Apex Legends released a launch trailer for Season 8, showing a new Legend's arrival to the roster. Better known as Fuse, Walter Fitzroy was a pit fighter on the planet Salvo, who worked his way up to become Salvo’s first Apex Games fighter. This coincided with Salvo also becoming the newest planet to join the mysterious Syndicate.
Fuse’s childhood friend Maggie, who was outraged by her planet surrendering its independence, viewed Fuse as a traitor for joining the games. During his debut ceremony at King's Canyon, Maggie hijacks a battle cruiser to fire on the crowd before detonating enough explosives to devastate the entire map completely. But what could make the Syndicate so bad that it would lead Maggie to try and kill her former best friend?
The Mercenary Syndicate, more commonly referred to as the Syndicate, is an alliance of mercenary companies that took power over the Outlands territory following the Frontier War from Titanfall and Titanfall 2. After the conflict, both the Frontier Militia and IMC withdrew from the territory, and the Syndicate came to control over half a dozen planets. A treaty was formed that binds all the planets under their rule and makes up a region of the Outlands called "Syndicate Space." While the less populated planets are mostly lawless, more populated worlds with great cities have their own police forces.
There are mentions of a "Syndicate Council," presumably the highest governing body of the Syndicate. Subdivisions inside the organization include the Apex Games Commission led by Kubin Blisk, which specifically manages the Apex Games, and the Office of Public Relations headed by Jacob Young. The Syndicate is most famous for creating the Apex Games as a form of entertainment for their citizens.
Kubin Blisk is the leader of an elite mercenary group called the Apex Predators, who was contracted by the IMC during their war with the Frontier Militia, becoming a dangerous foe for players in both Titanfall titles. He has since become the founder of the highly entertaining Apex Games. It’s unknown whether or not he or anybody else in the Syndicate is still affiliated with the IMC.
With its official name implying that the organization is something of a criminal syndicate, it’s unknown how much criminal heritage these mercenary companies actually have. Since the Apex Predators likely hold a lot of power in the Council, we can at least chalk up a couple of war crimes for their part in the Frontier War.
More mysteries of the Syndicate will likely come to light with each new season of the fan-favorite battle royal. But for the time being, it’s best to stay suspicious of the Syndicate’s actions and motives until they reveal more.