‘Apex Legends Mobile’ is shutting down

1 February, 2023

Still from trailer for 'Apex Legends Mobile'

The developer behind Apex Legends Mobile has announced that the game is folding.

Respawn, which is owned by EA, wrote online yesterday (January 31) that the mobile version of the free-to-play hero shooter that launched last May will no longer exist after May 1, 2023.

Explaining the decision, Respawn cited “factors beyond our control” that “have prevented us from maintaining the high-quality experience and content that players deserve”.

The game will be shuttered 90 days from yesterday’s announcement (4pm PST / 7pm EDT on May 1; midnight BST on May 2 in the UK).

All real money in-app purchases in the game have been disabled and the game has been removed from webstores. During the 90-day closing period, players can spend their existing Syndicate Gold and continue playing the full game.

Further explanation about the decision was shared in an EA blog post: “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. 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.”

Noticeably, the post mentioned the Apex universe’s mobile future: “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 blog post concluded: “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. In the meantime, we appreciate your continued support and patience as we navigate these next steps.”

According to HITC, developers have confirmed that EA will not provide any refunds for real money purchases made during the game’s lifetime. EA has also confirmed the cancellation of Battlefield Mobile.

Meanwhile, Apex Legends 16th season is slated for a February 14 release.

In other gaming news, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been delayed by six weeks in order to hit developer Respawn’s “quality bar”.

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