One free-to-play battle royale game taking the world by storm right now is Apex Legends. It's published by EA and developed by the talented team at Respawn Entertainment - also known as the studio behind the Titanfall series. For most parts, it's made up of the standard battle royale formula, where you drop into a map with a team and fight for your survival.
When it was launched on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 at the start of this month, the title reached 2.5 million players within 24 hours. In just three days, it gained over 10 million unique players and to date, it has now had more than 25 million players join the battle - with more than two million concurrent users.
Of course, one of the common questions the developer and publisher keep getting asked is if the title will be released on the Nintendo Switch later down the line. In an interview with Eurogamer, the game's lead producer Drew McCoy said while they would "love" to bring the game to the Switch and mobile devices, the team has "nothing" to currently talk about right now.
In the same interview, the cross-play plans for Apex Legends were discussed. It will allow players to play against friends on other systems, but due to the way the "systems were set up early on" cross-platform progress and transactions will not be possible. Check out the gameplay trailer below:
Do you think Apex Legends will ever be released on the Switch? Could a surprise announcement be on the way? Have you tried it out on another platform? Let us know in the comments.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 54
It's EA, okay? Of course they won't release it.
EA to Switch owners: We love your money but don't want it yet cause we're still taking theirs.
Meh, this game will never truly kill or even come close to competing with Fortnite with that mentality. Fortnite is on both Switch and mobile, two markets that Apex currently does not have. If they don't at least consider it, they don't stand a chance at being relevant. Just look at PUBG.
@Varkster You clearly haven't been paying attention to the huge success this game has been seeing since it's launch then. Granted it is still early days, but it's doing incredibly well so far.
@FragRed yeah 25 million in a week is not an insignificant number! Game is pretty fun, I like it much more than fortnite.
@Varkster I know it's only been a week but if you haven't even heard of it before you must not be paying any attention to the games industry outside of Nintendo. It's getting talked about everywhere and by most larger sites.
Certainly would be nice but I personally don't need another multiplayer game to play right now. And if I wanted to play it, I'd probably just get it on PC. Splatoon is my go-to shooter on Switch (or period tbh) still.
I wonder how many Switch "articles" on the theme "it won't come to/we have nothing to announce for" that NL has produced?
@Varkster Boy you've been living under a rock apparently
I’ve been playing this on PS4 and it is a lot of fun. I prefer it to Fortnite, and I don’t hate Fortnite.
Apex Legends feels a bit more grown up. Has no building. Is less about skill and more about team work (you can’t run around solo and destroy everyone like the streamers on Fortnite) And just generally feels fun to play.
Only problem is EA profits.
@JR150 it's already more successful and popular then PUBG and Blackout and it's beating Fornite on Twitch as the most viewed game
@Quarth A lot lol
@JR150 I personally don’t feel they need to compete with Fortnite by going into all platforms including kitchen appliances.
They feel like two very different games and the audience for this is there without needing to be the top dog.
They will not stop 12yr olds playing Fortnite. They should focus on the more mature audience and do their own thing.
It would be a benefit to have on Switch, but it is more graphically challenging and just feels unlikely.
Hey maybe they'll stealth release it on Switch
@Varkster this feels like the least Batte Royale game of the bunch, which is why I enjoy it.
Fortnite I play with my son and we only play the team death match modes (rumble, food fight etc). They have unlimited respawns and you don’t lose things on death.
I think this is why Apex Legends stands out.
You don’t have to collect materials for building. Just weapons and some armour and a few grenades and things. Your squad is almost always with you so you fight and die together. I’ve won a few rounds as a complete noob because it’s about team play over skill. And the map is smaller so you finish full games in 15 to 20 mins.
Fortnite feels like you spend 20 mins collecting everything just to die. This doesn’t feel that way.
Isn't it strange that EA would release a free to play shooter game like this so close to Anthem's release?
It feels like they're competing with themselves here.
It's a pretty fun game, well any game is fun with friends.. . I see so many things that PUBG has and made it great. I can actually kill people (I'm not good by any means)
But I hate how EA profits from this.....
I don't think this is a fortnite killer, but can be two games that will be high in the ranks of "battle royal" genre.
I wouldn't mind a PUBG mobile port to the switch, would be awesome
I'd love to see what the buzz is about considering the game was apparently enough for my friend's Kingdom Hearts III playthrough to come to a screeching halt.
im thinking about trying this game. even though EA published it.
@FragRed That is only because it´s the current new shiny game on the block!
When the "Shiny" wears off and people see EA´s true colours (i.e. excessive and agressive monetization with skyhigh micro transaction prices), people will quit and move on again to the next "Shiny" or back to where they came from.
The reason why Fortnite is such a success, is due to the fact that EPIC games actually knows how to correctly price micro-transactions. I am not saying it´s cheap... think it´s still too high for most they offer, but it is "cheap" compared to what EA is asking so far in Apex Legends.
The big plus is that Fortnite´s battlepass is priced right and offers a lot for the money and that is where the big chunk of recurring money is coming from.
EA just never learns when it comes to understanding the market and their ability to price things right, so they just continue to stumble in one controversy to the other. /shrug
It is popular but I'm not particularly tempted to play it personally.
"We have nothing to announce" because Nintendo want to do it in the Direct?
I read on Nintendosoup yesterday that code had been found for a switch version which was removed and later put back so this seems a little odd not really fussed though as people are spending £100s to cheat but hey that’s what EA are banking on I suppose
Im fairly sure Respawn would laugh and insult the system first.
Oh wait, they did.
