Developer Respawn Entertainment has announced that cosmetic items in Apex Legends, made in a partnership with clothing brand Chinatown Market, will be delayed after the fashion company announced a major rebranding. The popular Los Angeles-based streetwear brand will be changing its name due to recent violence against the Asian American community, and it will announce its new name sometime in the coming months.
Apex Legends, Respawn Entertainment's free-to-play battle royale shooter, recently experienced a highly controversial launch on the Nintendo Switch. The game's Switch port was criticized for technical issues and poor graphics that were not present in previous releases. Apex Legends features cross-platform play across all consoles, including the Switch, but the Switch port suffers from a reduced frame rate and poor resolution which can hinder a player's ability to compete. The Switch version's poor quality is particularly noticeable when compared to the Xbox Series X, with that version boasting a far higher level of details in the game's map. Cross-platform play was used to directly compare what the two consoles are able to render, even as a Switch player spectates the exact same gameplay as an Xbox player.
Due to Chinatown Market's recently-announced rebranding, Respawn has delayed cosmetic items in Apex Legends that would have featured the brand. The developer announced this delay via Twitter, while also expressing support for the clothing brand's decision in the wake of recent attacks against Asian Americans. Respawn has assured fans that these cosmetic items, redesigned to fit Chinatown Market's new branding, will arrive in Apex Legends in the future.
While the Chinatown Market-branded cosmetics have been delayed, there is plenty of other Apex Legends content expected to arrive in the near future. One prominent leaker has claimed that the game will soon receive a playable character who can summon a Titan, the robotic warriors depicted in the Titanfall series. Apex Legends and Titanfall, both developed by Respawn Entertainment, take place within the same sci-fi universe, but have yet to formally cross over. Blisk, a reoccurring non-player character in both titles, has supposedly been leaked as an upcoming Apex Legends champion with the ability to summon a Titan ally.
Violence against Asian Americans has risen dramatically in recent months, with many attributing this dark trend to fears and misconceptions around the COVID-19 virus. Chinatown Market's decision to rebrand following these attacks is admirable, and Respawn Entertainment showing solidarity with the clothing brand is very important. Now is an essential time to show support for the Asian American community, and obviously cosmetic items in a video game should not stand in the way of that goal.
Apex Legends is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and PC.
Source: Respawn Entertainment