The publisher is shifting its strategy moving forward

Electronic Arts is shuttering development on two of its mobile projects. Apex Legends Mobile is shutting down, and development on Battlefield Mobile is coming to a halt.

In an update posted today, the publisher characterized this as a "strategic decision." In regards to Apex Legends Mobile, EA says that despite the strong start, the "ongoing experience was not going to meet the expectations" of players, and a mutual decision was made to sunset the mobile game. Apex Mobile was in development with Tencent subsidiary Lightspeed Studios.

Meanwhile, Battlefield Mobile was still in development. The decision was made to pivot from the current direction towards one that will "best deliver" on EA's vision for the Battlefield franchise.

"We remain highly committed to unlocking Battlefield's enormous potential," reads today's statement. "We're hard at work at evolving Battlefield 2042, are are in pre-production on our future Battlefield experiences at our studios across the globe."

As part of Battlefield Mobile ending? development, Industrial Toys—the studio working on it—is also closing down.

Legends carry on

Respawn and EA have outlined an FAQ on how the sunsetting of Apex Legends Mobile will go down. Starting today, there will be a 90-day window before Apex Mobile shuts down. As of January 31, or today, all real money in-app purchases are being disabled, and Apex will leave mobile webstores.

During this time, players can spend any lingering Syndicate Gold and continue playing the game. Then on May 1, 2023, all operations will cease and the game will no longer be playable. No refunds will be offered for real money purchases. EA also notes this does not affect Apex Legends proper, which is independent of the mobile offerin?g.

On today's financial call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson did leave the door open for future attempts. "We have learned a great deal [from Apex Legends Mobile] and have plans to reimagine a connected Apex Mobile experience in the future," said Wilson (via IGN). ??For now, though, it seems like EA's mobil?e FPS ambitions are put on pause.

The post EA is ceasing development on Apex ??Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile appeared first on Destructoid.

Very lucrative start for the pocket-sized shooter

There was a time when the idea of faithfully adapting a first-person shooter for mobile phones was the stuff of a madman's dream, and yet, with each passing generation, developers become more and more adept at taking the visually-demanding, resource-heavy genre and plonking it down onto tiny, four-inch screens. Case in point, Electronic Arts' Apex Legends Mobile, which launched on iO?S and Android just last week.

It would be easy to assume that the large, open-plan maps and pinpoint accuracy required for the sci-fi shooter would put it well out of mobile jurisdiction. But developer Respawn Entertainment has done just that, capturing the essence of the console editions and translating it to the old dog 'n' bone. It seems that the playerbase would agree, as Apex Legends Mobile has pulled in a staggering $4.8 million USD in revenue since its May 17 launch, (as reported by the maths wizards at Sensor Tower.)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=frPP4N5AkPY

It seems that the U.S. saw both the most downloads and the most revenue spent on the free-to-play title, handing over a huge $2.1 million, or roughly 44% of the total revenue to date. Asian territories followed suit, with Japan and Thailand both among the highest-performing countries for both downloads and revenue. In addition, Apex Legends Mobile was, naturally, the most downloaded iPhone game on ??the day of its release??.

It's a lucrative start for the mobile battle royale title, and one that EA will undoubtedly look to continue into the game's formative months. While these early figures are still even a smidgen of the incredible $14.8 million pulled in during the launch week of Call of Duty: Mobile, i??t's still a hefty enough number to ensure that Respawn directs a ??degree of focus toward the sharpshooting side-title.

Apex Legends Mobile is available now on iOS and Android. You can check out CJ Andriessen's thoughts on the game right here.

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Apex Legends Mobile impressions

I’m old enough and self-aware enough to know that I probably shouldn’t play competitive online shooters anymore. And it’s not because they can be insidious with their FOMO skins and seasons. I shouldn’t play them anymore because I have an addictive personality when it comes to the genre. If any of these types of games find their way onto my consoles �be it Fortnite or Overwatch or Splatoon �I risk losing myself and my free time to feed the insatiable obsession that arises after just one match. I will seriously spend an entire weekend planted in front of my television playing these ga??mes like I’m a zombie who feeds on headshots if left to my own devices.

