Team Falcons’ Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen recently tweeted that it “might be time to retire,” prompting the Apex Legends esports scene to wonder whether it’s time to wrap it up.

It’s been a rough last few years for Apex Legends, with the scene constantly complaining about the updates devs make and esports seeing less viewership. The February 2026 patch could be the breaking point, largely due to developers bringing the Drop Ship back to Ranked.

Said one frustrated player: “Instead of fixing the zones where you dropped, improving loot altogether, and removing the proximity of some zones for ranked, they just chose to throw it all out. Sounds like Apex devs to me.”

Now, ImperialHal has been wondering if he should retire. Joke or not, it does seem like he said it out of frustration. Which is never good.

In a previous patch, Apex Legends removed the Drop Ship from Ranked, replacing it with controlled Drop Zones. However, devs allegedly received feedback that led them to revert these changes in February. At this point, many esports pros and competitive players believe the game is catering to casual players.

Catering to casual players is most definitely a lucrative strategy, as seen over in the extraction shooter world with ARC Raiders. But that doesn’t mean it’s good for the esports scene. ImperialHal likened the game to Fortnite, feeling it was all about pleasing newbies who need luck and balance changes to get some wins.

2023 was the best viewership year for Apex Legends’ esports scene, with the Crazy Raccoon Cup #10 getting nearly 705,000 views. It’s no League of Legends or Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, but that’s definitely good by esports standards. However, 2024 and 2025 never reached 570,000. Now, 2026 has seen it sink to 420,000 so far. The viewership is declining, likely due to fading hype as the player base grows tired of the gameplay.

Similar to Overwatch, Apex Legends isn’t actively dying right now. But it’s not doing amazing either. But if ImperialHal left, there could be a different story.

ImperialHal is probably the most prominent Apex Legends player in the world. He may even be the only one you know if you don’t follow Apex Legends too closely. He’s the one that everyone watches. He’s the one with opinions everyone listens to. When he said he could retire, fans begged him to win another LAN first.

Said one fan: “If Hal retires, Apex is dead in two years MAX. He’s doing this so they 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 ranting about the game for quite some time. And most esports fans agree with him. While nobody wants to see him retire, barely anyone disagreed with his decision.

It’s going to be tough for devs to keep players interested if ImperialHal leaves. It will look like they drove him away by not taking in any feedback. It won’t look good. The esports scene could very well fade away.

Respawn may not care if the goal is to go casual.