Electronic Arts' subsidiary, Respawn Entertainment, has announced that it has decided to discontinue its mobile battle royale game, Apex Legends Mobile. The unforeseen move comes just eight months after the game's much-anticipated launch in May 2022, sending shock waves throughout the mobile gaming community.
Andrew Wilson, the CEO of Electronic Arts, broke the news about the developer pulling the plug on the highly acclaimed Apex Legends Mobile during the Q3 FY2023 earnings call. However, this was not the only bad news as the American video game company also shed light on their decision to stop the development of Battlefield Mobile.
The CEO was quoted as saying:
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"Despite this 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 this version of the game."
Electronic Arts pull the plug on Apex Legends Mobile: Reasons, server live date, and more details
An official post by American gaming studio Respawn Entertainment cited the fall of the bar for quality, quantity, and cadence after a strong start as the reason for shutting down Apex Legends Mobile.
The CEO also divulged that the company is taking strategic action to assess its cost structure as it navigates the current microenvironment.
As per the official post, beginning January 31, 2023, at 1:00 pm PST, Respawn Entertainment has deactivated all in-app real money purchases and will also remove the game from the webstore.
Apex Legends Mobile will cease its operation in all regions from May 1, 2023, at 4:00 pm PDT, which is just a few days shy of the game's first anniversary.
Additionally, the battle royale game will be fully accessible to players during the 90-day window, and they can spend their existing Syndicate Gold. Gamers can enjoy all their purchases until the servers remain operational later this year.
In the FAQ segment of the same announcement post, the developer disclosed that it would not be providing refunds for real money purchases as per the terms of the EA User Agreement. Players can contact third-party platforms like Google Play Store and Apple App Store for other refund requests from where they have purchased the content.
Respawn stops Battlefield Mobile development months after going live with the beta
During the earnings call, Wilson also said the following about stopping the development of Battlefield Mobile:
"It is through these learnings, combined with a clear franchise strategy, that we have also made the decision to stop the development of the current Battlefield mobile title."
This shocking announcement comes after the developer went live with betas in selected territories (Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) in November 2022.
In a separate news post, Electronic Arts also explained that it decided to pivot from its current direction to best deliver its vision for the franchise and meet the player's expectations.
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