In a move that surprised many and disappointed some, EA’s Apex Legends Mobile is pulling down the shutters less than a year after its release. Additionally, EA also announced that development of Battlefield Mobile, a mobile title based on the long-running FPS series of the same name, has been canceled. Details can be found here:
Respawn announces plans to shut down Apex Legends Mobile.
Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment announced their plans to shut down Apex Legends Mobile in an official tweet and blog post. Based on the information available, EA plans to pull the plug and Access to Apex Legends Mobile will be disabled in 2023. May 1, 4 p.m. PDT, in all regions.
The developer explains that while the game launched successfully, the planned content set did not meet EA’s expectations. As a result, partner studios Respawn and Tencent parted ways, resulting in the title being shut down.
From today Apex Legends Mobile will feature offline microtransactions, which means players cannot purchase any in-game items and currency. The company assures that this decision does not affect the main Apex Legends game on PC and console, and the shutdown only applies to the mobile title. Also, there are no refunds for in-game purchases.
This move shocked many people in the community when Apex Legends Mobile came out. eight months ago in 2022 May. The original Apex Legends game, a multiplayer FPS battle royale set in the Titanfall universe, is one of EA’s biggest franchises, culminating in thousands of players trying out the title every day. This led EA and Respawn Entertainment to attempt a mobile-only counterpart, resulting in Apex Legends Mobile.
EA also announces the cancellation of another mobile title
As if the unfortunate news alone wasn’t enough, EA also announced that it has decided to cancel development on Battlefield Mobile. The company explained that its plans to create a tight-knit Battlefield ecosystem have changed, so they’ve shifted gears to make the franchise as good as possible. Because of this, their planned strategy changed and the title was vacated.
The cancellation of Battlefield Mobile also comes as a shock as the company has started testing the title in certain SEA countries, where mobile titles are enjoying huge success. Additionally, EA planned to launch a beta version of the title, with pre-registration starting in 2021.
The closure of Apex Legends Mobile and the cancellation of Battlefield Mobile is a sad story for the company tries and fails to capitalize on the mobile gaming craze. If EA had taken the necessary steps to cultivate the community in mobile gaming regions like Southeast Asia, both of these titles could have cemented their titles alongside the big league titles in mobile gaming. Hopefully, EA will try to revisit both of these franchises in the future and create a memorable experience for the laptop.