After months of rumors, leaks, and teases, an official Apex Legends mobile version is finally happening for players in China, at least. The mobile iteration of the popular battle royale game is only confirmed there at this time.

Apex Legends Mobile Version Teased

The news of the upcoming mobile release was revealed during an EA earnings call where the publisher went over the Q3 financial results with its investors. The standard investors call revealed results from the past three months.

However, like with most earnings call that major game publishers have, some details about unreleased and unannounced games came out of the meeting. In this case, EA Games reported the Apex Legends mobile version currently is in development in China.

In a quote provided by EA Games COO/CFO Blake Jorgensen, during the investors call, he nonchalantly noted that when “rolling mobile out in China, you need to have a partner.”

Jorgensen confirmed EA is “working with a partner there.” The partner is helping to “develop a mobile Apex for the globe.” The last part confirms the mobile game isn’t just for China but could go worldwide in the future, too.

Also, the Chinese partner will not only help with the Apex Legends mobile version but will develop the Chinese PC edition of the game available there. The reason behind having a Chinese partner could be due to the company unable to go to market themselves.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson backed this up by stating the strategy the publisher has when it comes to mobile games in general. There are three pillars to its strategy, starting with the underlying belief that it isn’t monetizing games on the same level as some of the best in the industry.

The second part is making sure it has spectacular properties that appeal well to the mobile space like in the case of the Apex Legends mobile version. Lastly, the third version is about looking for more opportunities for partnerships and acquisitions.

Tencent Is Likely the Chinese Partner for Apex Legends

EA confirmed the Chinese mobile version of the game and partnership but failed to mention who, likely done on purpose, for a few different reasons.

The partner may not be ready to announce its partnership with EA for the mobile battle royale game or that the development isn’t too far along. Or, EA could be leaving it to the partner to make the initial announcement.

We speculate the Chinese partner is Tencent, one of the largest video game companies in the world currently.

The company has a significant hand in a ton of games around the world, both in China and worldwide. Games and systems like League of Legends, Arena of Valor and the Chinese Nintendo Switch, are all supported by Tencent in some fashion. They are known for making many Chinese versions of Western games.

Tencent partners with other battle royale games like Fortnite and PUBG which are massive on Android and iOS currently. EA and Tencent have reportedly worked together in the past.

Many believed Tencent released FIFA Online 4 and Need for Speed Online in China in partnership with EA. These reasons lead us to think this is the most likely scenario. The company is well-equipped to develop and release the mobile version.

It makes sense for Tencent to be the partner. Tencent could develop the Chinese PC version of the game, likely different from EA’s PC edition distributed through its proprietary Origin service. Unfortunately, there is no telling when the mobile version will come out.

We hope to see this happen this as the game enters its second year on the market. However, it could be further out due to the secrecy of the announcement. Fortunately, the mention of the globe has us hopeful it will not only be for China.

Out of the three main battle royale games right now, Apex Legends is the only one without a dedicated mobile version. That is money the company could be losing out on potentially. Also, the market is likely welcoming of the unique hero-based gameplay that Apex Legends has.

We have to wait and see as 2020 is going to be a big year for both Apex Legends and Respawn Entertainment. This week, Season 4 of the battle royale game releases and it is also the first anniversary since its announcement and release.

In Season 4, expect a new legend known as Revenant with his shadowy abilities, general map changes to World’s Edge, the return of the original map Kings Canyon in the second half of the season, a new sniper rifle, and more. Stay tuned for all the news and action here.