EA reverses course on Apex Legends sequel

pcgamesinsider.biz:

US publishing giant Electronic Arts has had a change of heart when it comes to a new version of its battle royale hit, Apex Legends. 

Speaking to investors, CEO Andrew Wilson said that there would be an "even bigger, more meaningful" update to the 2019 blockbuster, which he went on to say could be called 'Apex 2.0'. This follows Apex Legends reporting a decline in net bookings, but these were in line with EA's expectations. 

So far over 200 million people have played Apex Legends since its 2019 release. This new version of Apex is unlikely to come out before the upcoming Battlefield Labs, which itself is expected to release some time before April 2026. 

“Sometime on a longer-term time horizon, there will be an even bigger, more meaningful update to that broader game experience. An Apex 2.0, if you will. This will not be the final incarnation of Apex," Wilson said. 

“The team remains incredibly committed. We continue to invest behind the core community, which continues to play in the tens of millions of players. But we do believe that there should be a more major update. That will probably happen after the Battlefield launch, just in terms of timing. And the team is diligently working through what that would be.

“And then longer-term, our expectation is that we’ll continue to expand what this franchise is and how we support a core community of highly competitive players and new communities that want to come and experience all the greatness that Apex has to offer.”

Apex Legends runs on a tweaked version of Valve's Source engine which is starting to show its age somewhat. A new edition of the battle royale hit will likely move to a new and more modern engine, as well as hopefully address fan requests for features like improved tickrate for servers.