EA confirms new details for long-awaited Apex Legends mobile release

The release of a mobile version of Respawn’s flagship battle royale title Apex Legends is coming ever closer, with new details on the development of the handheld title revealed by EA in their third-quarter earnings call.

Rumblings of a portable version of Apex Legends first began during Season 2. The news was met with a wave of excitement by players who love to game on the move, but EA and Respawn Entertainment made it clear there was no official release date.

Now, the title’s publishers have confirmed in their Q3 report that they are working with a Chinese partner to “create a mobile Apex Legends that will be released globally,” as first reported by industry insider and analyst Daniel Ahmad.

What this means is that it’s full steam ahead for the awaited mobile launch, after months of being left in the dark — with Electronic Arts locking down a publishing partner, the ball is well and truly rolling for portable gamers.

“Rolling mobile out in China, you need to have a partner, and we’re, as we’ve said in the prepared remarks today, working with a partner there. We’re very excited about the opportunity,” EA chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen confirmed.

• Read more: New Apex ‘Sentinel’ sniper details & special ability revealed

Jorgensen, who fielded a series of investor questions during a post-conference Q&A session, also confirmed that the same Chinese partner had been locked into preparing a global release for Apex Legends mobile.

Developer locked, but no release date — yet

While that’s good news, EA has yet to deliver a proper release date, likely considering it’s so early in the partnership with the unnamed developer. Jorgensen added that there was “more to come on that in terms of timing” soon.

This isn’t the first time EA has turned to Chinese developers to bring to life mobile versions of their flagship titles either. The American gaming company published FIFA Online 4 and Need for Speed Online with Chinese conglomerate Tencent.

• Read more: Who is the girl in Apex Legends Season 4 trailer?

Tencent also owns Riot Games, who have developed titles like League of Legends and Legends of Runterra. The Chinese company also helms the biggest mobile title on the planet, Arena of Valor, and recently partnered with Activision to create a massively popular mobile version of FPS franchise Call of Duty.

Is Apex Legends coming to Nintendo Switch soon?

While all of this is fantastic news for mobile and tablet fanatics, there’s one set of players who were once again left out in the cold: Nintendo Switch gamers.

Respawn developer Drew McCoy confirmed back in April last year that Switch users should “stay tuned for the future” in regards to a potential move to the Nintendo console. EA’s Q3 call from this week seems to have damned those rumors, however.

• Read more: Is Forge really dead? Apex Legends dev responds

According to Ahmed, the publishers revealed they were “pleased” with how well the Switch has been performing, and said they were “looking to put more games on the platform,” but added those releases wouldn’t be coming any time soon.

For now, Apex Legends fans may have to make do with playing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, as Season 4 appears on the horizon.

In the new season, titled ‘Assimilation,’ players will be able to get their hands on new legend, the deadly robot Revenant, as well as a strange new Sentinel sniper rifle, an updated Battle Pass, refreshed ranked play, and “big map changes.”

Season 4 launches Tuesday, February 4.