Despite the fact that the market mobile games has had significant growth in recent years, that does not mean that all franchises will work well on these platforms. That seems to be what has happened to Electronic Arts that today announced the closure of Apex Mobile and the cancellation of the development of battle field for mobile devices.
With respect to Apex MobileRespawn Entertainment presented the following statement on their social networks:
We have made the decision to sunset Apex Legends Mobile.
We’re sure you have a lot of questions. For more information on where things are at currently, including a FAQ, please read the blog below.https://t.co/Yjr4EOJnTq pic.twitter.com/4k3dGzOL12
— Respawn (@Respawn) January 31, 2023
We have made the painful decision to cancel Apex Legends Mobile.
This decision is not easy. Factors beyond our control have prevented us from maintaining the high-quality content and experience our players deserve.
As a result, the game will be shut down on May 1, 2023 at 4pm PDT, after which it will no longer be playable.
Our endless thanks to our players and teams for joining us in Apex Legends Mobile, even for a short time.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
On the game’s blog, Respawn elaborates by noting that the team at Apex Legends remains enthusiastic about mobile as a platform and “they look forward to new opportunities in the future to serve the players”. The FAQ section also confirms that players who have in-game money must spend it before the app closes and that, unfortunately no refunds will be possible.
Respawn also clarifies that the decision to close Apex Legends Mobile it is specific to this platform and will not affect the game on PC and consoles which is still very strong.
Apex Legends Mobile was released in May of last year, so by the time it closes it will be barely a year old.
Battlefield Mobile development has also been canceled
Another mobile game whose wings have been clipped by Electronic Arts is Battlefield Mobilewhich already had several years of development by the Industrial Toys studio. This title was being tested for more than a year in various markets until its open beta was launched globally on November 8, 2022.
In an official statement in the Electronic Arts page there is talk of this cancellation, ensuring that the publisher’s commitment to the franchise led by HE SAYS It is still going strong and they are working on future experiences with all their studios around the world:
We have also made the decision to stop development of the Battlefield mobile title. As the industry has evolved and our strategy to create a deeply connected Battlefield ecosystem has taken shape, we decided to change our current direction to better meet our vision for the franchise and meet the expectations of our players. We remain very committed to unlocking the enormous potential of Battlefield. We are hard at work on the evolution of Battlefield 2042 and are in pre-production of our future Battlefield experiences in our studios around the world.
Electronic Arts in trouble?
This is not the only bad news that Electronic Arts offered this afternoon. We also learned that Respawn Entertainment will delay the release of the expected Star Wars: Jed Survivor, which will now arrive just over a month after its planned release.