The hype that surrounds Apex Legends may have subsided, but we must not forget how phenomenal the game by Respawn Entertainment was when it was released. It didn’t take long to reach 50 million users worldwide, many people anticipate that Apex Legends will soon become a giant esports branch. However, Respawn and EA do not want to be in a hurry, because they are more concerned with the quality of the Apex Legends ecosystem than the highest growth.
Currently Respawn and EA are running an esports program called Apex Legends Preseason. As the name implies, this program is “warm up” before they launch the competition circuit in full. Apex Legends Preseason has so far consisted of three events. The previous two events were the Pro-Am Apex Legends Exhibition and EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis. Both of them were held in collaboration with ESPN.
The third event this time is the first event that is fully handled by Respawn and EA. Entitled Apex Legends Preseason Invitational, this competition offers a prize of US $ 500,000 and will be held in Krakow, Poland. When the implementation falls on September 13-15.
As an invitational tournament, EA limits who can become a participant. Players from all over the world may volunteer to participate by sending an email to [email protected], while including their Origin ID. EA provides a participant slot of 80 teams. You can read the full rules on the official website of Apex Legends.
“When we established EA Competitive Gaming Division, we have a vision to make all our players stellar, as we build entertainment shows that attract millions of players and spectators,” said EA Senior Vice President and GM Competitive Gaming Division, Todd Sitrin, reported by The Esports Observer.
“Today we officially developed EA Competitive Gaming with the addition of Apex Legends, the winner of one of the biggest game launches in history that continues to be strengthened by a passionate global community. “Apex Legends Preseason Invitational is the next key step in our esports trip,” he continued.
In addition to the launch of preseason tournaments, EA has also designed a standard guide for organizers in the community. EA respects the enthusiasm of fans of Apex Legends, and allows anyone to establish a tournament without official permission by EA, as long as they fulfill several conditions. For example, the tournament may contain monetization, but only to cover event costs, not to seek commercial profits.
Organizer also may not use artwork, logos (including game logos), trademarks, as well as the names of Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment to promote the tournament. Moreover, it shows as if the tournament is affiliated with EA. Plus, the tournament must not involve partners related to alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, gambling, politics and so on. There are many other rules contained in this Community Guidelines Tournament.
Although impressed by moving slowly, EA and Respawn seem to be serious about working on Apex Legends into a solid esports ecosystem. Strict rules like this were made with the aim of keeping things from being undesirable that could tarnish the good name of EA or create problems in the legal sphere. We’ll see in the next 1-2 years, what will be the development of Apex Legends esports under the auspices of EA.