The onl??y place I should experience these types of games is on mobile. Because while mobile shooters can be excellent in their design and execution, I generally don’t have it in me to devote more than an hour at a time to any one of them. My phone gets hot, my hands get cramped, and I really start to long for the 4K clarity of my big screen after staring at my phone for an inordinate amount of time. If anything, mobile shooters have been something of a nicotine patch for my competitive shooter addiction, something to feed the need without pu??lling me back into a wholly unhealthy habit.

Unfortunately, Apex Legends Mobile is not a nicotine patch. N?or is it nicotine gum, a lozenge, or that spray that I occasionally see at drug stores. Nope, this is the good shit my body craves, and if I? don’t delete it off my phone soon, I’m going to fall right back into my pack-a-day habit.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=frPP4N5AkPY

Apex Legends Mobile is the work of Respawn and Lightspeed Studios, a Chinese outfit under the Tencent umbrella that struck gold when it developed PUBG Mobile, the most played mobile game ever. The craftsmanship Lightspeed brought to that shooter is in abundance here as the core of the Apex Legends formula has been carefully recreated for mobile devices. It's important to know this isn't the full experience of what's available right now on console and PC. Players have access to only a handful of the original legends �Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Lifeline, Pathfinder, Wraith, Bangalore, Mirage, Octane, Caustic �as well as the newcomer Fade, who is exclusive to the mobile version and also looks like he flunked out of the Cyber Lin Kuei.

As this is a free-to-play game, you’re going to have to do some unlocking before you get access to all the characters. The more you level up your player profile, the more legends you’ll add to your roster. There are several you can unlock more quickly by completing menial tasks, like linking your profile and the sort. Because Apex Legends Mobile is a separate game from what’s found on console and PC, don’t expect to see any of your unlocks here. Everyone is starting from the ground floor. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, well, Newcastle was just added to the flagship version of the game and he looks like a badass RoboCop. If you are willing to start at the botto??m, there is a damn great game waiting for you.

Familiar fun found on your phone

Respawn and Lightspeed have done Apex Legends justice with this mobile conversion, bringing along most of the elements we associate with the title to very small screens, including arena mode and two flavors of team deathmatch: base respawn and random respawn. ??The main draw, however, is still the battle royale where you’re hopping out in teams of three to the World’s Edge map (Kings Canyon will be added at a later date) to gun down enemies and search supply boxes that'll turn your legend into a killing machine. The heavily lauded “ping system" is present, though, with touchscreen controls, it’s not quite as accurate as it is in the flagship version.

Thankfully, the developers have designed the touchscreen controls with a slew of customization options. You can change icon size and position, alter how the camera operates, and individualize the firing style for different weapon types. There are so many options to play with that I’ve actually modified my hud every day I’ve played the game, slowly tweaking it as I sear?ch for that optimal layout??. The game also has native controller support with its own dedicated set of options.

I imagine a lot of people are wondering how this runs on mobile given the state of Apex Legends when it launched on Switch. I can’t speak for that version because, again, I have no self-control when it comes to these types of games, but Apex Legends Mobile runs exceptionally well on my Google Pixel 6. With the normal graphics setting, you will ??have to contend with some low-resolution assets and rendering objects in the distance. Beyond that, it still looks pretty good. If you have a powerful enough device, there are UltraHD and ExtremeHD graphics options that clean everything up, but don’t be surprised if your phone heats up to Las Vegas temperatures with those settings. At the other end of the spectrum is the Smooth graphics option. This makes the game look like it's running on a Dell as old as the first Obama administration, but it's still perfectly playable. Enemy combatants are highlighted in bright neon orange, so even when they are at a great distance, you’ll still be able to see and shoot at them.

And really, that shooting feels so damn good in this game. Shots fired out of nearly every gun pack a punch, and those that manage to hit your opponents are damn satisfying. A few of the gun types, like shotguns and sniper rifles, required some adjustments in the control options before they became viable in play. There are some guns I still don’t like �I'm looking at you, Mozambique �but I’ve found my go-to firearms for the console version of Apex Legends are still my go-to firearms here.

