Update 8/19/19 7:50 p.m. CT: Respawn chief Vince Zampella has posted a comment on Twitterabout the issue.

The original story from 8/18/19 at 4:06 p.m. CT is as follows:

Yesterday, Respawn Entertainment apologized to fans on Reddit for a loot box controversy related to Apex Legends' Iron Crown event. However, the conversation didn't exactly go well.

To recap, the Iron Crown event had several cosmetics bundled into the Iron Crown Collection. These cosmetics were exclusive to the event and you could only nab them through lootboxes. Getting said lootboxes, however, was an expensive endeavor. For example, the Bloodhound's heirloom set could only be attained after spending around $200 on lootboxes.

The apology thread on Reddit devolved into chaos, with a series of inflammatory comments — not just from disgruntled gamers, but from Respawn too. Instead of trying to calm the crowd or control the situation in a peaceful way, Respawn developers launched their own insults back at their fanbase by calling them "a**hats," "freeloaders," and "dicks."

This flame war led the Apex Legends community to write an open letter addressed to Respawn. You can read the entire message below.

You committed the ultimate cardinal sin, you got personal. You, as a team of professionals trying to make money, got personal. You got personal and decided to insult your playbase, calling us "ass-hats" and "freeloaders". Not a wise move.

We won't forget this. You've set a new tone for the kind of interaction we'll be having with you. It's a cold one. One where there aren't any illusions about the reality of the situation. Previous notions of "family" are dead. We are mere consumers to you, and that is obvious.

You have chosen to bring in a new era of hostility and bitterness. Well done. Great PR move.

We've reached out to Respawn and Electronic Arts for comment, and we'll update this article accordingly should we hear back.