Apex Legends 2.0: EA Prepares 'Battlefield' Sequel

EA's Apex Legends: A Sixth Birthday and a 2.0 Reboot

As Apex Legends approaches its sixth anniversary, EA acknowledges its underperformance despite a massive player base. The company's third-quarter financial report revealed that while Apex Legends met internal revenue expectations, net bookings were down year-over-year. This prompted EA CEO Andrew Wilson to address the game's financial trajectory during an analyst Q&A.

Wilson confirmed Apex Legends' immense popularity, boasting over 200 million players. However, he stated that the game's revenue isn't meeting EA's targets. He highlighted the company's ongoing efforts to improve the game, focusing on three key areas:

1. Community Support: Continued investment in quality-of-life improvements, anti-cheat measures, and new content to retain the tens of millions of daily active players. While progress has been made, Wilson admitted it's not been sufficient.

2. Content Creation: Ongoing development and testing of new content to engage the existing player base.

3. Apex Legends 2.0: A significant game update designed to revitalize the franchise, attract new players, and ultimately boost revenue. This major overhaul is planned for release after the next Battlefield title, likely sometime in EA's 2027 fiscal year.

Wilson emphasized the long-term vision for Apex Legends, aiming to build a franchise that endures for decades, similar to other successful EA titles. He clarified that Apex Legends 2.0 won't be the final iteration of the game. The company remains committed to its existing player base while simultaneously working on a substantial update to broaden the game's appeal.

The planned Apex Legends 2.0 update draws parallels to Activision's Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 reboot. While the success of that approach remains debated, EA will undoubtedly learn from its competitors' experiences in the battle royale market as it strives to expand Apex Legends' player base and revenue.

Despite its current trajectory, Apex Legends maintains a strong position among Steam's top-played games based on concurrent player counts. However, it's significantly below its peak and currently trending towards record low player numbers on the platform.