Respawn Entertainment, the developers behind popular battle royale Apex Legends, have no plans to add a quad queue mode to the game. Apex has relied on trio and duo queue modes since its release, with solo mode appearing only occasionally. The game has never added a four-player queue option, with one developer now explaining why.
The question was posed on a Reddit thread, where user dmarti14 asked when they could expect a quads mode to be added. Apex Legends design director Jason “monsterclip” McCord came in to answer, saying, “we don’t have any plans to release quads." McCord explains that trios is the “magic number” for Respawn, as that’s where team legend composition “really shines.” He compares the trio battles to an “X-Men vs Avengers” fight.
Apex Legends seems set up for four-person teams, as the game allows 60 players in each game. Other popular battle royale titles, like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Call of Duty: Warzone, have (or have had) four-player queue options. The Apex Legends development team tested quad queue early in the development process, ultimately deciding that it wasn’t right for the game. “When you play quads, which we tested early on,” McCord says, “the combat becomes nearly untrackable. It's chaotic in a negative way.”
McCord also explains how Apex Legends isn’t set up for a four-player lobby. The lobby screen itself is “designed for three people,” as is the game’s loot distribution. He also says the banners placed around the map - which show squads currently playing in the game - “don’t have room for a fourth.” The design director admits these issues are all “technically solvable,” but that the Apex Legends team still has no plans to add quads, calling trios the “sweet spot.”
Apex Legends just began its seventh in-game season, titled “Ascension.” The new season update brings in the game’s newest legend, Horizon, and her trusty robot sidekick, Newt. Season seven also brings new map Olympus, and the game’s first-ever drivable vehicles. Apex Legends is also now available to download via Steam.
Apex Legends season seven is expected to last for around three months. The Ascension update is available to download now.
Source: Reddit