The retirement tease that has ImperialHal fans worried

CJ Published November 13, 2024

Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen is no stranger to complaining about the state of Apex Legends, but the latest round of complaints has fans worried about retirement.

Apex Legends has been under heavy scrutiny the past year due to unpopular decisions from EA, including splitting the season pass into two per season and raising the price of cosmetics. While these changes have definitely reduced player count, the general gameplay was never seen as the big issue. That has changed, however, and one of the most respected pro players in the scene has now spoken up.

“Apex has actually reached to a point where even comp is unenjoyable. I swear, so many pros/creators will be leaving after Champs with how the game is right now. Its an actual clown show with what this game has become,” wrote ImperialHal on X.

This had some fans worried, since Apex Legends Champs is happening at the end of January 2025. Does that mean ImperialHal may be one of the pros leaving the scene right after that?

Is ImperialHal planning retirement from pro Apex Legends?

ImperialHal has not confirmed his retirement from Apex Legends after the last round of meta complaints in 2024.

Team Falcons player ImperialHal has never made it a secret that he’s growing sick of Apex Legends despite his status as one of its top players. But his most recent tweet on November 12 seemed like he could be reaching a breaking point. For now, ImperialHal hasn’t stated that he’s one of the pros that could be leaving after Champs, but it isn’t out of the question since he feels more impacted by the state of the game than usual.

“Like I understand that I’m always negative… But this game right now has so many issues to the point that it’s seeping into the comp scene,” he tweeted. “Usually comp would be fine but now its an actual joke, zero exaggeration,” said ImperialHal.

Other pros weighed in on Apex Legends’ ongoing issues, seeming to agree that the game is no longer enjoyable for competitive players. Falcons Esports’ analyst Priv4cy tweeted that it seems like it’s the first time “pros and casuals seem to agree” on the meta being unplayable. He suggested soft counters, one legend per class, legend ban in competitive, and smart balance to create a healthy meta once again.

Jack “NiceWigg” Martin agreed, tweeting that there should only be one support legend per team. ImperialHal responded that this was a good idea but also noted that Newcastle needs to be “mega nerfed” after his most recent update.

Furia pro Alan “Vaxlon” Gonzales replied, “I think my biggest gripe is not the fact that they buff/nerf things but how long it takes. I don’t think they can do much about that […] but if there was a world where they could launch patch notes more often and have communication with the pro scene, I think things would be more stable.”

Developers from Respawn Entertainment have not yet responded to the ongoing concern from pros about the state of Apex Legends’ competitive scene.