If you thought the battle royale genre was too saturated to support another title, you'd be wrong. At least, according to EA and Titanfall developer Respawn.
Respawn has been quietly working on Apex Legends – a sci fi-themed battle royale title – for some time now. The game was set to be merely unveiled today, but it seems Respawn has changed its mind. Somewhat surprisingly, the game is now officially available to download for free.
Like many modern battle royale games, Apex Legends has a cartoonish art style and a host of eccentric, or otherwise outlandish characters (despite being set in the much more serious Titanfall universe).
Unlike other battle royale games, though, each character in Apex Legends is a MOBA-like hero. They have their own backstories, personalities, and unique abilities. Think Overwatch, not PUBG.
Further breaking the typical battle royale formula, Apex Legends will focus purely on teamwork. There is no solo queue option; you either play in a squad with two other players, or you don't play at all (for now).
This is an unusual idea, but it makes sense given the game's hero-based nature. Theoretically, certain heroes that may be relatively useless by themselves (like Mercy in Overwatch) could shine when paired with other, more powerful heroes.
Matches in Apex Legends will be composed of 60 players in total, meaning 20 teams could be facing off against each other at any given time. Respawn says it's focusing on deeper, more strategic gameplay with Apex Legends compared to some of its more popular competitors.
If you want to try Respawn's latest game for yourself, you can snag it via Origin right now at no cost. The game is supported via cosmetic microtransactions.