Apex Legends is already becoming a hit after three days. Electronic Arts revealed today that the free-to-play game already has 10 million players. Apex Legends launched on February 4 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It has also had achieved over 1 million concurrent players.
If this momentum hangs on, Fortnite might find its biggest competition yet. Epic’s game is among the most popular games in the world, and it’s been the leading battle royale for months now. Apex Legends has also become a hit with streamers and their viewers. It’s the No. 1 most watched game on Twitch.
Respawn Entertainment’s chief executive officer Vince Zampella commented on the milestone on his Twitter account.
🤯x10,000,000
So amazed @PlayApex hit 10 million in 72 hours. #ApexLegends https://t.co/rZmOgNnwhF pic.twitter.com/j68PYHMAfM— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) February 7, 2019
It’s release was different, with the game becoming available the moment developer Respawn officially announced it. That tactic has worked, as the surprise of a new game from the Titanfall studio caused excitement.
“This has been a truly incredible journey,” Zampella noted in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “We tested and tweaked. We argued and agreed. We got to a point where we felt some magic. We knew it would be risky to take the franchise in this direction, to go free-to-play, and do a surprise launch. But we fell in love with Apex Legends and wanted, needed, other people to play it, too.”
This is good news for Electronic Arts, which needed a hit. Earlier this week, its stock dove as it missed its earnings targets for the quarter. This was party because Battlefield V is selling less than expected. Apex Legends could help pick up the slack.