Plans to change the Battle Pass system in Apex Legends have sparked criticism from players

Starting with Season 22, Apex Legends will feature two $10 Battle Passes per season instead of one. Players will no longer be able to use earned virtual currency (Apex Coins) to acquire them. EA stated that this decision “was not made lightly.”

The Season 21 Battle Pass can be purchased for 950 Apex Coins and covers the entire season with 110 levels. Normally, 1,000 Apex Coins cost $9.99/£8.99, but players could earn some Apex Coins as rewards from a season’s Battle Pass and use them to purchase future passes.

Moving forward, each season will have two Battle Passes, one for each split, each priced at $9.99 and including 60 levels.

In a blog post detailing the changes, EA claimed that the new structure will offer greater value to players and reduce the time needed to unlock high-end items.

However, players have criticized this change, seeing it as a ploy to extract more money from consumers. Many on social media view it as a cynical attempt to increase profits despite declining revenues from the game.

One X user commented, “Now you can’t buy with Apex Coins, and there are two Battle Passes per season. They basically doubled the price of the Battle Pass and don’t allow you to purchase future passes with current Apex Coins. This is arguably the biggest disappointment I’ve seen in Apex.”

Another player added, “It seems like the only people this improves the experience for are the shareholders.”

Some players believe that Respawn is trying to “milk the last bit out of the remaining loyal player base.”

EA noted that “this announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content.”

Respawn and their flagship game have had a challenging year. In March, the studio faced layoffs as part of broader cuts at EA. In April, Respawn offered free Apex Packs to all players after some accounts were reset and progress was lost due to a botched update.