Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella wants to improve communication with the Apex Legends community. Zampella admits that the studio has been quieter than it would like to be.
Insomniac Games’ Ted Price interviewed Zampella at the GamesBeat Summit 2019 yesterday in Los Angeles, California. Zampella discussed a number of things, including how Apex’s success surprised the developer and what that means for it moving forward.
Zampella said that the development teams behind Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and Apex Legends are two different teams. But the spotlight on the former has made it quieter on the latter. The silence has been because Respawn simply “doesn’t know yet” what’s next for Apex as it is constantly changing.
This is because Respawn Entertainment has to strike a balance between meeting the expectations of EA and the community while still adhering to its vision for Apex. Zampella admitted that Apex’s first season is “lighter” than it should have been. Respawn will be taking feedback on this and the second season will have more content for players.
Zampella also addressed comparisons to Fortnite and its success, noting that they are different games. “Fortnite is a social platform but [Apex] is more of a core game,” said Zampella. Apex doesn’t have too much crossover with Fortnite in terms of players, according to Zampella.
Instead, Respawn sees more similarities with PUBG and Blackout. Recent stats from analysts show a different story, however. Apex’s launch did affect Fortnite before steadily declining as Fortnite continues to remain consistent.
