Respawn adds Black Lives Matter message to Apex Legends

(Image credit: Respawn)

Apex Legends developer Respawn has added a Black Lives Matter message to the free-to-play battle royale's launch screen.

“There is deep-rooted discrimination that is still unquestionably present towards the Black community, and it is unacceptable,” said the message, which also sports a black banner (thanks, Digital Trends). “Racism, whether from an individual or institution, should not exist in our society. We stand with all of our Black colleagues and partners, families and friends in the fight against racism and social injustice.”

"Proud to have all our teams [at] Respawn standing with the Black community in the fight for social justice," tweeted Respawn boss, Vince Zampella.

Find out what you can do to help the Black Lives Matter cause.

Since Apex Legends season 5 dropped we've seen a fair few changes across King's Canyon, but if you thought the recent nerfs and buffs have had an impact on the Legends we most like to play, think again – apparently, Wraith is still the game's most popular character.

According to a recent analysis, Wraith sports an impressive usage rate of 27 per cent, making her significantly more popular than any other Legend, including Pathfinder and Lifeline, who are second and third favourite respectively. Pathfinder has a usage rate of 10 per cent, and Lifeline 9 per cent, but while a lot of the OG characters are in regular rotation, Revenant – who touched down in season 4 – is one of the game's least popular Legend with a usage rate of just 4 per cent. Only Crypto fares less well, with a usage rate of just 3 per cent. Ouch. 

Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment recently opened a new studio in Vancouver, Canada to focus on the future of its hit free-to-play battle royale, but recently confirmed it isn't currently working on another Titanfall game. Players have been hungry for more mech-shooter action ever since Titanfall 2's undeserved flop, and Apex Legends, which uses many Titanfall weapons and systems to great effect, has only reinforced that. 

The good news is that Zampella says a series revival hasn't been ruled out, and many other folks at Respawn would love to make it happen.

Here are the latest Apex Legends patch notes, from map changes to new quests. 

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, 12DOVE

Vikki Blake is 12DOVE's Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.