Feels like this game is finally dying
The matchmaking, cheating, smurfing, & server issues have finally started to nail the coffin shut on Apex. Player counts on Steam haven't been this low since the 3rd month after release in January o...
Forum Discussion
@HappyHourSumwur
Yup, it's starting to seem as if the "two steps forward, one step back" is becoming "two steps forward, three steps back." The weight of the problems is hitting a critical mass. It isn't that I'm heart broken because I think they could fix a lot of these problems. I really don't think they can. What breaks my heart is that the pace of infection by cheaters and smurfs used take years. Now? If Respawn launched an Apex Legends 2 tomorrow I'd be willing to bet the cheaters would have ruined PC in six months and console wouldn't be far behind. And the smurfing would be out of control after the first rank split. And it isn't just what that says about this game. It's what it says about competitive multiplayer games period. It isn't good.
Yup, it's starting to seem as if the "two steps forward, one step back" is becoming "two steps forward, three steps back." The weight of the problems is hitting a critical mass. It isn't that I'm heart broken because I think they could fix a lot of these problems. I really don't think they can. What breaks my heart is that the pace of infection by cheaters and smurfs used take years. Now? If Respawn launched an Apex Legends 2 tomorrow I'd be willing to bet the cheaters would have ruined PC in six months and console wouldn't be far behind. And the smurfing would be out of control after the first rank split. And it isn't just what that says about this game. It's what it says about competitive multiplayer games period. It isn't good.
@reconzero "If Respawn launched an Apex Legends 2 tomorrow I'd be willing to bet the cheaters would have ruined PC in six months"
Man you wish. Deadlock which was/is invite only based already has a cheater problem.
Its always offer and demand. That day Apex dies the cheaters & cheat manufacturers also move to a new more popular game.
For Apex 2.0 I would give it 2 weeks max if the hype is there. In fact I would actually be more interested in playing Apex 1.0 if 2.0 would be released due to above.
- @Airish85 6 months? You've got to give them more credit than that. Most beta testing games on day one are already riddled with cheaters.
Let's say, 3 days to be more accurate. Lol.
I'm ready for it to be over. The constant wanting to play but knowing what the experience will be, is annoying... and heart breaking knowing what it once was and the amount of love I held for the game at one point. Now turned to sour, bitter discontent.@ComicBookGuy2727 Dude you even read the message? 🙂 I was replying to another post that said 6 months and argued it would be max 2 weeks.
@BallisticMVP Isnt the games dying something that happens to most games eventually? Nothing surprising there IMO.
There are few exceptions though. CS2 is becoming more and more popular. Started slowly in 2012 but peaks over 1 million daily concurrent players on steam charts.
CS2 is THE serious competitive shooter. Gitgud.
Fortnite is THE fun shooter. Peaks over 2 million daily concurrent players.
Both of the above have been in the market for years but unlike Apex they found their sweetspot & role in the market.
Apex currently has daily low averages (slow hours) that are similar PUBG but on the peaks PUBG takes over.
Market for FPS games is highly competitive and finding the right approach can be very difficult as we have seen with multiple "Apex killers" getting forgotten (The Finals to name one).
Sweatiness of Apex doesnt make it fun for casuals.
Cheaters & failures/EOMM rigging feeling/mistakes/exploiting in the matchmaking doesnt really make it serious competitive shooter either for casuals.
Player numbers come from the casuals. They are the ones buying the cosmetics and keeping the game alive.
But is Apex dying? I dont think so. At least not within the next 6 months. https://gamerant.com/ea-games-shut-down-list-2024/
Game is highly addicting and has so many good things that lure people like me back again and again so it will certainly have a solid fanbase in the future as well.
EDIT: How I would change things?
Would it be sensible to test out fixed MM time rather than the quickest possible option. Every queue time would exactly 3 minutes. Not 30s or 10 minutes.
This would have the player pool bigger and the MM would be easier. I dont think 3 minutes is too long to wait if you know its coming and it would make MM better.
Another thing would be MM survey for soloQ players. What kind of game you want to play in like 3 simple questions so that 3 minute wait is not going become queue simulator after that random Octane & Wraith duo late lands you on 6 teams game after game.- @Airish85
"Would it be sensible to test out fixed MM time rather than the quickest possible option. Every queue time would exactly 3 minutes. Not 30s or 10 minutes. This would have the player pool bigger and the MM would be easier. I dont think 3 minutes is too long to wait if you know it's coming and it would make MM better."
Good idea, but already too late. The player pool is inundated with people playing on secondary accounts. Get rid of all the cheaters tomorrow, tighten up the matchmaking tomorrow... you will still have a huge percentage of the player base who are playing an account which exists so they can present to the algorithm as something other than what they really are. So you may not actually see any diamond level banners in a silver lobby, but be assured that they are there. Probably in substantial numbers. Until Respawn decides that this practice is bad for the game then they won't do anything to stop it. Hell, they encourage it every time they post that there's nothing wrong with a streamer starting a new account to do a rookie-to-predator run. It infuriates me just thinking about it.
