex Legends is out now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.