The two Apex Legends queer characters, Makoa Gibraltar (left) and Bloodhound (Electronic Arts)

New video game Apex Legends has two LGBT+ characters, and queer fans are delighted.

The battle royale shooter, which was released by gaming giant Electronic Arts on February 4, features queer fighter Makoa Gibraltar and non-binary hunter Bloodhound among the eight starting characters.

Gibraltar’s official bio notes that he has devoted his life to helping others since “he and his boyfriend stole his father’s motorcycle, took it on a joyride,” and were saved by his parents.

As for Bloodhound, the bio describes their identity as “a mystery wrapped in layers of rumours.”

Bloodhound’s voice actor Allegra Clark and Jay Frechette, a community manager for Respawn Entertainment, the game’s developer, have both confirmed the character is non-binary.

Writing on Twitter, Clark said: “There’s been some back and forth on the [subject], but Bloodhound, through my recording process, has always been NB with they/them pronouns.

“This distinction might not be important to you, and that’s fine! But it’s important to others, so please be respectful and use neutral pronouns.”

She added that on the “first day of records, we had a conversation about how the character is non-binary. Changed nothing in the performance, just shifted the pronouns I used.”

“Having a diverse cast is super important. You want everyone to have someone they can connect to” — Apex Legends community manager Jay Frechette

Frechette reiterated the point to gaming news site Rock Paper Shotgun, explaining that diversity was important to the game developers when creating the first group of eight characters, which also includes two black women.

He saw it as “getting away from military dudes with helmets and having a more diverse, colourful group.”

Frechette added: “Our studio is comprised of a diverse group of people, the player base of battle royale is comprised of a diverse group. Having a diverse cast is super important. You want everyone to have someone they can connect to.”

Apex Legends joins other games in introducing LGBT+ characters

Apex Legends making two LGBT+ characters available from the start sets it apart from similar games like Overwatch, which has instead rolled out its queer characters Tracer and Soldier 76 over a number of years.

An increasing amount of queer characters are being introduced in multiplayer online battle games, including League of Legends, which last year created its first ever lesbian champion, a shapeshifter called Neeko.

Fans are ecstatic about Apex Legends‘ queer characters

Queer gamers have expressed their delight at the news that they can play with multiple LGBT+ characters in the first-person shooter.

One person tweeted: “Apex legends has: A gay polynesian man, and a bad ass enby hunter. Folx, it’s good.”

Another wrote: “Apex legends has a gay character, a non binary character, and the first unlocked characters doesn’t include a white dude. You gotta unlock him and he is literally toxic. Eat your heart out overwatch lmao.”

And a different gamer said: “it’s wild how 1/2 of apex legends’ current cast is comprised of two black women, a gay man, and an nb at launch. overwatch crawled so apex legends could run.”

“It means so much for me. I have no words to describe how happy I am right now” — @JF_Pizza

Others were simply swept away by their love of the new characters, like one who commented: “sorry i didnt realise that we know gibraltar from apex legends is gay because he STOLE HIS DAD’S MOTORCYCLES WITH HIS BOYFRIEND this is the BEST finally a game that understands gay people.”

Another person tweeted: “TIL Bloodhound is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns so now Apex Legends has my full and undying support because this is the first time I’ve EVER seen a video game character who is openly NB, who is LIKE ME, and I’ll take what I can f**king get.”

And a different tweeter wrote: “i saw that Bloodhound’s voice actor @SimplyAllegra tweet that they are non binary and use they/them pronouns and i cried happy tears.

“Thank you, thank you so SO much. it means so much for me. i have no words to describe how happy i am right now.”