Skip to content
General

Apex Legends is coming to mobile

By Wei Zhang
1 min read
apex legends
apex legends
In this article (4)

Respawn’s wildly successful battle royale shooter, Apex Legends, is likely getting a mobile version, EA revealed in its quarterly earnings report. Unsurprisingly, the game was a huge hit and turned into “the fastest-growing franchise we’ve ever had,” the report says.

During today’s call, the publisher said that it has entered “advanced negotiations to bring Apex Legends to China and to mobile.” This is a strategy that both PUBG and Fortnite—Apex Legends’ biggest competitors in the battle royale genre—followed to great results, so it’s no wonder that EA is looking to replicate their success and keep Apex’s momentum going.

Fortnite’s approach is unique, however, as it is essentially the exact same game across mobile devices, consoles, and PC, which allows for seamless cross-platform play, while PUBG’s mobile outing is a separate entity that’s limited to smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, it is yet unclear which approach EA is planning to take with the mobile version of Apex Legends, or when the game is going to release. Seeing as how the publisher has entered an advanced stage of negotiations to port the title to mobile devices, we might see something by the end of this year, though it depends entirely on how scalable the experience is going to be.

Respawn Entertainment, the game’s developer, further added that it is committed to “updating the game with seasonal updates, with a focus on the quality of content over novelty or speed of release.” This seems to be in an attempt to address complaints that the game is not getting enough new updates.

Questions & Answers

Q.

What led EA to explore a mobile version of Apex Legends?

A.

EA is looking to replicate the success of competitors PUBG and Fortnite, which both have mobile versions. This strategy aims to keep Apex Legends' momentum going after it became EA's fastest-growing franchise.

Q.

What is the publisher's approach to updating the game?

A.

The publisher is committed to updating the game with seasonal content, prioritising quality over novelty or speed of release. This aims to address player complaints about the frequency of new updates for Apex Legends.

Q.

When might we expect the mobile version of Apex Legends to be released?

A.

As negotiations are in an advanced stage, a release might be seen by the end of this year. However, this timeframe depends entirely on how scalable the gaming experience proves to be for mobile devices.

Reader pulse

Apex Legends mobile: will it succeed?

20,861 votes so far

Weekly Briefing

Asia's retail intelligence, in your inbox

Tuesday, Thursday and a Saturday Weekly Wrap: the retail stories, numbers and moves that mattered across Asia. Nothing else, and you can unsubscribe in one click.

  • Top industry moves and market shifts
  • Weekly data-driven analysis from across Asia
  • Tuesday, Thursday and the Saturday Weekly Wrap

Read by retail operators, investors and brand teams across Asia.

Protected by a quick human check. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe in one click.

SecureGDPR ready