Apex Legends, the highly popular shooter battle royale game, has taken the last spot at the Esports World Cup (EWC) that is being held this summer with a total prize pool of $45 million up for grabs.
The multi-title event is set to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and has the backing of the local country's government. This year's EWC will see some of the best teams in more than a dozen different games of different genres competing in title-specific tournaments.
Esports World Cup
(Photo : Esports World Cup Foundation / Screenshot taken from official website)
On the other hand, organizations whose teams are successful across various titles will receive additional rewards to encourage competition in a range of games. On top of adding Apex Legends to the EWC, the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, Ralf Reichert, said that when they promised to bring the community all the best games.
He added that the final batch of titles that were added to the tournament concludes that particular commitment. Reichert also expressed his gratitude towards the publishers and game developers who were part of making the dream lineup a reality, according to Esports Insider.
Reichert said that uniting and showcasing the power of esports and the esports community as a whole becomes a reality thanks to the EWC. He noted that billions of players across the world play the games that are included in the tournament.
The EWC this year will feature a lot of popular titles from across a varied selection of genres, including Riot Games' MOBA, League of Legends. Its inclusion comes four years after the LEC's infamous sponsorship of the Saudi Arabian government-backed NEOM megaproject.
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The announcement also drew criticism from fans and on-screen talent as a result of the country's poor human rights record, particularly regarding its LGBTQ+ community and women. The sponsorship was subsequently terminated.
The EWC is working towards the goal of hosting the largest multi-game esports tournament in history. The latest announcement of adding Apex Legends to the roster of games solidifies the commitment to uniting gaming communities worldwide for an unforgettable global esports celebration, said OneEsports.
Massive Video Game Tournament
The 2024 tournament will include sports sims, FPS, MOBA, battle royale, RTS, fighting games, and sim racing. The EWC said it is committed to hosting community events this summer for an industry-first, global cross-game competition that would see the crowning of the first-ever Esports World Club champion.
Other than Apex Legends, the titles that are included in the tournament are: Counter Strike 2, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 2024, Fortnite, Garena Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six, Rennsport, Rocket League, Starcraft 2, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, and Tekken 8.
The EWC will be taking place over several weeks but there has not been much detailed information regarding the tournament. This includes how teams and players will qualify for the massive event.
The addition of Apex Legends comes as the game has recently been struggling after several organizations departed over the last 18 months. Fortunately, there has been a surge of organizations coming back since the start of the year, according to Esports.gg.
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