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"Apex Legends Disappointment Signals Substantial Pain Ahead [for EA]"
- Thread starter Sqrt
- Start date
Yeah, wondering why they're all coincidentally timed together.
The balance updates and new characters/abilities were brilliant. It's the only BR game I play, as I like the mechanics, weapons, encounters, ping system and squad mechanics (unless searching solo, then I hate the game mostly).
I'd don't care for cosmetics but I bought some coin early on for characters, more of those and another map or two would keep me playing. A few modes on those maps and we're good. Duo and solo would be welcome.
They could also stop of 3 types of purchasing currencies and just make it all one coin thanks. It's fucking stupid the way it is now.
I'd don't care for cosmetics but I bought some coin early on for characters, more of those and another map or two would keep me playing. A few modes on those maps and we're good. Duo and solo would be welcome.
They could also stop of 3 types of purchasing currencies and just make it all one coin thanks. It's fucking stupid the way it is now.
Heads are gonna roll and there are gonna be a lot of uncomfortable questions for EA's leadership
It's almost as if the decline of Apex Legends has been visible for weeks and is an actual news item now. I wonder why news outlets coincidentally all report about a current event at the same time?
It's a conspiracy I tell you.
Because the numbers on twitch are plummeting and the biggest streamers on twitch are all publicly talking about never wanting to play the game again.
Yep. A lot of us have been saying this weeks before these articles came out. If anything theyre finally catching up to the general consensus.
I love Respawn's work, along with Apex and still play it most days. But holy moly is this one of the most mismanaged momentum swings I've seen in a long time.
Updates have been super slow and lacklustre, communication has been bafflingly poor and the battle pass just put things in reverse.
Updates have been super slow and lacklustre, communication has been bafflingly poor and the battle pass just put things in reverse.
yeah I lost interest pretty fast. Sure, it's a fun game that runs well and has good gunplay but for me there wasn't enough to keep me logging in every day and this was before the battle pass was released, and I know what the general preception about that is. Shame, really.
I mean, all they have to go by are the twitch numbers - which are anything but a reliable metric. Pubg still has millions playing and its doing pretty poor on twitch.
The marketing was from the first day mostly built upon stream numbers and social engagement. A game that loses those numbers years after launch is expected. To lose it almost immediately after the bought broadcast time has ended is pretty telling.
They made shit ton of money from it just didn't invest the money they made back into the game. So we got slow updates , shitty battle pass and close to no communication from them. They had the potential to become like Fortnite but they didn't expand their team fast enough to manage their growth properly and the work load that comes with it.
The sole competitive multiplayer products scene is maybe not always so competitive. You have one winner and you're not dethroning that if players already picked the game they're dedicated to. That's where EA's conservatism fails them, or Respawn in this case. As cool as the game is the derivativeness from Fortnite and Overwatch just comes across as "We've seen this before" so that's already an uphill climb. Screw up the monetary systems and progression then, and well, people aren't gonna stick around for it.
The worst crux then, is that "Hard time ahead for EA" here isn't that the game did poorly, it's that EA's risk evaluation probably is going to dictate that rather than find a solution to help Respawn improve the situation, some execs will look at economic statistics and decide it's time for layoffs instead.
The worst crux then, is that "Hard time ahead for EA" here isn't that the game did poorly, it's that EA's risk evaluation probably is going to dictate that rather than find a solution to help Respawn improve the situation, some execs will look at economic statistics and decide it's time for layoffs instead.
I like the game. It looks good, art design is good and gameplay is fun, but I think it was destined for failure on the long run as there there are quite a few awful design choices.
The multi-tiered shield system, for example is one of the worst, most unfair systems I've ever seen implemented in any game. Couple that with one of the worst, most incosistent loot drop (I've once opened 6 supply crates in a row and none had a single weapon in it) system and you end up with a game where the player's skill is constantly undermined by random factors.
The multi-tiered shield system, for example is one of the worst, most unfair systems I've ever seen implemented in any game. Couple that with one of the worst, most incosistent loot drop (I've once opened 6 supply crates in a row and none had a single weapon in it) system and you end up with a game where the player's skill is constantly undermined by random factors.
Tiered armour is pretty normal in BR games, but the loot does get to me when I open up a bunch of chests and check out a few buildings and come out of it all with nothing but grenades and attachments.
The battle pass sucks. I don't care how fun a game is or how satisfying it is to play, I need a constant drip feed of adequately shiny trinkets and cosmetics in order to actually put time into a game. To play for fun alone would be a huge waste.
I still love it, spent the whole weekend playing it. But if EA and Respawn doesn't change, I don't think Apex will survive.
