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Concord Open Beta Underwhelms; Peaked At Just 2.3K Steam Players

Story Highlight
  • Concord was highly criticized after it was revealed by PlayStation.
  • The previous beta failed to reach impressive player counts, but it required pre-ordering the game on Steam.
  • PlayStation has now opened the beta to everyone, but Concord still peaked at less than 2.5K concurrent Steam players.

Concord is shaping up to be PlayStation’s biggest disappointment in 2024. Not only is this hero shooter proving to be quite generic, but it also costs $40 in a market dominated by free-to-play releases.

This price tag is certainly a cause for concern, but the beta is showing even bigger red flags so far. Following a mostly disappointing beta based on pre-orders, PlayStation launched the open beta yesterday.

While everyone can play the beta without any purchases now, Concord has still failed to break past 2.5K concurrent players.

Why it matters: PlayStation is betting big on its live-service releases from first-party teams. Following Helldivers 2’s success, Concord was positioned as another major live-service hit.

Concord Open Beta
Concord Open Beta Is Seemingly Dead On Arrival | Source: SteamDB

The open beta peaked at a mere 2,388 concurrent players, which is far from stellar.

While nobody had high expectations after the last beta, Concord was expected to see a substantially bigger audience. However, this player count is just 2x higher than the last beta’s peak.

At the time of writing, the player count has dropped as low as 773. This shows a noticeable lack of interest from the players, painting a very concerning picture for the full release next month.

Many fans are already expecting Concord to end up being dead on arrival because of the apparent lack of interest. With just one month before release, PlayStation and Firewalk Studios don’t have enough time to address the core issues with the game.

Concord
Both of Concord’s Beta Have Proven To Be Complete Failures

According to the studio, the best parts are yet to come, but we don’t see how things will get much better from here. It doesn’t help that Concord often looks like the most generic hero shooter on the market.

This is probably why the last beta ended up being such a disaster.

Latest Updates

It is also important to note that this beta is only accessible to parts of the world with PSN support on Steam. The PSN requirement controversy hasn’t done much to help Concord out.

At this point, going free-to-play might help Concord regain some interest from the public. However, this probably won’t be enough for long-term player interest unless the game receives a massive overhaul.

Star Wars Outlaws Criticized For Looking Unpolished Ahead of Launch

Story Highlight
  • Star Wars Outlaws has received 16K dislikes on its latest gameplay preview.
  • The game is being criticized for poor animations and visual effects.
  • Ubisoft states that it has no plans to delay the game.

Star Wars Outlaws is dubbed as one of Massive Entertainment’s most ambitious games to date. The team is set to avoid Ubisoft’s traditional formula and offer a unique experience that captures the wonders of this universe.

As Star Wars Outlaws quickly approaches its late August release, Massive Entertainment has just shared new gameplay. However, reactions have not been very positive, with audiences criticizing the game for its unpolished state.

Why it matters: Star Wars Outlaws is Ubisoft’s second biggest game in 2024 after Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Therefore, this criticism is quite concerning.

Over on YouTube, the latest gameplay video has been bombed with dislikes. While the video currently stands at over 8K likes, it has twice as many dislikes. With more than 16K dislikes, fans have pointed to various aspects that look concerning.

According to viewers, the facial animations, water ripple effects, and explosions all look extremely outdated. Others have criticized Star Wars Outlaws for uninspired gameplay, stating that Ubisoft chose to show off a fetch quest.

The game itself seems cool, but doesn’t it look awfully unpolished for something coming out in August?

FromTheAtticTV

The publisher has also addressed this criticism recently. When asked about any potential delays to polish the game further, Ubisoft quickly confirmed that the title already went gold and would not be delayed. Therefore, an August 30 launch is currently locked in.

Star Wars Outlaws Visuals Look Stunning
Star Wars Outlaws Is Based On A Massive Open World

According to Ubisoft’s CEO, fans will love the game once it arrives. Going by these statements, the publisher is clearly confident in Massive Entertainment’s work, even with the current negativity.

Latest Updates

It remains to be seen how fans will perceive Star Wars Outlaws once it eventually arrives. This is not the first time this game has received such criticism, so it’s certainly interesting to see how things will eventually turn out.

FTC Calls Out Xbox For Making Game Pass Worse After Price Hike

Story Highlight
  • The FTC has returned with a new court appeal against Xbox.
  • It says that Microsoft is selling a degraded product with Game Pass Standard.
  • The regulator also argues that Microsoft has gone against its word.

