Apex Legends' next event is a crossover with Street Fighter 6

Apex Legends vs. Street Fighter 6 crosses Respawn's battle royale shooter with Capcom's signature fighting game franchise.

Apex Legends is reaching out across the gaming universe for its next special event. The world of Respawn's battle royale is about to cross over with Capcom's storied fighting game franchise. Simply titled "Apex Legends vs. Street Fighter 6," this next event gives the Outlands a distinct fighting game-style makeover.

From the moment a player jumps into the Olympus map, the Street Fighter influence is clear. The current Apex Legends map has been totally remixed to feature elements of Street Fighter with references to both the current and classic eras of the series. Points-of-interest (POI's) have been visually adjusted to resemble key locations in Street Fighter lore, like Luke's Gym and the series' classic bonus stages. Street Fighter 6 branding can be seen all over the map, including logos, signs, billboards, statues, and the graffiti art that has become SF6's signature aesthetic. Respawn has sprinkled in all kinds of tiny details to the Olympus map, even making sure to toss in some arcade machines and a giant Blanka-chan float.

While standard battle royale sessions will unfold as normal, Wildcard will see a few changes for this next event with a new mode called Apex KO. Before jumping into a session, players will be prompted to pick from a selection of four fighters, who will each have their own unique passives and special moves. Ryu, Chun-Li, Dhalsim, and Akuma will all have their signature moves from Street Fighter, but they'll also have some passive abilities that fit who they are. Anyone who wants to practice any of the four characters can switch around in the Fighting Range and get used to their moves, like Ryu's Hadoken, Chun-Li's Kikoken, or Dhalsim's Yoga Sunburst. And, yes, Akuma gets a Raging Demon with an appropriate Apex Legends twist.

Players will notice a new Fight Gauge along the bottom corner, which can be filled up by collecting Fight Gauge Tokens. Upon filling the Fight Gauge, a player can temporarily unleash their Fighter Form. The Fighter Form pans the camera out to a third-person perspective and allows the player to unleash unique Tactical and Ultimate abilities. As one might expect from a fighting game collaboration, Fighter Form will also increase melee damage while reducing incoming damage overall with enhanced movement and a helpful block mechanic.

While Wildcard will unfold at the usual battle royale pace, the final round has been tweaked into something called Showdown. Surviving squads will have all of their downed teammates revive and everyone will be given infinite Fight Gauge. Everyone will duke it out in Fighter Form until one squad remains.

Of course, an event like Apex Legends vs. Street Fighter 6 is going to feature a slew of cosmetics. A handful of Apex Legends characters are getting Street Fighter 6-themed outfits. This includes Sparrow (Ryu), Alter (Chun-Li), Bangalore (Elena), Mirage (Luke), Gibraltar (Akuma), Wattson (Cammy), Caustic (Blanka), and Pathfinder (Dhalsim). Street Fighter 6 skins will also be available for various weapons with the R-99, EVA-8, Flatline, Volt, Scout, Mozambique, Sentinel, and Peacekeeper weapons all getting a unique SF6 look to them. Plus, players will be able to grab Skydive Emotes, Holosprays, Stickers, Badges, Trackers, and Frames that are themed after Capcom's fighter. The last thing to note is that a Hadoken Mythic Universal Melee cosmetic will be available to pick up for the duration of the event.

Players won't have to wait long for Round 1 of this collaboration to kick off. Apex Legends vs. Street Fighter 6 will run for a limited time starting on Tuesday, September 22.

This preview is based on a developer briefing held via Discord.

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