For quite some time now, Apex Legends has been plagued with all sorts of cheats, exploits, and hacks. It's become so severe that players recently got #SaveApexRanked trending on twitter, with Respawn acknowledging this and affirming its commitment to ending the reign of various Apex Legends cheats and hacks. Typically, Ranked is where the most of this occurs, but some players are encountering a strange new hack.
Apex Legends players are familiar with the typical processes of the game, selecting the game mode, loading in, fighting off Revenant-Octane or Revenant-Valkyrie squads, and returning when the match is finished. The latest hack doesn't necessarily prevent these processes, but it does put out a poignant message for players: save Titanfall.
Apex Legends players are being directed to a website by this hacker in a variety of ways, in which a message about "Operation Red Tape" appears. In the game mode selection, there is a message about saving Titanfall, describing the hack itself as "TF1 is being hacked so is Apex." There's an important message popping up after matches about saving Titanfall after matches, and more. By player reports, it seems to only be happening to PC players and it doesn't seem to be hurting or preventing the game for many players, though one or two report does seem like they can't select a game mode.
Players who decide to visit the advertised website will receive a ton of information about "Operation Red Tape," where the Apex Legends hacker alleges that EA and Respawn Entertainment are aware of Titanfall 1's situation, but doing nothing. They describe the game as "unplayable" on PC due to hackers, but further takes issue with the game still being on sale via Origin and Steam, calling it a fraud to sell a game in such a state. The hacker also provides a plethora of news articles and resources for players to read up on regarding the matter.
It'll be interesting to see when and if Respawn Entertainment and/or EA respond to the matter, but as players know, Apex Legends is set in the Titanfall universe. Because of Apex Legends, Titanfall's playerbase has soared, calls for Titanfall 3 have doubled or tripled, and a lot of fans are invested in both franchises. With the popularity of the games, the public response (when it becomes clearer) will likely be as interesting as where it goes from here. As it stands, it seems many don't justify the hacks or the hacker fighting fire with fire, but many do want Titanfall back in an playable manner.
Apex Legends is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: Apex Legends News, Operation Red Tape