Apex Legends News

Apex Legends is bringing back the original Kings Canyon

Apex Legends is going back in time next week as its Genesis collection event brings back the original versions of its first two maps and adds a beloved former POI as an Arenas map.

After weeks of teasers on social media, the mad folks at Respawn have decided to offer up the ultimate nostalgia trip for the Genesis event, which kicks off on June 29. For a limited time, the original versions of Kings Canyon and World's Edge will return, looking as box fresh as the day they were first released. That means no massive Hammond Robotics Harvester in the middle of World's Edge, and yes - Skull Town is back in Kings Canyon. I'm not crying, you're crying.

Both of these OG maps are entering the map pool for standard solos and trios, and will rotate every hour. Sadly, you won't be able to live your old glory days of climbing to the top of the Apex Legends ranks on them though.

Read the rest of the story...

BLAST Titans will give more opportunities to female Apex Legends players

Esports tournament organiser BLAST today announced the details of BLAST Titans, its first foray into Apex Legends esports. Best known for its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions, BLAST has also experimented with tournaments in Valorant, Fortnite, and Dota 2 in the past year.

BLAST has worked with EA to host a two-weekend tournament during the ALGS' off-season period, before the flagship series starts again in September. BLAST Titans will see 40 European teams compete in July and August, starting with a double elimination bracket which will presumably run similarly to the preliminary rounds of the Apex Legends Preseason Invitational which was hosted in Kraków, Poland in 2019. The second weekend is fully under wraps at the moment, but BLAST is using the two-week format as a way of championing diversity in the Apex Legends esports scene.

The Loadout spoke exclusively with Leo Matlock, VP of commercial at BLAST, who revealed that the tournament would be an opportunity to showcase a diverse roster of high-level Apex Legends players through the open qualification and ten invited "wildcard" teams.

Read the rest of the story...

BLAST says its first ever Apex Legends tournament is "not a gimmick"

Esports tournament organiser BLAST is making its way into the growing world of Apex Legends esports. Weeks after the first ALGS season wrapped up, BLAST has announced BLAST Titans, a 40-team battle royale tournament for Apex Legends which will be broadcast live on Twitch in July and August this year.

BLAST is known for its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions, but has recently entered the Fortnite and Valorant esports scenes, too. BLAST Titans will be a European tournament with a €40,000 (around $45,000) prize pool, and 40 teams will take part in the first weekend's double elimination bracket.

The first 20 teams are the "top 20 European teams on recent form," which BLAST has calculated based off ALGS rankings, and includes 18 of the teams from the EMEA ALGS Championship Final plus K1CK and Flight of Fancy. Les Cites De France and T-Rex miss out, as does Kungarna - the former Nessy roster which surprised everyone when it failed to make it out of the group stages.

Read the rest of the story...

ALGS commissioner John Nelson reflects on the first season of Apex Legends esports

The first season of the Apex Legends Global Series has come to a close, culminating in the intense month-long ALGS Championship competition. Over the past 18 months, Apex Legends esports has gone from practically a non-entity - with only a couple of show matches and one-off tournaments - to hosting a worldwide tournament with a $2.5 million prize pool.

With BLAST and Dreamhack also looking to get in on the Apex Legends esports action, things are looking positive for the battle royale's high-level scene. However, the journey hasn't been easy. The first major Apex Legends events, the EXP Invitational at X Games Minneapolis and the Preseason Invitational hosted in Kraków, Poland, were held in August and September 2019 respectively. Since then, fans haven't been able to attend a single tournament in-person, and players have been forced to play online for reasons beyond their control.

The effects of the global pandemic on the esports industry are clear, but the Apex Legends Global Series was set to launch just as lockdowns began and events shut down. As such, ALGS commissioner John Nelson had to scrap his roadmap of a year of in-person tournaments and adapt to an era of online competition.

Read the rest of the story...

Apex Legends team voices cheating concerns following ALGS Championship

21/06/2021 ALGS commissioner John Nelson says that an investigation found "no evidence" of cheating in the ALGS Championship.

We are 60% of the way through the ALGS Championship Finals, with three regions already having crowned their champions and just EMEA and NA to go. South American winner Paradox Esports gave a rallying message to Apex fans after its victory; "don't give up on your dreams." But not every team is entirely happy with the state of online competition.

Every Apex Legends esports player, caster, and fan is looking forward to LAN events when they are safe to run. Obvious reasons for this include better production quality and an electric atmosphere, but players in particular are desperate for the return of LANs to help with competitive integrity. 'Oatto', who plays APAC South's third-placed team at the ALGS Championships, Athaim, believes competitive integrity is compromised in the current online format.

"We have won championships in other gaming titles, so we feel that our skills are just as good on LAN," he says. "We feel this online event has made some players look better than they really are, due to cheating or fast PCs. At LANs [there is] an even playing field - no hiding cheats in your parent's house, and seeing your competition face to face. We feel we will be the best on LAN, no problem."

Read the rest of the story...