Reviews for Apex Legends on Steam have flipped to ‘mostly negative’ almost immediately after the announcement of very controversial changes to the season battle pass, with players protesting the new system.
After going unchanged for 22 seasons, the battle pass next time around in Apex will crucially no longer be purchasable with Apex coins, and instead only with real-world currency. This, along with the switch to two battle passes per season, has suffered widespread condemnation from longtime players.
Along with concerns that it is a sign of the game’s demise, the community of PC players on Steam have voiced their frustration by barraging the reviews with ‘not recommended’ ratings.
The most ‘helpful’ rated review states: “Now with the new battle pass system, I’m deleting the game, as well as most players, bye!”
Another disgruntled player said, “EA Games: ‘Let’s remove the last good thing in this game, which forces players to come in and play, and make them pay twice.'”
One player quipped: “At least leaving a review is still free. Right?”
The disdain for the battle pass change was felt immediately across social media, but there has been no response to the backlash from developer Respawn or Electronic Arts, the publisher.
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Some have in fact defended the decision – or at least downplayed its significance – such as pro player and streamer ImperialHal. “People are complaining that you can’t use coins, you have to pay for it now. What is the difference?” he asked.
“There’s literally no difference. You pay for f**king coins, you pay for the battle pass.”
However, players are angered that they will now have to pay twice per season, and cannot use coins earned in the previous battle pass to pay for the next.
In their 2024 Q4 earnings report, EA announced that Apex Legends “has surpassed $3.4 billion in lifetime net bookings.”
EA also claimed, “We engaged with the community, increased transparency, and thoughtfully addressed their feedback, and, as a result, saw dramatic improvements in player sentiment scores around the world.”
That sentiment score will almost certainly have decreased following this battle pass change.
