Apex Legends giving out badges to honor Black History Month, BLM

Olivia Richman Published 04/02/2021

Respawn Entertainment is acknowledging the importance of Black History Month with a new iconic badge. 

The bold black and gold badge features the Black Lives Matter symbol of a raised fist. The symbol was first brought to life by the Black Panther Party, which was formed in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The salute between members soon became a gesture of strength and solidarity. 

The Black Lives Matter movement, co-founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi in 2013, started using the fist as its symbol in 2014 after Michael Brown was shot to death by police in Ferguson at just 18 years of age. To some, the symbol took on a new meaning at that point: “hands up, don’t shoot.” It’s become popular in protests, including the recent murder of George Floyd in 2020. 

“[The badge] is a small reminder that we must always stand in solidarity with our black colleagues, partners, family, friends, and players in the fight against racism and social injustice,” Apex Legends’ official account tweeted. 

Respawn’s development director Tim Lewinson shared the powerful badge on his Twitter ahead of every player receiving a badge of their own. 

“Working together with this team, creating this in-game badge to honor the fight for Black Lives Matter as part of Apex Legends has been one of the BEST experiences of my career,” Lewinson said.

He stated that he was proud to “work with accomplices, not just allies.”

The gesture from Apex Legends was met with general approval from the game’s community. TSM clapped in response to the announcement.

Some players saw fit to respond to the news with divisive messages. A few users brought up “all lives matter” in response to Respawn’s BLM celebration. Some even threatened to stop playing the game in response to the gesture by Apex Legends’ development team. 

Players can obtain the limited edition badge simply by logging into Apex Legends. It will be available throughout the entire month of February. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

Twitch

iiTzTimmy starts seven-game FPS challenge on Twitch Khizar Mundia Timothy “iiTzTimmy” has just started a new FPS challenge where he has to play seven different first-person shooters, and the streamer has begun with a bang on Twitch. iiTzTimmy is a well-known name in the Apex Legends scene because of his stint as a professional player and remarkable solo mode gameplay. He has since transitioned to streaming, but the American is still known for Apex Legends, mainly because the streamer ...

Apex Legends

What is ordnance in Apex Legends? Olivia Richman Team fights are core to Apex Legends, and ordnance can make or break these intense clashes. While Apex Legends may not be as popular as it once was, the game's colorful lore and fast-paced gameplay have continued to excite battle royale fans. Even as competitors like Marvel Rivals and Valorant continue to grow, Apex Legends maintains a steadfast fanbase. One of the biggest reasons for Apex Legends' success is its ...

Apex Legends

Apex’s Bloodhound and Fuse are getting married; here’s their story M Alzamora Someone grab the confetti! It looks like Bloodhound and Fuse may be the first characters in the Apex Legends universe to get married in-game. Although Apex Legends is considered by some to be a dying game, the team still seems to be putting effort into storylines between Legends. Bloodhound and Fuse are two of the many playable characters, each with their own skill set. Bloodhound is a recon character, able ...

Apex Legends

Did Apex Legends rank reset come early? William Davis Respawn recently shipped significant changes to Apex Legends rank reset, but the duration of each split remained the same. However, that’s not the case for players who have lost their ranked progress in Apex Legends Season 22. Apex Legends is no stranger to progress lost bugs. All in-game items and ranked progress were wiped out in April in a game-breaking bug. While everything was restored, the bug caused a lot ...

Apex Legends

Here’s how Apex Legends rank rest work in Season 22 Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Impactful changes to legends and ranked play are coming in Apex Legends Season 22. The latest update to Apex Legends dubbed the "Shockwave" patch, brings with it a significant overhaul to the game's ranked play system. The new season reset rules aim to provide a more balanced and competitive experience for players of all skill levels. Previously, Ranked underwent a complete reset at the start of each season and a ...

Apex Legends

Apex Legends player count drops, Steam reviews remain negative Fariha Bhatti Apex Legends players are concerned as the game declines both in popularity and player count. Respawn's Season 22 changes to Apex Legends battle pass had left players with a sour taste. Eventually, the developer reverted those changes, allowing them to purchase the battle pass with their hard-earned Apex Coins again, but that's something that has left them with a grudge. Despite the run back, the Apex Legends Steam page is ...

Apex Legends

Apex Legends community threatens to quit over pricey battle pass changes Fariha Bhatti Apex Legends players are threatening to quit the game over the new battle pass changes announced for Season 22. On July 8, EA revealed a new structure for the Apex Legends battle pass, one that requires players to spend more money for more rewards. However, the players aren't sold. According to the community, this is EA's way of milking the fanbase since battle passes are typically sold at $10 in ...