Summary

  • Respawn Entertainment failed to expand Apex Legends beyond battle royale in 2024 as promised.
  • After the EA CEO hyped significant changes for 2024, players were disappointed when the promises went unfulfilled.
  • 2024 was a rocky year for Apex Legends, marked by controversial changes such as the battle pass and alterations to game modes, along with issues involving cheaters.

Developer Respawn Entertainment failed to deliver on its promise to fans about expanding Apex Legends beyond the traditional battle royale formula in 2024. Early in 2024, EA’s CEO announced significant changes coming to Apex Legends that never materialized, disappointing players.

Apex Legends is 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 for Apex Legends in 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 take Apex Legends to 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 for Apex Legends players, 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 the Apex Legends community shared their opinions on the matter. Several players criticized Apex 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 replace Apex Legends' Arena mode with 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 Legends will have to work hard to recover players’ trust.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Apex Legends Tag Page Cover Art
8 /10

Apex Legends
Display card tags widget
Battle Royale
First-Person Shooter
Display card system widget
Systems
phone transparent super greyscale 8-bit logo PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget
Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 74%
Display card main info widget
Released
February 4, 2019
ESRB
T for Teen: Blood, Violence
Developer(s)
Respawn Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts
Engine
Source on console/PC, Unreal Engine 4 on mobile
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, Switch & Xbox One
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

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.

Cross Save
Cross Progression lets you share your game progress across PC, PlayStation®, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Genre(s)
Battle Royale, First-Person Shooter
X|S Optimized
yes
PS Plus Availability
N/A
OpenCritic Rating
Strong