Apex Legends Mobile To Close In May 2023 As Battlefield Mobile Faces Cancellation

The mobile gaming forefront over at Electronic Arts has slowly become a strong effort for the publisher. Whilst the firm has become a conglomerate for content on console & PC, it is in ownership of PopCap Games most notable for the Plants Vs. Zombies and Peggle series. But expanding its own unique properties to smartphones is an ambition is it has been eager to pursue.

Last year, Respawn Entertainment in collaboration with Tencent Games delivered Apex Legends Mobile to Android & iOS. The new port went the extra mile early on offering exclusive feature absent on the base version including unique Legends as well. Additionally, DICE is also conjuring up a mobile game for Battlefield as well with the game listing already live on Google Play Store.

According to Electronic Arts, the firm is to shutter both operations as of this week. The aforementioned Battlefield Mobile is to cease development and Apex Legends Mobile is to halt by May 2023 later this spring.

Despite Apex Mobile’s strong start, the ongoing experience was not going to meet the expectations of our players. After months of working with our development partner, we have made the mutual decision to sunset the mobile game. Our love for the Apex universe and our players remains unchanged. We look forward to exploring this universe, its characters, and its stories along with you.

We’ve also made the decision to stop the development of the current Battlefield mobile title. As the industry has evolved and our strategy to create a deeply connected Battlefield ecosystem has taken shape, we decided to pivot from the current direction to best deliver on our vision for the franchise and to meet the expectations of our players. We remain highly committed to unlocking Battlefield’s enormous potential. We’re hard at work at evolving Battlefield 2042, and are in pre-production on our future Battlefield experiences at our studios across the globe.

“At Respawn, we aim to provide players with games that are consistently outstanding. Following a strong start, the content pipeline for Apex Legends Mobile has begun to fall short of that bar for quality, quantity, and cadence. It is for this reason, after months of working with our development partner, that we have made the mutual decision to sunset our mobile game,” Respawn writes in a blog post.

“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 and the Apex Legends team remain excited about mobile as a platform and look forward to new opportunities to serve players there in the future.” The game is to officially close by May 1st as in-game purchases were disabled as of the announcement.

In terms of what is to come next from Battlefield, Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto is now overseeing Ridgeline Games for the next Battlefield experience. The game is said to be a new narrative-driven experience and with Lehto attached will bring some exciting set pieces. Alongside Respawn founder Vince Zampella overseeing DICE as well will be a surefire mix of talent needed for the franchise. You can read the full report by heading here.

What game are you more upset about being shelved?

Source: Electronic Arts, Respawn Entertainment