Very lucrative start for the pocket-sized shooter
There was a time when the idea of faithfully adapting a first-person shooter for mobile phones was the stuff of a madman’s dream, and yet, with each passing generation, developers become more and more adept at taking the visually-demanding, resource-heavy genre and plonking it down onto tiny, four-inch screens. Case in point, Electronic Arts’Apex Legends Mobile, which launched on iOS and Android just last week.
It would be easy to assume that the large, open-plan maps and pinpoint accuracy required for the sci-fi shooter would put it well out of mobile jurisdiction. But developer Respawn Entertainment has done just that, capturing the essence of the console editions and translating it to the old dog ‘n’ bone. It seems that the playerbase would agree, asApex Legends Mobilehas pulled in a staggering $4.8 million USD in revenue since its May 17 launch, (as reported by the maths wizards at Sensor Tower.)
It seems that the U.S. saw both the most downloads and the most revenue spent on the free-to-play title, handing over a huge $2.1 million, or roughly 44% of the total revenue to date. Asian territories followed suit, with Japan and Thailand both among the highest-performing countries for both downloads and revenue. In addition,Apex Legends Mobilewas, naturally, the most downloaded iPhone game on the day of its release.
It’s a lucrative start for the mobile battle royale title, and one that EA will undoubtedly look to continue into the game’s formative months. While these early figures are still even a smidgen of the incredible $14.8 million pulled in during the launch week ofCall of Duty: Mobile,it’s still a hefty enough number to ensure that Respawn directs a degree of focus toward the sharpshooting side-title.
Apex Legends Mobileis available now on iOS and Android. you’re able to check out CJ Andriessen’s thoughts on the gameright here.
