Apex Legends' new Gibraltar emote raises cultural appropriation concerns

06/05/2021 EA declined to comment on the subject.

Gibraltar is one of the most likeable members of the Apex Legends roster. As one of the original legends in the game, and thanks to his protective and brotherly nature, Apex players have taken to the gentle giant. Plus, it helps that he's pretty useful in-game as well - ranking highly on our Apex Legends tier list and featuring in the majority of ALGS teams.

However, as Apex Legends Season 9 introduces ground emotes which further display characters' personalities - Bloodhound has some raven troubles, and Loba plays golf with Revenant's head, for instance - Gibraltar's emote has come under fire. Māori gamer Taikawa 'Teebagginz_' Tamati-Elliffe tweeted saying that "[Respawn] better have some form of cultural consultation cos that's shit if you're ripping off my proud heritage, identity and culture."

Many problems arise from the fact that Gibraltar's heritage is non-specific. Fan wikis say that he is from the Pacific Islands, which his gear seems to draw inspiration from, but that he is not specifically Polynesian, Māori, or Samoan. However, this is not referenced, and Gibraltar's official description on the EA website only mentions his fictional home world of Solace.

Read the rest of the story...