Apex Legends dev has "nothing concrete" to say about Wildcard badge controversy

I don't think anybody expected a new permanent mode to be added to Apex Legends with Season 26. I'm not sure anybody expected the vibe-killer that is daytime E-District either, but developer Respawn surprised us on both accounts. Wildcard is here, and has changed the game. It stays true to the fundamentals of Apex's battle royale DNA, but reduces the map size, the number of players, and allows you to continuously respawn so long as one of your teammates is alive. It's a big change for the shooter, so two developers took part in an 'Ask Me Anything' on Reddit to field fans' questions and shed some light on the mode.

"Wildcard is here to stay," a senior technical game designer who was named only as Chris writes in response to one positive fan. He also explains that the development team intends to keep the mode "feeling fresh" with new events and changes over the course of the season.

That's par for the course with most multiplayer games these days, but the Apex Legends developers are committed to supporting this new mode. However, Chris and his colleague Kevin, also a senior technical game designer, also fielded some tougher questions.

One player asks whether we'd see tweaks to Legend abilities in the mode, as some are stronger than others when respawning with refreshed abilities. However, Chris shut this idea down, saying that they "currently don't have any plans to perform Wildcard Legend balancing."

Other players feel aggrieved that badges are now easier to attain. As people respawn quickly in Wildcard, you can quickly rack up 4,000 damage or 20 kills and earn a badge for each. These were previously far more difficult to get, and players who grinded in public lobbies or smurfed in ranked are gutted that regular players have a chance at glory. However, the official Apex Legends Reddit account says, "While there's nothing concrete we can share on the potential of future badges at the moment, we're excited for how we can continue to evolve this going forward."

The AMA is a great insight into how Respawn developed this mode. Nearly every decision that was made was intended to "streamline" the game. However, it's when the developers let slip little nuggets about the future of the format that things get really exciting.

Respawn is planning to add more maps to Wildcard in the future, although it won't say which ones and in what order. As a bona-fide Kings Canyon Hater, this pleases me greatly. However, Kevin also mentions other guns that may come to the mode. "As for EPGs and Throwing Knives, well, that sounds really cool doesn't it," he wrote, followed by a winking face. Could we see missile launchers return to Apex Legends? It seems likely.

Wildcard is Apex Legends' latest attempt to remain at the top of our best battle royale games list (it's not ranked in any particular order). Make sure you eke out every frame you can with one of the best gaming monitors, too.

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