The digital artists and designers, Respawn Entertainment, spread a little of the holiday cheer with a cute, seasonal photo of the Apex Legends characters but the community’s responses were a mixed-up crazy lot of sweet feelings and routine gamer grudges.
As a result, the official Apex Legends Twitter account, @PlayApex, shared a cute holiday message. It simply said “Happy holidays, legends!” followed by a heart and a wish for good friends and warm memories. Along with the post was a big, elaborate painting almost showing the whole cast at what looks to be a fancy holiday gathering. Wraith and Wattson are present, and Mirage is looking fabulous while Caustic is… well, he is Caustic but dressed in a suit. It is a serene and soothing scene. A real “aww” moment, right? Not so fast, the Apex community. The blessing is never everlasting.
Man, the replies were a rollercoaster ride. Initially, it was still pretty wholesome. Strafe Esports noticed Octane was left out of the main group but was still catching good vibes from the Wraith and Wattson squadron. A few others were just dispersing the warmth. One user remarked that “Mirage and wraith looked very elegant together.” Another simply expressed “Merry Christmas!” by adding a snowflake as a sign. Someone even shared a picture of a festive Nessie plushie saying hello. Good stuff, the typical sorts.
Nonetheless… a little scroll down. And the duality of a live-service game community reveals its complicated turmoil. Right next to the “awwws” are the “ARRRGHs.” It is like two completely different discussions were going on one post.
On the one hand, gamers are dissecting the painting. One person actually spotted Arthur, Crypto’s drone, sneakingly taking a cookie that is so funny but also a great detail. A user exclaimed rightly, “NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT ARTHUR STEALING A COOKIE.” One more player was madly in love with Ash’s dress and simply stating, “Slay queen.” And then there was the person who just wanted all these fancy costumes as skins in the game. “Release all as skins,” they screamed. A very reasonable request, I must say.
But lamentably, the other side of the coin. The side that takes a festive greeting as a direct line to the developers for feedback of a different kind. At this stage, it becomes a tradition. The post became a public board for every current complaint in the Outlands, just like that.
Audio problems? Of course. “Oh this is cool almost as cool as audio-less game,” that’s how a player joked. Another person told a “short story” about reinstalling the game, dying of no audio in their first match and uninstalling again right away. Ouch. Server issues? For sure, “Fix your fucking servers!” was the response to a video clip apparently showing lag. Game mode requests? Yes. “Bring back ARENAS and SOLOS as a PERMANENT playlist. Day 15,” posted one dedicated fan marking the days on a calender that he has been daily counting. There were even calls for heirlooms and account recoveries mixed with holiday greetings. “yo lemme get my first heirloom for christmas mr legends,” is a sentiment.
The uproar reached its peak in one specific thread. The art shows Octane, the daredevil, skimming along the edge of a sculpture. A user, @Oisforovoma77, reacted with panicked love saying, “GET THAT BUM OFF THE SCULPTURE RN!!!” And in a funny twist, the Apex account actually replied, “Leave him alone!! Where is your sense of joy and whimsy!!!” It’s a tiny perfect piece of the Apex relationship—gamers being concerned for the characters’ safety and the developers just riding along the craziness.
Definitely, not everyone liked the idea. “It looks like a teenager did it for their art project,” a reviewer said. One even more brutal: “your game sucks big time.” Harsh but that is the internet for you. Some comments even targeted specific recent releases that they called “the worst update you’ve ever done” and complained about gun balance. The fervor, whether positive or negative, is surely there.
It’s a strange, beautiful, and irritating portrayal. A creator tries to do the right thing, to catch up and say, “hey, we hope you’re having a good time.” And the community answers “thank you, but here is the list of all that is making me mad about your game right now, happy holidays.” It is not really ingratitude—it is the gamer way of communicating. The art is definitely acknowledged. Gamers are picking their favorite characters and details of interactions. However, the balance of feedback is a core part of the experience on platforms like social media.
