Apex Legends is marking two major milestones this month: its 20th season and its fifth anniversary. Originating in 2019, the free-to-play FPS swiftly became a fan favorite, earning acclaim for both its dedicated player base and its overarching narrative that has unfolded since the game’s inception. However, the past five years have been a challenging journey for the game’s director, Ashley Reed, who began her tenure as a writer for the Apex official website and now steers the game’s creative direction. In commemoration of Apex’s fifth anniversary, GameSpot had a sit-down with Reed to delve into Season 20: The Breakout Story, discuss the game’s significant changes, and gain insights into crafting a narrative for a roster of 25 characters that shows no signs of stopping. Reed—whose name served as the inspiration for Ash’s human name—has been with Respawn since 2016, initially as a writer for various EA platforms before transitioning into game writing. Despite sharing a name with one of the game’s most menacing and unrelenting characters, conversing with the real Ashley Reed revealed her to be personable, witty, and, above all, deeply passionate about her work. Curiosity arose about the absence of a new Legend scheduled to debut in this season, prompting inquiry into Reed’s involvement in “Legend-less” seasons and the type of gameplay players can anticipate in Season 20 and beyond. “Typically, with the remembrance seasons—the initial season of the year—we aim to spotlight the celebration, so we try not to introduce too many new elements during these,” she explained. “This festival is huge! [adding a new Legend with a new backstory],” she noted. Reed conveyed that another reason for Season 20’s lack of a new Legend is to assist players in following the narrative, especially after the weighty Seasons 18 and 19. However, the absence of a new Legend does not imply stagnation. Season 20’s storyline pivots around Horizon, with hints that Ash may also play a pivotal role.
In the opening Season 20 trailer, Horizon can be seen covertly eyeing what appears to be Jack Cooper’s iconic time-shifting device from Titanfall 2—or something akin to it. Given Horizon’s primary objective of reuniting with her son, Newton, securing time travel technology could have momentous (and perilous) repercussions. “You caught that, didn’t you,” she remarked when asked about the time travel technology from the Titanfall universe. “There’s a sense that something is unfolding with Horizon [in the launch trailer]. It might be worth revisiting the trailer’s closing shots.” While a new game season unfurls with clockwork regularity every three months, Apex’s narrative trajectory has not always followed a predictable course. Small stories that foreshadow the future—termed “breadcrumbing” by Reed—set the stage until significant narratives were fully unveiled with the introduction of Season 5’s Broken Ghost questline, culminating in the revelation of Titanfall 2’s Ash. Recently, the storyline has begun to intertwine with the gameplay itself, and Season 18 saw the introduction of Revenant’s new ability—and the narrative connected to the new addition. Crafting intricate narratives amidst the frequent influx of new characters presents challenges, so insights were sought into the lessons Reed has gleaned over the past five years in shaping an ongoing story for a live game with no apparent conclusion in sight. “One of the key questions we’ve been grappling with in recent years is, ‘How do you tell a story without cutscenes or grand musical cues that halt everything and take center stage?'” she shared. “While we’ve had our moments through our thrilling trailers, we’ve also discovered that audiences are drawn to the smaller, subtler tales,” Reed noted, referencing stories that surfaced within the game a few seasons back—and viewers were right to take notice! Variety spices up life, and we will continue to trial new approaches and different storytelling methods, but we’ve learned that less can go a long way.
