Apex Legends attracts 25 million players in its first week

[Shawn Knight]

Why it matters: Fans of the battle royale genre have yet another quality option at their disposal following the launch of Apex Legends a week ago. It's too early to know if the title will ultimately prove as popular as PUBG or Fortnite but it's off to a great start.

Apex Legends, the free-to-play battle royale game from developer Respawn Entertainment, could be cause for concern for the crew over at Epic Games.

Since launching a week ago, the game has attracted more than 25 million registered players. At its peak this past weekend, Apex Legends had over two million concurrent players, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella said in a recent blog post.

By comparison, it took Fortnite nearly four months to attract its first 45 million players.

Speaking of, Fortnite still holds a substantial lead over its latest challenger. Epic said in November than the game had crossed the 200 million registered user mark. That number is undoubtedly higher today following the holiday season.

Zampella said their goal is to “build this game with you, our community, so keep giving us your feedback because we really are listening.”

Looking ahead, Respawn is launching an Apex Legends e-sports tournament today that runs through next week. There’s also a Valentine’s Day loot drop coming later this week and the debut of Season One / the game’s first Battle Pass in March. You can download Apex Legends here.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/78709-apex-legends-attracts-25-million-players-first-week.html

 

[Panda218]

First week the games been out and I already have nearly 30 hours logged. That number will only go up if we keep getting all this snow

 

[Burty117]

I won't go near Anthem, it looks like it'll have the same Loot box system Apex Legends has.

Apex Legends on the other hand, is free-to-play, like most modern EA games should be.

I've played a good 15-20 hours now and I've gotta say, really enjoying it, I hate Fortnite and I enjoy PUBG but hate dying early and watching my squad for 20 minutes but Apex and its revive system is beautiful, also a big fan of the movement mechanics. Overall, one of the better EA games to come out in recent years.

 

[Hexic]

I typically don't spend time on these kind of games because of my severe lack of free time itself - but I have to admit this is a game I love to hate. The draw of this game is incredible.

 

[kevbev89]

I won't go near Anthem, it looks like it'll have the same Loot box system Apex Legends has.

Apex Legends on the other hand, is free-to-play, like most modern EA games should be.

I've played a good 15-20 hours now and I've gotta say, really enjoying it, I hate Fortnite and I enjoy PUBG but hate dying early and watching my squad for 20 minutes but Apex and its revive system is beautiful, also a big fan of the movement mechanics. Overall, one of the better EA games to come out in recent years.

On 40 hours and counting. Pains me that I am supporting EA.
If anything this proves that people will play a GOOD game, regardless who publishes it.
I 100% agree on their revive system; they give enough time to pick up the banner to revive your squad if you win the fight.

Here's to EA not screwing this one up...yet.

 

[144hzGamer]

I typically don't spend time on these kind of games because of my severe lack of free time itself - but I have to admit this is a game I love to hate. The draw of this game is incredible.

Care to elaborate on what this game inovated? I really cant see the hype. It has heroes like League or overwatch did before. It has a nerfed slimed down version of titanfall movement, and is a BR like blackout or fortnite.

I think ppl is over reacting but yeah

 

[Evernessince]

I typically don't spend time on these kind of games because of my severe lack of free time itself - but I have to admit this is a game I love to hate. The draw of this game is incredible.

Care to elaborate on what this game inovated? I really cant see the hype. It has heroes like League or overwatch did before. It has a nerfed slimed down version of titanfall movement, and is a BR like blackout or fortnite.

I think ppl is over reacting but yeah

Making a list of some of the features it has that other games have don't really say one way or another whether a game is good or bad. You'd be hard pressed to find a game that has entirely unique mechanics that no other game uses. Modern games almost always have to borrow a thing or two.

My advice would be to simply try the game for a bit and if you don't like it after that you can honestly say you gave it a shot.

 

[Hexic]

Care to elaborate on what this game inovated? I really cant see the hype. It has heroes like League or overwatch did before. It has a nerfed slimed down version of titanfall movement, and is a BR like blackout or fortnite.

I think ppl is over reacting but yeah

Very few games that have come out in recent years are truly "innovative". What this game does well is taking the highlights of other games and playing on those, stripping out the annoying BS that individuals don't like from said games, and meshing it all together into one. That hadn't been done yet.

Fortnite is entirely too cartoonish with game mechanics that aren't consistent. PUBG is inconsistent and doesn't run as well on some machines as OW/Apex does.

