Do the DEVS even play their own game?

First of all, there are devs and there are QA testers. The latter are required to spend their whole day playing this game, but not in the fun mode, like we do. They have to do tedious tasks, like doing bug repro steps over and over and over until the circumstances and causes become more clear, focusing on specific legends, weapons, items, areas, actions, etc. whether they like it or not. I'm sure some of them play Apex at home as well, because it's a really good game, but the dose they get at work is oversaturating.

How much should devs play their own game? Well, not too much, because they develop biases that makes it harder for them to think outside the box. Then, they need to spend as much time as possible on fixing bugs, optimizing, implementing new features., learning and researching new techniques and technology so they can keep standards up to date. Also, most of them don't even need to spend much time in the game, as their tasks rely on resolving logic or technical issues, with the potential causes and repro steps already provided by QA.

Last but not least, a very important thing they need to do is play other titles. The reasons are many: to clear up their minds, take a break from Apex , to get inspired, to evaluate the competitors, to see do's and don't's, to get the trend, etc.. This probably happens mostly in their own time.

I think the question of devs playing their own game is redundant. I honestly hope that they do healthier stuff in their own time, like spending time with the family, get fresh air, do sports, travel, read and other preferably AFK hobbies. In the end, the game can only improve if they come back to work fresh and eager to tackle the hardship.

@SDS_JuggernautTVIn a Q&A they said they test the next version themselves before release. I'm sure they play the actual experience after release to toon things if necessary. But I would guess that they spend most of their playtime with what is up and coming.