Is the Apex Legends esports scene dying? There’s a reason ImperialHal is considering leaving
Falcons’ team Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen he recently tweeted that “it might be time to retire,” which makes Legends of the Apex esports scene to wonder if it’s time to wrap it up.
It’s been a tough few years for Apex Legends, the scene is constantly complaining about updates made by devs and esports seeing few viewers. The February 2026 episode may be the tipping point, especially thanks to the developers bringing back the Drop Ship to Ranked.
One frustrated player said: “Instead of fixing the areas where you landed, improving the loot completely, and removing proximity to some areas to rank, they just chose to throw it all away. Sounds like the Apex devs to me.”
Now, ImperialHal has been wondering if he should retire. Joke or not, it looks like he said it out of frustration. Which is not good at all.
Why is Apex Legends Esports Struggling?
In the previous episode, Apex Legends removed the Drop Ship from Ranked, replacing it with controlled Drop Zones. However, the devs are said to have received feedback that led them to roll back these changes in February. At this point, many esports players and competitive players believe that the game caters to casual players.
Catering to casual players is a very profitable strategy, as seen in the world of ARC Raiders shooters. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect for the esports scene. ImperialHal likened the game to Fortnite, feeling it’s all about entertaining newbies who need luck and balance changes to find winners.
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2023 was the best viewing year for the Apex Legends esports scene, with Crazy Raccoon Cup #10 receiving nearly 705,000 views. It’s not League of Legends or Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, but that’s pretty good by esports standards. However, 2024 and 2025 did not reach 570,000. Now, 2026 has seen 420,000 deaths so far. Viewership is declining, perhaps due to the fading of stories as the player base grows tired of the gameplay.
Similar to Overwatch, Apex Legends is not dying yet. But it doesn’t do wonders either. But if ImperialHal leaves, it may be a different story.
ImperialHal is probably the best Apex Legends player in the world. He might be the only one you know if you don’t follow Apex Legends very closely. He is the one everyone is watching. He is the one with opinions that everyone listens to. When he said he might retire, fans begged him to win another LAN first.
Another fan said: “If Hal retires, Apex is dead in two years MAX. He’s doing this to fix things because they know this. Smart move. Not sure if it’s legal, but they should make him a part owner and put him on the board.”
ImperialHal has been talking about the game for a long time. And many esports fans agree with him. Although no one wanted to see him retire, no one disagreed with his decision.
It will be hard for the devs to keep players interested if ImperialHal goes away. It will look like they fired him for not answering anything. It won’t look good. The esports scene can be very volatile.
Respawn may not matter if the goal is to go solo.
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