Apex Legends Player Count Has Officially Melted
Popular battle royale game Apex Legends has experienced a significant loss of players in 2024. According to Steam data, the game’s concurrent player count dropped from a peak of 470,696 in February 2024 to 140,830 by the end of December. This corresponds to a 70% decrease and was recorded as one of the biggest declines in the game’s history. While EA and Respawn are monitoring this situation closely, players are complaining about the decreasing content support and increasing microtransaction-focused approach.
Why Is Apex Legends Losing Players?
The main reasons for Apex Legends’ player loss are lack of content and heavy monetization. Only one new character (legend) and one battle royale map were added to the game throughout 2024. No new weapons were introduced at all. This situation brought criticism that the seasons were similar to each other and that there was not enough innovation for players.
On the other hand, microtransaction-focused events in the game have received a great deal of backlash. While 12 different collection events were held throughout 2024, players frequently criticized the game for “exploiting the player base.” In particular, content such as the “relic grenade” added to the game was interpreted by the community as a sign of “desperation.”
In a statement made in October 2024, EA stated that the changes made to the battle pass system did not provide the expected revenue increase. The company signaled that they would take more innovative steps in the future by saying, “significant growth and player retention in a competitive environment require major changes.” However, these statements could not prevent player loss.
Apex Legends is currently played by 120,000-140,000 players daily, a number that many live service games would dream of. However, the 70% drop and lack of new content reinforce the perception in the community that the game is “nearing its end.” Fans have two words in mind: Titanfall 3.
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