Last week, Microsoft’s subscription service went through major changes. Xbox Game Pass was revamped with a new tier, changes to day-one games, and a price bump for nearly every tier.

However, this change did not go over well with everyone. While fans did not hold back and quickly criticized many of Microsoft’s changes, it seems the FTC has come forward to offer its own criticism. The regulator has referred to these changes as product degradation.

Why it matters: Game Pass certainly looks like a worse deal today. The Ultimate tier now seems like the best option.

Xbox Game Pass FTC
FTC’s Latest Court Appeal Against The Merger via Twitter

In its latest court filing, the FTC has pointed to Microsoft’s recent Game Pass changes as a means to exercise power after the merger. According to the FTC, this is the exact type of anti-competitive behavior it feared.

In the filing, the FTC states that the removal of day-one releases from the basic tier is a major downgrade for the customers. It also argues that Microsoft has removed the most valuable games from its new tier.

Microsoft is introducing a degraded product, Game Pass Standard.

-FTC

For the unaware, the FTC never backed down after the merger was approved. It previously appealed to the court after Xbox’s massive wave of layoffs that impacted nearly 2,000 employees.

The regulator has now returned with another case as it continues to appeal against the merger’s approval.

Microsoft Activision Blizzard Acquisition
The FTC Is Still Against The Activision Merger

The FTC also states that Microsoft’s actions are not consistent with its statements in the past. While Call of Duty is still coming to Game Pass, it won’t be part of the standard console tier.

Latest Updates

Unfortunately for the FTC, this is unlikely to do much.

The regulator has been unable to make a compelling argument against Xbox for a while. Even if this is one of its more valid arguments, the Activision merger has already been approved for it to make much of a difference.

I Can’t Wait To Test The Noctua NH D15 G2

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  • Noctua has made three variations of the NH-D15 cooler to cater to everyone’s requirements, named HBC, LBC, and Standard.  
  • The new NH-D15 G2 boasts a total of 8 heat pipes, as opposed to 6 of its previous iterations.
  • The fans use liquid crystal polymer material for better performance and more endurance. 

Noctua has come again with its latest cooler, which is essentially an upgrade to its famous NH-D15 cooler. The NH-D15 made a name for itself when it launched back in 2014 due to its excellent cooling performance and quiet operation. This made the cooler one of my favorites and is one of the reasons why I’m excited to try the new iteration of this cooler named NH-D15 G2. 

The Improvements So Far

Roughly 10 years after its initial release, this new iteration sure has some solid upgrades to offer to fit right in with the current hardware and not feel obsolete right on arrival.

Three Different Variants

Noctua is launching the NH-D15 G2 in three different variants that specifically prioritize different use cases. The first one is the Standard G2, which is basically an all-rounder and works like any other Noctua cooler, as it has the standardized cold plate. 

Noctua NH-D15 G2 (Image credit: Noctua)
Noctua NH-D15 G2 (Image credit: Noctua)

The second variant is called the Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC, the last word stands for High Base Convexity. The cold on this variant is more convex, which fits right in with the IHS of Intel 1700 socket CPUs.

The third is the LBC variant, which stands for Low Base Convexity. As in the name, this variant has an LBC cold plate which provides a flat contact patch and is specifically made for AMD CPUs, be it AM5 or AM4. 

More Heat Pipes

CPUs have become so hot and power-hungry, that they ask for highly competent coolers to cool them down. Keeping this situation in mind, Noctua has increased the number of heat pipes from 6 to 8 in the NH-D15 G2.

Noctua NH-D15 Chromax (Image credit: Tech4Gamers)
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax (Image credit: Tech4Gamers)

This is a welcome and significant upgrade that will surely pay off while cooling down some high-end CPUs like the Ryzen 9 7900X3D and i9 14900K that are capable of consuming power between 100 and 200 watts. 

New & Improved Fans

This can’t go unnoticed, the NH-D15 G2 is equipped with the all-new Noctua NF-A14x25r G2 Fans. The new fans feature 9 fan blades instead of 7 that were on the NF-A15 fans. Additionally, these fans are based on PPA/PPB design by Noctua, which helps them mitigate the chances of beat frequency by offsetting fans’ speed by 25 RPM on both.

