Some controversy is brewing as EA and Apex Legends approach the Season 8 release date for the battle royale. Earlier this week, EA revealed a first look at the Season 8 content. A new legend, Fuse, and weapon, the 30-30 Repeater, were both included in the reveal video. However, the former has stirred up a major controversy in the industry. As soon as Fuse was revealed, a development company known as NOWWA accused Apex Legends of ripping off one of its characters. NOWWA develops a small indie game, BulletVille, and features a main character who looks almost identical to Fuse.
NOWWA accuses Apex Legends of stealing the design for Fuse
Earlier in the week, Fuse was revealed to the community and received mostly positive feedback. He seems to have a unique Ultimate Ability and some characteristics that are lacking in the current lineup of legends. Season 8: Mayhem promises destruction and there doesn’t appear to be a better man suited for delivering that than Fuse.
Unfortunately, EA and Respawn Entertainment are being accused of ripping off the design for the explosive legend. NOWWA, the aforementioned development company, immediately came out and stated that Fuse looks far too similar to Hunter, the main character in the game BulletVille.
As you can see from the promotional image, Hunter and Fuse could be twins. Both feature an eyepatch, biker clothing, a string of gray hair, and a mustache, among other things. While some believe this could simply be a coincidence, NOWWA claims that EA playtested a version of BulletVille back in October of 2020.
Though it’s true Respawn Entertainment works on content well in advance, the design for Fuse seems all too coincidental. Both he and Hunter use a rocket launcher as their main weapon and, perhaps worse, both equip a skull for a belt buckle.
EA has yet to comment on the matter but a spokesperson for NOWWA had the following to say:
We are happy that the Apex Legends team liked Hunter’s style to the point of wanting to recreate it in Apex Legends – we were even hoping for an eventual crossover! Nonetheless, we are afraid that, as a small indie game producer whose game hasn’t been launched yet, we’ll be called a ripoff of Apex Legends, which is certainly not true.
There’s no word on if any legal action will take place at this time. However, it’s likely NOWWA is awaiting a statement from EA before deciding anything further.
Make sure to stay tuned to Daily Esports for all updates on this story.
