Apex Legends: Mobile’s Chinese Avatar “High Energy Heroes” Drops Official Gameplay Trailer

The Chinese revamped version of Apex Legends Mobile, titled as "High Energy Heroes" has now been announced for an official release in China. Developer LightSpeed Studios, a subsidiary of Chinese mobile developer conglomerate - Tencent, released a trailer yesterday, showcasing the gameplay of reimagined versions of original Apex Legends characters that are now designed to appeal to Chinese audiences. The trailer also features World's Edge, one of the most popular maps that had become the default favourite among the mobile community. However, all the characters and maps will be titled under new names.

Checkout the trailer for High Energy Heroes

After nearly two years of development, Apex Legends: Mobile was globally released on 17th May 2022. The mobile adaptation of the original PC title received critical acclaim for its high-quality experience and ambitious scope, capturing the attention of the mobile gaming audience. However, the game faced challenges when running on low-end devices, resulting in a lackluster launch from an AAA studio. Additionally, there were community complaints regarding the lack of communication and support from EA, the publisher. Ultimately, due to the outweighing negatives, EA made the decision to discontinue the game, with the servers going offline on 1st May. It is important to note that no refunds were issued to players.

Shortly after the game's discontinuation, reports emerged about LightSpeed Studios' intention to release their own version of the game exclusively for China. The company had already obtained approval from Chinese authorities, a significant hurdle in launching games within the highly regulated region.

The official trailer reveals that "High Energy Heroes" utilises assets and mechanics from Apex Legends Mobile without attempting to conceal the similarities. The map also bears resemblance to a large section of the original World's Edge map and maintains the core battle royale features such as respawn beacons.

Gameplay Expectations from High Energy Heroes

Regarding character design, it is apparent that the characters have been reimagined to cater to the Chinese player base, potentially sacrificing the ethnic diversity present in the original game. However, on the gameplay front, these characters possess even stronger abilities that will play a significant role in determining battle outcomes. The trailer showcases reimagined versions of iconic characters such as Wraith, Lifeline, Wattson and more.

Future Releases and Global Availability?

Considering China's status as the largest mobile gaming market, the developers aim to leverage their experience from Apex Legends Mobile to ensure a successful launch. As for players residing outside of China, it remains uncertain if the game will have a global release. While the creative choices may have divided the Apex community, the original game fostered a passionate player base that would eagerly embrace the opportunity to try their hand at the Chinese version. Tencent might explore partnerships with different publishers to release the game in countries like India, where the developer faces restrictions on releasing titles. However, these possibilities are purely speculative at this stage. Given the absence of a specific release date for "High Energy Heroes" in China, the exact timeline for its availability remains uncertain.