Let's talk money

In terms of monetization, it’s your standard mobile shooter marketplace. There is a monthly paid Premium Pass that costs 799 pieces of Syndicate Gold, which will set you back about $8. If you drop 1599 gold pieces, you can get even more rewards with Premium Pass Plus. Some skins can be purchased directly with Syndicate Gold while others are subject to Apex Pack gacha pulls. Right now, there is a Midnight Red skin for Wraith that costs 390 gold pieces, which would require a $5 purchase of the currency. As for the Apex Packs, a 10-pull costs 1400 gold pieces, so expect to pay about $15 for it. You can earn common Apex Packs with the free battle pass as well as seasonal currency that can be used to buy limited-time items. Finally, Flux you find on the battlefield can be used to craft news skins and other unlockables. When Apex Legends first launched, one of the most disappointing aspects of it was its collection of weak character skins. I’ll admit, this first season in Mobile is not that?? impressive, but if history is any indication, the skins will get better over time.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a free-to-play mobile shooter if there wasn't some bullshit to contend with. And, like many of its competitors, the biggest source of frustration with Apex Legends Mobile lies with its menus and use of bots. Mobile has one of the most frustratingly obtuse menu systems in recent memory, and with so many events happening right now, I’m wasting a lot of time clicking on tiny icons just trying to unlock whatever th??e hell the little red dots are indicating I’ve unlocked. I have to imagine, with so many mobile games employing this perplexing style o??f menu design, that this is intentional; that some asshole in Silicon Valley once gave a speech encouraging everyone to make their menus as confusing as possible to increase player engagement. I won’t say it doesn’t work, but I am sick of it.

The second issue, bots in a competitive multiplayer mobile shooter, is pretty ubiquitous in the genre. Even a few years after its launch and overwhelming success, I still see complaints about bots in Call of Duty: Mobile. With Apex Legends Mobile, it’s pretty obvious my first several matches in any of its modes were against bots. And, while I’m sure there are those out there who are bowled over when they keep landing dubs in every match they play, I got bored with all that winning. It wasn??’t until I started seeing real players out there in World’s Edge with their ridiculous accuracy and slightly racist usernames?? that I started to have fun with it. And once that fun started, it didn't stop.

Of all the battle royales on the market, there is none I took a liking to more than Apex Legends. Every design decision Respawn made with its flagship shooter spoke to the type of gamer I ??am. That’s why I had to dele??te it off my PS4. I just couldn’t live with myself if I spent another three-day holiday weekend sitting in front of my television reminding teammates that this is a team shooter and they should probably stop breaking away from the group the first chance they get.

I imagine that is why I’ve taken so strongly to its mobile counterpart, more so than any other mobile shooter I’ve played in the past year. This is, dare I say, the best smartphone shooter since TiMi Studio Group knocked it out of the park with Call of Duty: Mobile. It's so good that, despite the responsible part of my brain telling me to delete it right now and move on, I think I'll keep Apex Legends Mobile around for a bit. Is that a smart decision? Absolutely not?. But hey, what's the harm in indulging your addictions every once in a while?

The post Just when I thought I was out, Apex Lege??nds Mobile pulls me back in appeared first on Destructoid.

Three years of hi-tech heroism

Electronic Arts has delivered a double dose of news pertaining to Respawn Entertainment's multiplayer shooter Apex Legends.

First and foremost, the publisher has announced an official launch date for the mobile port of the free-to-play battle royale title. Legend-heads will be able to experience all the explosive, sci-fi action in pocket-sized fashion from May 17, when Apex Legends Mobile blasts off on iOS and Android devices. Pre-registration is now live via the Apple/Android stor??es, and players who pre-register will bag?? themselves bonus in-game items come launch day.

Apex Legends Mobile hopes to replicate the compelling and chaotic action of its bigger brother for the small screen. EA states that the mobile edition will remain free-to-play and will not feature any pay-to-win mechanics. The mobile port will launch with 10 playable Legends and two maps: World's Edge and King's Canyon. In time, Apex Legends Mobile will feature its own unique unlockables, cosmetic items, game modes, and Battle Pass?? content.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLVvK46MLRM

Apex Legends Mobile is launching at a time of great success for the franchise. Speaking in a financial earnings report earlier this week, EA noted that the PC and console editions of Apex Legends had raked in an eye-watering $2 billion USD in revenue since the title first dropped in February 2019. The CFO of Electronic Arts, Chris Suh, notes that net bookings for the game were up 40% on the previous fiscal year, calling Season 12 of Apex Legends the most successful season to date.

