Apex developers hit back at complaints against female legends
Apex Legends developers are clapping back at criticisms the game has too many female Legends. Following the arrival of Loba and Rampart, there are rumours the next Legend could also be a woman, which has caused some disgruntled fans to kick off and ask where all the male Legends are. It didn't take long for Respawn to make its stance clear and fly the flag for women's rights.
After the introduction of Loba as the High Society Thief in Season 5, Rampart (and Sheila) made an explosive entrance to Season 6. According to the latest (unconfirmed) leaks, it could be a woman's world again in Season 7. There are currently 14 playable Legends in Apex, with a fairly even split of men and woman. Even though devs aren't willing to reveal who's coming next, they also aren't taking the latest argument lying down.
There's been a small minority that has a problem with the number of female Legends, leading to one person writing, "I didn’t know I was playing a feminist game... Might as well just put a pink dress on Revenant". Now, Apex Legends design director Jason McCord has responded to the backlash and taken to Twitter to say the team actually had a conversion about female Legends. McCord addressed the drama and defiantly wrote, "We actually had a very short conversation about this," he said. "'Think people are gonna be mad that there are this many female legends in a row?' 'Uhhh, maybe? Who cares?' 'Agree - carry on'".
Apex writer Tom Casiello added, "If you’re the kind of person keeping track of how many male Legends there are versus how many female Legends there are, might I suggest an alternate hobby? There are plenty to pick from that are far more meaningful and productive than 'Keeper of the Gender Scorecard'". Either way, the team behind Respawn's fan-favourite title made it clear that it's not on board with this kind of negativity.
There was plenty of support for McCord and Casiello. One happy player said, "If it helps (and I hope it does) it means shit tonnes to girls and cultures who’ve felt under-represented for so long and the majority of the community feels so different and supportive compared to other online games I’ve played - I love it here". There's no denying the diversity that characters like Rampart, Bangalore, Lifeline, and Gibraltar have added as people of colour.
Elsewhere, Apex is about as diverse as they come in terms of video games. More than just men and woman, Apex Legends is ahead of the curve compared to most games and even has the non-binary character Bloodhound - a move in the right direction for representation. It may be impossible to please everyone, and while the team at Respawn is aware of this, don't expect them to bow down to the small minority
Images via Respawn Entertainment
