Much digital ink has been spilled over the stealth launch of Apex Legends.
All things considered, Respawn Entertainment and EA struck gold when the servers went live on February 4th, and it didn’t take long before the frenzied shooter was presiding over a player base of 50 million strong. It was during that meteoric rise to prominence that Apex trumped Fortnite to become the most-watched video game on Twitch – the highest of honors in today’s streaming-dominated world – but new figures indicate that Apex‘s popularity is beginning to wane.
Per The eSports Observer, the graph below traces the rise and rise of Apex Legends ever since it booted online early last month. But pay close attention to the tail-end of February, when the number of hours watched began to plummet, and Fortnite regained its footing in the race. Grand Theft Auto Online, on the other hand, continues to defy all expectations, even with Red Dead Redemption 2 now out in the wild.
Take a look:
Does this spell the end of Apex Legends? Not exactly, as the Respawn title just outlined plans for Battle Pass Season 1, Wild Frontier, which brings with it a suite of new content and a fresh-faced Legend in the form of Octane. And that’s just the beginning.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek, the biggest Apex streamer of them all, recently sustained an injury to his arm, and is now facing a lengthy layoff from Twitch. His absence will be strongly felt, though other streamers – namely Dr. Disrespect – believe Apex‘s best days are behind it. And let’s not forget that Ninja has migrated to Fortnite ahead of the upcoming World Cup event.
So at least for now, Apex Legends will struggle to hit the dizzying heights of Twitch royalty. But the game is by no means finished.