Respawn Opens New Studio With Focus on Apex Legends

It's been ten years since Respawn Entertainment opened its doors. After a decade of development, Respawn is riding high on the success of multiple games, and it's decided to expand out into a new studio to reflect that.

Announced via GamesIndustry.biz, Respawn is opening a Vancouver studio that's focused on the continued development of Apex Legends. The team has already set up shop in EA Vancouver's offices and has existed for around eight months, though now it will expand with external hires.

Though the new studio is focusing on Apex, that doesn't mean the future of Respawn's California office is centered solely on the battle royale too. COO Dusty Welch hints at things to come for the traditionally FPS-oriented division, which has recently started to branch out with games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

"But look, you've got Star Wars out there—that's a huge passion for [Vince Zampella] and I—and we love all kinds of different games, and we'll continue to think about ways to expand," Welch told GI.biz. "But right now, for at least our team here [in Vancouver], Apex is a huge focus and a great opportunity."

What's next doesn't look to be a new Titanfall, though the door's open for Respawn to continue exploring new areas. Fallen Order was a massively successful game, even in the realm of Star Wars games like Battlefront.

We're likely to learn more about what Respawn is up to at this year's EA Play, which is going all-digital due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Whatever it might be, it'll now have the weight of two studios backing it. The future is looking pretty bright for Respawn.