The ongoing success and popularity of Apex Legends reaffirms the staying power of battle royales. Despite the genre’s oversaturation, developers at Respawn Entertainment have managed to create a unique experience with Apex Legends, one that keeps players coming back for more. At the time of writing, Apex Legends is the sixth most played game on Steam, and it doesn't seem to be losing that position any time soon. As time goes on, however, Apex needs to continue iterating upon its formula to maintain its growth.
A great example of innovation in battle royales comes from Fortnite, which recently (temporarily) removed its building mechanic. This was a huge update because building was practically the DNA of Fortnite. Dropping an element of the game so essential to its identity was bold, but it turned a lot of heads. Players who stopped playing because of the high skillcap that comes from building, for instance, were drawn back into the game. If Apex Legends was to do something similar and switch up its formula, it could lead to the renewed interest of casual players.
Fortnite Without Building
Building in Fortnite is a massive part of what makes the game so recognizable. Initially conceived as some sort of crossover between a crafting game and a third-person shooter, Fortnite has featured building since the beginning of its development. Removing it from the battle royale was divisive, sure, but the results speak for themselves: An uptick of almost two million concurrent players. Objectively, the change has renewed interest among players. Doing something so drastic definitely shifts the audience towards the casual side of things, but making it a temporary change (or a separate “no building” mode) prevents the alienation of its core audience.
Removing Features from Apex Legends
Apex Legends would, therefore, do well to follow the lead of Fortnite by temporarily removing some of its core mechanics and shaking up gameplay. Whether the removed feature would be advanced movement, vehicles, or weapon modifications, dropping any one of these elements could be a huge boon for the franchise. The high skillcap in Apex mostly comes from movement, with experienced players crushing inexperienced ones by manipulating this mechanic. It's been made apparent by the experimental removal of tap strafing last year that players don't want anything permanent, so providing players with options or separate game modes is the best move for Respawn.
Currently, a majority of Apex’s updates focus on new legends and cosmetics. When there are only a handful of characters to choose from, these sorts of updates can be exciting. As time goes on, however, and the roster continues to expand, the anticipation of new characters diminishes. It's worth noting that Respawn has added two new game modes within the past couple of years. The 3v3 round-based “Arena” mode and 9v9 limited time mode, “Control,” resonated with fans. Seeing more of these changes to gameplay would only increase the size of Apex’s player base.
Apex Legends is an important game. There are tons of battle royales trying to cash in on the success of Fortnite, but Apex cut through the noise and developed a staying power that’s lasted more than three years. Its growth isn't declining, either: Apex Legends added 28 million new players last year alone. Video games are constantly evolving, though. If ApexLegends hopes to see even more new players, it can't hurt to continue switching up its formula in ways similar to Fortnite’s approach.
Apex Legends is available now for mobile devices, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
