Apex Legends launched was postponed so a developer could adopt his daughter

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Jon Shiring shares a very personal anecdote about the launch of Respawn's game

(Image credit: EA)

When Apex Legends launched last year in February 2019, it actually launched a few hours later than planned.

This wasn't due to any technical issues or bugs though. Former Respawn lead online coder Jon Shiring revealed on Twitter (as first reported by RPS), that it was actually due to Shiring having to appear in court in LA to finalize his daughter's adoption.

"We had planned it for that morning," Shiring said of the Apex Legends launch. "And then my court appointment to finalize my adoption came through - the court had picked February 4th at 10am - the same time as the Apex launch. I panicked. Since I ran the ops and online services team for the game, this was bad."

Shiring goes on to write that fellow Respawn leads like Drew McCoy pushed back the launch of Apex Legends (which at the time was a secret, unannounced project), so Shiring could race to and back from the courthouse, manage the launch of Apex Legends with the team, and finally celebrate the hard work.

"And that’s why Apex launched at a strange time, around lunch on February 4, 2019," Shiring rounded out. "Because @Respawn put my family first."

I love this story, and it'll go down as just another reason that I adore Apex Legends. Since launching Apex Legends last year, Shiring and McCoy both departed Respawn to found their own studio: Gravity Well. Not much is known about the new venture from the pair of veteran developers right now, but I'm looking forward to learning more.

For our complete, in-depth look at all the characters available to play as in Respawn's battle royale shooter, check out our Apex Legends characters guide for more.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.