Why EA shut down Apex Legends Mobile

Last week, EA Games announced its decision to shut down Apex Legends Mobile, a game released with much fanfare less than a year ago.

The game had a good start in terms of revenue, but according to EA, the closure is the result of an inability to release updates at the right pace.

However, AppFigures estimates that the game, which both Apple and Google chose as game of the year in 2022, generated $5 million in net revenue in the first month across two stores (that’s the net amount, which is what EA should keep after paying the bounty). Apple and Google). Revenue rose slightly to $5.5 million in June, but then continued to decline every month. Apex Legends Mobile ended 2022 with about half in revenue and a very negative trend.

In total, Apex Legends earned about $29 million in 2022. Call of Duty Mobile earns the same amount on average per month. In other words, the game just didn’t work and that was the real reason for the closure.

Which is an interesting fact for mobile games. In the past few years, the major studios have been refining their monetization strategies, with some managing to squeeze more and others just annoying the players. It’s interesting how EA, with its slew of high-grossing games, couldn’t cash in on reproducing a hit like Apex Legends.

Also interesting is the speed at which the closing occurred. EA has removed the game from the App Store and Google Play and disabled new purchases. Although harsh, this move can be seen as the other side of pricing optimization. Finishing a project is hard, but when the numbers just don’t add up and there are other possibilities, it’s a logical choice.