Noctua NF-A15 Chromax black fans (Image credit: Tech4Gamers)
Noctua NF-A15 Chromax black fan (Image credit: Tech4Gamers)

Moreover, Noctua has used liquid crystal polymer to produce these fans to achieve 0.7 mm space between the blade’s tip and the inner frame of the fan. It’s an expensive material to build fans, but does a great job of achieving more endurance and the required length for the fans.

I know it’s a little nerdy, but in layman’s terms, it means the new fans are much quieter and can offer better performance than the rest.

A True Successor

From what I have come to know about the cooler, it seems like a promising upgrade and has got me excited to try these new variations as soon as possible. Being, priced at $150, the cooler has to perform competitively against its liquid-cooled rivals. Otherwise, buying an air cooler at this price wouldn’t make any sense. 

Ubisoft Confident AC Shadows Will Be Among Its Best-Selling Games Ever

Story Highlight
  • Ubisoft has recently shared its financial earnings report.
  • During its investor call, the publisher stated that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be among its best-selling games.
  • It also confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the IP’s most ambitious entry.

Ubisoft is gearing up for the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which will be released this November. In a new earnings call, Ubisoft shared more details about the ambitions and excitement surrounding this release.

According to the publisher, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will end up being one of its best-sellers.

Why it matters: Assassin’s Creed has always been Ubisoft’s biggest IP. However, this entry is special since the Japanese setting has been a long time coming.

Assassin's Creed Mirage
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Sold Quite Well Already

Ubisoft’s latest earnings report confirms that the publisher is doing well. It highlighted the success of games like XDefiant, which reached 8 million players in the first week. This number rose to 10 million by the second week.

The publisher is also confident about its upcoming projects since it says that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be among 2024’s biggest releases and one of Ubisoft’s biggest sellers of all time.

During the same call, the company pointed to Assassin’s Creed Shadows as one of its most ambitious projects ever, emphasizing the large-scale work done during the development.

Although the game was criticized for its portrayal of Japanese culture, the stealth and open world look stunning in trailers. Last year’s release also sold well, so it seems the publisher is headed toward an even bigger launch.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Features Yasuke As One Of The Two Main Characters

In terms of ambition, this entry features an overhauled engine, ray tracing, two very different protagonists, improved stealth, dynamically changing weather, and much more. As such, it is easy to see why Ubisoft made such bold claims.

Latest Updates

As for the publisher’s confidence in the sales, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has reportedly shown strong pre-orders. Therefore, the studio is likely feeling quite confident despite the negativity toward the game.

Thanks to this release, the publisher should see much better financial results as it moves into the last quarter of 2024. Moreover, Star Wars Outlaws, coming at the end of August, should also bring in strong results.

Comic Book Games Are Suffering Due to Lack of Creativity

Story Highlights
  • The comic book games genre hasn’t seen much innovation in recent years.
  • Most studios are now taking a more safe approach rather than being innovative due to high budgets.
  • Being creative and thinking out of the box can bring the genre back again.

Reading comic books and playing video games were two of my favorite things growing up. I’m sure many people can relate to me, so games based on comics are some of my absolute favorites to this day.

Games based on comic books are still receiving plenty of attention. However, they certainly have seen better days, leading to a sense of superhero fatigue.

Why it matters: The genre has stagnated and settled because video game budgets have risen to astronomical levels. Therefore, developers play it safe, with creativity and innovation suffering at the end of the day.

Recent Disappointments

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Was An Utter Failure

You don’t need to look very far to spot the many failures of this genre in recent years.

Starting with Marvel’s Avengers, the push for live-service gaming has spread like wildfire across comic book games. Unfortunately, Rocksteady Studios is also plagued by the same problem, leading to the failure we know as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Elsewhere, projects like Gotham Knights have not been too impressive either, while good games like Guardians of The Galaxy and Marvel’s Midnight Suns have flown under the radar for most people.

Studios Play it Safe Due to Massive Budgets

Spider-Man Web of Shadows
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows had a DMC-like combat system.

While innovation and thinking outside the box are the keys to a great comic book game, innovation has been lacking for a while. The best example of this is Spider-Man 2.

Although there was nothing wrong with Spider-Man’s latest outing, it had the potential to do a lot more. The developers mostly stuck to the original game’s formula and gameplay while creating a new story.

Spider-Man 2 reportedly had a ridiculously high $300 million budget, so Insomniac wanted to create a familiar experience that worked the first time. But, for me, games get boring when the same formula shows up repeatedly.

