Apex Legends has an extensive cast of characters, and while some may share similarities and origins, the truth is they are as diverse as they come. Easily, the list of LGBTQIA+ characters in Apex Legends is longer than most games. Bloodhound is non-binary, Catalyst is transgender, Gibraltar is gay, Loba is bisexual, Seer and Fuse are pansexual, and Valkyrie is lesbian. And, while it's unknown what's currently in Respawn's pipelines, it seems safe to say that more will grace the game in the relatively near future.
In a recent interview with Narrative Lead Ashley Reed, she spoke with Game ZXC about how Apex Legends has made a point to create an air of authenticity when it comes to developing LGBTQIA+ characters. The diverse characters are the crux of the game and provide a level of relatability that is unique.
Apex Legends aims to deliver a message of welcome and recognition to LGBTQIA+ players, whenever and wherever they may boot up the game. Through its diverse characters, inclusive storylines, and commitment to authentic representation, the game provides a space where players from the community can feel seen and appreciated. Apex Legends invites LGBTQIA+ players to immerse themselves in its dynamic world, celebrating their identity while enjoying the thrilling gameplay experience. As Reed explained,
“We wanted to include characters with all different kinds of lives and identities, to show the breadth of human experience as we see it today and our hopes for how people of all different stripes will be seen in the future."
The diverse and inclusive roster of characters in Apex Legends reflects the game's commitment to representing a queer-positive atmosphere. Reed explains that the game is set in the future, and while it may not be perfect, it strives to imagine a world where many of the struggles faced today have been overcome. Including characters with different lives and identities allows Apex Legends to convey a hopeful vision of acceptance and diversity. “Apex Legends takes place in the future of our own world, which means a couple of things for us: we want it to reflect the world we see, and also our hopes for the future,” Reed said. “It’s an imperfect place, but we’d like to hope that many of the struggles we experience today on Earth are not ongoing 700 years in the future.
These characters often showcase these identities through dialogue, as many know, revealing different parts of themselves slowly and providing authenticity to their backgrounds. Deeper into that though, Reed explains the developers stylized the gameplay in this manner not only as a means to help the story along but also as a method to provide an authentic space where players could identify and relate to the characters. It's not a traditional single-player game, but even when skipping from one Apex Legends combat scenario to another, it's important players feel seen.
When it comes to authenticity, the team begins by focusing on the characters’ personalities. According to Reed, developing LGBTQIA+ characters with fleshed-out personalities, nuanced storylines, and relatable experiences is a priority for the team behind Apex Legends. Reed emphasizes that the character's personality comes first in the design process. Recognizing every queer journey differs from one individual to the next, the team focuses on creating characters who feel like authentic individuals rather than mere facsimiles of identity. This approach ensures that characters are well-rounded and avoids reducing them to stereotypes. By prioritizing personality, Apex Legends succeeds in crafting diverse and relatable LGBTQIA+ characters.
“There is no singular queer experience–though there are some commonalities, queerness is a part of a person’s identity rather than the whole. When we design a character, we take their personality and make that our North star. We always look to their personality as we decide how different parts of their identity are expressed. That may mean a character represents one subgroup better than another, and it can hurt to think you’re not representing everyone entirely–but no single person can do that, anyway. That mindset helps us design characters that feel like nuanced and interesting individuals, rather than hodgepodges of unrelated ideas.”
Further, Reed explained that the development process for creating queer characters typically starts with interacting with developers with queer backgrounds. For developing Bloodhound, they ensured to interact with non-binary developers specifically. Later on in the process, Reed stated there is a follow-up consultation as the characters become more rounded and stable. After working with developers who share these identities, the consultation phase begins.
"...then [we] follow up with consultation as development solidifies (for example, Māui Studios for Mad Maggie and GLAAD for Catalyst ). It can be a challenge to avoid pitfalls that you may not be aware of when you’re creating a character–in Bloodhound’s case, it stuck out to me how much English depends on pronouns in everyday use and how writing Bloodhound made me think about pronouns differently. That’s why this process is important to help us avoid pitfalls we otherwise might have missed."
Many fans of Apex Legends have become invested in the relationships between characters, which shows just how important this is. Details like Bloodhound and Fuse's romance, or Loba and Valkyrie's relationship, make these characters feel even more authentic to themselves. The game's ability to tease and hint at relationships, leaving fans to speculate and theorize, adds an extra layer of excitement and engagement to the gameplay. Truly, it would seem that fans may never know where their personal stories go, and that's true of each and every character—of anyone in real life too, really.
Looking ahead, many fans may have wondered if there are plans for future trans characters in Apex Legends after the introduction of Catalyst. While Reed cannot comment on specific plans, the team is excited to see the fans' anticipation and investment in the future of Apex Legends. Ultimately, it's clear that Apex envisions the future and, for many folks, that future is queer. In that, they are welcomed, represented, and loved, as everyone should be.
Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
