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ImperialHal says Apex Legends is dying, but is he right?

apex legends imperialhal

One of Apex Legends’ top pros and content creators, Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen, has declared that the game is dying, but is it true?

It’s been said for the past few months that Apex Legends is struggling. It’s not uncommon for gamers to declare that a game is “dying” if they aren’t enjoying it or there’s an ongoing issue. But there was some validity behind the outcries in June when the player count plummeted to the lowest it’s been in quite some time. 

Throughout 2024, Apex Legends saw 160,000 to 190,000 players per month. June saw that number fall to 139,000. This is most likely due in part to the releases of other games. Elden Ring: Shadow of Erdtree realistically took some players’ attention away but a direct competitor in XDefiant also came out that same month. FPS players bored with Apex likely decided to give it a try.

Still, this added to the idea that Apex Legends is dying, as competition will often drive up player counts, something seen in Fortnite when Apex Legends launched.

The biggest hit came when Respawn Entertainment announced the overwhelmingly unpopular Apex Legends Battle Pass changes. A lot of players threatened to boycott the game, accusing developers of trying to get money out of fans with two battle passes a month to grind through. This was a sign to some that Apex Legends wasn’t making enough money and Respawn was now looking to milk what it could out of the remaining fans. Others felt that it would just spell the death of Apex Legends since fewer players would be willing to grind it. 

Are these claims just exaggerations? ImperialHal doesn’t think so. 

ImperialHal expresses concern with Apex Legends

On July 10, ImperialHal shook up the Apex Legends community with a simple tweet that read, “Apex is dying.” 

On top of the usual issues that are discussed regarding Apex Legends, ImperialHal has had consistent concerns about the ranked experience. Hackers, matchmaking, aim assist, and other issues have made the competitive side frustrating for many content creators and pro players. 

Despite this, ImperialHal assured fans he’d be sticking with Apex Legends until it officially dies. When someone asked if he’d switch over to Call of Duty: Warzone, Hal said: “I’m going down with the ship as the CEO.” 

With even ImperialHal losing trust in the game’s future, a lot of fans have decided that Apex Legends is probably cooked. Many players have expressed even more concern now that its biggest supporter is not feeling good about the current state of the battle royale. 

Written by Olivia Richman X Twitter Logo

Olivia is a long-time esports and gaming journalist who has covered everything from EVO and Pokemon TCG tournaments to Amouranth's escapades. She has contributed major esports publications including Dot Esports, Upcomer, Inven Global, and more. You can find her doing Yoshi's down air in Smash Bros, freezing enemies as Mei in Overwatch 2, and running around with a cat on her shoulder in The Finals.

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