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1718140cookie-checkE-Sports and Apex Legends: The Rise of Competitive Play and its Influence on Game Design
Games
2023/09

E-Sports and Apex Legends: The Rise of Competitive Play and its Influence on Game Design

Apex Legends obviously already had a concept, gameplay, and core mechanics when it came out. Like any game, though, it was gradually influenced into something completely different because people kept playing it. It soon became an e-sports discipline, which prompted even more changes. 

It didn’t take long before Respawn started analyzing the way professional players shot one another to figure out what they wanted to change in the game. That, and the ranked matchmaking mode in the game, play a large part in how Respawn updates the game. The reason is that most changes are made looking back at the pro players.

On another note, if you want an Apex boosting service to help you up the ranked ladder, there’s a good service just down the road. 

The Evolution of Competitive Play 

In the early days of Apex Legends, competitive play was grassroots, with players organizing and participating in tournaments independently. This DIY approach showcased the game’s potential as an esports title, drawing the attention of both aspiring and established esports organizations.

Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) 

Respawn Entertainment recognized the game’s competitive potential and launched the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) in 2020. ALGS is a global competitive circuit featuring multiple online and offline events, offering substantial prize pools and a structured competitive ecosystem.

Notable Apex Legends Events 

Over the years, Apex Legends has witnessed several notable esports events that have helped establish its presence in the competitive gaming scene. These events, including the Preseason Invitational and Winter Circuit Playoffs, showcased top-tier gameplay and attracted a growing esports audience.

Influence on Game Design 

Both the e-sports and the Competitive mode play a huge part in the way Apex is updated. It’s more than you probably suspect. In fact, most changes are associated one way or another with the way the skilled players act in the game. If an e-sports pro has a problem or even acts in a certain way, Respawn will take notes.

It can manifest in later weapon rebalancing, character rebalancing, map rearrangement, or simply a reshuffle of systems and mechanics. All to benefit top players. And it doesn’t just mean the absolute best of them—higher Competitive tiers are also often monitored by the devs to scan for new update ideas.

It’s not to say that lower-tier players are ignored. In fact, Respawn has a very effective system of collecting feedback, which some players use to report issues. If enough issues are collected, they may find a solution. But it seems that the behavior of pro players is a lot more telling to the devs than regular player feedback. 

Not that it’s bad or anything.

Conclusion

The influence is immense, and not necessarily in the way you’d expect. It’s just that the game became more visible to the larger public and also the devs when it entered e-sports. This phenomenon isn’t restricted to Apex, as well. It’s this way with many games, and Apex Legends is just a very telling example.

 

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