EA's Apex Legends Dethrones Fortnite in Battle Royale Genre
Electronic Arts’ EA latest battle royale (BR) game Apex Legends has become an instant hit. Per reports from CNBC, the game has smashed the records of Epic Game’s Fortnite in this genre.
Notably, Apex Legends accounted for 25 million downloads in its first week of release alone compared to Fortnite’s record of 10 million downloads over two weeks, post its launch in 2017.
Following the release of Apex Legends, more than 2.5 million players were engaged with the game within 24 hours of its release. Further, it became the number one game on Twitch.
Additionally, the game has progressed aggressively in the eSports market and defeated the streaming record of Fortnite. Per reports from The Esports Observer, 8.28 million hours of Apex Legends were streamed on Twitch, smashing Fortnite’s mark of 6.6 million hours.
Electronic Arts Inc. Price and Consensus
Electronic Arts Inc. Price and Consensus | Electronic Arts Inc. Quote
Apex Legends: Key Features
EA followed the footsteps of Epic Game’s Fortnite and Tencent’s TCEHY Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds by releasing Apex Legends as a free to download and play game. Notably, the company is monetizing the game by selling outfits and other upgrades.
Further, EA used an innovative strategy with Apex Legends to lure users. The company recruited famous eSports players to play the game, which was streamed on Twitch. This aided the company in reaching a wider audience base.
Apex Legends boasts certain unique features, which differentiate it from Fortnite. The game involves 60 players on a massive map compared to 100 players in Fortnite. It also includes a ping system through which players can use to notify their squad about weapons, first-aid kits, opponents and avoid danger with a single touch of a button.
Additionally, the game features various ‘Legends’ with unique characteristics to boost engagement level. While Pathfinder uses a zipline to help the squad escape from any danger, Bloodhound secures its squad by scanning the play area for enemies.
Can Apex Legends Turn EA’s Fortune?
EA is going through a rough time, which is evident from its disappointing third-quarter fiscal 2019 results.
Delay in the launch of Battlefield V coupled with the absence of BR mode adversely affected EA’s top line. Moreover, the company also witnessed sluggish growth of Command & Conquer: Rivals, which resulted in a decline in net bookings year over year.
However, the company’s Apex Legends is likely to turn around its fortune. Per reports, the company is in talks with Tencent to bring the game to China. Notably, EA lacks significant presence in China apart from FIFA and a few mobile games. Thus, Apex Legends will boost EA’s footprint in China’s PC-gaming market.
The game is also gaining popularity in the e-sports space where the company faces stiff competition from the likes of Activision’s ATVI Overwatch League and Take Two Interactive’s TTWO NBA 2K eLeague.
Notably, eSports renowned players Blevins, Nelson and Meadows teamed up to play the Apex Legends tournaments and won a prize money of $200,000. Further, Meadows also made an impact in the eSports community by killing 33 of his 59 opponents in one match, garnering 500,000 views on YouTube alone.
Notably, the rapid recruitment of Apex Legends players by major eSports team, expanding viewer base and collaboration with Tencent is expected to benefit the company in boosting its user base and top-line as well in the near term.
EA currently holds a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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