The future of Apex Legends looks grim, as Electronic Arts warns that its once-thriving hero-shooter may experience a 40% plunge in net bookings, potentially shaking the company’s overall business performance. The forecast, tied to EA’s projections for the 2025–2026 fiscal year, highlights growing concerns around the game’s declining popularity.

Back when it launched, Apex Legends was a smart move by EA to jump onto the live-service bandwagon. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, the game captivated millions of players with its dynamic gameplay and charismatic characters. But recent years have been unkind to the title. Continuous poor decisions, lack of fresh content, and waning community enthusiasm have eroded its success. EA had already acknowledged this decline earlier in February—and now, the company paints an even darker picture for its online shooter’s future.

EA’s latest financial report is filled with highlights, including strong sales from titles like Split Fiction. Yet, the outlook for the coming year is less rosy. The publisher anticipates major losses driven by Apex Legends, stating: “EA anticipates a 40% year-over-year decline in Apex Legends net bookings, which poses a challenge to overall growth.”

The report also notes: “Apex Legends has faced a decline, contributing to a 4-point growth slowdown in net live service bookings, affecting overall performance.” Additionally: “The company faces a 5-point growth slowdown from the catalog and Apex Legends, which will impact fiscal 2026 guidance.” Still, EA isn’t entirely in the red—strong performance from EA Sports College Football 25, EA Sports FC 25, The Sims 4, and the aforementioned Split Fiction helped the publisher close the year on a relatively strong note.

EA has canceled two video games to focus on its most popular franchises

The situation at Respawn Entertainment is teetering on the edge. Beyond the challenges of Apex Legends, EA recently laid off 300 employees and canceled two in-development projects—including a Titanfall spin-off with extraction-style FPS gameplay. According to reports, the move was meant to refocus EA’s resources on its most profitable IPs. Whether this shift will result in renewed support for Apex Legends remains uncertain.

Source: 3djuegos