Apex Legends is coming to mobile devices. Developer Respawn Entertainment has announced Apex Legends Mobile, which is a new stand-alone game rather than a port of the PC and console version.
Respawn’s Apex Legends is one of the most popular battle royale games currently on the market. Unlike Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the game had yet to cross over to mobile. Apex Legends Mobile will mark the first time fans can play the game on phones and other mobile devices.
The new game is developed in-house at Respawn and is specifically designed with mobile in mind. It features streamlined touch controls and other optimizations. Respawn describes the project as a “new version of Apex Legends” that remains true to the main game.
The new game will be free to play like its console counterpart, and wil have its own battle pass and items that are unique to the new version. Respawn notes that the game will “never” have paid microtransactions that grant players an advantage in matches.
The catch is that the game will not feature crossplay with other versions. Respawn emphasizes that this is an entirely new game, not a mobile port of the original. That’s a different strategy from games like Fortnite, which allow mobile players to match up with opponents on any platform.
The first regional tests for the game will roll out this spring. Respawn says that it’ll begin testing with a few thousand players in India and the Philippines before rolling it out in more regions. Testing will begin on Android devices, with iOS support planned down the line.
