As its player count dwindles, Apex Legends is in need of a clutch revive

Video games compete with any number of other diversions for our time and entertainment dollars. They also compete with each other, especially in the saturated battle royale genre. The holidays are traditionally when all our favorite games urge us to pick them with holiday-themed events. Apex Legends players are concerned.

A lack of content has already seen the game fall to its lowest player count since its February 2019 release date. Its Winter Express mode returned for the fifth time in six years and the numbers indicate players are not pumped about it.

Apex Legends players were already voicing concerns about the game before Respawn's reveal of controversial changes to the game's battle pass. It would have doubled the battle pass price and stopped players from purchasing it with in-game currency. It felt like the classic EA tactic of charging players more for less content.

After the overwhelmingly negative response, Respawn restored the ability to purchase the pass for the in-game currency cost of 950 Apex Coins. The developer also promised to be be better about communication. They realized that so much of this controversy was avoidable. But a great deal of damage was done during the process.

Apex Pro Imperial Hal has predicted the game's death and when players of his stature declare they've lost interest, it can often be a self-fullfilling prophecy. The people who make a living playing a game are often its biggest cheerleaders. But in the times such as this, they can also send warnings to the executives that need to hear them.