Respawn Adds Suicide Awareness Badge to Apex Legends

Respawn has added a Suicide Awareness badge to Apex Legends, in honor of Suicide Prevention Month.

The new badge is available for free, allowing players to show their support for those dealing with mental illness. The badge follows previous examples of Respawns support for causes and movements, including a Black Lives Matter badge, an LGBTQ+ Pride and Progress badge, and a Stop Asian Hate badge.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, aiming to generate much needed conversations around the topic and to also increase support for those who need it most. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many people have felt the extremes of isolation and stress.

The badge depicts a semi-colon with a royal blue background. The semi-colon has become a powerful symbol for suicide prevention, "used when an author could have ended their sentence but chose not to." Along with their announcement, Respawn shared a video to their official Twitter page where employees working on Apex Legends shared their stories and support to help raise awareness.

Respawn Adds Suicide Awareness Badge to Apex Legends

Lead Game Designer, Chin Xiang Chong, shared his story on how he personally has faced difficulties with mental health. "Suicide prevention means a lot to me, as someone who has perhaps stumbled onto the darker parts of life sometimes and certainly thought of suicide myself. So when the opportunity came for us to talk about whether we should do this badge, whether we should talk about this, I jumped at it."

The video closes with Respawn staff urging players to support each other. Jon Maine, animation director for Apex Legends said "my message to the Apex community is simply to just ask each other how you're feeling...Please talk to each other, and be open and honest about how you're feeling."

If you or anyone you know is in need of support, please reach out to these hotlines and resources.