LEARNING CURVE
Apex Legends trounces Fortnite’s launch as it hits 50 million players in just a month
28 days since launch and Respawn's free-to-play beast has hit 50 million players -- that's over four times faster than Fortnite
APEX Legends now has 50 million players, according to developer Respawn.
It hit the mark in less than 28 days, reaching it four times quicker than rival battle royale phenomenon Fortnite.
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Apex Legends' launch saw it shoot past Fortnite on popular streaming site Twitch and maintain a lead until Fortnite hit back with a new season of content and some pretty big in-game changes.
Respawn boss Vince Zampella to celebrate the mark and show off a bunch of other great moments and impressive stats.
158 million finishers have been used, characters' ultimate abilities have been used 1.23 billion times and 3.1 billion 'pings' have been placed.
The video also showcased some great moments that had been streamed during the game's first month.
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Apex Legends – what is it?
Here's what you need to know...
- Announced and released on February 4, the latest battle royale game comes from Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind the Titanfall series
- It features 60 players fighting it out in three-man squads, with players choosing from eight distinct classes – the titular Legends – before jumping in
- It's free to play right now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC
- Players can buy new cosmetic items for their Legends, either from a Fortnite-style item shop or via loot boxes
- It's also going to feature a battle pass system that will let players unlock other cosmetic items
- New legends will be added over time, and Respawn has promised experimentation and more changes over time
- Currently there are six to choose from and two you have to unlock over time
- Each legend has their own abilities, which come in both tactical and ultimate flavours
- Tactical abilities, such as small shields and smoke grenades, are available from the get-go and can be re-used after a certain amount of time
- Ultimate abilities, like being able to teleport or call in airstrikes, take longer to charger up but are significantly more powerful
- In the game's first 72 hours, over 10 million gamers logged in to play the new squad-based shooter, with upwards of a million gamers playing at any one time
As well as a triple-take no-scope kill from a foul-mouthed grandad, it showed off players being killed with care packages -- and even a player winning a match holding the controller with his left hand and right foot.
The video also promised more for fans of the game soon, possibly hinting at the upcoming battle pass and rumours of new Legends.
It also featured a whole bunch of fan-created art for the game -- though thankfully none of the more risqué variety we revealed last week.
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Even with 50 million players Apex Legends still has a long way to go to catch up with Fortnite's several hundred million, though the lack of a mobile version of the game means it doesn't quite have the massive reach Fortnite does now.
Apex Legends is expecting its first major content update any day now, with the game's first "season" set to launch this month.
This will include new gear, new Legends to play as, and other content -- though exactly what is a closely guarded secret.
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