Is Apex Legends Dying in 2023?

While gaming itself grew over the years, one of the most pivotal moments in the industry and for the community came in 2017. At the time, although multiplayer games were common, battle royale titles were not. Streamers such as Ninja and Shroud’s PUBG streams as well as Ninja’s subsequent transition to Fortnite brought a new genre of game, battle royale, to the attention of fans.

Subsequently, multiple battle royale titles emerged, among which was Apex Legends. Ever since its release in 2019, Apex Legends continues to grow. But of late, the fame seems to be on a decline. One question keeps making rounds among fans: is Apex Legends dying?

What is happening to Apex Legends?

Apex Legends emerged as one of the leading battle royale titles. At a time when games tried to focus on the parameters set by Fortnite, this free-to-play title came out with its unique brand of content. It was a gritty, fast-paced, first-person shooter set on a varied map. It was refreshing to see developers take a different direction than what their competition was doing.

However, one feature it did adopt from other titles was the battle pass system. With each season of the game, a battle pass came up that offered new content for players. But the game’s Legends system brought an entirely new twist to things. Initially, with 8 Legends on board, players had the chance to use abilities unique to each Legend, offering diverse gameplay.

Right after release, Apex Legends posted healthy numbers, especially given the number of battle royale games coming into the market. In its first week, Apex Legends had the potential to go beyond 25 million players. At the same time, it also had 2 million active players. In the year of its release, 2019, Apex Legends won the title of ‘Best Multiplayer Game’ at the The Game Awards. In the following years, more awards would follow. But where did it all go wrong?

The argument fans present when they say the game is dying is usually the player count. But let’s first take a look at the game’s streaming numbers. Initially, Apex Legends held a solid command over viewership numbers. 218,000 concurrent people were watching the game on average. Cut to 2023, these numbers are at a record low. They came close to 16,000 viewers only. Given these numbers, it might be easy to think of Apex Legends as a dying game.

Do these numbers give the full picture?

It is important to understand there is a second side to these numbers. Looking purely at viewership data, it is easy to mistake the game to be in decline. Looking at the player numbers tells a completely different story entirely. While it is difficult to gain an accurate estimate of just how many players there are due, there is some data available.

Data on Steam indicates the game has an active player base of 227,000 just in May 2023. Last year, in the same month, there were a total of 500,000 players. These numbers tell a completely different story. It is not just these numbers that matter when it comes to understanding the current state of Apex Legends.

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It is important to understand that Respawn Entertainment, similar to other developers in the battle royale genre, keeps rolling out new content for players. This comes in the form of new Legends. The original roster of 8 Legends currently sits at 22. What adds to these Legends is the rich lore Respawn built around them, each with their own stories and abilities. A game set in the same universe as the massively popular Titanfall franchise, Apex Legends does not disappoint with its content.

The only bit of explanation that comes to explain the change in viewership numbers and player numbers is fatigue. Unless you are aspiring to play at a professional level, chances are most gamers change things up when it comes to online games such as these. They try their luck at another title and come back to the title at a later time.

There are a lot of titles available on the market that fit into the same group as Apex Legends. Call of Duty’s incredibly successful Warzone franchise is just one name that comes to mind. Gamers change games for a bit to gain some diverse gaming experience, see what other titles have to offer, and where they can test their skills.

This is not to say Apex Legends are repetitive or boring for the existing player base. Respawn Entertainment continually shifts the way the game plays through the regular updates that come in. Changes come to the game in the form of new Legends, map changes, as well as changes in weapons.

The entire feel of fighting through a barrage of enemy teams as you come to grips with where you are taking fire from is precisely what Apex Legends excels at. The title throws a lot of different things toward players to keep gameplay fresh. These changes in the meta take time to learn. Some are a hit while others miss the mark.

Does this mean the game is dead? Although some streamers and pros may label it so, Apex Legends is far from dead. However, while it can retain existing players, it is very difficult for the game to bring in new ones. If sales records from season 17 are indicative of anything, Respawn Entertainment needs to up its game.

The launch of season 18 might just be the perfect opportunity to do so. The changes brought to Revenant’s moveset can create space for newer playstyles. In the end, it might even be enough to get amateur players to feel like they excel at the game.

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