Apex Legends lore book reveals the original game was plagued by campers

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The original Apex Games used to go on for days at a time thanks to campers

Apex Legends
(Image credit: EA/Respawn)

A new Apex Legends book has revealed that even the Apex Games themselves developed a problem with camping players when they were originally conceived.

Just below, you can see a snapshot from a new Apex Legends book dedicated to the lore behind Respawn's battle royale game, called Pathfinder's Book. In the book, there's an interview with Wattson, whose father actually designed and developed the ring in which the Apex Games take place. In the interview, Wattson casually mentions that the original Apex Games used to go on for days at a time, due to the fact that players would "camp" and wait for prey to come along.

Wait WHAT from r/ApexLore

In fact, the Apex Games went by a very different name during their first iteration: the Thunderdome Games (no relation to Mad Max). Back in this phase, there was no ring closing in on the surviving players, meaning anyone could sit back in any location for the entirety of the game without any pressure whatsoever to move.

Apparently, the Thunderdome Games were watched over by none other than Blisk, who you might remember as the primary antagonist of Titanfall 2's single player campaign. It's really interesting to note that the Apex Games began life as an entirely different battle royale game, and even that the developers at Respawn fleshed out the backstory of the arena in this fashion.

In a more up to date version of Apex Legends, we're right around the corner from Respawn's battle royale game launching on the Nintendo Switch. Next week on March 9, the Apex Games will finally come to Nintendo's handheld console, and if any newcomers purchase the current Season 8 Battle Pass on the new platform, they'll be rewarded with 30 tiers for free, seeing as how they'd be joining the fight slightly later than other platforms.

If you're thinking about getting Respawn's game when it launches on Switch next week, head over to our list of essential Apex Legends tips for more.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.