I want to mention Spider-Man: Web of Shadows here. It was innovative with its combat and traversal, had memorable characters like Wolverine showing up, and was highly creative overall.

The game was basically Devil May Cry meets Spider-Man, showing Spidey’s destructive powers at their best. Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions also deserves an honorable mention since it offered a Spiderverse-like concept.

Then there were the Batman Arkham games, kicking off with Arkham Asylum. Batman Arkham Asylum was brilliant and did something nobody had seen before with Batman. The sequels were equally great since they expanded on Arkham Asylum’s foundations.

I’d also like to mention X-Men, TMNT, and more classics. Even the first Injustice game was an excellent example of a creative title with many things going on. Studios and developers need to try more experimental projects like these.

Breaking Free of The Mold

Batman Arkham Asylum
Batman Arkham Asylum set a high bar for comic book games.

I, for one, think that creativity can be easily brought back if studios break free of the mold of playing it safe. Huge budgets and the latest technology aren’t necessary for a great game; great ideas are, and the industry has enough talent.

Just a great story can make a ton of difference. Telltale’s Walking Dead games perfectly show how this can be done. Their deep, branching, and emotional narrative keeps the audience engaged.

Then, you can explore different genres and mix and match them. Sucker Punch’s Infamous franchise and Activision’s Prototype series depict a great take on anti-hero games that allow players to unleash their full force of destruction.

Comic books are so diverse that it’s a shame they’ve been limited to very specific types of games. Fortunately, there seems to be more hope for the future.

Latest Updates

Multiple comic book superhero games are in development as we speak. These include Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Black Panther, and Blade. Because of the various abilities of each character and the studios leading these projects, each game has just as much promise as the other.

Iron Man could fulfill our dream of an expansive open world to fly through at breakneck speeds, while Wonder Woman will basically end up being the Shadow of Mordor sequel we never got.

Meanwhile, Arkane’s classic approach to Blade could do wonders for the IP. I think the future of comic book games looks much better than its past, and I can’t wait to see where things go from here.

TeamGroup Unveils 22g PD20 Mini External SSD With 2000MB/s Speed

[Press Release] TeamGroup has returned with a new mini SSD to accommodate portability and fast storage needs. The PD20 Mini External SSD combines both, offering an SSD that can easily be carried in a briefcase or hung on a bag.

TeamGroup PD20 Mini External SSD
Image via TeamGroup

Weighing just 22g, the SSD offers unmatched versatility. TeamGroup offers up to 4TB of storage with the PD20, while transfer speeds of up to 2000MB/s ensure that users are not let down in situations where time is of the essence.

Thanks to the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C interface, this mini SSD is compatible with a wide range of computers, tablets, and smartphones. This makes it perfect for all your storage needs, whether it be for photos, documents, or videos.

TeamGroup also boasts IP54 dust and splash resistance alongside packaging made from recyclable material. For even more information, follow this link to the official product page. The PD20 mini SSD will be launched next month, so watch for more details.

No Man’s Sky 5.0 Introduces Completely Transformative Graphics Overhaul

Story Highlights
  • No Man’s Sky is receiving various changes that will make the game completely fresh.
  • DLSS 3 is being added to the game following multiple optimizations and graphical changes.
  • The graphical changes include improved shadows, new volumetrics, and more.

Hello Games is famous for two things. The team initially launched a flawed game in No Man’s Sky but eventually made one of gaming’s biggest comebacks. No Man’s Sky has stayed popular since then, and the studio is releasing updates for it to this day.

Yesterday afternoon, Hello Games revealed the Worlds Part 1 update for No Man’s Sky, marking version 5.0.

Why it matters: No Man’s Sky has effectively become a live-service game at this point, but it has avoided all the shortcomings that most titles of the genre come with.

With this update, the game has made its universe richer, wilder and more beautiful.

Indeed, this marks the start of a significant upgrade aimed at enhancing the visual appeal and bringing No Man’s Sky to life. This means that planetary diversity will rise to the point that it even makes you think of Starship Troopers.

The new update consists of huge graphical improvements. For starters, the new volumetric clouds illustrate how many improvements have been made since they provide more definition.

With the new assets being made from the ground up, performance will be enhanced. New visual effects include diffuse cirrus clouds (high-altitude clouds that reflect more sunlight than they absorb) or black clouds when loaded with water.

The shadows have also been improved. They are now more realistic with more depth. Moreover, all planetary environments now have more realistic self-shadowing and better lighting.

