Apex Legends director Chad Grenier is departing Respawn, the studio he helped form in 2010. He will be replaced by Steve Ferreira, who joined the Apex Legends team as a lead in 2019.
"It's an emotional day for me. After years of making great games with some of the best in the biz, I'm saying goodbye to a studio that I love and helped form 11 years ago," Grenier wrote.
I'm also saying goodbye to coworkers who some of which I've worked with for half my life, and others I never got to meet in person.
— Chad Grenier (@ChadGrenier) December 3, 2021
I wish everyone at Respawn the best. There is unbelievable talent at the studio so I know they'll continue making great games I'll love playing. pic.twitter.com/5H8PcLuBJP
In Grenier's note, he thanked Respawn founder Vince Zampella and the rest of the team, saying that he feels like a "kid leaving the nest."
Grenier has been Apex Legends' director since mid-2019, and was among the developers who departed Infinity Ward alongside Zampella when he and Jason West were fired in 2010. Grenier did not reveal his intentions for the future.
Grenier's departure comes amid shakeups elsewhere in EA. Yesterday, EA announced DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson's planned departure, with Zampella adding DICE to his portfolio as Group GM.
Apex Legends launched on PC in February 2019, and is currently in the middle of Season 11.