@Varkster
Nobody had heard about it until a week or so ago. The developers kept it under wraps deliberately until release. They knew they had something special, though somehow the concepts didn't sound all that exciting on paper. Apparently you had to experience it yourself to immediately see what makes it so much fun. So instead of trying to build hype beforehand and risking a "meh, just another BR shooter" reaction they kept it quiet and then surprise-released it, so the moment the world became aware of the game everybody could immediately try it themselves and see and feel what makes it so special. It was apparently a very clever move... 25 Million players within a week, nuff said.
This is a game I'd actually play on Switch. Fortnite is just... ugh.
I despise the building, no matter how good I manage to get at it, it'll always be something I only do because they HAVE to. It stands in the way of my shooting pleasure. I also hate how kiddy it looks, in a bad way. Everything looks like shiny plastic. Cheapness.
Apex is the better game for me because it's different in all those aspects. Unfortunately playing it on PC is not an option because I'm an AMD Phenom user...
@Knuckles-Fajita
When?
I'm not too big on battle royale and only played on fortnite when my brother was here. him on his xbox and myself on the switch.
Then the 8th came and I downloaded apex on my PC. Holy mother of lord, this game is like potato chips to me. I've already sunk in 50 hours AND I STILL WANT TO PLAY IT.
Even right after I came here an saw this thread, I had just won another match an shut it off.
@Kienda Not if you don't buy anything
@RupeeClock Naw man, end of the financial year; the final chance to rake in some big dollars to satisfy the shareholders and pay those CEOs a well-earned bonus!
@Octane
Good point, a go big or go home approach.
I guess they don't have much faith in Anthem if they're potentially undercutting it with Apex Legends.
Or they didn't expect Apex Legends to be anywhere near as big as it is, given it came out of nowhere.
@RupeeClock They released Battlefield and Titanfall 2 back to back in 2016, a week apart iirc. Don't ask me why!
@Octane
Well that's typical EA and their bad business decisions, really.
@JR150 They're already working on mobile.
@AlexSora89 Right after it was revealed in October 2016.
@Kienda On the other hand, while it's still EA, this is actually a good game. Yes, it does have lootboxes and microtransactions. But every type of content is available without spending real money.
It's a blast to play and an example of an EA game done right, mostly because of Respawn but sure. Maybe because of this huge succes, we will get more quality games like this. Probably MP instead of SP, but still.
@Knuckles-Fajita
Ouchie ouch. Well, if they did this U-turn... I guess it's some PR at work. It might pave the way for a future announcement.
"Future" as in, not tonight for sure.
@AlexSora89 Found it
https://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/01/20/respawn-developer-laughs-off-the-idea-of-titanfall-on-switch
@Knuckles-Fajita
Oh, so that's the famous "eff no" interview. How positively charming.
One thing I'd like to address, though, is that he was talking about Titanfall. If the same devs are now talking about how they "would love to bring Apex Legends to Switch", something has to be going on.
Either that, or EA simply told them not to be so overly open about not being able to fit something on the machine. PR stuff at work, as usual. That, and FIFA or something, I guess.
@AlexSora89 Thing is it likely runs on the same engine with the same general asset quality so....
@Knuckles-Fajita
Alternatively, it might have something to do with the fact today's statement was issued by someone named Drew McCoy, while the earlier statement came out of another individual's mouth - a certain Mohammad Alavi. The former being a producer, and the latter a senior designer.
Sadly, I have to admit that, between the two, someone who's presumably done actual coding - Alavi - would be a bit more on the ball as to what can and can't be done on the Switch.
Then again, as noted in the comments for IGN's own article, Zelda won a GOTY award, so there's that.
Pass, not interested in battle royale games.
1. EA doesn't care about Switch
2. EA needs to put their better games on Switch. Not just sports and online shooters. Give us BioWare's library!
Well by the looks of it most people not waiting to play it.
Still wish it had Titans. And they release a new TF3
It's the best BR out there
Respawn did an awesome work, clearly
But come on, the game can't be ported on Switch, it would require a huge investment, maybe the guys at Panic Buttons could do it, but I don't believe they would do it, especially when the game has just started. I think they will focus on updates atm
Weren't they the ones who got drunk on a livestream and frantically laughed when asked if Titanfall could come to Switch? Yeah.
@Varkster speak for yourself.
I've already put an embarrassing amount of time into this game and would go as far as to say its one of the tightest shooters I've ever played.
Respawn deserves praise for this game. They entered a saturated market and outclassed all of their competition. The production value is insane compared to any other BR game.
Who knows, this game does not really appeal to me, but if it does go on the Switch, then I will try it.
Fortnites days are numbered. All the hardcore and casual players are leaving in droves. The kids will be the only ones left to plug the holes of that sinking ship.
How about a new Titanfall spinoff on Switch instead? By the time we get Apex on there, it'll be old news. Not every game is going to see the same success that Fortnite and the Bethesda ports saw.
@MongolRaider Well if it’s anything like Minecraft kids will keep it afloat for a good while.
I heard of this the other day from my nephew said it just came out. He loves it more than Fortnite. Looked like Fortnite with what reminded me of gross Mortal combat finishing moves- ick. I didn’t realize that it had such a large launch in terms of players. Personally I find Fortnite is addictive enough so I will have to pass if it ever does come to Switch.
Wasn't interested in this initially (because Battle Royale) but having learned that you have to play as a team and that there is a respawn mechanic, I'm intrigued.
Titanfall 2 is the best shooter this generation so I know that it's going to feel good to play. It seems like they have done enough to differentiate it to PUBG and Fortnite for me to actually wanting to play it now. Getting it on the Switch would of course be nice!
The new battle Royale on the block is Tetris 99!
@Quarth Probably a lot, especially since the Switch generation began.
I actually had a look through some older articles here on NL and saw Fortnite for the Switch started out with a fan asking the game's creative director if he was interested in releasing the game on this platform.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/01/epic_games_is_interested_in_bringing_fortnite_to_the_nintendo_switch
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