'The stars have aligned' say EA as ALGS Finals head to Japan
The Apex Legends Global Series, Year 4, World Championships will be held in Sapporo, Japan.
01st Sep 2024 22:03
Image via Respawn Entertainment
'The stars have aligned' say EA as ALGS Finals head to Japan
The Apex Legends Global Series, Year 4, World Championships will be held in Sapporo, Japan.
01st Sep 2024 22:03
Image via Respawn Entertainment
For the first time since competitive Apex Legends was born, EA has announced it will be heading to Asia to round off its inaugural multi-regional ALGS.
After hosting Split 1 in Los Angeles, United States, and Split 2 in Mannheim, Germany, (with a quick pitstop in Saudi Arabia for the licensed Esports World Cup), the "stars have aligned" for EA to finally embark further east than ever before.
GGRecon sat down with Senior Brand Marketing Manager for ALGS, Jasmine Chaing as EA reveals Sapporo, Japan, will play host to the World Championships final in January.
EA Reveal ALGS finals to be held in Japan
The ALGS Year 4 World Championships will officially be held in the Daiwa House PREMIST DOME in Sapporo, Japan, from January 29 to February 2, 2025.
"We've been meaning to go to Japan for a while now," said Jasmine Chaing. "When I think of The Apex fan base and where the highest concentrations are, it's the United States and Japan. So the fans have been asking for it. The pros have been asking for it. We've been wanting to, and this time around the stars have aligned."
Sapporo is in the north of Japan, a good 16-hour drive away from the capital Tokyo, but Chaing explained that the area is beautiful and snowy in the winter months and EA's "gut feeling" was that Daiwa House was the perfect arena.
"When it comes to the event planning process - and of course this kicks off months and actually a year in advance - we do a lot of site visits in the very beginning to really get a feel of what venue is going to be the best fit for the ALGS," she said.
"Not every single venue can fit a 55-meter stage. Not every single venue has enough space front-of-house to do fan activations and the community building that we want to continue doing.
"My gosh when we walked into the Sapporo into the Daiwa House Prima Stone for the first time, within 10 minutes it was a collective 'this is it'! The feeling that you get - it's silly to say so - but the gut feeling plays a big part.
"The city of Sapporo also has been Incredible. They are so excited about this event, just as excited as we are. We already know that we have awesome partners to work to bring this vision to life."
EA excited to lean into Asian and Japanese culture for ALGS finals
Apex Legends is one of the more well-represented games in the industry, and boasts a range of legends based on different Asian countries: Rampart, Crypto, Alter, and Valkyrie, while all born in the fictional worlds within Apex Legends lore are some of many who are focused on countries like India, South Korea, China, and Japan (respectively).
The legends will play quite a large role in the themes and marketing as Valkyrie will be inviting fans over to her home with open arms.
"I think playing into the local culture is very important for an event," Chaing said. "You can see elements of that at this event [Split 2 Playoffs]. You can see Octane, Lifeline and Seer are running down the Autobahn and then the signs mirror the actual highway signs on the Autobahn - and you have a little Nessie with the laderhosen. It's little elements like that where we really tried to bring in the local culture.
For Japan especially, Chaing held her cards close to her chest, saying "You'll have to see," but insinuated that there may be some fun tricks up EA's sleeve.
"I remember during our site visits I walked into a mall and there were stores with Apex toys all around. It was really awesome to see.
"This is our first time ever going to Asia as the A LGS, so I'm excited to be able to reach that demographic. I know the fans are gonna be ecstatic."
The ALGS Finals location was revealed during the apex of the Split 2 Playoffs, where teams rounded off the regular season and showcased exactly what we can expect to see when this pinnacle event comes to fruition in January.
About The Author
Jack Marsh
Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. Graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism, Jack is an avid esports enthusiast and specialises in Rocket League, Call of Duty, VALORANT, and trending gaming news.
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