Apex Legends Preseason Invitational: $500,000 esports tournament announced
‘The Apex Legends Preseason Invitational is the key next step in our eSports journey’
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Electronic Arts and Respawn have announced the first ever official Apex Legends tournament, offering players of the battle royale game the chance to win a share of a $500,000 (£410,000) prize pool.
The Apex Legends Preseason Invitational will feature 80 teams from around the world and will take place in Krakow, Poland, between 13-15 September.
“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,” said Todd Sitrin from EA’s eSports division.
“The Apex Legends Preseason Invitational is the key next step in our eSports journey.”
The competition announcement comes just days after the culmination of the Fortnite World Cup Finals, which saw 40 million players compete for a grand prize of $3 million.
Apex Legends features similar gameplay to Fortnite, and has experienced a similar level of success since launching earlier this year.
The game attracted more than 25 million players within just one week of launching, outpacing the similarly astonishing rise of Fortnite, which launched in 2017.
Fortnite now boasts around 250 million players around the world and last weekend’s competition was the “most participated-in tournament of all time”, according to the game’s developers Epic Games.
“Competition is in the DNA of Apex Legends and this competitive event will showcase the game at its highest-level,” said Chad Grenier, design director of Apex Legends.
“This Apex Legends Preseason Invitational advances our vision towards a robust competitive experience with the community at the centre. 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.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments