Environment artist Derek Bentley, who previously left Respawn to join Wildlight's Highguard project, has rejoined Respawn after a layoff earlier this year. Highguard, a hero shooter from former Titanfall and Apex Legends developers, shut down after less than six weeks due to declining player numbers and funding issues. Bentley expressed excitement about his return on social media.
Derek Bentley announced his return to Respawn Entertainment, where he will serve as principal environment artist on Apex Legends. After departing Respawn to work on Highguard at Wildlight, Bentley was laid off in February alongside many team members. The studio's hero shooter, developed by ex-Titanfall and Apex Legends staff, launched with promise but closed after under six weeks amid falling player counts and reported funding shortages, as first reported by Eurogamer.net. Bentley shared his enthusiasm on social media, writing, 'I'm back, baby,' and stating he was 'unbelievably stoked' about the move. He described his new role as focusing 'almost entirely on making some extremely cool art, probably mostly rocks.' Respawn, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, welcomed Bentley back to contribute to Apex Legends' environment art. In related developments, Respawn announced in January that the game's 29th season would be the last for the original Nintendo Switch, citing goals to 'continue to evolve Apex Legends' content and technical foundation' and 'deliver a high quality experience.' No specific reason for the Switch discontinuation was provided beyond these aims.