It's one of the finest FPS experiences I've had this generation, very addictive core gameplay and a smooth launch. The post-launch support has been unexciting though: a weak pass, not overly interesting additions (the new class is okay but not top tier, the new weapon is not too good, the QoL changes weren't that huge), and generally nothing particularly exciting on the horizon. On top of that, they are failing to fix some core glitches, some of them even becoming more frequent: the main annoyance, in that, being the audio cutting out, which is a huge issue in a BR game as you're relying on footsteps, reload/recharge sounds, gunfire, etc. all the time. I used to wake up at 5am so I could play a couple rounds of Apex before work. Now I boot up the game once or twice per week. It's great, fun, but there's just not a lot going on with it, whereas other games I play keep adding new shit that keep me coming back. Apex Legends still has a fantastic gameplay so I ain't quitting, but I also ain't gonna grind this disappointing pass.
I quit after two games, game was never that good to begin with but people need a BR so desperately they latched onto it like bees to honey.
I find it more disappointing that these days people can't play a game just because it's a good game, they just seem to want to unlock another weapon skin they'll never use......
They are still playing, Apex still is in top-3 on Xbox after Fortnite and NBA. This article is nonsense.
Seriously, it takes me barely a few seconds to get matched into a full game.
It's basically what happens if you talk about wanting everything as GaaS but aren't willing to spend the operating costs involved.
Epic, even before Fortnite exploded in popularity knew that they were building a service and planned accordingly.
Whatever plans EA/Respawn had for Apex didn't cut it in this regard.
The thing is, they could still turn this around by reshuffling their service. Now are they able/willing to?
Time will tell.
Epic, even before Fortnite exploded in popularity knew that they were building a service and planned accordingly.
Whatever plans EA/Respawn had for Apex didn't cut it in this regard.
The thing is, they could still turn this around by reshuffling their service. Now are they able/willing to?
Time will tell.
The game earned $92m revenue in the first month alone and everything about the post launch update cadence implies there aren't that many people working on it. Why in God's name would they need to lay people off? People should remember that Apex came out of nowhere and no-one would have expected it to be as popular as it is. Its performance may be disappointing given how strongly it launched, but it's not disappointing in general.
I've ventured back to Blackout recently but I still like Apex quite a lot. Gunplay is good, ping system is amazing and the looting/inventory is fantastic.
My biggest problem with the game is the lack of anything to play for. During my first couple weeks on the game, I had won about 15-20 times. That's tripled since then. So the allure of winning wore off quick. Then the battle pass comes and flops right out the gate. No big deal because you get Apex packs for leveling up, right? Wrong, packs slow to a halt and eventually stop altogether.
And I get why Respawn designed it this way, but making certain guns almost useless (Mozambique, P20) tends to make the early game really boring.
My biggest problem with the game is the lack of anything to play for. During my first couple weeks on the game, I had won about 15-20 times. That's tripled since then. So the allure of winning wore off quick. Then the battle pass comes and flops right out the gate. No big deal because you get Apex packs for leveling up, right? Wrong, packs slow to a halt and eventually stop altogether.
And I get why Respawn designed it this way, but making certain guns almost useless (Mozambique, P20) tends to make the early game really boring.
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I Agree with this. The attention span part in particular. Can't blame the masses however, There are thousands of things being created each day trying to compete for said attention. Production on goods have become quicker, efficient, and more targeted. As such, output is insane. Movies, Games, TV shows, etc.
I deleted it from my hard drive this morning. I had fun with it for a short time but I don't have much interest in continuing. The movement is the best part. I love the sliding mechanism. The ping system is really good. Shooting feels ok, pretty close to Titanfall 2. But the game struggles to mashup the hero shooter with battle royal and for me it doesn't do this well enough for me to keep playing.
It I want a hero shooter I have Overwatch and if I want a BR I will play something with a larger map. For me a lot of the fun of BR is the unpredictable amounts of time between enemy encounters. Even Fortnite has this and PUBG is the best example. The time between enemy encounters and the unpredictability of it is what makes BR (for me) so much fun to play and watch. Apex doesn't really have this. The map is too small. Enemy moment is pretty predictable. The game needs two or more new maps. This could make me interested again.
Another problem I have with the game is how long it takes to unlock new heros. I get that it is a free game but if I buy the battle pass I want all the heros from that season unlocked. Otherwise I will never be able to shake the feeling the game is hunting for whales, trying to get players addicted to microtransations. Honestly who has time for that? There are so many great games to play. Not all of them are trying exploit players.
It I want a hero shooter I have Overwatch and if I want a BR I will play something with a larger map. For me a lot of the fun of BR is the unpredictable amounts of time between enemy encounters. Even Fortnite has this and PUBG is the best example. The time between enemy encounters and the unpredictability of it is what makes BR (for me) so much fun to play and watch. Apex doesn't really have this. The map is too small. Enemy moment is pretty predictable. The game needs two or more new maps. This could make me interested again.
Another problem I have with the game is how long it takes to unlock new heros. I get that it is a free game but if I buy the battle pass I want all the heros from that season unlocked. Otherwise I will never be able to shake the feeling the game is hunting for whales, trying to get players addicted to microtransations. Honestly who has time for that? There are so many great games to play. Not all of them are trying exploit players.
