Is Apex Legends Dying? The Future of Apex & EA’s Impact

Apex Legends launched as a surprise hit, redefining the Battle Royale genre with its fast-paced Movement, unique Legends, and deep lore. However, the game has recently seen declining player counts, increasing monetization, and a shift away from what made it special. With rumors of Apex Legends 2 on the Horizon, can the franchise recover, or has EA’s influence driven it into the ground?

The Rise & Fall of Apex Legends

When Apex Legends first launched, it was a breath of fresh air in the battle royale space. The movement was fluid, the gunplay was top-tier, and the Legends brought Variety and personality to every match. The game skyrocketed to success, hitting 100 million active Players, dominating Twitch streams, and becoming a staple of ALGS esports tournaments.

For years, Respawn Entertainment seemed to truly care about Apex. They introduced:

• Stories from the Outlands, providing deep lore for new and existing Legends.
• Town Takeovers, bringing dynamic map changes tied to Legends like Wraith.
• Consistent Legend and weapon releases, keeping the game fresh every season.

But then, things started to change. Season 11 marked a turning point—weapon releases slowed, new Legends became less frequent, and most notably, monetization took over.

How EA’s Greed Changed Apex Legends

As EA gained more Control, Apex Legends became less about innovation and more about squeezing money from players. Instead of investing in:

• Better servers
• More meaningful content
• Improved skill-based matchmaking

EA prioritized monetization, leading to:

• Heirloom recolors as paid collection event rewards
• Prestige skins costing up to $160
• Ranked rewards like Dive Trails being removed & resold
• Splitting the Battle Passinto two separate purchases

This shift away from gameplay-driven content caused a drop in player engagement, with Steam charts dipping below 100,000 concurrent players for the first time since Apex launched on PC.

You can hear more about how the community has reacted to EA’s way of handling Apex Legends in this video from Thordan Smash.

Why Apex Legends Feels Stale in 2025

The core problem isn’t just monetization—it’s the lack of meaningful content. Apex Legends has lost:

• Regular lore updates – No Stories from the Outlands for classic Legends like Gibraltar.
• Creative Town Takeovers – Many OG Legends never got their own map changes.
• New and exciting gameplay changes – Weapon and Legend updates have slowed down significantly.

Meanwhile, instead of adding new grindable rewards, EA has removed content players used to earn for free and repackaged it as paid items.

Apex Legends 2 – The Only Way to Save the Franchise?

With so many OG Apex developers leaving Respawn, there’s concern that Apex Legends 2 could be a cash grab rather than a true evolution of the game. EA already canceled apex legends mobile and a single-player Apex spin-off, likely due to lack of “monetization potential.”

Unless Respawn and EA listen to the community, Apex Legends 2 might double down on microtransactions rather than focus on gameplay improvements, better servers, and fresh content.

Can Apex Legends Recover?

Apex Legends can recover, but it needs major changes:
✅ More focus on gameplay, not just skins – Bring back meaningful in-game rewards.
✅ Fix skill-based matchmaking – Reduce the frustration of constantly fighting sweats.
✅ Better server stability – Stop ignoring the community’s #1 complaint.
✅ More frequent lore updates & Town Takeovers – Give players a reason to stay invested.

What’s Next for Apex Legends?

With player frustration at an all-time high and rumors of Apex Legends 2, the future is uncertain. Will Respawn fix the game, or will EA continue prioritizing microtransactions over player experience?

Frequently Asked Questions About Apex Legends Dying