EA: Apex Legends' Retention Is Due In Part To Ping System Reducing Toxicity
Electronic Arts' Chief Marketing Officer Chris Bruzzo had a lot to say about toxicity in his company's game in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. Most of it reads like the usual platitudes a game company puts forth at times when there's a focus on toxicity in games and other cultural venues: We don't accept it, we're working hard to combat it, etc. I won't be too cynical because, honestly, I can't remember the last time I faced hardcore toxicity in a game -- though maybe that's because I'm male. I know it's still an issue for others, but it's possible that whatever measures EA, and other companies, are taking, are working in a manner that's not entirely visible to players and at least cutting down on the number of incidents.
What I will focus on are Bruzzo's comments regarding Apex Legends, especially its ping system. At the time of its launch, we theorized that the reason the system was in place was to allow players to communicate in a way that doesn't include voice chat, and the issues that often come with that. He said that Respawn specifically designed the system "to eliminate opportunity for toxicity." All the interaction options, from the ping system to the conversation wheel "makes the game fun and feel very social, with lots of interactions, but no toxicity."
Bruzzo thinks that's correlated to better performance for the battle royale title. He mentioned that Apex has "excellent retention" and that's due to not only the quality of the game itself but "how positive the community is based on some really strong feature decisions that Respawn made." The ping system, or a variation thereof, has since been adopted by many other games, probably more for its in-game utility than its tendency to cut down on toxicity, but that might be a beneficial side effect.
About the Author

Jason Winter is a veteran gaming journalist, he brings a wide range of experience to MMOBomb, including two years with Beckett Media where he served as the editor of the leading gaming magazine Massive Online Gamer. He has also written professionally for several gaming websites.
You May Enjoy
Square Enix Announces Closure Of Long-Running, But Barely-Known, MMORPG Fantasy Earth Zero
Players will still be able to spend some time on the game before the company brings the servers down.
By QuintLyn Bowers - 1 week agoRock On As New World’s PTR Goes Live Today Allowing Players To Partake In More Aeternum Fun
Players with musical talent can look forward to the inclusion of 5 new instruments.
By Aspen Pash - 2 days agoMarvel's Avengers War Table Weekly Update Teases Mighty Thor: Jane Foster Answering The Call
As always, don’t miss out on this week’s free item.
By Aspen Pash - 1 day agoGenshin Impact Reveals "Kuki Shinobu: Jack Of All Trades" Character Demo, Banner Set To Launch In Update 2.7
This is the game's next four-star Electro character.
By Anthony Jones - 1 week agoDICE Says It's "Difficult" To Remove Russian Forces From Battlefield 2042 Despite Ongoing Ukraine Invasion
"What we have done is an audit of the game and try to be as sensitive as we can."
By Anthony Jones - 4 days agoWorld Of Warships Debuts Faroe Islands Map In New Update, Brings Back Convoy Mode And Transformers Collab
There's also some visual improvements for several U.S. destroyer models.
By Anthony Jones - 1 week ago
Discussion (1)