The huge success of Apex Legends no doubt brings with a measure of vindication within EA's walls. Back when Apex Legends was first released, naysayers mocked the title as a likely attempt to cash in on the Fortnite craze, predicting that the lore-heavy shooter would die a quick death among what was then an ocean of battle royale titles. Thanks to its great action gameplay, sci-fi storytelling, and interesting roster of characters, Apex Legends carved a niche out for itself, only growing i??n popularity with each successive year, clearly reflected in the staggering ?figures mentioned above.

Apex Legends is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms. Apex Legends Mobile will launch May 17 on iOS and Android devices.

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Last Phone Standing

Following a series of successful testing periods, Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment have announced that the mobile edition of sci-fi shooter Apex Legends will r?eceive its official?? launch this summer, bringing the hi-tech battle royale action to iOS and Android platforms.

Announced in the spring of 2021, Apex Legends Mobile hopes to squeeze all of the pulse-pounding action of the game's console brethren into a variety of pocket boxes. The mobile port will feature a slew of overhauled mechanics, which will tweak the title's visuals, U.I., and controls so they better serve an audience squinting/shooting on a tiny screen while perched on an airpl??ane, bus, or toilet.

While the mobile ports will, understandably, not be joining the console and PC cross-play party, iOS and Android players can expect a range of unique, platform-exclusive features, maps, cosmetic items, and limited-time events. If all of this gets your trigger finger itchin', then be sure to sign up for pre-registration over on the official website (iOS registration will follow momentarily). Players who pre-register for Apex Legends Mobile will bag thems?elves bonus items ahead of the game's official launch.

Apex Legends is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms, where it is currently in the midst of its 12th in-game season, Defiance.

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The Apex Games will hit phones in a limited release

Apex Legends is headed to mobile soon, but only for a few regions right now. Respawn announced today that Apex Legends Mobile will go into limited release?? in 10 countries next week.

The limited launch will run through the spring, as Respawn works on systems and features prior to the official launch. The 10 countries are Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru,? Argentina, and Colo?mbia. Both Android and iOS users can opt-in, too.

Apex Legends Mobile will be limited in?? this run, in terms of what can be played. The Legends available are a lot of the early run characters: Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Lifeline, Wraith, Bangalore, Octane, Mirage, Pathfinder, and Cau?stic.

The mobile version of Apex Legends is also built for that format, so the FAQ says there won't be cross-play with the PC or console versions of the battle royale. Pr??e-registration is currently open for the participating regions.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZPbJ6VKs2E

Beta tests were held last year, and it seems like they went alright, considering Respawn's going ahead. The mobile Apex Legends utilizes touchscreen controls and does have some system requirements for phones, but it's also a way to play Apex on the go, which seems pretty neat.

Apex Legends has been rolling along pretty well overall. It hit a significant player milestone last year and is currently in its 12th season. It seems like a mobile version could only help boost those numbers up. We'll see how the more portable version is turning out as in??vites roll out to those opted-in.

The post Apex Legend?s Mobile is rolling out in 10 countries n??ext week appeared first on Destructoid.

But only in India and the Philippines

It has been a hot minute since we last talked about EA bringing its wildly successful battle royale Apex Legends to mobile. The console and PC versions of the shooter recently surpassed 100 million players worldwide, but if the success of PUBG Mobile is any indication, its greatest successes may still be yet to come. After keeping quiet on the game for the better part of two years, Chad Grenier, game director on Apex Legends, has pulled back the curtain on the mobile, free-??to-play shooter.

Designed in-house at Respawn, Apex Legends Mobile takes its battle royale formula and reworks it for the touchscreen controls at the forefront of the mobile experience. As such, there will be no cross-play with the console and PC versions, and Apex Legends Mobile will have its ow??n uniq??ue battle passes, cosmetics, and unlockables. 

Closed beta tests on Android platforms will begin soon. However, Respawn is initially limiting these to a few thousand players in ??India and the Philippines. I can't wait to see these tests come to ou??r shores, and I'm quite interested in seeing if my phone will be able to run this game or if it'll be time for me to upgrade to the newest Pixel.

Apex Legends Mobile Regional Betas [EA]

The post Apex Legends Mobile will begin beta tests later this m??onth appeared first on Destructoid.