The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) is a worldwide esports tournament produced by Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment, alongside our partners at Esports Engine. Since Apex Legend’s launch in 2019, the ALGS has been the main viewing source for Apex Legends competitive play. The ALGS concluded it’s 3rd year of competition with the “Apex Legends Global Series Year 3 Championship”. The event took place in Birmingham, UK spanning 5 days of play, from September 6-10, and hosted 40 qualified teams from around the world, including those from the APAC north, APAC south, EMEA, SA, and NA regions. Each team is made up of 3 players each, and with 40 teams participating, there are 120 players who take the stage over the course of the 5 day tournament.
Main Objective: "Drive Viewership"
One of the main ways we acheive this goal is through player feautre content. Our main feature this last year was a music video for one of our player's (Monsoon) original songs.
Monsoon first posted the original aucostic version of the song on his Twitter. When our production team first heard it we immediatley thought about ways to help turn his tune into a fully produced musical piece to premier at our Championship show and also share via our socials.
By creating content that has an extended life outside of the main broadcast, we increase the potentional to reach new viewers and create new fans.
The strategy and implimentation of the music video revolved around three factors:
1) Brand Awareness
Monsoon's song was perfect for the ALGS, it was gritty and cool. And the video itself was designed to fit the ALGS aestetically while also including footage from past events and other notable players. While viewers watched this music video online they were also learning about the look and feel of the ALGS.
2) Increase Reach
At the same time that we premiered the music video on broadcast, it was also posted to both our main Apex Legends esports socials and the regular Apex Legends accounts in order to increase reach. The content we create on the show for the entertainment of our current viewers is utilized on socials as an advertisment for those who may be aware of Apex Legends and play it but may not be current viewers of, or know, the ALGS.
3) Create Player Fans
With a large number of players participating from around the world we want our audience to be able to make a connection with as many of them as possible. Creating player content, creates new fans, which then creates hype and engagement, thus further driving viewership.
After its posting on twitter, the music video gained more than 430k views. The ALGS Year 3 Championship streamed live on both YouTube and Twitch and amassed a total watch time of 10,526,551 hours, an all time peak for the ALGS. The broadcast was produced by Electronic Arts Inc. and Respawn Entertainment, alongside our partners at Esports Engine.
