2024 has been an eventful year for Apex Legends. Respawn’s massively popular battle royale began the year with its fifth-anniversary celebration, showering fans with rewards and access to rare in-game currency. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing—changes to the battle-pass structure led to a backlash from players and a noticeable drop in the game’s Steam review score. In a move that contrasts with the recent trend of releasing sequels for live-service games, EA has decided to stick with Apex Legends in its current form, focusing on longevity and innovation rather than a full sequel.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson addressed the question of an Apex Legends 2 directly in a recent earnings call, explaining why the company is resisting a sequel. “Typically, what we have seen in the context of live service-driven games at scale is the ‘version two’ thing has rarely been as successful as the ‘version one’ thing,” he said. He cited Overwatch 2 as an example of a sequel that struggled to recapture the full success of its predecessor. Instead, EA and Respawn are concentrating on refining the core experience and expanding content for their current player base.
“Any time we cause a global player community to have to choose between the investments they’ve made to date and future innovation and creativity, that’s never a good place to put our community in,” Wilson continued, underscoring that the goal is to preserve players’ progress and investment in the game while evolving its offerings. Respawn and EA want to expand Apex’s world, gameplay, and modes without forcing players to abandon their established profiles or in-game investments.
Respawn’s updates have been significant, starting with the reimagined battle pass and continuing with changes in Season 18, including character overhauls and the highly-requested Legend Upgrade system. In 2024, they introduced visible enemy health bars, rebalanced gameplay, and added new Legend abilities, all of which reshaped Apex Legends‘ meta.
Although the idea of a single-player game within the Apex/Titanfall universe has been floated and scrapped multiple times, Respawn’s ongoing commitment to Apex Legends suggests a long-term strategy. EA has reiterated its intention to support the game for 10 to 15 years, investing in content and updates rather than building a new title.
Wilson’s comments affirm that EA plans to keep Apex Legends alive through continuous updates and creative content additions, aiming to sustain the game and its community for years to come. This approach—focusing on the evolution of Apex Legends without the need for a sequel—could help ensure that it remains a standout in the battle royale genre, rather than splitting its player base or jeopardizing their hard-earned progress.
