It has been an absolutely absurd week in the gaming industry, where a new game from EA and Respawn, Apex Legends, went from rumored to leaked to released in the span of just a few days. After that, it went from somewhat buzzy to worldwide phenomenon in 72 hours, which is as long as it took to amass 10 million players and 1 million concurrents, something I have genuinely never seen in the industry before.

 

The game rewards teams who stick together it's virtually impossible to win if you go your own way. And the game's ingenious ping system means that winning teams are always looking out for each other, directing their teammates to better gear and weapons. When I'm hurt, players rush to give aid. When I'm low on ammo, most players share what they have. I've played games where a leader instantly emerges in the trio, and others where it's a true team dynamic. Just like real life, I've been both a leader and team contributor each can be equally satisfying.

 

Since then, Fortnite has ballooned in size, counting more than 200 million players as of November of last year thanks to its iOS and Android versions and its cross-platform and cross-progression features. Those are both elements that Apex Legends does not have plans to add any time soon, Respawn told me at a press event prior to the game's launch. So we could see Apex Legends'player count top off at some point because it won't ever add smartphones to the mix. Apex Legends, however, has a particularly aggressive pricing model and an overly complex economy. If you cherished this write-up and you would like to obtain a lot more data relating to Buy Apex Legends Apex Coins kindly pay a visit to the web site. Now, players are starting to voice concern about how that model could eventually harm its longevity, as more revenue from microtransactions likely translates to a more robust development team, faster updates, and more support from EA.
 

 

Fortnite's first official events, the Summer Skirmish, ended in unplanned and abrupt fashion. When servers couldn't handle the load from the competition, the event ended after only four rounds that used a structure that disincentivized aggressive play. Playing against other experienced Fortnite players, teams played cautiously to increase their odds at getting to the endgame. Epic did offer an extra prize to the team with the most kills, but it wasn't enough compared to the prize for getting two Victory Royales, which was the title-winning requirement.

 

Finally, both games have a subscription pass called a "Battle Pass." This gives you access to a seasonal system of items. Fortnite's Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks, or just under $10 in real money. Apex Legends, at the time of publication, hadn't announced the price of its pass yet, but it's coming soon. Apex Legends is fun. It is deeply, unequivocally fun, and I say that as someone who, despite writing roughly 200 Fortnite guides over the past year, is generally not a fan of the battle royale genre overall. But everything Respawn has done here, mostly minor UI/usability tweaks paired with smooth, accessible but challenging combat, has taken Apex Legends to the next level.