According to an IGN interview, Respawn Entertainment’s creators hope to maintain Apex Legends for twenty years. A parallel between Apex and conventional sports, which have “been around for 100 plus years,” was made to express the intention to maintain the live service game over the next 20 years.
Although that’s a wonderful objective, Apex Legends has already come close to attaining it. Battle royale games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and PUBG typically don’t have sequels; instead, they improve and expand on the existing content. Apex Legends has a solid base, but will it be enough to keep the game alive for another fifteen years?
Evan Nikolich, the senior design director of Apex Legends, immediately compared Apex Legends to Counter-Strike in an interview that IGN published. That franchise has maintained a remarkable level of stability for close to 23 years. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recently went so far as to surpass its Steam peak concurrent player record.
Nikolich clarified his meaning by saying:
The goal is for Apex to have a 20-year lifespan like Counter-Strike. It must possess the capacity for independence and self-sufficiency. Even if we aren’t introducing fresh custom material, the systems must be robust, engaging, and good for players to enjoy season after season.
As a result, there is a conviction that users would keep the active platform year after year even if Respawn stops providing new material to Apex Legends. It’s relatively easy to picture. At least it’s conceivable.
Respawn’s sister firm, EA’s DICE, recently planned to shut down all active Medal of Honor multiplayer servers, some of which are almost fifteen years old. It’s possible to imagine another EA-owned studio maintaining a skeleton staff to manage a battle royale game that has been around for two decades.
Apex Legends is one of the most well-liked games out there. It easily ranks in the top three among battle royale games in social circles, streaming services, and gaming platforms. It has a huge esports following, ranks highly on Twitch and YouTube, and receives regular upgrades from Respawn that regularly breathe new life into the platform.
It’s here to stay for the foreseeable future, even if it won’t endure another fifteen years.
