Hot Drop is GameSpot’s Apex Legends column, through which Jordan Ramée takes a better have a look at Respawn’s battle royale to supply further perception into the sport’s evolution, in addition to dive deeper into its episodic storytelling and characters.

Man, I have not written a Hot Drop in a sizzling minute. And for that, I apologize. Y’all deserve common alternatives to get within the feedback and inform me how absurd my many Apex Legends’ theories are, or how I’m 100% appropriate in my prediction that the Apex Games are transferring to the moon of Seer’s residence planet, Boreas, in Season 15. To make up for my absence, let’s discuss one thing spicy, like Apex Legends Mobile lore.

Apex Legends Mobile has been a difficult subject for Apex Legends lore hounds as a result of it seemingly goes towards a whole lot of the established historical past and storyline of Respawn’s battle royale. In Apex Legends Mobile, the legends battle on the unique variations of Kings Canyon and World’s Edge, which makes little sense given how each have been frequently destroyed and rebuilt over the seasons within the console/PC sport.

Some of us initially theorized that Apex Legends Mobile might happen up to now, previous to the devastation that occurred on these maps in Apex Legends. But that may’t be the case, provided that the legends first traveled to World’s Edge as a result of Kings Canyon had been partially destroyed and wanted to be rebuilt. And Loba, who was added to Apex Legends Mobile post-launch, coincided with the destruction of Skull Town and Thunderdome on Kings Canyon. Yet, when you play Apex Legends Mobile, each landmarks proceed to face.

It definitely does not assist that Apex Legends Mobile has unique legends–Fade and Rhapsody–which begs the query as to why they have not factored into Apex Legends’ story up up to now and proceed to be ignored of each subsequent Quest storyline, Twitter comedian, and cinematic trailer.

For all intents and functions, Apex Legends Mobile and Apex Legends seem like part of utterly completely different universes. Which, granted, might be the case, provided that the Titanfall universe has a multiverse of realities due to Apex Legends. However, I believe it is extra enjoyable to think about that the 2 video games do exist inside the similar universe.

After all, why else would Apex Legends Mobile lead author Mike Rosenthal inform me that his workforce and the Apex Legends writing workforce share their work with each other? “We share our work and search suggestions throughout each step of growth,” Rosenthal mentioned. “This helps guarantee our new characters match properly inside the established Apex universe.” If you are placing within the effort to make the lore and characters of two video games work inside the similar area, I believe it warrants attempting to make the 2 of them match inside the similar universe–even if the maps and characters appear to be implying the alternative.

The greatest clarification for a way the 2 video games match collectively is that Apex Legends Mobile’s maps aren’t actual, and are as a substitute digital battlegrounds created as some form of coaching discipline for the legends and would-be Apex Games contributors.

In a tweet, Apex Legends world director Eduardo Agostini writes, “Now that we have established previous [point-of-interests] may be resurrected/rebuilt on this previous IMC Simulation Dome someplace within the Outlands, what previous POIs do you suppose ought to make a comeback–especially for a mode like Gun Run?”

The tweet is extra a name for gamers to say which of their favourite POIs which can be not in Apex Legends ought to make a return in future limited-time modes, just like the Beast of Prey Collection Event‘s Gun Run. It hasn’t been confirmed to be an official lore tweet, it is extra of an asking-for-feedback tweet. But I like the thought of contemplating this a lore tweet. We’ve already had a number of examples through the years of previous POIs returning to Apex Legends for a restricted time. We’ve even had whole maps which can be not within the sport come again, like the unique Kings Canyon and World’s Edge maps returning to Apex Legends throughout the Genesis Collection Event.

In hindsight, it ought to have been inconceivable to play as Loba on the unique Kings Canyon throughout the Genesis Collection Event, since she blew it up previous to that. But that is not an impossibility if the Syndicate has certainly orchestrated a digital coaching floor for the legends, appropriating an previous IMC Simulation Dome to resurrect long-gone POIs and maps. And then, now and again, broadcasting these coaching classes from that dome to the remainder of the Outlands as official Apex Games matches, that are those we play throughout limited-time occasions.

Such an evidence permits Apex Legends Mobile to raised match into the general lore of Apex Legends as a result of it recontextualizes what the cellular sport is. Matches within the cellular sport aren’t out on the earth on the true Kings Canyon and World’s Edge–these matches are all being held in an IMC Simulation Dome. It’s a completely separate league of the battle royale bloodsport that exists inside the Apex Legends universe, very like the NBA and EuroLeague are each skilled basketball leagues, however they’re completely separate competitions.

So when the likes of characters comparable to Loba and Crypto got here to Apex Legends Mobile as new characters, they weren’t doing in order brand-new opponents. They’ve been part of the Apex Games that exist on the very actual Kings Canyon, World’s Edge, Olympus, and Storm Point. But they’ve solely ever participated within the digital league in a restricted capability, seemingly as a way of coaching for the true deal. Now they’re within the digital league in a extra everlasting capability as official opponents.

If Apex Legends Mobile and Apex Legends cowl completely different leagues of the identical bloodsport, it will additionally clarify why Apex Legends Mobile has options like AI-controlled opponents that fill in sparse lobbies. It’s the digital league. Those completely AI-composed squads you run into which can be easy-as-heck to kill are opponents created by the simulation, virtually like a digital actuality coaching program.

It additionally explains why simulacrum characters like Revenant and Ash do not have boatloads to say a few character like Fade, who wears a simulacra go well with. Or why an acclaimed DJ like Rhapsody hasn’t stepped as much as speak to Vantage about her horrible music decisions. I do not suppose these characters take part in the identical league, and, as such, they seemingly do not run into one another all that usually. And it will clarify why Fade and Rhapsody aren’t within the cinematic trailers or Quest storylines for Apex Legends, as that is a complete completely different competitors from the one they battle in. I’m certain that is what they try for–Respawn cannot name Fade and Rhapsody “mobile-first legends” in all of the advertising materials after which count on me to not suppose they will not be within the console/PC sport one day–but for now, they’re solely ok for the digital competitors. Both video video games are the Apex Games, they’re simply completely different leagues of the Apex Games.

And till Respawn really steps up and explains how Apex Legends and Apex Legends Mobile are linked and exist inside the similar time and place, that is the reasoning I’m going with. But when you’ve got a greater concept, I’m all ears within the remark part beneath.