Kings Canyon may be returning to unranked matches in Apex Legends

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Apex Legends players may soon have two maps to choose from

(Image credit: Respawn Entertainment)

We already knew Kings Canyon is returning to Apex Legends next month for ranked play, but it looks like unranked squads mode may be getting the map back too. This leak comes via @That1MiningGuy on Twitter who has a history of correctly identifying unannounced Apex Legends content from his data mining efforts. 

In a tweet, he hinted at what he found though didn’t get too specific about what exactly led him to believe the original map will be available all over. “Judging by some things found today - I can say that I do believe Kings Canyon will be available for both Ranked and Squads whenever the split happens. It will likely be the Season 2 version. - not a confirmation on either, just a likelihood due to code.”

The “split” he refers to is the ranked mode divide that will have the first half of Ranked Series 3 take place in Worlds Edge, while the second half, running from March 24 to May 5, will return to the game’s roots with Kings Canyon. Until now, it was believed that only ranked play would see the return of the original map, but apparently we should expect differently. Respawn has yet to comment on the news and maybe won’t until they have an official announcement to make. 

Battle royale maps have been handled differently by different studios. In Fortnite, Chapter 2 introduced a brand new map which took the place of the original map, though both have been known to receive makeovers over time due to seasonal content. In PUBG, players currently have four maps to choose from and will soon have five. The recent addition of PUBG’s smallest map, the Tatooine-like Karakin, also backburnered snowy Vikendi while the studio works on improving it. It may be the case that soon Apex players will have their choice of two maps when they drop in.

Apex Legends season 4 proves the genre can still be a vehicle for inventive storytelling. 

Mark Delaney
Freelance Journalist

Mark Delaney is a prolific copywriter and journalist. Having contributed to publications like GamesRadar+ and Official Xbox Magazine, writing news, features, reviews, and guides, he has since turned his eye to other adventures in the industry. In 2019, Mark became OpenCritic's first in-house staff writer, and in 2021 he became the guides editor over at GameSpot.