Apex Legends’ very own “CEO” ImperialHal has today admitted he thinks the battle royale is dying based on its dwindling player count, with the star streamer now joining a growing camp of fans convinced the game might be beyond saving.
Apex is and has been one of the most popular games to come out of the free-to-play shooter boom of the late 2010s, and perhaps rightfully so. Many of the odds were set up in Respawn Entertainment’s favor. The developer had already secured a dedicated fanbase after Titanfall 2 and players were ready to get their hands on something that used a similar movement system while expanding its scope for multiplayer and competitive gaming. Apex rose to meet those demands with a surprise release in 2019, thriving as one of the strongest competitors to Fortnite, Overwatch, and Call of Duty. In its five year run, there have been 21 seasons of Apex, but recent changes have threatened its staying power.
ImperialHal today joined the masses by declaring “Apex is dying” in a short post on X (formerly Twitter)—a claim that suggests he’s worried about the title’s future.
There’s plenty of reasons for him to feel this way, unfortunately. Recently, a hacking scare dealt a large blow to Apex‘s player count, and other fans simply think competitors are just doing things better—especially when it comes to taking feedback on board. There’s also the state of matchmaking and even the game’s age.
The average amount of players on Steam has been hovering around 140,000 in recent weeks, though streamers like Faide have reported its sunk a lot lower.
There are still plenty of players logging into Apex, as the numbers show, but many have long suggested they do it because there’s no other options rather than pure joy. If another similar title popped up, the decline may grow.
No matter what happens though, ImperialHal said he plans to remain Apex’s “CEO” until the very end, reaffirming his commitment to the game despite changing sentiments. When asked if he’d want to swap to Warzone, he pledged to keep grinding Apex and appears confident more could be done to turn things around.
Respawn has yet to publicly address any of the greatest Apex concerns from recent weeks, though ImperialHal joining the outcry may change that.
