Another contestant has joined the battle royale scene and is already making waves. Apex Legends is a breath of fresh air created by the well-known Respawn video games studio and published by Electronic Arts. In less than a day after its launch, the game overtook Fortnite’s number of viewers on YouTube.
The popularity of the new game was boosted by top streamers such as Tyler ‘’Ninja’’ Blevins, who picked up the game as soon as it was launched. New streamers are also making a name for themselves as the game continues to grow and Esports teams are already recruiting talented players to assemble competitive squads.
Apex Legends blends many of the elements used by other battle royale titles, but it manages to come out with its own identity, thanks to a few key changes that help it stand apart in a crowd that becomes bigger each day. The free-to-play title pits teams of three players in an open world map with the aim to remain the last ones standing when the match ends.
Twists and turns
Unlike other battle royale titles, Apex Legends players can pick between six different characters and each of them is equipped with a passive ability, an active ability and an ultimate that can turn the tides of a battle.
EA had its eyes on the hardcore battle royale audience as the publisher invited several well-known streamers to play the game when it was released on February 4. This exposed the game to a vast amount of potential players as Ninja; the most popular streamer has over 13 million subscribers on Twitch.
The pan worked as over 25 million downloads were registered in the first week, toppled the 10 million registered by Fortnite back in 2017.
While the game is free-to-play the players can pay real-world money to purchase cosmetic items like weapons and character skins. Respawn is already working on content patches that should arrive in the following weeks.
