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"Apex Legends Disappointment Signals Substantial Pain Ahead [for EA]"
- Thread starter Sqrt
- Start date
Seeking Alpha is basically a blog platform for investors. The writer is "WY Capital," who, as far as I can tell, is just some investor who blogs on the site and doesn't have any major credentials. https://seekingalpha.com/author/wy-capital/articles
That's why I'm kind of getting annoyed by these "Apex is dying" arguments. Some investment blogger makes a statement that is seemingly mostly based on Google and Twitter trend searches and people are treating it as an undeniable truth because it reinforces their belief that Apex is failing when that isn't really the case at all.
This. With the money they make from FIFA and Madden alone, you figured they would have not put all their eggs in one basket so-to-speak with Apex Legends.
Well, you can solve for retention by having either content and progression or depth. Apex has neither.
Respawn seems to index high on experiential design and not much else.
The cosmetics loop is poor enough on its own, but the game itself just isn't evolving at a particularly interesting pace. Challenges or specialty modes would keep people engaged, but as is, people are just burning out with nothing new going on.
I'm still playing it, but mostly because my sister-in-law and her husband constantly ask me to join them.
I'm still playing it, but mostly because my sister-in-law and her husband constantly ask me to join them.
You're in a bubble if you can release a game with one single mode and one single map. Even if it is free. The carrot is only there to hide the fact that the game is barebones as all hell. And if you don't even have a carrot, well, sorry, but you're gonna have to do better or people get bored.
I hope publishers learn their lesson about this. A game with only Battle Royale and a single map is a demo. A demo can't sustain forever.
I hope publishers learn their lesson about this. A game with only Battle Royale and a single map is a demo. A demo can't sustain forever.
That's what happens. There is only some much time and money in the population. It's so stupid how everyone charges into the most hostile competition with games like WoW, Fortnite, LoL, etc. People never learn.
that´s how it goes if you pay influencers to advertise your game. once they are gone, people will be gone too.
no solos, no duos was also not a great decision, not everyone wants to play teambased battle royale
besides that, the game just isn´t that interesting at all
no solos, no duos was also not a great decision, not everyone wants to play teambased battle royale
besides that, the game just isn´t that interesting at all
I know about that but it was like essentially only two nights in the middle of the week. Awful event if you even want to call it that.
I've often wondered if being an FPS (not a TPS) harms a games ability to monetize cosmetics.
They really dropped the ball with their Battle Pass. It's wild to me that other devs/publishers don't just directly copy the framework of Fortnite's. Everyone seems to start with a similar idea, but then weigh it down by requiring shitloads of grinding to actually get to anything, pushing too hard toward additional purchases, or just failing to include enough cool/meaningful unlocks.
But yeah, even beyond the battle pass, they just haven't updated stuff frequently enough. People criticize Fortnite's map/weapon/mode changes as being arbitrary, and while that's kind of true, the fact that there's always new stuff to see and do is what keeps me coming back.
Hopefully they can turn it around. Expecting anything to be a massive Fortnite killer right out of the gates was always going to be a mistake.
But yeah, even beyond the battle pass, they just haven't updated stuff frequently enough. People criticize Fortnite's map/weapon/mode changes as being arbitrary, and while that's kind of true, the fact that there's always new stuff to see and do is what keeps me coming back.
Hopefully they can turn it around. Expecting anything to be a massive Fortnite killer right out of the gates was always going to be a mistake.
It being unable to function with the (then at the time) latest NVIDIA drivers sealed it for me personally.
You would think that they might have hoped that Anthem would have not tanked so hard. Then again maybe then knew Anthem was garbage from the get and it was never a factor.
I love how "not as successful as Fortnite" is now a disappointment. Apex was a huge success, came out of nowhere. Sure, it hasn't held as amazingly as it could have, but it did waaaay better initially than literally anyone thought and is still doing well in a very competitive marketplace.
I really like Apex Legends (175 hours played). It's the most fun I've had in a multiplayer game in a while. That being said I've fallen off quite a bit and so has everyone I know. The awful battle pass (bad rewards, bad skins, grind, lack of challenges, events, etc.) has actively hampered my enjoyment. I will never buy another battle pass on Apex, and will likely end up dropping the game altogether. A new map or proof that they can adapt and update more quickly would go a really long way for me.
The reason why investor blogs are going on about how Apex is dying is because basically every gaming stock has been in free fall because of Fortnite being a big hit and investor logic "well if they're not making Fortnite then they're failing and we gotta SELL SELL SELL PULLOUT NOW".
