“Apex Legends” is a battle royale first-person shooter game developed by Electronic Arts (available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch) and will begin its new season on May 10, 2023, which is called “Arsenal”. Now, there’s many legends you can play in Apex, but How The New Legend Ballistic Was Born?
We spoke to the development team at Respawn Entertainment before the start of the new season to find out what they thought of the new legend, “Ballistic.”
In addition to its gameplay and cool graphics, this game is very popular due to the story and characters that it has. However, this article will make you curious about Ballistic’s past.
How The New Legend Ballistic Was Born?
This interview was conducted with Sam Gill, who is the Narrative Lead for the Apex Legends development team, and John Ellenton, who is the Senior Legend Designer. Generally, they are regarded as the creators of Ballistic.
Could you please give us your honest evaluation of him prior to the launch?
Sam Gill: As a matter of fact, Ballistic is among my favourite legends. Obviously, I am not just stating that to promote the new legend; I enjoy Ballistic on a purely personal level.
The dialogue within the game is also very engaging. There is a humorous side to him, similar to Fuse, as well as a dedicated side, similar to Horizon.
It’s easier to understand if you participate. He even uses Shakespearean quotations, which I adore.
John Ellenton: I may be biased, but Ballistic is one of my favourite legends as well. Aside from being unique, it is also a pleasure to play him as he is a very pleasant player.
In my opinion, he is a legend regarding “set-ups”, and if you work well with your teammates, you can keep attacking for as long as you want.
He is also approachable for new players, but it might take a great deal of skill to exploit him to his full potential, which may take some time.
It’s safe to say that he has become a legend many will refer to for many years to come.
Were there any significant moments in Ballistic’s development?
Sam Gill: We asked a bunch of talented actors to audition for Ballistic’s voice actor. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until Robin Atkin Downes, an actor from London who’s been in Destiny 2, Tomb Raider, and other games, that Ballistic really shined.
I had a rough idea of what Ballistic would look like when I was writing his lines, so I let the actor know what his speech would sound like and how it would flow by saying, “Please act in this way as Ballistic.”.
I can’t wait to share this amazing character #Ballistic with you all! So happy to be a part of this amazing game @PlayApex
Thank you @Respawn and @EA for the opportunity!!!!
And thank you Terri Douglas!!!!https://t.co/lhK3djWck2#AugustBrinkman #Ballistic #ApexLegends https://t.co/55t2kGl9wj
— Robin Atkin Downes (@Robin_A_Downes) April 25, 2023But during the tryout, Robin Atkin Downes asked me, “Can I do a version of what my vision of Balistic would sound like?” I told him, “Of course,” and he did his thing. It was at that very moment when I realized, “This is Balistic.” From then on, I changed around 1,500 lines to fit how he spoke.
It’s amazing that they have encountered an acting performance that surpassed the author’s imagination.
How did you deal with the technical issue when implementing the trench coat?
John Ellenton: We came up with the idea for the character about a year ago, and as soon as we got the idea, we started working on it. However, even before then, we had discussed the possibility of doing a trench coat as part of the project.
It wasn’t long before the phrase “we’d like to do it someday” was replaced by “we’ve got to do it now” as the Ballistic team got into the thick of it.
It is possible that we may add more Legends in the future with long-flowing clothes, such as the trench coat since we were able to use it in this situation.
Can Ballistic’s abilities become a game changer?
John Ellenton: It is true that the future scene will prove it, but I actually believe that Ballistic’s abilities will be quite effective and that his appearance will enhance the intrigue of the scene.
When we design new legends, we always keep the goal of “stimulating and bringing a new level of enjoyment to the player in mind.”
His tactical ability reminds me of the Titanfall Smart Pistol. Was this something that was planned?
John Ellenton: As far as its development is concerned, there are certainly some inspired elements. However, the WHISTLER that he owns is a one-of-a-kind customized item.
In addition, it isn’t as powerful as the Smart Pistol seen in “Titanfall,” which may also be because of this background setting, which influences how it operates.
How were Ballistic’s abilities incorporated?
John Ellenton: Throughout the development of Ballistic, we tried many combinations of different skills he had to offer. SLING “Third Weapon” is one example of a passive ability that allows players to take more guns with them.
There was one problem with this game version. However, it made it extremely difficult for players to keep track of attachments and other things, especially when it came to guns with full attachments. This could also negatively affect the game balance.
This ability was tested for a few weeks or days before deciding on its current form: you can only wear the base weapon, and you cannot add any attachments to it.
As a way to keep things interesting, SLING’s weapon is improved during its ultimate ability.
Was there anything you paid attention to and worked on when incorporating a real British gentleman into Apex Legends?
Sam Gill: In fact, the original idea did not originate from a British gentleman but rather from a Scandinavian gentleman. Our style automatically changed to “the British gentleman fits the concept better” as we worked on it.
As well as British guys, John Wick’s violence and the character James Bond from the TV show “007” in the UK also contributed to our motivation.
There were also a lot of influences from the movie “Finding Nemo.” Really, I am the first person to say that. After losing his wife and many of his children, he was left with only Nemo, as all he had left was his memory.
Our goal was to include both the “suffering father figure” and the parent-child relationship that ended in a breakdown in the movie due to his excessive defensiveness.
Would he have had a different character if the initial concept had been followed?
Sam Gill: There is a notion that we should have an English gentleman. But after a short while, we were skeptical, thinking, “Isn’t it too easy to be a straight British gentleman?”
Our aim was to get as far away from the English gentleman as possible, but we left some British characteristics.
However, whatever way you look at it, you cannot deny that terms like:
- “I like tea,”
- “quoting Shakespeare,” and
- “calm and collected gentleman”
indicate the qualities of an English gentleman.
The conversation then shifted back to “what he should be.” As I mentioned earlier, meeting Robin Atkin Downes turned the tide of the character, and we went over some of the important details.
Will there also be British dialogue?
Sam Gill: Yes, of course. When thinking about and making Legends, we try to base our actions and words on things that happen in real life. The character I worked on before, Mad Maggie, was based on New Zealand and the Maori group. Before we released her, we even got help from Maori experts.
Ballistic is also a very interesting Legend in this way. But since he is older, he might not use too much current slang. He has an old-fashioned style, like when he quotes Shakespeare. We hope that people from all over the world can see. We also hope to hear things they have never seen or heard before as a result of these efforts.
It was impressive that Beyond the Sea was used as the song in the launch trailer. This song is a love song, so it matched very well with all the instruments and was wonderful.
Is there someone who falls in love with Ballistic?
Sam Gill: I appreciate you taking the time to ask such an interesting question. In the current version of Ballistic, he seeks companionship or love. As he is quite lonely, and he is looking for someone. He wanted someone who would offer him the affection he lacks conceptually in a relationship.
In another question about teasers, the person asked about a drink shown at the beginning of a story called “Encore” in Apex Legends | Outlands Stories. They saw the man put something in his drink and were curious about it. People joked that he might have mixed scotch or Irish whiskey since an English gentleman played the role.
What was the drink?
Sam Gill: It’s hard for me to say if it was alcohol or not. It might have been just a strawberry-flavoured drink. Or, it could have been something more “special” that made the drink stand out.
John Ellenton: One scene of having a drink at night… It’s like that.
Another good content on Apex Legends: Apex Legends Season 15: Best Season so far