Apex Legends dev provides update on Ranked Arenas in Season 9

Joe Craven
Apex Ranked badge over Season 9 Party Crasher

Respawn’s Director of Communications Ryan Rigney has provided fans with an update on Ranked Arenas in Season 9, stating that Apex Legends’ devs need slightly longer with it before it’s ready to launch in-game. 

Apex Legends’ Arenas mode dropped with Season 9: Legacy, constituting the biggest shake-up of the new content.

A smaller 3v3 mode, Arenas allows teams to practice against one another in a closed environment without the worry of a third party messing things up.

While the mode launched back on May 4, Respawn confirmed that a Ranked version will be coming to the battle royale in the near future, presumably with tighter SBMM and rewards in the vein of those we’ve seen in Apex’s Ranked Leagues.

Apex Legends Arenas matchmaking fix
Arenas has become popular with Apex players.

Some players had been expecting Apex’s Ranked Arenas to drop during Season 9, but that is looking increasingly unlikely as we head closer to Season 10.

It has now been confirmed that Ranked Arenas will not be coming with Patch 9.1 – expected later in June of 2021. On June 12, Director of Communications Ryan Rigney tweeted: “Ranked Arenas not planned for 9.1 patch. Needs more time in the oven.”

Some fans were frustrated by the news, but understood that, in order to make the Ranked mode as strong as possible, Respawn will need more time to refine it.

https://twitter.com/RKRigney/status/1403533042593980417?s=20

Rigney has previously explained that June will be a ‘dry’ month for Apex Legends, but that it will pick up at the end of June when 9.1 drops.

While a concrete release date has not yet been established, either June 21 or June 28 seem likely.

https://twitter.com/RKRigney/status/1397378283218550784?s=20

Patch 9.1 will, like all updates that follow new seasons, likely fix a number of bugs and glitches that have surfaced. In terms of new content, it’s not entirely clear what Respawn are planning, but we can expect “good stuff to chew on”.

In the meantime, drop in and enjoy Valkyrie and some casual Arenas.