The fifth installment of the Broken Ghost questline featured Ash, although he did not enter the Apex Games until Season 11. Despite no new Legend joining the Apex Games this season, there are still exciting prospects awaiting players. Season 20 will introduce new game show drops referred to as “vignettes” by Reed. “We’ve released radio plays on our social media platform in the past,” she mentioned, alluding to concise (but not overt) segments sporadically posted on Apex’s Twitter account. “They’re typically lengthier than vignettes.” “The vignettes represent the evolution of Apex episodes; we’re transitioning away from text,” remarked Reed, expounding on the game’s current featurettes that incorporate audio and dialogue but lack animations or voiceovers. “They will be unmistakably present in the game, animated and voiced,” she revealed. When questioned about the new vignette format, Reed expressed that Respawn’s objective is to sustain players’ engagement with the game and perpetuate its thrill. Following last year’s festival, it appears that Reed and the entire development team are striving to streamline the story, particularly for new players. “Part of what we’re doing this year is streamlining things because that’s one of the challenges that have arisen: It’s intricate to string [the game’s narrative] together,” Reed remarked on Respawn’s efforts to prevent players from feeling overwhelmed by the game’s myriad plotlines. With the conclusion of the arc in mind, inquiry surfaced on the potential of a Kill Code-esque animated series. “You can expect something akin to Kill Code next year, evolving from that,” confirmed Reed. “Kill Code marked our inaugural effort to ‘narrate an extensive story throughout the year and serve as the foundation for what lies ahead in the game!’ We’re expanding on that even further this year.” “We’re carving out more of our own [gameplay] What’s in store this year closely interlocks with the storyline, designed as a year-long event, and Horizon is likely pivotal to that,” stated Reed with a gleam in her eye.
As a human, Ash betrayed Horizon, leaving her to perish in a black hole. Yet, the former allies appear to be collaborating effectively within the arena. “Duardo is no more,” Reed affirmed with a chuckle. “I think that’s how you know someone’s [permanently] deceased: Did Revenant do it?” Reed disclosed that the Kill Code episodes resonated most when directly linked to the game’s content and that while crafting a detached story from Season 19’s new Legend presented artistic liberation, the series’ content would converge with the upcoming 2024 anime and align with the actual Apex game and its narrative over time (inclusive of the launch trailer and vignettes). “I think it might not be who you expect,” Reed disclosed, keeping her cards close to her chest. “That’s all I’ll say about it.” With regards to the game’s other lethal robot, Ash, Reed clarified the moniker’s origins, highlighting that the decision to name Ashleigh Reid preceded the ascendancy of the real Ashley Reed to head Apex’s narrative. “Our director said, ‘Oh, let’s name her Ashleigh Reid!’ and I laughed, to which he retorted, ‘No, I’m serious,'” Reed recalled with a grin. “I thought, ‘Do I want to hang out with someone this fierce?’ And then I thought, ‘Okay, that’s fun…'” “So I said, ‘Yeah, you know what? Sure. Let’s do it! I didn’t anticipate this when I began as a writer’,” Reed remarked. “But subsequently [assuming the lead writer role], it’s remarkably ironic to have her named after me!”
The name Ashley Reed inspired Ash’s human name: Ashleigh Reid. Predictably, Ash emerged as Reed’s favored Legend to craft (though Octane and Loba were also contenders). “He’s charming, I’ll give him that!” Reed remarked about the character. Surprisingly, when queried about the most challenging of the game’s 25 legends to pen, Reed’s response was unexpected. “You have to make it [challenging] for them to make it,” she remarked. With no new characters on the horizon this season, avid interest was piqued about the game’s trajectory and its unfolding story. Reed disclosed her future plans for the Apex narrative. “When Apex commenced, one of our central tenets was the characters and the depth they introduced to the world. That was groundbreaking in the shooter genre at the time. We aim to perpetually innovate, learn, and experiment, enriching the narrative to make Apex an extraordinary, dynamic environment that players will want to keep revisiting,” Reed emphasized. With this in mind, curiosity arose about what Reed was most enthused about for the upcoming season. “I think what I’m proudest of is the strong ties we’ve forged [with plot points] carrying over into the game,” Reed responded. “How do you make it so [the game] becomes immediately engaging and fun and intriguing, so it feels like a natural part of the whole, and not like, a distraction?” “There are challenges,” she acknowledged. Apex Legends Season 20: Breakout commences on Tuesday, February 13.
