The overall review rating for Apex Legends has recently dropped to “Mixed” on Steam, evidencing the community’s dissatisfaction with the game’s current state. While Apex Legends has faced various challenges over its five-year lifespan, recent developments regarding its upcoming season might have been a tipping point for many fans. Several weeks ago, Respawn Entertainment revealed it was overhauling the Battle Pass system in Apex Legends. Among the changes, the planned overhaul would split the seasonal Battle Pass into two parts and force players to spend real-world money, removing the option to use Apex Coins. While the developer claimed these changes would result in more cosmetics for players to collect, the changes were met with an overwhelmingly negative response from the community. While Respawn eventually reversed course on some of these Battle Pass changes, the damage might have already been done to the tenuous relationship between the developer and players. This discontent has started to be seen in the reviews for the game. Specifically, Apex Legends’ overall rating has dropped to “Mixed” on Steam, moving it out of the “Mostly Positive” category. As of writing, only 69% of the total 923,036 reviews for the battle royale are positive. The reason for this rating dip is the influx of critical reviews. Following the Battle Pass controversy, the recent reviews for Apex Legends plummeted to “Overwhelming Negative” on Steam, with only 7% of the 85,096 reviews being positive in the last 30 days.
It is worth pointing out that Respawn has since responded to player feedback. Beyond announcing alterations to its previously planned Battle Pass overhaul, the developer acknowledged some of the other issues players have faced. For example, Apex Legends’ cheating problem was recently talked about by the game’s director, Steven Ferreira. According to the director, combating cheaters is a primary focus of the development team, with short-term and long-term solutions in the pipeline. It will be interesting to see if Respawn can turn things around and win back over frustrated gamers. The developer’s next big opportunity is Season 22 of Apex Legends, which is expected to launch on August 6. While not much is known about the upcoming seasonal content, Ferreira revealed that new measures to combat cheating could come then. In addition, there have been leaks suggesting that a new battle royale map could be added for Season 22. Hopefully, things will improve for those who enjoy playing Apex Legends on Steam and other platforms.
