Did Apex Legends Copy Fortnite? An In-Depth Investigation

As a hardcore gamer and content creator who has sunk countless hours into Fortnite, Apex Legends, and other top battle royale titles since their launch, I‘m often asked if Apex is just a Fortnite clone. While the two games share the last-player-standing format popularized by Fortnite and PUBG, Apex Legends showcases stellar FPS gameplay design tailored for squad competition – not copying Fortnite‘s blueprint.

Let‘s examine the evidence:

Launch Timelines: On the Shoulders of Giants

• Fortnite Battle Royale Early Access – September 2017
• Apex Legends Surprise Launch – February 2019

There’s no doubt that Fortnite has been the dominant face of battle royale games, bursting onto the scene in 2017 and amassing a staggering player base through 2022.

However, Apex Legends’ smooth movement, gunplay, and ability kits plausible takes inspiration from team-based hero shooters like Overwatch, Rainbow Six: Siege, Valorant rather than just mimicking Fortnite.

As an avid early player of both titles, Apex felt like a breath of fresh air to me by combining the addictive battle royale loop with foundations of a polished multiplayer FPS.

Let‘s Talk Numbers

Based on publicly available data, Apex Legends has charted its own path to becoming a gaming juggernaut:

Apex Legends‘ 50 million players in the first month show how an expertly crafted title can drive rapid organic adoption rather than piggybacking off existing audiences. While Fortnite enjoys greater total reach, Apex Legends has impressive player engagement given its later start.

Core Gameplay: Different Priorities

Despite the high-level similarities of dropping into a large map to scavenge weapons and fight to the last team standing, several design choices make the Apex Legends and Fortnite experiences drastically different.

Apex Legends Gameplay

• First-Person Perspective
• Hero Characters with Distinct Abilities
• Fluid Movement – Sliding, Wall Runs

Apex‘s core appeal lies in silky-smooth FPS gunplay and squad coordination using unique Legend abilities. Positioning, accuracy, and team chemistry win fights – not elaborate building structures.

Fortnite Gameplay

• Third-Person Perspective
• Cosmetic-Only Skins
• Building / Editing Structures

Epic Games leans fully into Fortnite‘s construction elements by removing terrain obstacles and environmental exploits. Matches often conclude with massive towering forts and edit plays.

As a FPS purist, I hugely prefer Apex‘s mechanical skill ceiling over Fortnite‘s chaotic build battles. But there is certainly room for multiple flavors of battle royale.

Exchange of Concepts

While no game invents genres and features in isolation, Apex Legends has some clear video game DNA passed down from early battle royale mods and hero ability shooters. However, Respawn Entertainment‘s polish and creative vision is completely distinct from Fortnite.

And in some cases, Fortnite borrows back successful elements implemented in Apex:

• Revive Teammates at Reboot Vans
• Communication Ping System

This exchange of ideas raises all ships in the rising tide of battle royale popularity.

Verdict: Quality Inspires Quality

So in summary – claims that “Apex Legends copied Fortnite” simply don’t hold weight under closer analysis. There will always be nominal resemblances when iterating within a genre, but Respawn built a product with its own soul.

Apex confidently channels its Titanfall roots and expertise crafting multifaceted FPS experiences. The fluid 360 degree movement, gunplay emphasizing recoil control, and diverse Legend abilities carve a enjoyable niche relative to Fortnite’s casual sandbox appeal.

Both games clearly inspire each other to keep innovating while potentially attempting to lure away audiences. But in my perspective, rather than copying, Epic and Respawn demonstrate how friendly competition between two talented development teams creates a better experience for us gamers.

And the two continue to comfortably co-exist as gaming titans, leading the way in advancing the battle royale genre.