Benzinga - EA (NASDAQ: EA) revealed that both “Apex Legends Mobile” and “Battlefield Mobile” will shut down and no longer be playable.
“Apex Legends Mobile” will cease working on May 1, 2023, at 4 PM PST. No specified date has been named for the end of “Battlefield Mobile.”
Moreover, Industrial Toys — the studio behind "Battlefield Mobile" — will be shut down as well, as per IGN.
Redwood City, California-based EA explained: “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.”
"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 on our vision for the franchise and to meet the expectations of our players,” the video game company behind titles such as “FIFA,” and “The Sims” continued.
Furthermore, EA CEO Andrew Wilson explained the main reasons for the shutdown of “Apex Legends” during the company’s Q3 earnings call.
According to Wilson, the key factors that led to this drastic decision were: issues with gameplay (it didn’t translate well to mobile devices), low retention of casual players, and a challenging mobile market with changing player personalities.
However, despite these challenges, EA expressed interest in returning to “Apex Mobile” with a different approach, focusing on connecting the mobile game to the larger franchise and creating a unified game experience.
It's worth noting that "Apex Legends Mobile" has already been removed from app stores and real money purchases are no longer available. Nevertheless, players can still use their Syndicate Gold until the game's shutdown on May 1st (after that date, no refunds will be provided).
Price Action:
Electronic Arts Inc. is currently trading at $114.18, up 1.77% over the past 24 hours.
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