Exploding onto the scene after absolutely zero advertising from developers Respawn Entertainment or publisher Electronic Arts, Apex Legends has captured the minds and hard drive space of gamers worldwide. Boasting over 50 million players globally merely a month after release, it’s safe to say Apex is here for the foreseeable future.
Start As You Mean To Go On
The first notable tournament was held on the 12th of January, and immediately it was clear that Apex has the potential to come to the forefront of the esport battle royale scene. Specifically with the respawn mechanic in the game, it sets the scene for some absolutely outrageous plays to be made.
With names like Ninja, Shroud, Timthetatman and KingRichard teaming up with other content creators, the inaugural tournament had hundreds of thousands concurrent viewers. With a relatively simple point-scoring system based on kills per game and the winning of a game, Apex establishes an easy-to-follow structure which in turn massively benefits the esports asperations of the title. The conclusion of the tournament saw Ninja and his squad, consisting of KingRiochard and Dizzy, come out on top by just a single point, it really could not have transpired any better for Respawn and their push towards both getting their game in the public eye and showing that Apex is really worth the gamble to esports organisations.
Potential
With the esport scene currently thriving and growing, it’s no surprise that both organisations and tournament organisers have capitalised on the title’s hot release and popularity. While there has been no direct commentary from Respawn on the future of the competitive side of Apex, their initial support for the scene has been healthy.
It definitely seems like they have big plans in store for a push towards cementing their game as a viable Esport title. Organisations have deemed the potential that Apex Legends has shown thus far is worthy of taking the leap and signing competitive talent to compete.
Entering the Fray
World renowned organisations in Esports have began to enter the scene, thus furthering the credibility of the scene. Orgs such as 100 Thieves, NRG, Team Liquid, TSM, and Rogue have all picked up talent. Notable names in the Twitch community have been signed, with the likes of the aforementioned KingRichard being signed to NRG and Viss being signed to TSM. The signing of players with already established fanbase and social media presence has worked hand-in-hand with the building of interest in Apex as an esports title.
Moving Forward
Those pesky data miners have been at it again and have revealed that in the code of Apex, there is reference to a ‘ranked’ playlist. With their main competitor, Fortnite, still yet to receive a ranked playlist, this is a clear indication of the direction and plans Respawn have in store.
With updates coming weekly and a constant barrage of online tournaments being hosted, it seems that Apex Legends could be on the cusp of becoming the, ahem, apex predator in the battle royale scene.
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