Report: Studio Claims Respawn Stole Apex Legends Fuse Character Design

apex legends fuse

Earlier this week, Respawn Entertainment announced Apex Legends Season 8, which will be highlighted by a new legend named “Fuse.” Apparently, Fuse’s character design was heavily inspired by indie studio NOWWA’s character for its upcoming game, BulletVille– a new, fast-paced multiplayer hero shooter that’s set to hit PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, and mobile.

If you’re wondering how a still-unreleased game managed got allegedly cribbed by Respawn, Bulletville shows a few tweets dated back in May 2019 that featured the hero named Hunter which bears a lot of similarities with Fuse.

Also of note, NOWWA claims that BulletVille playtests were done with EA back in October and November 2020, which reinforces the studio’s idea that Hunter was the “inspiration” for Fuse. Check out the side-by-side comparison as well as design similiarities below.

Per the email sent by NOWWA:

Apex Legends Season 8 Start Date

Fuse is a macho man with an eyepatch, a biker attire, a skull belt, a mechanical arm, a moustache, a belt of grenades, gloves, a necklace, a vest jacket with circular symbol on the back, leg holsters, a red/grey color scheme, a characteristic grey stripe of hair. 

In comparison to BulletVille’s Hunter:

Hunter is a macho man with: 

  • An eyepatch
  • A biker attire
  • A skull belt
  • A mechanical arm
  • A moustache
  • A belt of grenades
  • Gloves
  • A necklace
  • A vest jacket with circular symbol on the back
  • Leg holsters
  • A red/grey color scheme
  • A characteristic grey stripe of hair.

Also pointed out by NOWWA, Hunter has a rocket launcher and a pistol as weapons, and Fuse’s ultimate ability is….

A rocket launcher! We’ve also included a gameplay clip of Hunter below.

If you’ve noticed that Hunter’s outfit reminds you of a certain Marvel superhero, it’s because he’s inspired in part by it too! In an email exchange, we asked NOWWA if Hunter’s outfit was inspired by the Punisher to which the studio replied with:

” Indeed, good catch! The skull on the belt was inspired by both The Punisher and pirate lore. “

Here’s what the Punsher looks like in his most recent adaptation (Netflix’s series starring Jon Bernthal):

If you’re interested to know more about BulletVille, head on over to the official site where beta sign ups are now live.

We’ve reached out to Respawn Entertainment parent company EA, and will update the post if we get a statement back.

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crispy cream
crispy cream
3 years ago

if it’s a crime to have a biker asethetic with an eye patch and a turret then we’re doomed for character design. if they’re worried about copyright then they should update his character design tbh.

LordCancer Kain
LordCancer Kain
3 years ago

Excuse me while I try to find the eye balls that just rolled out my face holes.

Ucouldntbemorewrong
Ucouldntbemorewrong
3 years ago

NOWWA…shall we talk about how your whole game looks and feels like…Overwatch? just sayin.

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