Could Apex Legends be the next big esport?

If you are an avid gamer at heart or you speak the esports language, you are no doubt up-to-date with the latest craze that has taken the virtual world by storm. Apex Legends is the new Battle Royale title to hit the scene and rack up the numbers with a whopping 491,894 viewer count peak since its announcement on the 4th February this year; outranking rivalry competitor Fortnite by over 165,000 viewers. Since its debut earlier this month, Apex Legends have totalled up a whopping 11 million hours of watching time and has vastly become the talk of all esports fanatics.

What though, if anything, makes this game so uniquely different and difficult to put down?

The fact that it is a cross-platform, free-to-play game is naturally a selling point to any gaming fan, but more impressively each individual game and encounter is always going to be different because of the selection process that is available at the very start of each game. Players can decide on a champion to play each round, all with their own ultimate abilities, and then proceed to play in a groups of three, fighting on the same team. Similar to Overwatch in ways, this game is gripping, current and a strong contender to lead the esports scene and its creator is of prime interest.

EA Sports (Electronical Arts) is the “man behind the mask” in this case, the mastermind of Apex Legends and the reason for the excitement that is circulating right now. Known previously for their release of the sensationally popular football tournament title Fifa, this media giant has excited fans by taking a turn towards the battle-royale scene and entered into a completely different world. It therefore begs the question as to whether or not EA are expanding into unfamiliar territory and after a piece of the esports scene.

Despite the game still being at its early stages, the potential for it to be a serious competitor for esports isn’t unlikely, as one North American team, NRG, announced on the 8th of February that they were on the lookout for strong Apex Legends players and a team of content supports to help them burst into the esports arena and begin the process.

Professional rosters are already in the works with the best of the best organisations already selecting their players and scheduling up and coming games; NRG for one are already a leading team regarding the rosters as they have places within first person shooter games such as Counterstrike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and more modest games with less publicity, such as Clash Royale.

Despite its clear intentions, nothing is promised as of yet for Apex Legends but its future in esports and esports betting is encouraging, and its journey is definitely one to follow.