Respawn is reversing its unpopular alterations to the Apex Legends battle pass

Respawn Entertainment has announced that players will once again have the option to purchase Apex Legends battle passes using in-game currency. In response to player feedback, the company stated, “Your voices have been heard, and we have taken them into consideration.” The developer faced backlash and negative reviews from players earlier this month when it initially revealed changes to the game’s reward system.

The original announcement was convoluted, but the heart of the Apex community’s frustration was that players would no longer be able to use in-game currency to access the updated version of the Battle Pass. People earn Apex Coins by playing, and in the original model, serious fans could easily earn enough in one battle pass to pay for the next season.

Today, Respawn said it’s bringing back the option to pay 950 Apex Coins (about $10) to unlock the Premium Battle Pass tier. And with 1,300 Apex Coins available at this level, this segment of the Battle Pass experience is largely back to the old model. Players can unlock the premium version by completing some “simple in-game challenges” at the start of Season 22, Split 1 on August 6. After that, Season Split 2, new/old model, starts on September 17th. comes into effect.

However, other parts of the original notice are still valid. New Battle Passes drop at the beginning and middle of the season. Apex Legends has a free Battle Pass with minimal benefits, a Premium version with more rewards and unlocked with in-game currency, an Ultimate version for $10 with all Premium content and a handful of additional instant unlocks, and finally the Ultimate+ version. $20 with two legendary skin variations and access to all playable heroes in the game in that split.

Battle passes have become de rigueur for the games-as-a-service industry. It has proven to be one of the most successful options for generating revenue to fund content creation while providing added value to players. But once the approach is set, studios may struggle to get players to adapt to the changes. In fact, this isn’t the first time Apex Legends’ battle pass has been changed and then changed again. But the trend towards game communities collecting review scores or outright harassing developers and creators to voice their grievances about potential changes means that the finances of many of these ongoing games can still feel precarious.