Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Apex Legends is one of many titles that was born out of the battle royale boom of the late 2010s. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, the game is set in the Titanfall universe and follows the standard battle royale formula. In the two years since its launch, Apex Legends has grown quite a faithful community, and has seen much evolution under the continued support of Respawn. However, pro players and streamers have grown tired of some lingering issues with the game, and are demanding answers.
The #SaveApexRanked movement was ignited when sweetdreams, a popular Twitch streamer and pro Apex player for NRG took to TwitLonger to air some grievances with the state of Apex Legends. “We are going into about the 8th or 9th consecutive month of cheating and ddosing being the principal issue facing the ranked ladder and its integrity,” he said in the post. Hackers in online games isn’t a new issue, but it’s been extremely prevalent, particularly in highly-ranked lobbies, for quite some time now.
The TwitLonger describes a sense of hopelessness that streamers feel when they log in everyday, completely at the mercy of rampant cheaters. Following the post, the #SaveApexRanked hashtag became filled with stories of problems encountered in Apex Legends’ ranked mode.
Sweetdreams also takes direct aim at Respawn Entertainment in his post, accusing the developers of “lying” and attempting to “fool” their player base. He even goes on to suggest some sort of system in which reputable streamers are granted the ability to suspend cheaters themselves.
Respawn Entertainment has yet to make a proper acknowledgement of the #SaveApexRanked movement, but the company’s Director of Communications did respond to the thread, stating “There are very valid complaints in here—we've gotta crack down on the cheating and make real progress. Actions are needed, not just words.”