Apex Legends Studio Loses A Founding Member

Drew McCoy, one of the founding members of Titanfall and Apex Legends studio Respawn, has left the company. He announced the news on Twitter, saying he will "absolutely cherish" his time at studio.

McCoy worked at Call of Duty 4 studio Infinity Ward before he--along with many others--followed Infinity Ward founders Vince Zampella and Jason West to their new studio, Respawn, in 2010.

"I'll miss the people the most--the daily arguments, successes, failures, and everything in between," McCoy said. He said he's "not sure where [he's] going yet," though he teased he will likely stay in the gaming industry.

McCoy was the lead producer on the original Titanfall before rising to senior producer for Titanfall 2. He became an executive producer for Respawn's battle royale game, Apex Legends, and in that position he oversaw the game's direction and scheduling, in addition to its creative direction.

McCoy departs from Respawn not long after producer Christina Sanchez, who left the company to join God of War studio Sony Santa Monica at the end of 2019.

Both McCoy and Sanchez left Respawn--which is owned by EA--following the breakout success of Apex Legends. Respawn most recently released Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which sold better than expected, and is also working on a Medal of Honor game for virtual reality.

Respawn founder Vince Zampella is now heading up DICE LA while remaining the CEO of Respawn.