Summary
Developer Respawn Entertainment failed to deliver on its promise to fans about expandingApex Legendsbeyond the traditional battle royale formula in 2024. Early in 2024, EA’s CEO announced significant changes coming toApex Legendsthat never materialized, disappointing players.
Apex Legendsis a free-to-play battle royale hero shooter that gained significant popularity upon release. The game offered an interesting approach to the battle royale formula, and players and critics alike praised it. Even though the game boasts a large player base,things have been rocky forApex Legendsin recent years. In July, the developer made a controversial change to the battle pass system, requiring players to use real money to purchase it. This move prompted fans to review bomb the game, dropping its Steam rating, which now stands at “Mixed.” The developer had committed to making significant changes to the game in 2024; however, fans were let down.
In March 2024, EA’s CEO said at the Morgan Stanley Conference that the studio was going to takeApex Legendsto a new level by expanding its battle royale formula. The CEO spoke about a “next phase” for the game, hinting at new modalities of play and how the team was actively working to make these changes happen. In the statement, the CEO assured players that some of these changes would begin showing up during 2024. Sadly forApex Legendsplayers, nothing materialized, and those changes didn’t make it into 2024.
Apex Legends Did Not Expand on Its Battle Royale Formula in 2024 as Promised
Twitter user Garret pointed this out, and some members of theApex Legendscommunity shared their opinions on the matter. Several players criticizedApex Legends' monetization practices, saying the game seemed more focused on making money than improving its content. Others expressed disappointment after being hyped by the idea of new game modes and significant updates, only to find out it wasn’t true yet. Some players believe the game has, in fact, changed—but not for the better—criticizing the game’s latest maps and legends. Additional criticism targeted the decision to replaceApex Legends' Arena modewith the Mixtape deathmatch playlist.
This latest development wraps up a complicated year for the game. In addition to unfulfilled promises, the game faced significant issues with cheaters ruining the players' experience. To make matters worse,Apex Legends' changes to address cheating were quite controversial. The measures implemented by the developer included dropping Linux OS support for the game, including on the Steam Deck. While players await whether EA will finally address these promises in 2025,Apex Legendswill have to work hard to recover players’ trust.
Apex Legends
WHERE TO PLAY
Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play* Hero shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame & fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.Master an ever-growing roster of diverse legends, deep tactical squad play, and bold new innovations that go beyond the Battle Royale experience—all within a rugged world where anything goes. Welcome to the next evolution of Hero Shooter.This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.
