The how and why of Apex Legends' first trans character
Last year, Respawn Entertainment introduced the first trans character to Apex Legends, the defensive conjurer Catalyst.
While one might assume the name represented the studio's hope that the character would accelerate changing attitudes towards trans acceptance in games and culture more broadly, Respawn lead writer Ashley Reed tells us the character's name actually sprung more from a brainstorming session around her in-game abilities, which are the result of a chemical reaction she creates in ferrofluid.
"One of our former designers was like, 'Oh, like a Catalyst?' and we were like, 'That's a cool word'," Reed recalls.
Everyone on the team loved it, the legal team quickly signed off on it, and it worked from a gameplay perspective as well, with players able to quickly and easily communicate in-game to say what "a Cat" on the other team is doing and be readily understood.
From our discussion with Reed, Respawn 3D character artist Mirim Lee, and Catalyst voice actor Mel Grant, it's clear the rest of the creation process behind Apex Legends' first trans character was considerably more deliberate.
"Apex has been really dedicated to creating a diverse cast because we think it's very important," Reed says. "This is something that takes place in the future, and it's both the future of our world would reflect the diversity we see in the world today, and what we hope for in the future.
"It can almost be simplified down to 'Because we wanted to.' I think that's essentially the answer, and it's because we had that grounding in wanting to have a diverse cast."
Once the decision was made to add a trans Legend to the game, Respawn wanted to make sure it was done right. Early production on Catalyst was done with trans
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