Apex Legends player count has been a talking point in the game industry since shortly after the game launched. In the first couple of weeks after the game’s release, Apex Legends seemed to be breaking record after record on an almost daily basis. Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale has now reached its most significant goal yet.
A month after release, Apex Legends player count has reached 50 million. The impressive statistic means that Apex Legends is growing faster than competitor Fortnite did during its first months. Fortnite took around 130 days to reach this milestone, while Apex Legends has done it in 28. The statistics were showcased by esports investor Roundhill Investments who commented, “EA has a certified hit on its hands.”
Last month, Roundhill Investments presented an analysis of Apex Legends’ ongoing rise. Regarding the game’s success, the investor noted the innovations of Apex Legends that have helped it stand out. The ping system is touted as a point of innovation along with the addition of the concept of heroes (“Legends”) to the battle royale genre. Roundhill addresses skepticism around Apex Legends performance, however. They note some were unsure of the game’s ongoing success, believing the promotion of the game’s launch by influencers was a primary factor for its initial numbers.
Roundhill Investments also looked to the future of Apex Legends for further growth opportunities. Roundhill highlights esports as one potential avenue. The game is set to have its first Apex Legends Challenge during the Twitch Rivals esports event, which sees players competing for a $200,000 prize pool. Roundhill sees cross-play as another opportunity, noting Fortnite achieved further success from the addition of the ability for mobile and console gamers to play together.
The folks at Roundhill Investments weren’t the only ones celebrating the news on Twitter. Respawn Entertainment CEO and hype-man Vince Zampella tweeted out his delight, which was accompanied with a triumphant video reveling in the game.
Thank you to the 50 million players that have shown up in the first month since Apex Legends launched! You have all made this something special and there's much more to come! pic.twitter.com/EoDcjF5q9E
— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) March 4, 2019
Another potential future earner for Apex Legends will be its battle pass. Zampella recently stated Respawn Entertainment is currently “working hard” on the pass, a staple of most battle royale games.
