Apex Legends' first map gets its biggest update yet

polygon.com:

Great news for fans of battle royale games and giant monster skulls: Apex Legendsis reworking its iconic original map, Kings Canyon, to restore its giant monster skull to its rightful place of prominence.

In Apex Legends' new season, «Hunted,» which begins next week, the new «Reforged» version of the Kings Canyon map will debut, bringing a host of changes with it. In addition to a bunch of redesigned areas meant to reduce the amount of two-party firefights interrupted by a third, the map resurrects the Skulltown region of the map (destroyed in season 5) and re-introduces it as Relic, a more open version of the previously tightly contained zone.

Like a lot of live service games, Apex Legends maps frequently receive a number of tweaks and updates, but «Hunted» is being pitched by developer Respawn Entertainment as an opportunity to address a lot of community feedback on Kings Canyon. Hopefully it feels substantial when the new season launches.

And, as with every prior new season, a new Legend will be joining the fray. Players will get to purchase the sniper-focused hero Vantage when the new season launches. As a character whose kit seems entirely based on supporting the team from a distance, it's very possible she'll shine on this reworked version of Kings Canyon.

The new Apex Legends season, «Hunted,» kicks off on Aug. 9.