The free-to-play battle royale Apex Legends has announced a collaboration with the Gundam franchise that will kick off on March 10 (March 11 JST). The resulting content will include skins, items, a makeover for the Broken Moon map in Wildcard mode, and limited-edition Gunpla.
Those Gunpla are the RG1/144 FREEDOM GUNDAM -APEX LEGENDS Crypto Ver-, the RG 1/144 WING GUNDAM ZERO EW -APEX LEGENDS Valkyrie Ver-, and the RG 1/144 GUNDAM EPYON -APEX LEGENDS Alter Ver-. Online pre-orders will begin on March 18; for further details, the press release recommends heading over to the Apex Legends Shop or PREMIUM BANDAI.
In addition to serving as the inspirations for the Gunpla, Crypto, Valkyrie, and Alter will be among the Apex Legends characters who will receive Gundam skins. Reflecting the models, Alter will have a Gundam Epyon skin, while Crypto and Valkyrie will get skins inspired by the Freedom Gundam and the Wing Gundam Zero, respectively. The other cosmetics that can be purchased at the Apex Legends x Gundam Event Store until April 14 are:
• Gundam Aerial (Conduit)
• Xi Gundam (Gibby)
• Destiny Gundam Spec II (Mirage)
• GQuuuuuux (Octane)
• Gundam Deathscythe Hell (Revenant)
An Epic “Char Aznable-inspired” skin for Sparrow can be obtained from the Reward Shop by earning Medals. Other rewards that can be unlocked this way are a “Gundam-themed Banner Frame, Trackers, and Sticker.”
For the main event, Apex Legends‘ Gundam collaboration will offer a Wildcard experience set on a Broken Moon decorated with “destroyed Mobile Suits scattered across the terrain, massive climbable Wing Gundam statues, and ships battling overhead.” This will come with new Wild Cards, including Epyon’s Lash (“Adds a magnetic melee pull Tactical ability, and more”), Heavyarms Salvo (“Marks enemies for air support missile strikes after landing multiple hits”), Zero Sacrifice (“Adds the option to trigger a self-destruct explosion on knock, taking nearby enemies with you”) and Zero Rebirth (“Enter the Void when knocked, then exit with 1 HP, temporary invulnerability, and health regen”).
Some other Gundam-inspired gameplay features mentioned in the press release:
• Grab the Buster Rifle from Care Packages and launch skyward for aerial recon, scan through walls to mark every enemy, and fire laser beams that cut through cover and explode on impact.
• Utilize Bit Staves as shields to absorb damage while pushing through enemy lines, or switch to Drone Command to patrol, scan, and attack trespassing players!
On the weapon side, there will be eight themed skins, among them the “Buster Rifle” Kraber, “Destiny 99” R-99, and “Aerial 301” R-301. Two Mythics in the form of the Epyon Heat Rod and Beam Saber will also be present. The former will drop from Gundam Heat Rod Event Packs, while the latter will drop from Gundam Beam Saber Event Packs.
Apex Legends launched in 2019 and is developed by Respawn Entertainment. Skins inspired by various anime titles, including Naruto and Neon Genesis Evangelion, made an appearance in 2022’s Gaiden event.
The Gundam franchise recently saw the theatrical launch of the Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe movie in Japan. Its upcoming Gundam Assemble tabletop game will receive new information on March 4.
Past years had collaborations with Overwatch and Call of Duty.
Source: Apex Legends website