EA Eyes Apex Legends 2.0 After Battlefield Launch
As Respawn Entertainment's battle royale Apex Legends approaches its sixth anniversary, EA has openly acknowledged the game's financial shortcomings while revealing plans for a major overhaul dubbed "Apex Legends 2.0."
Apex Legends Struggles Financially Despite Strong Player Base
During EA's Q3 earnings call, executives confirmed year-over-year declines in Apex Legends' net bookings (revenue), though performance matched internal projections.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson addressed analysts' questions about the game's performance with surprising candor: "With over 200 million lifetime players, Apex remains one of our industry's most successful launches in recent memory," Wilson stated. "Yet its revenue trajectory hasn't aligned with our expectations despite ongoing optimization efforts."
The CEO identified three focus areas for revitalization:
- Sustaining quality-of-life improvements for the existing player base
- Enhancing anti-cheat measures
- Developing fresh content experiences
The Road to Apex Legends 2.0
Wilson outlined EA's strategic approach to reinvigorating the franchise:
- Immediate Support: Maintaining current operations for tens of millions of active players
- Mid-Term Overhaul: Developing a substantial update slated for post-Battlefield launch (after April 2026)
- Long-Term Vision: Planning transformative updates to ensure decade-spanning relevance
"We're committed to preserving Apex's competitive integrity while expanding accessibility," Wilson emphasized. "The team envisions this as just the beginning - we're building toward an even more ambitious evolution of the experience."
Market Context and Challenges
The planned reboot draws parallels to Activision's Warzone 2.0 initiative, though EA appears intent on learning from that competitor's mixed reception.
Despite declining Steam concurrent numbers from peak levels, Apex Legends maintains strong engagement across platforms (with exact console player counts remaining undisclosed by Sony and Microsoft).
EA's roadmap reflects ambitious aspirations to reverse current trends while respecting the franchise's competitive DNA - a delicate balance facing all live-service shooters navigating maturing player bases.
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