EA has officially revealed Apex Legends Mobile alongside announcing that it will be kicking off the first regional beta tests later this month.Apex Legends game director Chad Grenier shared the news in a blog, confirming that Apex Legends Mobile is a new version of the game that is “specially designed for touchscreens, with streamlined controls and thoughtful optimizations that result in the most advanced battle royale combat available on a phone.”
The regional beta tests will begin with “a few thousand players in India and the Philippines,” and the team will be rolling it out to many more players throughout the year.
The beta will begin on Android phones only, but iOS support is planned. Once the tests are “ready to go broader,” EA will launch a page that allows players to pre-register for the game and sign up for further updates.
Since Apex Legends Mobile is being designed as a new game, it will not feature cross-play with other versions of the game, but it will be free-to-play. It will also have separate Battle Passes, collectible cosmetics, and unlockables unique from other versions.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson previously discussed at an EA Fireside Chat that Apex Legends Mobile was being planned for a soft launch in 2020, and while it’s a bit delayed, Apex Legends fans will soon have a new way to play the battle royale.
EA also confirmed that Apex Legends Mobile’s development is lead by a dedicated team at Respawn in collaboration with “the established Apex Legends team and other partners.”
This news follows the announcement of a new Apex Legends hero, Valkyrie, who is the daughter of a Titanfall pilot.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.