Apex Legends Season 2 Includes Map Changes And New Character; Details Coming Before E3

Respawn will share the first concrete details of Apex Legends Season 2 at the EA Play event taking place just before E3 in June. A statement from the company acknowledges some of the shortcomings of this first season battle pass and goes on to tease some of the new content that will be coming, including the first changes to the map.

"We've seen all the feedback on Season 1 and look forward to showing you the improvements we're making," the studio said in a note on the EA blog. "For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon... and you didn't expect Kings Canyon to stay the same forever, did you?"

The seasonal roadmap also said that Season 2 would begin in June, so there likely won't be much time between the announcement and the update. The roadmap had also suggested new characters, items, and weapons would roll out in addition to each season's battle pass. But Respawn hasn't spoken much about changing the map--something that's been a big part of Fortnite's seasonal updates, with major new areas and elements being introduced in lieu of an entirely new map (as we've seen in PUBG).

This is part of the studio's new commitment, as stated in the blog, to "provide more visibility into the future." That doesn't mean we'll hear about everything, they warn, but it's attempting to be more transparent and put out "fewer surprise drops."

Also along those lines, it explained the current studio slate and how it's prioritizing its projects. Respawn is currently split into two teams working on Apex Legends and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. But to keep from stretching itself too thin, the studio is pushing back its plans for future Titanfall games. This would seem to suggest that it's no longer planning to put out multiple games this year.

A recent report claimed that Fortnite, Apex's chief competitor which offers weekly content drops along with larger seasonal changes, has developed a culture of crunch because of the sheer workload of such frequent updates. Without mentioning Fortnite by name, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella said that Apex will stick with seasonal drops, referencing "quality of life for the team."

EA won't be holding a traditional press conference again this year, but will be holding its EA Play event the week prior. Check out our full roundup of all the press conferences scheduled for this year's event.