Battlefield Mobile, the free-to-play mobile version of Industrial Toys’ multiplayer shooter, was eventually shut down in January 2023. After beta testing the game in a few locations in November 2022, it was abandoned. The announcement was included in EA’s Q3 2023 financial results, along with the news that Star Wars: Jedi Survivor would be delayed and Apex Legends Mobile would be canceled.
Like Apex Legends Mobile, Battlefield Mobile was designed to run separately from its console and PC counterparts, meaning it would not support cross-play or cross-progression. It would also come with unique cosmetics, battle pass seasons, and rewards. However, the money-minded mentality of jagging cash from the fans through the microtransactions actually made the game a disaster.
Battlefield Mobile never did proper justice to its franchise
Though it was criticized for feeling like a diluted version of the main games, Battlefield Mobile sought to bring the franchise to mobile devices. Because of the microtransactions, shallow mechanics, and bland design, many people thought it was more of a “cash grab” than a complete experience.
As it lacked the main series’ refined mechanics and strategic depth, the game was a subpar representation of the franchise and as a result, was canceled even before its actual release.
EA’s initial view of capitalizing on the craze of mobile games seemed to be working out for the company pretty well. But making the microtransactions the main focus was a bad idea. A mobile game doesn’t run only on in-game cosmetics and weapon skins.
It would have been a blast like PUBG Mobile if EA could have transcended the typical franchise experience into mobile devices. But it felt as if the company thought people would prioritize a costume over a quality gaming experience. And as the console giants lean more into making handheld consoles, with the mobile version of the game, EA would never have needed to look back for this franchise.
Battlefield 2024‘s failure paved the way for the cancellation of Battlefield Mobile
The unfavorable reception to Battlefield 2042 led EA to halt and reconsider its future plans for the series, according to Alex Seropian, who co-founded Bungie in 1991 and Industrial Toys in 2012.
Seropian claims that at first, there was a lot of hope for Battlefield Mobile‘s development because it was viewed as a promising project at a time when the shooter genre was expanding and because it was developed by a talented team and based on a well-known IP. However, after the release of Battlefield 2042, everything changed for the studio. Seropian stated (via Mobilegamer.biz):
Battlefield 2042 came out, and the community reaction to 2042 was not good. That cascaded a bunch of introspection.
Additionally, Apple changed its IDFA regulations, which led to much higher user acquisition expenses. As a result of this change, organic growth decreased and paid distribution costs significantly increased.
Furthermore, Apex Legends Mobile was released, and according to Seropian, the three of these factors combined to make it harder to convince Industrial Toys’ owner, EA, to keep funding Battlefield Mobile.
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