APEX LEGENDS is a free-to-play battle royale hero shooter and one of the most played games online today. Game developer Respawn Entertainment apologized directly to fans on social media on July 24 and announced the cancellation of previous plans to change the Season 22 Battle Pass: players can still use Apex Legends Coins to purchase two copies of the game to get the Battle Pass, which contains new weapons and special content.

 

Earlier this month, Respawn Entertainment intended to completely overhaul the Battle Pass system when Season 22 launched, and the biggest change in the revision was to split the premium Battle Pass in two. Instead of releasing a single-season Battle Pass with 110 levels every three months, the new system requires that the Battle Pass be split into two every season. Previously, the premium Battle Pass cost players about $10 every three months, and now players must pay $10 for the first 60 levels and another $10 for the next 60 levels before the end of the season. These battle passes can no longer be purchased with the in-game currency, Apex Coins. Instead, players must purchase battle passes with real money, which means they can't use Apex Coins earned in-game to save on season costs.

 

Previously, Apex Legends' battle passes have rewarded Apex Coins for players to purchase new ones by completing previous passes, but the new structure will remove that privilege. While Respawn says the new battle pass structure will offer more value and rewards than before, the change still requires players to spend twice as much as before to keep up with the game's expected pace of seasonal content.

 

After weeks of backlash, some players took to X, Reddit, and the game's Steam page to voice their displeasure. More than 82,000 players have submitted overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam in the past two weeks, but they are also disappointed with the overall state of the game, matchmaking health, and server performance, and the price increase comes at a time when some longtime fans are already dissatisfied.

 

"You spoke, and we listened," reads a statement on social media. "Season 22 will launch on August 6th through Season 1, and we want to give you access to the premium Battle Pass; starting with Season 2 on September 17th, you'll be able to earn the premium Battle Pass for 950 Apex Coins as before; by completing a series of easy games, you'll be able to earn enough coins to get future passes; the Battle Pass option now includes better rewards - and is faster, with a redesigned Battle Pass challenge that takes only 60 levels to complete.

 

In short, on August 6th, when the first part of the new season begins, players will be able to unlock their first premium Battle Pass for free by completing a set of easy in-game challenges. September 17th is when the new system kicks in, and players will be able to purchase the second premium Battle Pass of the season using the game's premium currency or real money, with plans to continue this pattern after that.

 

While Respawn Emphasizes that the higher price will come with "better rewards" and "restructured Battle Pass challenges," it's unclear how the new system will work. For now, Respawn hasn't announced any changes beyond adjustments to the available rewards. This means that the new premium track will still cost $20 (still not purchasable with Apex Legends coins) and feature additional tiers, Legendary skin variants, more exotics, more new features, and access to all Legendary items for the life of the Battle Pass. It was called Premium+ but has been changed to Ultimate+.
 

 

        
 

“Moving forward, we recognize that we need to be more timely, transparent, and consistent in our communications with you,” the statement continued. “Your priorities are our priorities. We need to get better and it’s why we’re acknowledging them here.” I don’t know if this move can win back some Apex Legends players and fans. Let’s look forward to it together!