Apex Legends player count drops to lowest in three years

At some point, every game plateaus and gets caught between still catering to a mass audience by trying to attract an influx of casual players or going all-in on niche and nuanced gameplay features that only benefit those who have been playing for years.

Live-service games like Rainbow Six Seige have championed and rewarded the most devoted players, while Fortnite has opened up its world in different ways to cater to the masses. Now, Apex Legends appears to be at this pivotal time as it hits its lowest monthly player count since December 2021.

Apex Legends player count hits lowest mark since 2021

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In the last 30 days, Apex Legends has had an average player count of 138,926 players on Steam, which is the lowest figure since December 2021.

The platform has peaked at nearly double this figure, reaching north of 250,000 average players since February and March 2023. However, it's been on a steady decline until it lost 17% of its population this month.

Back in 2021, Season 11 had just kicked off as both the map Storm Point and legend Ash were added alongside the C.A.R SMG, which proved to be one of the least-liked and underwhelming updates in Apex history, forcing Respawn into changes for the map down the line. But why is Apex Legends suffering now?

Apex Legends players claim there is 'nothing' for new players

Season 21, Apex Legends' current split, introduced Alter to the game. She is one of the more difficult characters to master, being a bit of a lone ranger with her kit.

But players are claiming that there's very little for new players to enjoy given that most of Apex's population have settled on characters, and the skill ceiling is much higher. "There is absolutely nothing to bring new players in. No new content," cited SoaR content creator Zack "Leamonhead".

"Algs hasn’t been entertaining to watch for anyone new since almost 10 seasons ago. Respawn's ability to make good-looking cosmetics is awful. Oh, and the game runs like s**t! There’s so much stuff driving those players away for very good reason."

Others also pointed out several new games are sprouting up with similar gunplay, such as XDefiant, while Destiny 2 and Seige continue to drop updates that are being widely applauded.

Apex Legends' next major update will land in August, and Respawn might be faced with an all-or-nothing situation as it tries to put a plaster on this bleed.