Indie Studio Makes A Bold Claim About Apex Legends' New Character
As you probably know by now, Apex Legends Season 8 launches on Feb. 2, and is set to feature a new legend named Fuse, who sports an eyepatch, a moustache, striped hair, and a new weapon. However, indie developer NOWWA claimed that Fuse is heavily inspired by — if not a direct ripoff of — its own character, Hunter, who is set to appear in its upcoming game, BulletVille.
Developers from NOWWA said they met with Electronic Arts in October and November of 2020 to playtest BulletVille for possible publication by the gaming giant's EA Originals brand. The design for Hunter has been public since May 2019, when NOWWA tweeted about the character's appearance, and followed it up in June with a look at a 3D model. Meanwhile, the concept for Fuse allegedly looked very different one year ago according to a Reddit post that showcases a guy in a suit so bulky it obscures any of his actual features.
In a statement that NOWWA released to multiple media sources, the developer said, "We are happy that the Apex Legends team liked Hunter's style to the point of wanting to recreate it in Apex Legends — we were even hoping for an eventual crossover! Nonetheless, we are afraid that, as a small indie game producer whose game hasn't been launched yet, we'll be called a ripoff of Apex Legends, which is certainly not true."
The two characters have a lot of common elements, including biker-style clothing, a belt of grenades, a rocket launcher, gloves, a necklace, a vest, leg holsters, a red and gray color scheme, and other characteristics. Whether they're similar enough that Apex Legends can (or should) be accused of stealing the character from the other company is up in the air, though, as these features aren't necessarily unique. Based on its statement, all the publicity NOWWA has generated may be more of a preemptive effort to inform the gaming public that it didn't steal a game design from a larger and more popular IP in an effort to make a profit.
EA and Respawn Entertainment have yet to respond to numerous media inquiries regarding NOWWA's accusations, and it's uncertain if they will at all. Meanwhile, BulletVille will release in Q2 or Q3 2021. The free-to-play, multiplayer, third-person shooter and platformer is set for a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and mobile launch.