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Apex Legends distributer EA and developer Respawn have announced that the mobile version of the title would shut down soon, in less than a year's time after its official launch. The company has claimed that the action title has ‘begun to fall short of that bar for quality, quantity and cadence.’
According to reports, the decision comes as many tech companies are sunsetting divisions to mitigate losses and cut expenses. The developers are also disabling all real money in-app purchases in the game as well as removing the game from webstore. However, the console version of the Apex Legends for PC will still be available to download from platforms such as steam. In a blog post, EA said that players can use their existing virtual money in the game to purchase in-app gear, but it will not provide a refund.
As per the company, it will cease all operations from mobile platforms in all regions, and the Apex Legends Mobile ‘will no longer be playable.’ The blog post further informed that the players would get a refund for their remaining virtual money or Syndicate Gold, and for others refund requests, players will need to contract the third-party platform, such as Google playstore and Apple app store.
Meanwhile, Respawn noted that the developers remain excited about the mobile platform and ‘look forward to a new opportunity to serve players,’ though it has not shared any plans for the future.
With the exit of Apex Legends Mobile, the Indian market will remain with fewer options for battle royale-style games. According to experts, the game made a total of $40 million in its lifetime, which does not even cover running costs as crates costed upwards of $600 to unlock the main rewards, discouraging any purchase and a sharp dip in the player base as the content was spars and the players were not invested in the game.
The other major aspect which has impacted Apex Legends Mobile’s existence is the lack of competitive scene, which has reportedly turned off a lot of players. The lack of communication from the developers never got addressed. Changes and updates rarely got communicated to CCs and player base.