Apex Legends devs will consider Crypto rework if hacker’s play rate drops any lower

Crypto could well be the next Apex Legends character to receive an ability rework, the Respawn dev team has revealed, as they look to balance the hacker’s ever-sinking Season 8 play rate with his overall “healthy” win rate.

Everyone’s favorite Apex Legends hacker has Respawn in a pickle.

Since his release in early Season 3, the Surveillance Expert’s pick rate has slowly been trending down. Part of that is, of course, due to the release of other more popular legends like Fuse, Loba, or Apex Legends meta-breaker Horizon.

Primarily, however, there’s a disconnect between the player base, and Crypto’s play style. It’s an issue Respawn are considering fixing with a Season 9 rework.

“Crypto’s got a really low pick rate in Season 8, but a healthy win rate,” one of the battle royale’s live balance designers, John Larson, explained during an appearance on the popular “Bird’s Eye” competitive Apex Legends podcast.

According to Apex Legends Status, he has a 1.4% pick rate.

That’s overshadowed, by a lot, by popular Legends like Lifeline and Bloodhound (both around 14.3%), as well as Wraith (12.1%), Bangalore (9.2%), and more.

Long-term Crypto players “love the character,” Larson continued, but due to the fact Tae Joon Park’s main Apex Legends ability ⁠— his iconic Surveillance Drone ⁠— “isn’t streamlined,” many players shy away from putting any meaningful hours into the character. That, in turn, leads to Crypto’s pick rate plummeting over the seasons, to the third-lowest in the game.

To boost his “pretty low” pick rate, Crypto would “need a rework.”

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean Respawn are automatically pulling the trigger on an overhaul for the Apex Legends hacker ⁠— you can breathe easy, Crypto mains.

• Read More: All confirmed Apex Legends buffs & nerfs in Season 9 update

Right now, the balance team is simply in ‘wait-and-watch’ mode. The fact the Surveillance Expert still boasts a solid win rate and has been appearing in pro matches in recent weeks means he isn’t in dire need of a touch-up just yet.

While Crypto may not be getting a rework as soon as the upcoming Season 9 update dropping on May 4 ⁠— unless his play rate dips any lower, that is ⁠— Respawn has inked up some quality of life changes they want to give the hacker.

These include “allowing him to see the minimap and kill-feeds while in drone view,” and making the switch between his drone mode and “FPS mode” smoother.

• Read More: Who is the Season 9 Legend in Apex Legends?

The Season 9 update will also see long-awaited changes for Octane, Loba, Horizon, and a mini-rework for flagship Apex Legends healer, Lifeline. The seventeenth Legend (likely the leaked “Valk” character) should also make their debut.