Major Mobile Game Shutting Down, Refunds Not Being Given

By Allison Schonter

Gamers hoping to enter another epic strategic battle royale are unfortunately out of luck. Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts announced Tuesday that Apex Legends Mobile will shut down in all regions on Monday, May 1, just a few weeks before the game's mobile version's first anniversary. After this point, the game will no longer be playable, and gamers will not receive a refund for any real money purchases.

In a statement announced via the Respawn Entertainment Twitter account and a press release, the company said it aims "to provide players with games that are consistently outstanding," and while Apex Legends Mobile had "a strong start, the content pipeline for Apex Legends Mobile has begun to fall short of that bar for quality, quantity, and cadence." Respawn continued, "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," adding that while the decision is "disappointing," Respawn is "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."

According to the company, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 31, the game entered a 90-day window before it will be shuttered. As of Tuesday, Respawn also began disabling all real money in-app purchases in the game and removing the game from webstores. During this 90-day period, players will still be able to spend any existing Syndicate Gold and will also be able to play the game in full. At 4 p.m. on Monday, May 4, Respawn "will cease operations in all regions, and the game will no longer be playable." The post went on to explain that refunds will not be issued for real money purchases, "per the terms of the EA User Agreement."

The company also addressed the future of other titles under the Apex library, confirming that "this decision for Apex Legends Mobile is platform-specific, and is independent of the game on PC and Consoles. As a franchise, Apex Legends is strong and we're looking forward to sharing exciting updates in the future."

"Our love for the Apex universe and our players remains unchanged," Respawn said. "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."

The move, as well as the decision to cancel Battlefield Mobile and delay the launch of Star Wars: Jedi, comes after EA's revenue fell below expectations of those on Wall Street. On Tuesday, EA released its third quarter financial report, which saw a net income of $204 million, up from $66 million in the year earlier period. EA reported a total net revenue of $1.88 billion, up from $1.79 billion in the year earlier period. However, those figures were below expectations of many on Wall Street, and EA also reported a decline in total net bookings for the past three months, reaching $2.3 billion, down from $2.6 billion in the year-earlier period. EA cited the performance of new games, noting that there was a lower performance in the Apex game franchise than had been expected. Per The Verge, during EA's earnings call, CEO Andrew Wilson teased that Apex could eventually return to mobile in some form, sharing that EA and the development partner chose to sunset this "version" of the game and that the company has "plans to reimagine a connected Apex mobile experience in the future."

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