After reviving Apex Legends once again with several great updates from Season 5, EA and Respawn are set to make even more drastic changes to the game. It’s not official yet but highly probable that players will soon be able to trade cosmetics from Apex Legends outside of the game. Skins marketplace DMarket might be the place, media rumors suggest. The CEO of DMarket has recently added to the rumors by tweeting that he “had to run through all the skins in Apex Legends”.

How Can P2P Market Improve Apex Legends’ Retention? 

The Battle Royale sensation from Respawn and Electronic Arts came out of nowhere in early 2019 and took the gaming world by storm. But the mindblowing start was followed by a quick decline. The game’s revenue dropped by three-quarters in just two months, along with the player count and views on Twitch. Respawn has managed to revive Apex with new seasons, and the current Season 5 has apparently been the biggest success with its well-received new content, including legend Loba and season quests. Yet, as the previous seasons have shown, new content can only excite and retain players for a while before a new decline occurs.

Player-to-player trading has the potential to take Apex Legends’ retention to a new level. The opportunity to obtain a skin in the game and then sell it for real money will surely boost the players’ motivation. 

How Does P2P Trading Generate Money for Developer?

Many would wonder how Respawn is going to make money when players start buying skins from each other instead of the Rotating Shop. But the answer is quite simple – trading fees. P2P trading will inevitably increase skins prices. Each skin will be traded multiple times and the game developer will receive a share every time. Just look at CS:GO, the game with the biggest P2P market. Rare items from CS:GO are worth thousands of dollars. Fees from a single trade of such a skin give Valve more than any microtransaction could possibly bring. And those trades are plentiful.       

When to Expect P2P Trading in Apex Legends?

Rumors set it for this summer but it’s unreasonable to expect such a massive change before the next season drops. The Season 5 Battle Pass expires on August 17. Apex usually launches new seasons and makes big updates on Tuesdays, and August 18 does fall on Tuesday. That’s why this is the likeliest date for now.

Where to Trade Apex Skins? 

Although DMarket might be involved in this P2P trading story from the very beginning, it’s not obvious that Apex skins will be traded exclusively there. The DMarket platform does operate as a marketplace but it also offers game developers a white label solution for launching marketplaces inside their games. One of the most recent additions to the platform is the Life Beyond MMO from studio Darewise. Some packs from the game are available on DMarket but others are sold directly from the developer. CS:GO, Dota 2 and TF2 items account for most of the turnover on DMarket but are also traded on other third-party marketplaces and the Steam Community Market. It’s currently unclear what Apex Legends’ choice is going to be. The same items may be available both in the game and on DMarket but it’s also possible that P2P trading will be exclusive to the game or, less likely, to the marketplace.  

What Items Will Be Available for Trading?     

A lack of detail behind the rumors makes room for quite a few assumptions. It would be reasonable for Apex to test P2P trading with a limited range of skins and then take further steps according to player reactions. On the other hand, full-scale trading right from the start will ensure more hype to capitalize on.   

What Will Be the Currency? 

Apex Coins are the game’s premium currency but Respawn could create new premium coins specifically for P2P trading if it’s available directly in the game. For trading on DMarket, players can use the platform’s internal currency, DMC, that is pegged to cryptocurrency DMarket Tokens. In any case, we are talking about trading for real money. If Apex skins come to the third-party marketplace, players will not only spend but also make money on the game. This is a truly astonishing possibility and yet another reason to feel excitement for the next Apex season.