Tyrone Mings and Jordan Pickford Share Their Secrets to Celebrate EA’s Latest Game

As the 2024/25 football season kicks off, gamers are diving into an exciting new journey of their own with the release of EA’s free-to-play hero shooter, Apex Legends Season 22: Shockwave, which launched earlier this month. With a fresh season ahead, both footballers and gamers alike are driven by a desire for victory, yet are also acutely aware of the possibility of defeat. The struggles experienced through injuries, setbacks, and failure can be demoralising, which is why Apex Legends Season 22 introduces a variety of new features aimed at making the game more accessible—most notably, the ability to respawn and get a second shot at victory.

In collaboration with EA & Respawn, creative agency Biborg drew compelling parallels between professional footballers and new features in Apex Legends, partnering with two high-profile football players from the UK’s prestigious Premier League.

In Second Shot, a 14-minute video hosted by football content creator Jeremy Lynch, Jeremy sits down with England international’s Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa centre-back) and Jordan Pickford (Everton FC goalkeeper) to discuss their personal experiences of overcoming adversity, all while diving into the action of Apex Legends Season 22. As they take down enemies in the game, they also reflect on the real-life challenges they’ve faced—such as Jordan standing as the last line of defence when Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal, and Tyrone’s long road to recovery after a major injuries. The footballers share the lessons, support, and resilience that helped them rise above these challenges, drawing a parallel between their own struggles and the second chances now available to Apex Legends players.

Season 22 of Apex Legends presents a fresh start for all players, introducing a new map to level the playing field and innovative features designed to boost accessibility and motivation. Key highlights include longer session play and squad revival, allowing teammates to respawn and jump back into the fight, offering a literal second chance at victory. These mechanics, spotlighted in Second Shot reflect the game’s core theme of resilience, both in life and gaming.

Jeremy shared the captivating conversation with his vast audience of over 27 million TikTok followers and 12 million YouTube subscribers, many of whom are both football enthusiasts and gamers. In the week that followed, the conversation was viewed 3.5 million times on TikTok and nearly 200,000 times on YouTube, as well as on posts shared by Jordan and Tyrone on Instagram, receiving positive feedback about both the players and Apex Legends.

By engaging this crossover community, EA is tapping into its loyal fan base while welcoming curious newcomers, casual players, and those who may have been discouraged by earlier seasons. And by bringing together the worlds of football and gaming, Second Shot has created an inspiring message of resilience and second chances, building a sense of connection and motivation for players of Apex Legends at all skill levels. 

“It’s always amazing to see ideas come to life and achieve success, especially when they’ve been led by insights and data! Collaborating closely with EA / Respawn, we identified affinities with Premier League football and our target audience, and designed Second Shot to make the most of this overlap in segment interest. From conception to delivery, we ensured we captured the core sentiment and promise of Season 22’s new respawn feature, letting Jeremy conduct an authentic interview with Tyrone and Jordan whilst playing the new season and having fun.” said Sergio Orlando Nieves, lead account director.