Hot Drop is GameSpot’s weekly Apex Legends column, in which Jordan Ramée takes a closer look at Respawn’s battle royale to provide additional information on the evolution of the game, as well as delving into its episodic storytelling and characters.
From the very beginning, Jackson Williams has been characterized as a piece on a chessboard. Specifically, he has been compared to a rook, the castle turret-like piece that can only travel horizontally across the board. Now that Jackson is officially a legend, releasing in Apex Legends Season 13: Saviors as Newcastle, the rook connections aren’t ceasing: Respawn told GameSpot that the chess visuals informed the look, voice lines, and kit. of Newcastle skills.
“Very deliberate [connections]Apex Legends senior producer Tim Lewinson told me when I asked him about the lone tower sitting across from Jackson in the Stories from the Outlands: Gridiron trailer, and Newcastle’s “checkmate” comment in the trailer for Saviors release. “I’m glad you got it. There are probably other Easter eggs you’ll find as well, sort of referring to that chess connection.”