EA Shuts Down Apex Legends Mobile, Ceases the Development of Battlefield Mobile

Electronic Arts has announced that it is shutting down Apex Legends Mobile and ceasing the development of Battlefield Mobile.

Yesterday, EA published a message from Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment where the studio revealed that the Apex Legends Mobile will shut down in all regions on May 1. In addition, all real money in-app purchases have already been disabled and the game was removed from the mobile storefronts.

Apex Legends Mobile launched eight months ago and was named the Game of the Year on both the App Store and Google Play in 2022. According to Data.ai, the mobile version of the popular battle royale shooter was downloaded 47 million times and generated $55 million in revenue.

Respawn explained that although the game had a promising start, the output for content "fell short" of the studio's bar for quality and quantity. As a result, Respawn, EA, and their "mobile development partner" have come to the decision to discontinue Apex Legends. The studio also noted that it will not be providing refunds for real money purchases, citing the terms of the EA User Agreement.

"Although disappointing, we are proud of the game we launched, are grateful for the support of the Apex Legends community, and are confident that this is the right decision for players," Respawn wrote.

As for the future of Apex Legends on consoles and PCs, Respawn has assured players that the decision to discontinue support for the mobile version is specific to that platform only and does not affect the console and PC versions.

"As a franchise, Apex Legends is strong and we’re looking forward to sharing exciting updates in the future," said the studio.

In addition to Apex Legends Mobile closure, EA has also announced that it would stop the development of Battlefield Mobile, which was in soft launch. The publisher stated that "the industry has evolved" which influenced its strategy regarding the Battlefield franchise. Now, EA plans to "pivot" from its current direction to "best deliver on [its] vision for the franchise and to meet the expectations of [its] players."

As reported by VentureBeat, the decision to cease the development of Battlefield Mobile resulted in the closure of EA's mobile game studio Industrial Toys which was responsible for the title.

Industrial Toys was established by Alex Seropian, a co-founder of Bungie, in 2012, and developed several mobile-oriented shooters, including Midnight Star, before being acquired by EA. The fact that the developer was working on Battlefield Mobile was revealed in 2022. EA has not disclosed the number of workers who will be impacted by the closure of the studio.

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