Apex Legends has had a rocky 2024, one filled with controversy and newfound competition. Though Apex Legends has seen some rough spots in the past year, Respawn has managed to maintain the game’s momentum—leaving much room for opportunity going into 2025.
2024 has seen Apex Legends face one of its biggest controversies yet, in the form of strife over proposed battle pass changes. These changes, which would have forced players to purchase each battle pass with real currency, were never implemented, but the threat of them saw many fans grow cynical—a phenomenon resulting from steady complaints surrounding bugs, hackers, and over-monetization. However, the year also saw some highly anticipated changes, such as more transparency from Respawn as well as long-awaited features, like a new urban cityscape map, akimbo pistols, and replenishing loot bins.
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What Fans Can Expect From Apex Legends In 2025
Apex Legends Season 24
The next stage of Apex Legends will be available to fans on February 11, according to the game’s own season countdown. Respawn has been incredibly tight-lipped about Season 24, which is to be expected given how recent Apex seasons have saved marketing material up to the wire. With over a month to go before the next season, details will be scarce.
Potential Matchmaking Changes
In a recent blog post from Respawn, the studio went over the trajectory for Apex Legends‘ matchmaking updates. The post goes into extensive detail about how matchmaking currently works in the game, but it also hints at what’s to come. A section in the post about future changes to matchmaking, which will be important to address issues such as low population queues and unbalanced lobbies, mentions that Respawn will “be flexing and straining some of the existing systems and how things have historically worked”. While there’s little certainty as to how these initiatives will pan out, it wouldn’t be unthinkable to see some of these changes trialed out in 2025.
Other Big Changes On The Table
One of the spiciest rumors to hit the game’s fanbase in 2024 was that of a possible paid subscription in Apex Legends. The only evidence for this so far is a survey Respawn has been polling certain fans with, and it’s possible that, due to the fandom’s weariness with new monetization methods, the measure could prove too unpopular to implement. Nonetheless, it’s something fans can at least assume Respawn is considering, for better or worse.
When it comes to speculation around a potential Apex subscription, many assume that it would take a similar shape to Fortnite Crew. This monthly subscription bundles Fortnite‘s premium battle pass with a number of other goodies, including extra currency and cosmetic rewards. If Apex did take a similar route with this hypothetical subscription, the game would have an opportunity to present some decent value; now that there are two passes per season, providing both in one subscription could be a good deal, especially if tied to other incentives. On the other hand, Apex fans are, as stated prior, tired of the new monetization schemes that come with every update. While this subscription, if it came to fruition, wouldn’t be as unpopular as something like Fallout 1st, Respawn would be hard-pressed to escape fanbase complaints.
It’s also worth noting that, in EA’s October 2024 earnings call, company CEO Andrew Wilson stated that Apex needs some big changes. In regard to the game, he said there is a “need for meaningful systematic innovation that fundamentally changes the way the game plays”. How this will manifest is unclear, but considering that the statement was commenting on some disappointing financial results for the title, it’s possible that this could signal more monetization changes.
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