Introduction
Use of monetization mechanics in Apex Legends (only Apex from now on), more specifically, its work with customization and desire creation, was the design that recently caught my attention. Apex is free to play, therefore it heavily depends on its ability to acquire players, to keep them and in the final stage to monetize them. This fact convinced me that there must have been a substantial portion of design work invested to monetization aspects.
My aim in this analysis is to look deeper into what Apex’s design solutions offer, how we can look at it from the perspective of desire creation/fulfillment and what we can learn from it. First, I will provide the basic information about the game including the game flow, and then I will present the desire framework and show how the creators handled it. In the end, I will suggest some ideas and comparisons.
One quick note before we start: The opinions in this analysis are mine and may or may not reflect the opinions of my current employer.
Analysis
Apex is a team-based Battle royale F2P, title developed by Respawn Entertainment and released in february 2019. Battle Royale is a competitive last man standing mode with zero start and death zone. For a base analysis I will use the framework proposed by Nicholas Lovell dividing the game into a base layer, retention layer and monetization layer. I will use it to provide you with all the necessary knowledge in order to acknowledge the interconnectedness and complexity of monetization in the whole game. Description of the base and the retention layer is not detailed but adequate for understanding their connections to monetization.
Base layer
The game’s base layer is based on episodic matches which take up to 30 minutes. A player can choose from several characters (Mirage, Lifeline, Gibraltar….) for each match. Each character has specific abilities (one passive, one active and one ultimate). No team can have more than one character in the game.
Flow of the match
A player starts matchmaking with or without friends in the lobby. If there are missing players in the group, they are supplied, so they form a team of three players (the bold part is described by the picture below)
Loading of the map and the player - The player can see miniature icons with a name tag and a picture of player’s previous character. A message waiting for the other players is displayed.
Players are taken to character selection, where each player picks a character for the match.
Player’s squad overview
Champion squad overview
Zero start - Players are on a flying vehicle, which continue on a straight line across the playing area. The player can then choose when they jump and where to drop from there. Therefore, they can radically influence their starting location and they can also take into account the starting location of other players. Players start each match with an empty inventory and have to collect loot (weapons, armor, weapon attachments, consumables) during the match. Zero start is the only point in combat when a player uses 3rd person camera and is able to see his teammates’ skins as well as his own.
Combat phase
Death zone - during the match there are specific circle areas, anyone beyond limits of this circle is damaged. This area is shrinking down in phases, and therefore it drives all the players closer together.
death screen -> If the player dies, the spectator mode possible
Victory screen -> if the player’s squad is the last one in the game
Match summary and then back to lobby.
Retention layer
Apex is using player’s account progression as a core for their retention. Each player’s account has a level indicator which increases with each match (similar to e.g. Overwatch). Players get XP for participating in a base layer. The player is rewarded by soft currency (Legend tokens) and with occasional loot box (Apex packs). The player’s account also unlocks characters and further customizations for the characters at certain levels.
In addition, Battle pass was implemented recently. This is yet another form of retention mechanic as it allows the player to obtain the Battle pass with additional rewards. It has two tiers: premium, which has to be purchased with Apex coins, and free, which is automatic for all players. Battle pass is seasonal; it is active only for a limited time and once it is over, the next season with a new progression and rewards is implemented. Progression is not carried over to the next Battle pass (this is my assumption based on industry standard approach to season passes. At the time of writing this article, only the first season is active).
Currency
Crafting materials (CM) - Crafting material are received from Apex packs and are used to craft customizations. Price points: 1200, 400, 60, 30. Players can receive up to 60 from one Apex pack.
Legend Tokens (LT) - Legend tokens are received for leveling up and are used for unlocking characters and in other cases customizations in shop. Price points: 10500 and 12000. Player receive up to 600 for leveling up.
Apex coins (AC) - Hard currency of Apex. Apex coins are acquired for real world money. Used for in-game purchases. Conversion rate moves between 100 AC to 115 AC for $/€. (price in USD and Euro is the same, even though they have different value; I believe this is because of usage of “magic pricing”)
Monetization layer
In case of Apex, monetization layer is not as complex as it might seem. Players have to turn real world money into the hard currency (AC). With AC, players can purchase Battle pass, customizations in the shop, characters or Apex packs. I believe, that the most valuable class of items in the game are customizations, therefore my presumption is that bringing out the desire for these customizations in the players was the main goal of monetization design in Apex. All customizations are unlocked per a character or weapon. By customization I mean content of character banner (described below) and character/weapon skins.
Battle pass can be purchased for AC in-game in two variants: Battle pass and Battle pass bundle. Basic Battle pass gives players access to the premium Battle pass and costs 950 AC. Battle pass bundle additionally unlocks first 25 levels of Battle pass and costs 2800 AC.
In-game shop offers purchase of items with a single price of 1800 AC and purchase of Apex packs with a price of 100 AC per pack. Finally, the price of characters is set to 750 AC per character.
