As *Apex Legends* approaches its sixth anniversary, EA has openly discussed its financial underperformance and revealed ambitious plans for an update they're calling *Apex Legends 2.0*. During a financial call discussing their third quarter results, EA noted that *Apex Legends* net bookings had decreased year-over-year, though the performance met their expectations.
In a Q&A session with analysts, EA CEO Andrew Wilson expressed his views on *Apex Legends*. He acknowledged the game's massive player base, with over 200 million players, but admitted that its financial trajectory has not met the company's goals. "Apex is probably one of the great new launches in our industry over the last decade and has been loved by that core cohort," Wilson said. "However, the trajectory of the business of that franchise has not been headed in the direction that we have wanted for some time. We have been trying, tuning, and testing many things in the context of the ongoing support of the community."
Wilson outlined three core areas of development focus for *Apex Legends*. The first is to continue supporting the dedicated community, which numbers in the tens of millions, through quality-of-life improvements, anti-cheat measures, and fresh content. Despite some progress, Wilson admitted that the improvements have not been as significant as hoped.
To address the financial challenges, EA is developing *Apex Legends 2.0*, a major update aimed at reinvigorating the franchise, attracting new players, and boosting revenue. However, Wilson made it clear that this update will not coincide with the launch of the next *Battlefield* game, expected before April 2026. Instead, *Apex Legends 2.0* is slated for release sometime during EA's 2027 fiscal year, ending in March 2027.
"We do believe there will be a time where we need to do a more meaningful update of Apex as a broad game experience, and the team is diligently working on that," Wilson stated. He emphasized EA's long-term commitment to *Apex Legends*, drawing parallels to other long-lasting franchises and expressing confidence that *Apex Legends* will continue to evolve and thrive.
The concept of *Apex Legends 2.0* draws comparisons to Activision's approach with *Call of Duty: Warzone*, which saw a significant update with its 2.0 version in 2022. While the success of such a move is debated among fans, EA is undoubtedly considering the lessons learned by competitors in the battle royale genre as they plan to expand their player base.
Despite its current financial struggles, *Apex Legends* remains a top-played game on Steam, although its player count has declined from its peak and is on track to hit record lows. EA's commitment to *Apex Legends 2.0* and beyond signals a strong belief in the franchise's potential for long-term success.