In addition, the calculation of cloud shadows now considers the sun’s location. High-definition water is an additional fantastic bonus. No Man’s Sky Worlds’ water quality is almost on par with that of Sea of Thieves.

Following the update, floating islands are now part of No Man’s Sky.

These islands have waterfalls falling from the sky. You can even build a base in the sky. Solar-class ships can be customized, new creatures have been added, and sub-zero worlds with frozen trees and glowing glacial rocks are in the game now.

All in all, No Man’s Sky is going through massive changes.

Latest Updates

Hello Games has even improved its graphics engine for better image quality and performance. This enhancement lowers memory usage, boosts frame rate, and shortens loading times. Support for Nvidia DLSS 3 is also in the works.

82% of American Gamers Bought Microtransactions In 2023

Story Highlights
  • A report outlines that 82% of US gamers spent money on in-game purchases in 2023.
  • These ranged from battle passes to cosmetic skins and various bundles.
  • 45 billion hours were also spent across gaming apps and websites.

Microtransactions are often controversial in the gaming industry. In-game purchases, whether purely cosmetic or advantageous in multiplayer games, are typically seen in a negative light.

Despite their controversial status, millions around the globe buy microtransactions. A new report further explains why this monetization trend is so popular, with data suggesting that 82% of US gamers made in-game purchases last year.

Why it matters: Microtransactions have even become popular in single-player games, and everyone wants to try this practice.

Call of Duty Microtransactions
Call of Duty Offers Various Camos And Character Skins As Microtransactions

Data from Comscore’s State of Gaming report states that 62% of adults over 18 played games in the US last year.

Moving over to microtransactions, it states more than 80% of players purchased in-game items in free-to-play titles. This includes games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, famous for their cosmetic skins and battle passes.

While many gamers continue to criticize such practices, as seen in the recent outrage over Apex Legends, most are supporting publishers. In fact, it can be argued that they are encouraging others to follow suit.

With an 80% success ratio, these microtransactions earn billions of dollars each year. This is partially why studios like EA want to pursue live-service gaming even more seriously.

While this data is limited to the US, we would be willing to bet that the statistics aren’t too different in other parts of the world, like the UK.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Microtransactions
The Call of Duty Store Sells Various Items | Image via Tech4Gamers

Elsewhere, the report highlights that gaming fans also engage with the hobby on various platforms. They reportedly spent about 45 billion hours on gaming gaming sites and apps in 2023.

Latest Updates

All in all, the gaming industry won’t be moving away from its focus on microtransactions anytime soon. Publishers have been largely successful in getting this practice accepted by the masses, making it normal for nearly every major release to feature in-game purchases.

Job Listing Confirms Halo Still Led By 343 Industries Despite Recent Rumors

Story Highlights
  • Contrary to previous reports, the next Halo game will still be led by 343 Industries.
  • A new job listing confirms that some parts of the development will be outsourced.
  • However, most of the work will still be done in-house at 343 Industries.

Recent reports claimed that Microsoft no longer trusts 343 Industries with the Halo franchise and would be outsourcing it. However, these reports seem to have been misinformed since a job listing says otherwise.

343 Industries is currently hiring for the next Halo game, hinting that most of the work will be done in-house.

Why it matters: If 343 Industries were to depart, this would have been a huge change for Halo. Microsoft first handed over development to this team when Bungie left to work on Destiny.

The job listing confirms that 343 Industries still leading the Halo development.

According to a job listing by 343 Industries, the team is looking for a Senior Sound Designer. Going by this job listing, the bulk of the development will continue to be done in-house. However, there will be other support studios involved. 

Creating and leading sound design for in-house and outsourced content.

– Halo Job Listing 

The listing reports that the sound design will be done both in-house and through outsourcing. This is nothing new since game development often relies on outsourced contract jobs.

All in all, the previous report seems to have been debunked. 343 Industries is here to say, and contrary to what the previous information said, the team is not moving away from Halo.

halo infinite
343 Industries’ work on Halo hasn’t been the best.

Still, there is a chance that Microsft will experiment with other teams for Halo. The opportunities for spin-offs are always there, but the main development will be done by the same team that has handheld the IP since Halo 4.

