Almost one year on from its surprise initial launch, Apex Legends continues to be one of gaming’s hottest properties.
Developed by Titanfall creator Respawn Entertainment, the battle royale enjoyed incredible overnight success when it quietly dropped on consoles and PC last year, immediately becoming one of the genre’s most popular entries to date. While Epic Games’ Fortnite still reigns supreme in terms of sheer player numbers and revenue, however, its biggest competitor is clearly catching up. In fact, thanks to a recent announcement from platform holder Sony, Apex Legends actually surpassed Fortnite in one department.
Breaking the news on social media, PlayStation’s official Twitter confirmed that Respawn’s shooter was the most-downloaded free game in the entirety of 2019, with Epic’s own cultural phenomenon coming in a close second. Check out the post in question, which also features a reply from Respawn itself, below:
A huge thank you to all the Legends who made this possible! 🙌❤️
— Respawn (@Respawn) January 11, 2020
Excellent news to usher in the New Year, then, but it remains to be seen whether the worlds of King’s Canyon and World’s Edge can continue to hold players’ attention for the next 12 months ahead. As is the case for its contemporaries, Apex Legends operates on a seasonal format, each of which adds at least one new playable hero and weapon, with the most recent, Season 3 adding a brand new map, too.
With the expected start date for Season 4 approaching fast, fans are eager to see what’s in store for the game’s first major update of 2020, though they certainly won’t be left wanting for new content in the meantime. Starting tomorrow, January 14th, new event Grand Soirée will kick off, bringing with it a massive number of new cosmetics, game modes and revamped reward systems. Those that missed last week’s initial announcement can head over here for a full breakdown of everything on offer. Enjoy!