Following a brief lifespan that showed serious promise, Respawn Entertainment has made the stunning announcement that they will be sunsetting Apex Legends Mobile this year.
Taking to Twitter, they dropped the bombshell that the game will no longer be playable after May 1, 2023 at 4pm PDT.
We have made the decision to sunset Apex Legends Mobile. We’re sure you have a lot of questions. For more information on where things are at currently, including an FAQ, please read the blog below.
https://t.co/Yjr4EOJnTq — Respawn (@Respawn) January 31, 2023
A full statement on EA’s website elaborates on the decision, providing the following explanation:
At Respawn, we aim to provide players with games that are consistently outstanding. Following a strong start, the content pipeline for Apex Legends Mobile has begun to fall short of that bar for quality, quantity, and cadence. It is for this reason, after months of working with our development partner, that we have made the mutual decision to sunset our mobile game. Although disappointing, we are proud of the game we launched, are grateful for the support of the Apex Legends community, and are confident that this is the right decision for players.
Respawn and the Apex Legends team remain excited about mobile as a platform and look forward to new opportunities to serve players there in the future.
In terms of what players can expect from here, today marks the beginning of a ninety (90) day window before we sunset the game. As of 1 PM PST today, January 31st, we will be disabling all real money in app purchases in the game as well as removing the game from webstores. During this period, players can spend their existing Syndicate Gold and continue playing the full game. At 4 PM PDT on May 1st, 2023, we will cease operations in all regions, and the game will no longer be playable.
We understand there will be many questions surrounding this decision and want to assure our players that we are here to help. Below you will find a list of questions and answers that will help clarify next steps. For questions that are not answered below or additional support, please click here.
Our love for the Apex universe and our players remains unchanged. We look forward to exploring this universe, its characters, and its stories along with you. In the meantime, we appreciate your continued support and patience as we navigate these next steps.Respawn Entertainment
The move has been met with a great deal of confusion from the community, as the mobile version of the battle royale shooter exceeded expectations, from a technical and gameplay standpoint. With an initial release date of May 17, 2022, the termination will come less than one year after launch.