Good, now they can feel the substantial pain I felt when they fuckin quit on Dead Space.
Wasn't this supposed to be a Fortnite killer lol?
I noticed people talking about the game for like 2 weeks then talk died way down.
Was wondering what happened to all the hype. Smells overhyped to me.
Wasn't this supposed to be a Fortnite killer lol?
I noticed people talking about the game for like 2 weeks then talk died way down.
Was wondering what happened to all the hype. Smells overhyped to me.
This is certainly an original take.
Many people (myself included) took to Apex despite never getting into any other BR.
It is a good game; it has a solid core. For longevity, it needs a better roadmap and more substantial updates, better cosmetics/BP, etc.
I'm still playing it with friends because it's fun. I'll likely keep playing it until something else grabs my attention (HDD space is finite).
I'm not gonna suddenly drop it for another BR because I never felt a desperate need for that type of game in the first place.
I've never really liked BR games, but from what I played Apex seemed like a real solid FPS BR. What caused the decline though? Is it the disappointing battle pass? I looked into what the Battle Pass included, can't say I was interested in the cosmetics. That said, I'm not a huge fan of the cosmetics from the Respawn team. Most of the skins for Titanfall 2 were quite disappointing to be honest.
I still play it on and off. My biggest gripe is the people who want to hot drop right into the action are never actually good enough to hot drop into the action. I'm bang average and wouldn't mind now and again dropping somewhere quiet.
Yeah this my experience of the game. We're usually pretty good at BR/FPS as well, never felt so behind the curve so quickly.
This game just made us feel old :(
To the games credit, the UI is so good it's actually hard to go back to other BRs. And the movement shooting is all very smooth although the shooting always felt slightly off to me. Probably just to used to CoD's feel.
Why is Battle Pass on this game so heavily criticized? The base game is free so I dont understand this (I dont play BR games)
Because the content you do pay for should be on par or in the general vicinity of the games in that genre that are already available.
In Apex case this is not true. The battle pass is pretty bad compared to fortnite (probably unreachable with Apex studio manpower), pubg or dota2. The game doesn't provide anything besides the amazing core gameplay loop.
There should have been singles and doubles, more customisation, maybe changes to the map available. What we got so far is gameplay adjustments and a new weapon or two. For a service based game that came out guns blazing and aiming for the top this was way to little too late.
20 rewards out of 100 is just an icon that shows your level (5,10,15,20....100)
other bajillion rewards is just stat trackers nobody cares about
there is a bunch of trash recolors for guns
1 decent skin for prowler
1 great skin for havoc
thats all this battlepass has.
if you exclude stuff nobody cares about - the only worthy content is 2 skins (prowler and havoc). rest is filler garbage
although if you reach level 100 you get your money back, but that requires 100+ hour grind
I'm broadly speaking of course but you can't deny the first for a good BR game is real.
To answer the OP's question, still playing it almost everyday for a couple of hours and enjoying it a lot!
Can't argue against the article's metrics and what that could mean for EA's stock though. I.... just don't really much care for stock market investors speculating about a billion-dollar corporation's finances. The thing I'm more worried about is that shareholders, as greedy and short-sighted as they always are, might just push for more money-grubbing tactics for EA to pursue with Apex Legends and with their other games.
Can't argue against the article's metrics and what that could mean for EA's stock though. I.... just don't really much care for stock market investors speculating about a billion-dollar corporation's finances. The thing I'm more worried about is that shareholders, as greedy and short-sighted as they always are, might just push for more money-grubbing tactics for EA to pursue with Apex Legends and with their other games.
Yeah that happens to me a lot as well. There is a loot problem. Especially in skull town. People treat that like tilted towers from fortnite and there just isn't enough weapons to go around and sometimes it's just pistols. One time me and my team landed near skull town, looted those buildings and thirsted the hurt players at skull town. Shit was easy.
They clearly didnt anticipate it being this much of a success. Respawn is a relatively moderately staffed studio that is also working on a high budget AAA Star Wars title, there was no way they could bring the staff necessary on board to keep Apex being as updated and functional as Epic with its dedicated staff of over 1000.
Solo and duo is a separate que from parties of 3 you don't even get matched against parties of 3 in a duo. So you got stomped by another duo and a solo player.
I'm honestly about to grind Fortnite challenges because there's nothing new in Apex right now. The games are so fun with friends but it's been infested with people who quit immediately, play solo like it's Call of Duty or don't realize you can be revived/resurrected. It's insane.
I mean, no one is saying it is. But you cant compare the logic of many/regular updates when that game took almost 2 years to get its first real update.
From what I remember alot of people soured on GTA online until the updates started rolling in, which again, was like 2 years later.
Lastly, alot of the popularity of GTA online on twitch now revolves around a totally different kind of meta gameplay that users created themselves.