The Apex Legends community were in uproar over the latest Battle Pass changes, feeling betrayed by a game that has already made billions. They review-bombed en masse, and they were successful; EA and Respawn are cancelling the Battle Pass changes.
Apex Legends was already in a massive slump when EA announced their controversial decision to split future seasons into two Battle Passes, and to stop players from using their in-game currency to buy the Battle Pass. Effectively, players were going to have spent $20 a season for every item, whereas before you would only have to spend $10 once, and then you could use the Apex Coin acquired from completing the Battle Pass to buy the next one.
In response, players review bombed the game and created an uproar on social media. Usually those methods sadly fall on deaf ears, but this time around, EA and Respawn were forced to listen, and now they have announced they will not be making these changes. Success!
Update, July 25: The Players Won, Apex Devs Apologize
In a series of tweets from the official Apex Legends account, the devs apologized for the proposed changes. They then announced that, in fact, they will allow players to keep using in-game currency to buy the Battle Pass. And by way of seeking redemption, they also announced that for the next Battle Pass you won't have to pay anything, you just need to complete a few simple in-game challenges:
An update on our new Battle Pass: pic.twitter.com/ga8NB8cwFB
— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) July 24, 2024
However, It sounds like they want to keep the two Battle Pass system they proposed, but this is still a developing situation, so things might change.
Why Were Players Upset
Normally in Apex, you get a single Battle Pass per season costing $9.99, which can also be purchased using Apex Coins earned through completing the previous Battle Pass. Respawn's plan was to split this into two shorter passes per season, each at the same price, without the option to use the Apex Coins. They also wanted to introduce a Premium+ pass for $19.99, which was going to includes extra goodies but at a steep increase in cost.
How Apex Players Fought Back
The community’s response? A flood of negative Steam reviews. They sent the game's ratings plummeting to "Mixed" and then "Overwhelmingly Negative".
Many Apex players were more than just annoyed — they voted with their playtime, so to speak, and began mass uninstalling the game. And understandably so, because amidst this controversy, there was a deeper frustration brewing over ongoing issues like cheaters and server instability that hadn't been addressed. These problems, combined with the new monetization push, felt like a slap in the face.
Thank goodness this crisis was averted, and that players were able to meaningfully retaliate against the corporate world. Are you happy enough with Respawn's response to go back to Apex?