EA explains why it is discontinuing Apex Legends Mobile

EA has explained why it discontinued Apex Legends Mobile released last year. According to the company, the game was not good enough and did not sufficiently hold casual gamers in particular. The market was also not cooperating.

Director Andrew Wilson says that the discontinuation of Apex Legends Mobile is necessary for three reasons. First, the game on mobile wasn’t good enough. “There’s a level of immersion and complexity that comes with Apex’s gameplay, and that’s what the game is all about. That didn’t translate to smartphones as well as we’d hoped.”

The second reason is in the retention of mainly casual gamers. “It didn’t happen as much as we need it to. It’s a game that relies on playing in a team and playing competitively. A good group of players is very important when you think about the future experience of new players.”

The third reason is the mobile market itself, says Wilson. “The game came out in a softer mobile market.” EA says it continues to believe in Apex as a franchise that can also appeal to mobile gamers. “But the biggest new successes don’t necessarily have crossplay, but at least synchronization of progression.” Apex Legends Mobile does not have those two elements.

EA also had a mobile version of a Battlefield game in development since mid-2021, but after the failure of Apex Legends Mobile, that too will be put on hold. Whether or when mobile versions of Apex Legends and Battlefield will be released, EA does not say. The company does say that mobile versions of those games offer “great opportunities” for the company. EA announced on Wednesday that it would be discontinuing the game, but then said only that the content pipeline did not offer enough quality and quantity, without explaining what that means.

Update, 8:01: This article initially focused on the discontinuation of Apex Legends Mobile, but that news had been online before, so the article has been changed to why EA is discontinuing the game.