Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts are walking back on some of the controversial changes they had announced for how free-to-play battle royale shooter Apex Legend’s battle passes would work going forward.
Previously, it was announced that starting with the upcoming Season 22, Apex Legends would begin offering two battle passes per season, with each offering 60 tiers of rewards, rather than offering just one with 110 tiers. In addition, however, it was also announced that players would no longer be able to purchase battle passes using the in-game currency known as Apex Coins, which, in effect, meant that the only way to gain access to a premium battle pass would be to purchase it.
That in particular was met with widespread backlash, which publisher EA and developer Respawn have responded to by walking back on the planned change.
“You’ve spoken, and we’ve listened,” a statement published on Twitter reads. “With the release of Season 22 we will restore the ability to get the Premium Battle Pass for 950 Apex Coins. We recognize that we could have handled the Battle Pass changes better- that’s on us.”
When Season 22 kicks off on August 6, players will have the chance to earn the first battle pass for the season by “completing a series of simple in-game challenges”. Meanwhile, when the second battle pass goes live on September 17, players will also be able to purchase it using 950 Apex Coins, and will be able to earn enough Apex Coins through it to be able to afford future battle passes.
Respawn also reassures players that going forward, it will place greater focus on clearer and more consistent communication, with the health and stability of the game being its top priorities.
“Moving forward, we recognize that we need to be more timeline, transparent, and consistent in our communications with you,” the developer says. “Your priorities are our priorities: cheaters, game stability, and quality of life updates are top of mind. We need to get better and it’s why we’re acknowledging them here.”
Details on several fixes related to the aforementioned issues will arrive when Season 22 goes live on August 6, with patch notes arriving with details on the same the preceding day.
Apex Legends is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
