Feb. 4, 2019.
With little to no warning, announcement, leaks or a single piece of promotional material , Respawn Entertainment–known previously for their sleeper hit Titanfall Franchise in the early 2010’s—released a new battle-royale game to the public: Apex Legends.
For 18 year-old Jacob Poudrier, Apex Legends is the one game he holds near and dear in his heart.
Poudrier is a Florida-native, and he attends Fullsail University as a full-time student. But in his spare-time, he streams to Twitch, and he has nearly half a thousand followers on the streaming platform.
He was a legend ranked, semi-pro player of Hearthstone— a card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment—in his early teens, and was close to reaching the Masters Tour multiple times in his career.
“I hadn’t really started competing in Apex until way after I stopped with Hearthstone,” Poudrier said. “So, really, it was kind of just a moment of introspection where I thought, what are the pros and cons of each game and is it really worth sticking to Hearthstone.
There’s too much luck involved. So I just decided that Apex had a way bigger audience, bigger esports scene, and it won’t cost me hundreds of dollars just to keep buying cards. Plus, overall, the game is really fun to keep playing through.”
Poudrier’s interest in Hearthstone faded and Apex Legends was quick to fill that void. He has been improving his craft with the game ever since.
“I was around 15, maybe 16 when I got into esports,” he said, reminiscing on his early days. “So I guess before esports, I was kind of, well, just a kid, you know? And esports was a big part of my transition into being an adult.”
His first few years of trying to break into the esports scene was spent with Rozenoir Esports, a fairly small organization based out of Indiana, and with smaller teams within League of Legends and Super Smash Bros.
In 2019, less than a week after release, Apex Legends had shattered expectations, with more than 25 million players in a shorter span than its biggest competitor, Fortnite. Apex Legends became a household name.
Apex Legends is the unofficial sequel to Titanfall 2 and has pulled many elements from its spiritual predecessor, including weapons, tactical abilities and incredibly extensive in-game lore.
Apex Legends is the unofficial sequel to Titanfall 2 and has pulled many elements from its spiritual predecessor, including weapons, tactical abilities and incredibly extensive in-game lore.
Poudrier took to Apex Legends quickly, and amassed a dedicated following on Twitch after deciding to stream the battle-royale: in this mode of gaming, one is placed in either a team or alone, and is usually pitted against a lobby of up to 60 players.
While he has switched to a more variety oriented style on the platform, he’s made a name for himself with his sharp in-game skills and personality. Most know him for his trademark beard—one he’s kept since his junior year of high school.
As the player base increased drastically, so did the popularity surrounding the game, and talk of bringing Apex Legends into the esports scene quickly followed suit.
By 2019, EA had officially announced the beginning of the Apex Legends Global Series—a competitive esports series featuring only the best of teams internationally. In the ALGS, points are accumulated by kills and assists, as well as a team’s final placement after that match has ended.
Poudrier expressed interest in entering the ALGS series, but he believes he first needs a little more time to build his brand.
“I would really just have to find people to play with at this point,” he said. “As of now, I’m trying to join my school’s esports team, so maybe we could compete in that as a group. But, at the moment, I’m just trying to practice and see what opportunities come to me.”
John “Flankk” Hardin has played Apex Legends since Season 2 and he is a veteran of the battle royale. He’s clawed his way to the rank of Diamond— two steps below the highest title of Apex Predator—almost every season since then. He plays for the Florida-based esports organization Aquatik Esports.
Hardin believes that Apex Legends is a game that can outlast others in a saturated market. And when it comes to the ALGS, he’s hoping that Aquatik Esports breaks into the series not just to hit third place, but to potentially win first place over dozens of other North American teams.
“I seriously believe the ALGS will thrive over the next several years, maybe even the next decade,” Hardin said. “Not just because of the prize money, but the bragging rights, too. Insane.”
Hardin continues to play Apex competitively, and while his organization focuses more on their CS:GO and Call of Duty teams, he and the remainder of Aquatik’s Apex Legends players continue to participate in the competitive scene in the background.
As for new players wanting to try Apex Legends for the first time, or for someone looking to try an FPS game for the first time, Hardin had some advice.
“First things first, learn how to aim,” he said. “Knowing the meta for the right legends and the weapon meta is key, and ring rotations are a vital aspect. Remember to actively practice good call outs. Good players always use communication.”
Another Apex player is Tristan “At0m” Webb, who has participated in a few tournaments Webb, like Hardin, is Diamond-ranked in Apex Legends, and he was a Hearthstone player like Poudrier, and was pushed to the first-person-shooter game due to the card game’s pay-to-win system.
“I’ve been playing since the game first released. It has changed a lot,” Webb said. Some changes for the better, some changes for the worst.”
Hardin continues to play Apex competitively, and while his organization focuses more on their CS:GO and Call of Duty teams, he and the remainder of Aquatik’s Apex Legends players continue to participate in the competitive scene in the background.
As for new players wanting to try Apex Legends for the first time, or for someone looking to try an FPS game for the first time, Hardin had some advice.
“First things first, learn how to aim,” he said. “Knowing the meta for the right legends and the weapon meta is key, and ring rotations are a vital aspect. Remember to actively practice good call outs. Good players always use communication.”
Another Apex player is Tristan “At0m” Webb, who has participated in a few tournaments Webb, like Hardin, is Diamond-ranked in Apex Legends, and he was a Hearthstone player like Poudrier, and was pushed to the first-person-shooter game due to the card game’s pay-to-win system.
“I’ve been playing since the game first released. It has changed a lot,” Webb said. Some changes for the better, some changes for the worst.”
