Apex Legends Season 9 Is A Return To The Storytelling Respawn Loves, Says Senior Writer

In a long and insightful Twitter thread, Respawn senior writer Tom Casiello said that Apex Legends Season 9 marks the return of the type of storytelling that the team loves. He refers to Season 9's story, titled The Legacy Antigen, as an "umbrella story."

"I started writing [The Legacy Antigen] back in September, right around the time 'Family Portrait' began in Season 7, and I made the decision to put EVERYTHING I had into this story," Casiello tweeted.

"It's a return to the storytelling our team loves: the umbrella story. Where all are involved. Everyone has a role to play. We can't do this every season, of course. With in-game comics limited to seven panels a week, giving 20 characters their own spotlight is impossible."

To cover additional ground, Apex Legends' story will be told in two different ways over the course of Season 9. The whole story will be 20 chapters (plus a prologue) with in-game seven-page comics released every Tuesday and additional community comics released every Thursday or Friday.

While the in-game comics focus on the core cast of legends that are seeking a cure for the dangerous infection that's reached Olympus, the community comics will inform readers about what all the other legends are doing at the same time.

"You CAN read the in-game comic without the community comics, and understand that part of the story," Casiello clarified in a follow-up tweet. "Likewise, you CAN read the community comics and NOT the in-game comics, and understand that part of the story. But you won't get the WHOLE story if you don't read BOTH."

"Technically this is the 10th season (Remember Season 0?), so Legacy Antigen also gave us a chance to take care of some dangling plot threads. Put some things to bed. Start some new stories. We wanted you to meet characters we've been talking about for years."

Casiello added that The Legacy Antigen will be his swan song as he will be departing Respawn. Casiello has had a hand in shaping a lot Apex Legends' story, hired to the writing team seven months prior to the game's release.

"So what happens now?" he tweeted. "I promise you, the game is in good hands. The lore will go on (albeit not in ways I thought it would). What I know of the rest of the year is gangbusters good, and I can't wait to watch it play out as 'just a player.'"

Apex Legends Season 9 is one of the game's most transformative seasons to date, as seen in the Season 9 patch notes. The season adds playable character Valkyrie, team deathmatch mode Arenas, the Bocek bow, and a whole lot more.