My Dad, who's basically been semi-retired my whole life and makes his money buying and selling shit on the stock market basically told me that the market is like 2/3 on emotion and jumping to conclusions, which is probably why stock market types went from "Apex is gonna save EA buy now" to "Apex isn't saving EA sell now"
It basically doesn't matter that EA makes billions off FIFA UT or whatever because we're by and large talking about people who hear "Fortnite's making money and EA isn't making it" and sells in a panic
My Dad, who's basically been semi-retired my whole life and makes his money buying and selling shit on the stock market basically told me that the market is like 2/3 on emotion and jumping to conclusions, which is probably why stock market types went from "Apex is gonna save EA buy now" to "Apex isn't saving EA sell now"
It basically doesn't matter that EA makes billions off FIFA UT or whatever because we're by and large talking about people who hear "Fortnite's making money and EA isn't making it" and sells in a panic
This was really the first Battle Royale game I got into. But the battle pass is what killed it for me. Getting those rewards is cool and all, but leveling up that slow is just boring. And the rewards weren't anything crazy awesome for that kind of time investment
The only way to sustain a player base like fortnite has is constant updates. apex had a shot but i don't think respawn or EA are willing to put in as much as epic does to get it up to speed with fortnites update schedule.
Not to mention the battle pass that was released for apex was disappointing with nothing really worth earning.
I just feel that neither ea or respawn were expecting this game to blow up the way it did upon its release.
Not to mention the battle pass that was released for apex was disappointing with nothing really worth earning.
I just feel that neither ea or respawn were expecting this game to blow up the way it did upon its release.
Wow it's almost as if pushing your luck with GaaS has a habit of destroying peoples trust in you.
Yeah, I feel this is just an inherent issue with the genre.
At least I feel that way, personally. It was awesome for a month but the idea of getting the same weapons and traversing the same map just doesn't hold my appeal anymore.
I mean, it's an awesome game that I didn't pay a dime for. Not sure this is the time to be decrying GaaS when most people who played the shit out of the game when it launched didn't pay anything to play the full game.
Bizarre how this game seemingly went from a stealth project EA had no faith in, to the biggest (or at least most exciting?) game in their portfolio, to a major disappointment that could cause major problems with their investors, all within a few months.
The disappointing pass did it for me. I was very much into the game and was ready to give them money (it would be a first for me when it comes to f2p games). But then it released and it wasn't interesting at all.
I don't think the unique character, team-based approach is as appealing as dropping everyone into a battle royale with equal abilities. I think that has shorter legs.
New maps would probably bring people back, as well as Fortnite style map updates. Doubt they have the resources for that though.
People just loooooove a Fortnite/PUBG killer though (despite them playing neither games regularly). Get all excited about em and then drop them after a month. Fortnite/PUBG then remain with their strong existing player base per usual.
New maps would probably bring people back, as well as Fortnite style map updates. Doubt they have the resources for that though.
People just loooooove a Fortnite/PUBG killer though (despite them playing neither games regularly). Get all excited about em and then drop them after a month. Fortnite/PUBG then remain with their strong existing player base per usual.
EA is just too slow to do anything that deals with fads. Almost everything they make seems like it should have been released a year or two earlier to be as succesful as they thought it was going to be. Just look at Battlefield V's Battle Royale.
And when they got a bit hit, like Apex, they are too slow to actively compete.
And when they got a bit hit, like Apex, they are too slow to actively compete.
Well, I quit it because it got repetitive. Strange word to say for a BR game, but its true; the same scenarios in all parts of the map. Same guns used since all other guns are mediocre.
Worse of all, the new Legend didn't spark any hype for the game, neither did the Season start with its weak rewards.
I would come back if they added a lot of content: a bunch of new guns, 2 new Legends that are more interesting that Octane, an amazing Season 2 that has great rewards.
It was fun while it lasted, and I hope they bring the bomb that I described above to make me play it ever again.
Worse of all, the new Legend didn't spark any hype for the game, neither did the Season start with its weak rewards.
I would come back if they added a lot of content: a bunch of new guns, 2 new Legends that are more interesting that Octane, an amazing Season 2 that has great rewards.
It was fun while it lasted, and I hope they bring the bomb that I described above to make me play it ever again.
So it's not about the enjoyment of the game? The game was not fun enough to get a person to play it?
I know, but we don't know yet how successful the game is and what is expected in terms of revenue.
We have to wait til the next numbers are revealed by EA
There's too many good games. Playing a game soley, any game, for long periods of time isn't going to happen to most people unless it resonates with them on some special level or they just don't have anything else to play.
I played a lot of APEX, I think it's a great game but I'm pretty much done with it. That's no different than Sekiro, God of War or any other game that I get my fill in and I'm done with.
