After all this time? Always.
Scrolling through Instagram reels, I stumbled upon a clip of a game I used to play a lot—Apex Legends Mobile. It brought back a rush of flashbacks. Personally, it was one of my favorite mobile games—easily among the top three. I know, I know—it’s been over a year since Apex Legends Mobile was sunsetted. But I still find myself pondering why EA Sports decided to pull the plug on such a promising game with immense potential. From an avid mobile gamer’s perspective, the game was a breath of fresh air in the saturated mobile gaming market. Let’s explore the story of Apex Legends Mobile, what went wrong, and what EA Sports and Respawn Entertainment could have done better with the game. So, shall we begin?
The Rise of Apex Legends Mobile
It’s early 2022. The mobile gaming industry is dominated by two battle royale titles – PUBG Mobile and Free Fire. These games aren’t just popular; they have thriving esports ecosystems with millions of active viewers who tune in to watch their favorite teams battle. However, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. In this particular time period (2020-2022), both games began facing bans or threats of bans in multiple countries. In some countries, the concern is about data privacy and national security, while in others, the focus was on the growing issues of addiction and violence among youth. The future of these beloved games was dicey.
Development and Launch of Apex Legends Mobile
Since 2019, a unique Battle Royale game named Apex Legends has been thriving in the PC Gaming community. This unique battle royale game featured diverse characters, each with their own abilities, setting it apart from the competition. Apex Legends lured its audience from its competitors, especially PUBG: Battlegrounds, with its faster-paced action, free-to-play models, stable gameplay, and more frequent updates. Sensing an opportunity, the developers set their sights on the mobile platform, aiming to replicate their success with a mobile variant of the game.
In mid-2020, rumors started to swirl in and a few reports surfaced that Respawn Entertainment is starting to work on Apex Legends Mobile. Speculation arose from a post on the Respawn website, which indicated their search for a Build & Release Manager with expertise in mobile game development and a passion for the build process.
Apex Legends Mobile: A Potential Ideal Competitor in the Mobile Gaming Industry
Apex Legends Mobile was perhaps the ideal competitor in the burgeoning mobile gaming industry, which was dominated by PUBG Mobile and Free Fire. Between 2020 to 2022, PUBG Mobile and Free Fire faced threats of bans, and some players were getting bored with the monotonicity of the games, craving something new. This new contender looked promising, all set to offer a fresh experience and fulfill the demands of players. Apex Legends Mobile aimed to overturn the market. The hype for the game was at an all-time high, as players eagerly awaited this game that promised to bring something different.
Apex Legends Mobile’s Initial Reception and Revenue
On 28th February 2022, EA Sports officially announced the limited regional launch of Apex Legends Mobile. The limited regional launch of the game started on 7th March in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Colombia. Following a successful testing for over two months, the game was finally launched for the global audience on 17th May 2022. Notably, during the pre-launch period, the game secured 7.5 million pre-registrations.
As expected, given the widespread success of the PC variant of the game, Apex Legends Mobile proved to be a massive hit. Within the first month itself, the game generated a whopping revenue of $13 million. For a few months following the game’s launch, the game did pretty well, with growing numbers in revenue and player base.
The Fall of Apex Legends Mobile
However, a few months later, the tide turned. Apex Legends Mobile began to see a decline in numbers, rapidly losing its player base. The reason? The game failed to deliver on the promise to replicate everything that made its PC counterpart successful.
Challenges and Decline Faces by Apex Legends Mobile
Players criticized the mobile version for its lower-quality graphics and less competitive environment, aspects the developers didn’t prioritize sufficiently. Many felt the game lacked content and offered easier gameplay compared to its PC and console counterparts. Ultimately, one of the primary reasons for this decline was perceived neglect from the developers.
At first, players overlooked the bugs, like the infamous B-Hop, and instability of the game as they were aware that the game was in its early stage. However, as time went by, these issues worsened as more and more people started exploiting the bugs, which eventually became norms and severely ruined gameplay. Despite months passing by, the developers failed to address these critical issues. Eventually, frustrated players abandoned Apex Legends Mobile and returned to games like PUBG Mobile and Free Fire due to the near-unplayable condition of the game.
Financial Impact and Shutdown of Apex Legends Mobile
The decline of Apex Legends by the end of 2022 was evident in EA Sports’ 2022 Q4 financial report, which highlighted challenges in EA’s mobile gaming sector. Despite overall record net bookings and revenue growth, EA’s mobile segment saw only a 1% increase year-on-year, a massive contrast to its competitors like Activision-Blizzard and Take-Two, where mobile gaming had become a dominant revenue stream. This downturn followed EA’s earlier strong performance in 2022, marked by a significant 48% increase in mobile revenue.
As the numbers continued to dwindle, Respawn Entertainment announced the sunset of Apex Legends Mobile on 1st February 2023. The company cited failure to meet their standards for “high-quality experience and content that our players deserve” as the reason behind this decision.
Surprisingly, months before its shutdown, Apex Legends won Apple’s iPhone Game Of The Year at the 2022 App Store Awards, and two more awards at the prestigious Google Play’s Best Of 2022 Awards – Best Game and Users’ Choice.
What EA and Respawn Could Have Done Differently with Apex Legends Mobile?
But the question arises – what could Respawn Entertainment have done differently to prevent the eventual shutdown of Apex Legends Mobile? And what should new developers entering the mobile gaming industry keep in mind? Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20, so we are not here to flame the devs.
Firstly, addressing the bugs and stability issues that plagued the game early on should have been a top priority. Implementing regular updates to solve these issues would have improved the overall gameplay experience and retained player trust in the game’s dev team.
Secondly, introducing more in-game content such as new maps, skins, and gameplay modes, alongside engaging events, could have kept players hooked. Regular updates of this nature not only refresh gameplay but also demonstrate that the dev team is actively working on improving the experience of the players.
Thirdly, fostering better communication and engagement with the player community could have mitigated growing frustration among players. Actively listening to player feedback through social media channels would have allowed the developers to address concerns more effectively and build a stronger relationship with their audience.
Apex Legends Mobile was surely a case of wasted potential. However, the opportunity for a comeback still exists if executed properly. The mobile gaming industry might be ripe for a new game, but players are often hesitant to switch after investing so much time into their current favorites.