Latest Updates

According to reports, a remake of the original game is in the works besides the next mainline title. However, this remake has yet to be officially announced, so it remains to be seen whether 343 Industries will be involved in the project.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows LGBTQ Romance Confirmed By Ubisoft

Story Highlight
  • Assassin’s Creed Shadows is continuing the trend of various choices in Ubisoft’s RPGs.
  • Previously, the studio was rumored to be bringing back same-gender relationships.
  • This has now been verified with the developers, though the team has tweaked the system.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has seen its fair share of controversies so far. Ubisoft has been the center of attention for so long that the Japanese government has had to step in for an investigation.

Japanese folks aren’t happy with how Ubisoft has portrayed the region, as a petition to cancel the game has reached well over 70k signatures. Another thing highly criticized was the rumor stating that Yasuke and Naoe would be involved in LGBTQ relationships. 

These relationship options have now been confirmed by Ubisoft.

Why it matters: Assassin’s Creed Shadows was considered to be Ubisoft’s chance at redemption, but the studio seems to have made a few very odd decisions with this game.

In an interview with JorRaptor, the associate narrative director of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Brooke Davies, confirms that there will be more developed relations in the game, and it will also mark the return of same-gender relations.

“A chance to really get close to people, get to know people, all sorts of different relationships for Naoe and Yasuke to explore.”

-Brooke Davies

Same-gender relationships were previously introduced in Assassin’s Creed RPGs. However, these characters were never based directly on real personalities, so Ubisoft took liberties with such choices.

On the other hand, Yasuke is based on a real historical personality. Therefore, his involvement in same-gender relationships may become a hot topic, even if these relationships are optional.

There are going to be platonic relationships, too. Davies states that Ubisoft is doing something unique in the game with such relationships.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Yasuke
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Seems To Be Taking More Than A Few Liberties

Davies also confirms that relationships won’t be locked out depending on story choices. This should prove to be useful for those who like to explore all options in an RPG.

Latest Updates

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently set to release in November. The game has certainly received a lot of criticism, with Ubisoft dubbing much of it malicious.

Ubisoft has made a lot of controversial choices with its take on Japan, so it remains to be seen how things will play out. Japanese audiences have already voiced their dislike for certain decisions, but there is a lot to like about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as well.

Apex Legends Bombed With 30K Negative Reviews Amid Severe Backlash

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  • Apex Legends reviews dropped to “Overwhelmingly Negative” on Steam amid the recent battle pass controversy.
  • Many players see EA’s recent changes as a clear effort to boost profits, even though the game is already earning substantially.
  • These changes arrived amidst significant problems with cheaters in the game, adding to player frustration with the developers’ priorities.

Apex Legends is currently receiving heavy backlash from its player base. Players are upset about the recent change that prevents them from buying the Battle Pass with Apex Coins.

This has caused many negative reviews on Steam, with the game now labeled as ‘Overwhelmingly Negative.’

Why it matters: Players are leaving negative reviews hoping EA reverts this battle pass change, similar to what happened with Helldivers 2.

Apex Legends Overwhelmingly Negative
Apex Legends is currently facing severe backlash from its player base due to a controversial battle pass change.

As of writing, the game has only received 14% positive reviews out of 40,113 in the last few days. Many content creators and professional players have also expressed disappointment with EA’s decision.

On July 10th, Apex Legends announced that beginning with Season 22, players would no longer be able to buy the battle pass with Apex Coins. Instead, they must now use real money.

Moreover, the new system requires players to buy two battle passes per season with real money, removing the option to use in-game currency. As a result, participating in each season now costs players twice as much.

Following the announcement, almost 35,000 negative reviews flooded the Steam page, plummeting the game’s rating from 45% positive to just 14% within a week. Players voiced their discontent, seeing the decision as developers prioritizing profit over player satisfaction.

Players feel the decision to stop allowing the purchase of the Battle Pass with Apex Coins is purely profit-driven. Apex Legends has raked in over three billion dollars since its launch, a massive sum for a free-to-play game.

This is largely due to the game’s heavy focus on microtransactions.

Apex Legends Battle Pass Controversy
Apex Legends battle pass changes | Via Respawn Entertainment.

Players argue the current system was already making good money and view this change as an unnecessary push for more community spending.

Moreover, the consensus is that Apex Legends is in the worst state it’s ever been right now. Cheaters are making the game nearly unplayable, forcing players to quit. EA is prioritizing profits instead of addressing these issues, which aligns with its well-known reputation as a greedy company.

Latest Updates

Apex Legends is also seeing the worst drop in player count in its history. With cheaters already infesting the game, many players believe this battle pass change is a slap in the face of the community.

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