Recently, Apex Legends developer Daniel Klein responded to criticism that Winter Express was a 'recycled mode.' Klein's response cover the statistics, the work load, and more that went into Winter Express, as well as noting that—unlike most LTMS—this one didn't have a particularly high drop-off rate.
This means that, despite some criticism here and there, many fans are enjoying returning to the Winter Express. Apex Legends players aren't likely returning to its because of its holiday decorations, though. It's far more likely that it's because of how it changes the standard battle royale formula, and with Apex Legends stating it wants to expand beyond that, there's not a better baseline than Winter Express.
Why Winter Express Works
Instead of 30 teams of 2 or 20 teams of 3, Winter Express pits players into a 3-team 3-squad match. Winter Express isn't about necessarily getting kills to earn Ws, but completing objectives. In this way, Winter Express is perhaps most like another hero-based shooter, Overwatch. It works for Blizzard's shooter, and that's why it works for Apex Legends. The character composition of the Legends works together in wondrous ways here that it just doesn't in a standard match.
That's not to say battle royale games, including a standard match of Apex Legends, aren't tactical, that team composition and character placement aren't needed, and that there is not skill level required. But Winter Express condenses into a much tighter fight. Players already know they're facing two other squads and not just rolling up on one while hoping to not be pinched. As players fight to stay on the train, there's placement up top of the trains, side entrances, and side areas to watch out for. Sight lines matter in ways that they simply don't in a standard Apex Legends match, and that's all a good thing.
It's possible, however unlikely, to play a character like Caustic in Apex Legends and go the full game without locking down a building or using his abilities to their fullest extent (and the same goes for Wattson). As with them and mostly in regards to average players, it's possible, however unlikely, to go a full game without Revenant's Ultimate being as prominent as it can be, to go a full game as Bangalore or Gibraltar without the timing or chance to use their ult, or to go a full game with nothing more than just barebone uses of an ability. It's even worth highlighting how Loba's ability gets some tactical use, as it makes restocks after winning a Winter Express round that much more quicker.
Winter Express Should Inspire More
Due to the tactical situation of 3v3v3 combat, the changing positions but standard array of objectives in the LTM, and the way every character fits naturally into a team (varying, of course, due to rotating gear), Winter express shows how Apex Legends could expand with objective-based game modes. On World's Edge, it's Winter Express, but perhaps on Kings Canyon players could get a massive version of one of the air ships. Perhaps on Olympus players could get some unique sections with widespread teleport use, all with the same idea in mind to get a wide variety of tactical situations in tighter, yet equally chaotic, objective combat.
If Apex Legends is aiming to expand one day anyway, Winter Express should be a building point for more content, not less.
Apex Legends is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version in development.