Over the past two years, we've seen a ton of PC/Console franchises make an entry into the mobile gaming circuit. Well-renowned titles such as EVE: Echoes, Black Desert Mobile, and Mario Kart Tour have seen varying degrees of success on the platform. Even League of Legends and DOTA2 have entered the fray with League of Legends: Wild Rift and DOTA Underlords respectively. EA announced last year that Apex Legends mobile would be a thing sometime in the future. But, there was no mention of a release date and the company refused to divulge any details about the endeavor. We still don't have a release date, but an EA spokesperson said that the company has found a partner to work with for the game's China release.
Rolling mobile out in China, you need to have a partner, and we’re—as we’ve said in the prepared remarks today—we’re working with a partner there, and we’re very excited about the opportunity … That partner is also helping us develop a mobile Apex for the globe—more to come on that in terms of timing.
In this day and age, it is unwise to exclude the Chinese market out of any major release; especially on mobile. And that isn't possible without partnering up with a Chinese company, so it stands to reason that EA was holding out on Apex Legends Mobile till it found a way to release it in China.
Just who is EA's mystery partner that will help bring Apex Legends to China?
Unfortunately, the spokesperson didn't mention who EA's Chinese partner was in the statement. It is very likely Tencent, considering that it has it is responsible for bringing PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile to the world. Tencent is an industry veteran in the mobile gaming space and has a stake in several highly-successful mobile titles such as Supercell's Clash of Clans and Clash Royale.
PUBG Mobile is a testament to the success of the Battle Royale genre on mobile. It could have been what prompted Epic Games to develop a mobile version of Fortnite. While it may not be doing as well as its PC/Console counterparts, there are enough active players to keep the franchise going for quite some time.
It'll be interesting to see what EA has in store for us with Apex Legends mobile. While the game's concept is more or less on par with garden variety Battle Royale titles, it does mix things up by introducing some new mechanics such as character-specific skills and the likes. We could potentially be looking at a Q3 or Q4 2020 release if things go smoothly.
News Source: PCGamer
