Quads Unlikely to Become Permanent Mode, Per Apex Legends Dev

Respawn Entertainment design director Jason McCord explained why Apex Legends doesn't have quads as a playable mode Friday, saying that many players would have a negative effect on the game's readability.

McCord, writing on the Apex Legends subreddit under his username Monsterclip, started his response by saying that there are no current plans to include a Quads game mode.

"Trios is the magic number for us," McCord wrote. "That's when the legend composition really shines and the X-Men vs Avengers fantasy starts to shine through." McCord also mentioned that the development team tested quads, but said that with that many players, "the combat becomes nearly untrackable. It's chaotic in a negative way."

"This wouldn't be a total deterrent for a limited time mode if the rest of the game wasn't designed around Trios," McCord continued. "Our lobby, for example, is designed for 3 people. Our loot distribution is designed for 3 people per squad. Even something like the banners placed around the map don't have room for a 4th."

Most other battle royale games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS all queue squads of four players. Since the release of Apex Legends in February 2019, the game has always queued a squad of three people. A duos game mode has appeared periodically as a limited-time mode, but trios remains the only permanent mode of play.