I'm also gonna say there are too many service games. People don't have that much time. It's pretty telling when I look at Xbox most played games list and it's below well established stuff. People played it for a break and then went back to what their main game is. There wasn't enough to make people stick I guess.
Video game investors would love nothing more than for every title to be turned into an endless nickel-and-diming Skinner box.
Video game investors are also (in terms of their market behavior anyway) probably the stupidest group of investors I have ever encountered in my life.
When running a business, it is generally best practice to satisfy your customer first. Without investors you have to take out more debt. Without customers you have to close.
But Sekiro and God of War had goals, stopping points, it's expected that a person will play to at least a certain point.
Games with a never ending loop like Apex then is purely about playing till you are tired of it. Though it's very strange if all that keeps people going is the ability to pay money to grind... to get a hat
All games are a never ending loops, the player decides where that loop ends.
The trash battle pass killed momentum. Just do a great battle pass with monthly events like Fortnite and you'll be OK. Heck even COD is dkijng constant updates, has a good BP and just added Alcatraz. Even with tht I just took a month break from Fortnite but enjoyed it again last night.
Side note. Damn Warframe has kept itself alive for a long time with substantial updates (yes I know it's not a BR game). And damn the graphics and detail put alot of single player focused games to shame.
Side note. Damn Warframe has kept itself alive for a long time with substantial updates (yes I know it's not a BR game). And damn the graphics and detail put alot of single player focused games to shame.
I'm pretty sure we said we are very conservative during this financial quarter on the performance of Apex Legends, Anthem live service and Battlefield V live services, as they are fresh new products that are not yet proven. Wouldn't really say we have so much tied up in a free to play game.
Not sure what you're reading into there.
With the GAAS model you are going to be looking are fairly big swings in valuations over the years. If your expecting games to bring in billions of dollars of money you end up with a wide range of "success"
Completely agree about all the issues mentioned but still, I just can't stop launching this damn game almost every day. It just feels so good to play. Then again I didn't touch it for the better part of last month because I expected the battle pass to suck so I didn't want to get burnt out too early.
There's still time to turn things around. They can come out swinging in June with great cosmetics, new modes, weapons and a new character would be nice too.
If they fuck up season 2 though it's as good as dead I'm afraid.
There's still time to turn things around. They can come out swinging in June with great cosmetics, new modes, weapons and a new character would be nice too.
If they fuck up season 2 though it's as good as dead I'm afraid.
Overwatch managed just fine. Because the cosmetics in Overwatch are distinct and full of charm. Even when the game launched, nearly every character had acouple skins that made you stop and go "Woah."
A skin that made Pharah look like a gundam. D.Va's 'B.Va' look. Reaper looking like a mariachi. McCree looking like some 1940's gangster from Dick Tracy. And if it wasn't that, it was highlight animations etc. that had personality or were just slick and cool. The characters were just so well conceived that you got such distinct impressions from all of them. And this was before events added more and more looks that got fans excited.
I have the premium special skin for Wraith, probably one of her best looks, and I can't even tell you what it is. It's got a gold breathing mask...and... some tubes. And.... hm.
The characters just don't pop the same way, and Respawn isn't breaking their fiction to allow for some wilder or appealing aesthetic choices.
But character unlocks are flooded with these horrendous texture patterns that are just an eyesore and are nothing but filler for drop rates. Gun unlocks too. More often than not, the common-ass flat colors look way better than the entire 'rare' tier.
I find it odd that everyone seems to stop playing it at the same time. It's as if streamers watch other popular streamers, and if they're not playing the game, then they stop playing the game too.
Investors heard 'EA'S GOT A FORTNITE' and immediately assumed that meant EA now had a new multi-billion dollar revenue stream under their belt. And then valued the company accordingly.
Apex is easily my favorite battle royale game and I still play tons of it regularly but it has a huge flaw.
The microtransactions are just not appealing.
None of the skins are exciting enough to warrant buying.
And apart from the gold skins every single one is shared across every weapon. So nothing feels interesting.
In general it doesn't feel like a system I want to invest myself in.
The microtransactions are just not appealing.
None of the skins are exciting enough to warrant buying.
And apart from the gold skins every single one is shared across every weapon. So nothing feels interesting.
In general it doesn't feel like a system I want to invest myself in.
Its never enough... EA is a monster and their share holders are monsters... they always want more and if your IP is not going to be the next big thing they can milk they are done with you. Respawn better hope for CRAZY numbers with their Star Wars single player game otherwise.... yikes they will be on the ledge with Bioware.