Het is op dit moment nogal onrustig bij de studio’s van EA. Eerst heeft men Vince Zampella – mede-oprichter van Respawn Entertainment – aangesteld om een gedeeld ‘Battlefield universum‘ op te zetten. Het is hierbij niet duidelijk of Zampella hiermee overgeplaatst gaat worden naar DICE, maar hoe dan ook zal Respawn Entertainment het straks met een man minder moeten doen.

Chad Grenier – de regisseur van Apex Legends – heeft namelijk aangekondigd dat hij de Amerikaanse studio gaat verlaten. In een open brief bedankt Grenier de fans van Titanfall en Apex Legends en natuurlijk ook zijn collega’s. Hij zal zijn taken overhandigen aan Steven Ferreira, die sinds juni 2019 delen van het team onder z’n hoede heeft en Grenier assisteerde in zijn werk.

‘Few words can elegantly describe my 11 years at Respawn. After helping to co-found the studio, bring the Titanfall universe to life, and launch the incredible experiment that is Apex Legends – it’s been an unforgettable ride to say the least. But today, this crazy chapter comes to an end.

Apex Legends is in great hands and I feel like I can walk away knowing this game and community will continue to be taken care of. We’ve got years worth of content in flight, and I can’t think of anyone better than Steven Ferreira to take over as the game director and make sure it’s done right. Steven joined as a lead on the Apex Legends team shortly after launch in June 2019, where he’s been running half of the team and serving as my right hand for the other half. At Respawn, we’ve always believed that new leadership and new team members mean new ideas, new energy, and new innovations. This couldn’t be a more accurate statement to describe Steven’s many contributions over the years.

As I step away from Respawn, it’s important to let you know how much everyone at the studio and I appreciate the fans and this passionate community. Without you, this whole making games thing just doesn’t work. And we’ve accomplished some truly extraordinary things together, from integrating fan art into the game to seeing the community bring Apex Legends stories to life on Twitter. It’s been an absolute joy to watch the game and community grow.

To Vince and the entire team at Respawn, making great games isn’t easy and it’s been an honor to create these worlds and experiences with you. I’m so proud of all that we’ve built together and excited about the possibilities these franchises hold for years to come.

Even after all this time, I feel like a kid leaving the nest, and, as corny as it sounds, leaving a family behind. I’ll be bringing the experience and lessons learned from this incredible group to everything I do down the road. It will probably be tough to see the game continue to thrive and succeed in my absence, but that’s a good thing. So, I’m looking forward to the great things this team will achieve as they take Apex to the next level and further than we thought was possible when this journey first started. You can bet I’ll be cheering from the sidelines along the way.

-Chad Grenier’