In just 12 short months, Apex Legends has grown from a side project, developed in secret unbeknownst by EA, to one of the publisher’s most lucrative franchises. The battle royale, which now sits just behind Epic Games’ Fortnite on the metaphorical popularity spectrum, has enjoyed exponential growth both in terms of player population and scope, with developer Respawn Entertainment having finally settled into a rhythm of delivering new content on a regular basis after what can only be described as a rocky start.
To truly reach the biggest potential audience, however, one final expansion is required. A mobile version of Apex was officially confirmed to be in the works by EA late last year, though little has been heard since. Indeed, a brief acknowledgement by EA CEO Andrew Wilson back in January that the project was still in the works was the last anyone had heard on the matter and only now, as part of a recent talk with investors, has Wilson gone one step further by providing a tentative launch window for Apex mobile.
“Mobile, in particular, is a category that spans across all of that,” says Wilson, adding “We have PvZ 3 [Plants vs. Zombies 3] in soft launch, we’ve talked about having Apex Legends by the end of this year.”
You don’t need us to tell you the difference between best-laid plans and reality, of course, so while Wilson is clearly keen to see Apex Legends soft launch for iOS and Android before the next calendar year rolls around, nobody has the power of foresight. Delays can and do happen, so we’ll just have to wait and see if EA can achieve its goal and, for that matter, if this version of Apex Legends will be a direct port or completely standalone experience. Stay tuned for more details.