Apex Legends Mobile is officially being sunsetted by developer Respawn Entertainment, just lacking annually since its worldwide launch. The decision continues to be described as ‘painful’ and one that hasn’t ‘include ease’ – but regardless, a strong turn off will require place on 1 May 2023 at 4:00 pm PDT. After this sunsetting, the game will no longer be playable.
‘We have made the painful decision to sunset Apex Legends Mobile,’ Respawn announced on Twitter. ‘This decision doesn't come with ease. Factors beyond our control have prevented us from maintaining the high-quality experience and content our players deserve.’
‘As a result, the game will sunset on May 1, 2023 at 4pm PDT and will no longer be playable. Our gratitude to our players and teams for joining us on Apex Legends Mobile, even if for a short while, is unending. From the bottom in our hearts, thank you.’
In an FAQ blog post, Respawn spoke much more of this decision – and referenced a drop in quality content for that game, that subsequently began falling short of publisher expectations.
‘Following a strong start, the information 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, we have made the mutual decision to sunset our mobile game,’ Respawn said. ‘Although disappointing, we're proud of the sport we launched, are grateful for the support of the Apex Legends community, and are confident that this is actually the right decision for players.’
It isn't clear if the quality drop was a consequence of communication challenges, changing priorities at Respawn and EA, or other factors that couldn’t be controlled.
Whatever the situation, the move may come as a major surprise, given the offer the game had from the passionate community, and also the overall high quality bar from the experience. Many players have expressed disappointment on Twitter, likening the decision to a bad break-up.
In its short tenure, Apex Legends Mobile garnered several major awards, including iPhone Game of the entire year in the 2023 Apple App Store Awards., and finest mobile game of 2023 in the Google Play Awards, and received several major award nominations – together with a Game Awards 2023 shout-out for the best Mobile Bet on the Year. Regardless of this, it seems Apex Legends Mobile is now giving up it is time under the sun.
The game will be turn off on 1 May 2023, with access for those players being cut off about this date.
