Respawn Entertainment's Apex Legends is getting the tabletop treatment as the company announces an official board game. Whether it's Wordle or a Lord of the Rings tabletop RPG based on Dungeons and Dragons 5e, board games based on popular games aren't exactly new. But the new board game will be a first for both Apex Legends and Respawn.
While tabletop games may have been traditionally a niche compared to the mainstream gaming industry, the genre appears to be growing in popularity over the years. For instance, back in June 2022, Cyberpunk 2077 board game launched on Kickstarter where it surpassed its $100,000 goal in a matter of hours. Of course, it's unclear how the reception will be for a board game based on a battle royale. Though if the passionate fanbases are anything to go by, it's that something on the scale of Apex Legends is likely to garner a lot of attention from gamers.
Respawn Entertainment, in partnership with Glass Cannon Unplugged, has announced the official Apex Legends: The Board Game with the Kickstarter campaign scheduled to kick off on May 17. As per the announcement, it's described as a "highly competitive, intensely tactical team vs team miniatures game" intended for two to four players where expansions could see the addition of more players. While it may not be among the most time-consuming tabletop games, each session will take around an hour. Here, each player will take on the role of one of four legends from Bangalore, Bloodhound, Wraith, and Gibraltar.
According to Glass Cannon Unplugged, the Apex Legends board game has been in development for two years in its attempt to recreate the hero shooter in board game format. The tabletop game studio's CEO Jakub Wisniewski describes Apex Legends: The Board Game not as a single game, but as something designed to welcome newcomers to the hobby and crafted in a way that it could "include organized play at some later stages." From a long-term perspective, Glass Cannon hopes for a growing line of modular maps and interchangeable Legends. Fans expecting more details may have to wait until the Kickstarter campaign launches in May.
Of course, Apex Legends isn't the only franchise that's currently looking to take the form of a board game. Late last year, another Kickstarter campaign sought funding to bring The Last of Us to life as a board game, titled The Last of Us: Escape the Dark. The campaign managed to exceed its £120,000 ($145,344) goal in less than 24 hours. While it remains to be seen how the Apex Legends board game will be received, recent fund-raising campaigns for other popular gaming franchises may come as an encouraging sign for both Glass Cannon and Respawn.