It's the summation of a smooth movement and shooting experience, taking the BR concept, using the first person shooter class system very similar to OverWatch, and creating a moderately interesting first map to play on. Nobody's exaggerating here, they are just highlighting what Apex has done thus far.

 

[kevbev89]

Care to elaborate on what this game inovated? I really cant see the hype. It has heroes like League or overwatch did before. It has a nerfed slimed down version of titanfall movement, and is a BR like blackout or fortnite.

I think ppl is over reacting but yeah

Honestly it is just a matter of if the game resonances with you. Here's a sample breakdown for me I guess:
Music/Sound effects: Excellent, I love the crescendo of music that cranks up after you leap off the ship

Art Style: To me it is like a more mature/Respawn-ified Borderlands. I like it way more than PUBG/Fortnite. I never really enjoyed PUBG's gritty unoptimized looking game and I don't like Fortnite's kiddy style.

Shooting: Very solid and fluid like any CoD game, but netcode is wayyy better. Gun options are pretty unique.

UI: Really smooth compared to Bo4 and PUBG. They do a lot of little things that make it easier to navigate (e.g. if you switch weapons the compatible attachments automatically are equipped on the new gun). The pinging system is pretty intuitive and really good compared to all other similar games.

Characters: Personally it felt more like a Borderlands BR more than Overwatch+PUBG/Blackout. I think some of the characters still need some balancing, but overall it does change up the fight. It should be pretty easy to find one that you enjoy playing the most. I also like the effort they put into the dialogue.

So yea, maybe you aren't on board with the Apex hype train, which is 100% ok. In the end it is a game enjoyed best with friends, so who knows, maybe your squad mates might pull you into it.

 

[144hzGamer]

Making a list of some of the features it has that other games have don't really say one way or another whether a game is good or bad. You'd be hard pressed to find a game that has entirely unique mechanics that no other game uses. Modern games almost always have to borrow a thing or two.

My advice would be to simply try the game for a bit and if you don't like it after that you can honestly say you gave it a shot.

I tried the game and didnt see a single "entirely new mechanic".

 

[144hzGamer]

Very few games that have come out in recent years are truly "innovative". What this game does well is taking the highlights of other games and playing on those, stripping out the annoying BS that individuals don't like from said games, and meshing it all together into one. That hadn't been done yet.

Fortnite is entirely too cartoonish with game mechanics that aren't consistent. PUBG is inconsistent and doesn't run as well on some machines as OW/Apex does.

It's the summation of a smooth movement and shooting experience, taking the BR concept, using the first person shooter class system very similar to OverWatch, and creating a moderately interesting first map to play on. Nobody's exaggerating here, they are just highlighting what Apex has done thus far.

There are plenty of innovative games on the last 12 months. Apex isnt one of them. Just like you said, it has elements from many games and ends up playing exactly like those games. Nothing new.

 

[144hzGamer]

Honestly it is just a matter of if the game resonances with you. Here's a sample breakdown for me I guess:
Music/Sound effects: Excellent, I love the crescendo of music that cranks up after you leap off the ship

Art Style: To me it is like a more mature/Respawn-ified Borderlands. I like it way more than PUBG/Fortnite. I never really enjoyed PUBG's gritty unoptimized looking game and I don't like Fortnite's kiddy style.

Shooting: Very solid and fluid like any CoD game, but netcode is wayyy better. Gun options are pretty unique.

UI: Really smooth compared to Bo4 and PUBG. They do a lot of little things that make it easier to navigate (e.g. if you switch weapons the compatible attachments automatically are equipped on the new gun). The pinging system is pretty intuitive and really good compared to all other similar games.

Characters: Personally it felt more like a Borderlands BR more than Overwatch+PUBG/Blackout. I think some of the characters still need some balancing, but overall it does change up the fight. It should be pretty easy to find one that you enjoy playing the most. I also like the effort they put into the dialogue.

So yea, maybe you aren't on board with the Apex hype train, which is 100% ok. In the end it is a game enjoyed best with friends, so who knows, maybe your squad mates might pull you into it.

I can see all of that, I just didnt find anything that would make me consider thia game amazing. Plus imo if the game cost 50€ instead of being free, it would be just another BR for most. Being f2p is what really attracted so many people. Until the next f2p BR game comes.

 

[Hexic]

There are plenty of innovative games on the last 12 months. Apex isnt one of them. Just like you said, it has elements from many games and ends up playing exactly like those games. Nothing new.

I'm curious, what games would you classify as innovative in the past 12 months? All I've been witnessing are sequels (or v3, v4, etc.) and games that are simply adapting 90% of their material from other games, I.e. Apex.