Electronic Arts cancels Battlefield Mobile and shuts down Apex Legends Mobile

EA’s announcement is part of what it calls “a strategic decision” that involves ending development on a game that was scheduled to launch this year (Battlefield Mobile) and canceling another that got off to a good start in 2022 (Apex Legends Mobile). .

Apex Legends Mobile is a spin-off of the popular battle royale game of the same name (Apex Legends) that brought one of the most successful games of recent years to mobile phones. This came out in 2022 for smartphones and its debut was very good. Now EA says that it will shut down its servers on May 1, 2023.

AE has already shared a FAQ page to answer any questions players may have. As expected, EA states that it will not refund purchases made in the game. All the money that has gone to said title will stay there.

In the cancellation statement, EA states that its “love for the Apex universe and its players remains unwavering“, adding that they are looking forward to exploring the game’s universe and characters. What is clear is that it will not be on mobile phones, but on consoles and computers.

One has lasted a year, the other won’t even come out

As for Battlefield Mobile, EA’s statement says that “As the industry has evolved and our strategy to create a connected Battlefield ecosystem has taken shape, we have decided to pivot from the current direction to better fulfill our vision for the franchise and meet the expectations of our players.“.

All this twist means that Battlefield Mobile will never see the light of day. EA claims that it’s already working on future Battlefield experiences, but it’s clear that they won’t be playable on the phone any time soon.

The launch of Battlefield 2042 it was so bad that DICE asked Electronic Arts for control of the franchise (she had decided to direct this latest release). Since then, the Swedish study has not stopped working to improve the game, with patches and monthly updates.

Players who consume these titles have made it clear, during the last year, that they don’t want mobile versions of games, but well-built works for consoles and PC. Hence, EA has reconsidered an entire strategy that seemed to be more of a fad than a decision based on what its customers wanted.

Fortnite, the success that changed everything

If we review the industry and the changes we have seen in recent years, it is clear that the success of fortnitefrom its game for PC and consoles as its mobile version, forced companies to try to imitate the Battle Royale / Free to Play model and take it all to smartphone versions.

But the reality is that not all players want the same thing and that the success of Fortnite can only be understood in itself, it cannot be extrapolated to the rest of the titles. Only Activision has been able to keep up with its Call of Duty: WarZone (and all its variants).

Electronic Arts has on its hands two really powerful franchises and it would be a mistake not to listen to your customers, many of them industry veterans, that all they want is to spend their money on well-made, fun games with a multitude of maps and weapons. Paying for good games still makes money.