As *Apex Legends*, Respawn's popular battle royale, approaches its sixth anniversary, Electronic Arts (EA) has acknowledged that the game is underperforming financially. In a recent financial call discussing third-quarter results, EA revealed that *Apex Legends* net bookings were down year-over-year, though they met the company's expectations. During a Q&A session with analysts, EA CEO Andrew Wilson provided insights into the game's performance and future plans.
Wilson highlighted *Apex Legends* as a significant launch in the gaming industry over the past decade, boasting over 200 million players. However, he admitted that the game's financial trajectory has not met EA's expectations. "Apex is probably one of the great new launches in our industry over the last decade and has been loved by that core cohort and we've had over 200 million people play the game," Wilson stated. He emphasized ongoing efforts to support the community through quality-of-life improvements, anti-cheat measures, and new content, though progress has been slower than desired.
To address these financial challenges, EA is developing a major update dubbed *Apex Legends 2.0*. This update aims to revitalize the franchise, attract new players, and boost revenue. Wilson clarified that *Apex Legends 2.0* will not launch alongside the next *Battlefield* game, expected before April 2026. Instead, it is slated for release sometime during EA's 2027 fiscal year, ending in March 2027.
"We do believe there will be a time where we need to do a more meaningful update of Apex as a broad game experience, and the team is diligently working on that," Wilson explained. He stressed EA's commitment to long-term franchise development, citing their track record with games that last decades. "Our expectation is that Apex will also be one of those franchises and that sometime on a longer-term time horizon, there will be an even bigger, more meaningful update to that broader game experience, an Apex 2.0, if you will. This will not be the final incarnation of Apex."
The concept of *Apex Legends 2.0* draws parallels to Activision's approach with *Call of Duty: Warzone*, which saw a 2.0 version in 2022. While the success of such a move remains debated among fans, EA is keen on learning from competitors in the battle royale market to expand *Apex Legends'* player base.
Despite its financial struggles, *Apex Legends* continues to be a top-played game on Steam, based on concurrent player counts. However, it has not yet regained its peak numbers on Valve's platform and is trending towards new lows.
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