Respawn released its Apex Legends Season 3 launch trailer and it’s chock full of interesting details.
Beyond revealing a new map, Crypto details and character lore hints (someone save Arthur!), there’s an incredible Easter egg in the first few seconds of the trailer.
About ten seconds in, Octane plays three different video games on three separate screens.
Astute observers were quick to point out that top screen shows him playing Titanfall 2, which is Respawn’s precursor to Apex Legends.
That’s funny on its own merit, but Redditors were quick to point out that not only is Titanfall 2, but it’s the world record Gauntlet run.
The Pilot’s Gauntlet is the first campaign mission in Titanfall 2. Players have to get through it in under two minutes to progress in the game.
In a famous run, speedrunning world record holder Cash_Mayo runs the entire Gauntlet in less than 12 seconds. The player is able to achieve that feat by using a series of well-placed grenades to launch across the area.
Here the video, courtesy of Cash_Mayo’s YouTube channel.
Even cooler still, it’s this exact speedrun that provided the inspiration for Octane’s character in Apex Legends.
Octane debuted as a new character in Apex Legends Season 1. The bionic-legged adrenaline junkie relies on speed boosts, jump pads and health regeneration to excel in the Apex Games.
But it’s how he got those legs that makes the Titanfall 2 Gauntlet homage an incredible Easter egg.
“[H]e entertained himself by performing death-defying stunts and posting holovids of them for his fans to gawk over,” says the game’s official character page for Octane. “So, this day, he decided to set the course record for a nearby Gauntlet by launching himself across the finish line – using a grenade.”
This didn’t end well for the character, who then had to replace his real legs with the mechanical ones.
After a Redditor pointed out the trailer footage’s similarity to the speedrun, Cash_Mayo himself chimed in.
“Hey, just FYI that’s actually my run,” he wrote. “Respawn may have asked me to use it a while back ;)”
It’s an incredible gesture, especially because it comes alongside the major announcement that the game will introduce a new map in Season 3.
Cash_Mayo told TheGamer that even though Respawn contacted him about using the video, he had no idea what the company was planning to do with the footage. He guessed there would be something cool to show for it.
“It feels incredible,” he said. “Respawn are the coolest developers ever, and being featured in something of their creation is probably the best accomplishment of my life.”
The speedrunner is impressed with the depiction and its seamless integration into the trailer.
“It works well with the universe, because to the Apex gang, Titanfall 2 might be a game kinda like it is to us.”
That’s a very cool way of thinking about it. Cash_Mayo doesn’t play Apex regularly, preferring to stick with Titanfall 2 as well as games like Minecraft, Astroneer and now Borderlands 3.
Respawn’s homage opens up the floor for a discussion on the possibility of speedrunning elements in Apex Legends. While battle royale games don’t generally support linear play styles that lend themselves to speedrunning elements. Fortnite has cultivated a speedrunning community through its Creative mode. It would be possible for Respawn to support something similar in Apex Legends.
“If Apex had custom map creation or time trials I’d definitely be into it and give it a try,” Cash_Mayo said. “How long I’d stick with it would really depend on specifics. Sounds like a great idea though.”
Those interested checking out more of Cash_Mayo’s speedrunning action can follow him on Twitter, Twitch and YouTube.
