EA and Respawn announce Apex Legends Preseason Invitational

EA and Respawn Entertainment have announced the first developer-ran tournament for Apex Legends.

The Apex Legends Preseason Invitational will take place on September 13-15th in Kraków, Poland, with 80 teams competing for a total of $500,000 (£409,542.50).

Todd Sitrin, SVP and GM, Competitive Gaming Division at EA discussed the event in a release: “When we started the EA Competitive Gaming Division, we had a vision to Make Stars of All Our Players as we build an entertainment spectacle that captivates millions of players and spectators. Today we officially expand EA Competitive Gaming through the addition of Apex Legends, owner of one of the biggest game launches in history that continues to be powered today by a passionate global community. The Apex Legends Preseason Invitational is the key next step in our esports journey.”

The tournament will position all 80 teams in a double-elimination bracket, with each starting in the winners bracket. Each round will comprise of a set of matches, in which a team’s performance dictates whether they progress through the winners bracket, bump down into the losers bracket, or are eliminated from the event.

Chad Grenier, Design Director at Respawn Entertainment also commented: “Competition is in the DNA of Apex Legends and this competitive event will showcase the game at its highest-level. This Apex Legends Preseason Invitational advances our vision towards a robust competitive experience with the community at the center. We continue to explore all the entertaining ways both players and spectators can experience Apex Legends and look forward to bringing this event to life.”

FACEIT announced the launch of the first officially-licensed Apex Legends esports series in May. 16 teams joined the event to compete across eight weekly tournaments, starting on May 31st, with a total prize purse of $50,000 (£40,899) up for grabs.

Esports Insider says: It’s a little too late for Apex Legends’ esports scene to emulate what we’ve seen from Epic Games with Fortnite, especially with the viewership dropping so low for the title. It’s good to see EA and Respawn taking some responsibility to host a decent-sized event, however, and we’re intrigued to see how it pans out.

ESI London 2019 – Find out more