Apex Legends pro Sweetdreams shares his thoughts on EA’s financial influence on the game’s competitive scene. He suggests that instead of increasing prize pools for tournaments, EA should focus on supporting tier-two teams and keeping the game exciting for viewers.
Sweetdreams and LouStream discuss the idea of providing financial aid to smaller teams during the offseason, allowing them to qualify for “org welfare.” This would help these teams grow and develop, rather than just focusing on the top-tier organizations.
While EA already invests a significant amount of money into the prize pools for ALGS tournaments, Sweetdreams points out that the same tier-one orgs, TSM and Dark Zero, often dominate the competition. This leaves other talented teams with little opportunity to progress between tournaments.
To address this issue, Sweetdreams proposes allocating $500,000 to tier-two teams for their growth and development. This would provide them with the resources they need to compete at a higher level, rather than solely focusing on increasing the overall prize pool.
According to Sweetdreams, the success and popularity of Apex Legends are largely due to the ALGS. The social presence and publicity generated by the competitive scene attract new players and keep the game alive.
However, Sweetdreams also acknowledges that the game needs more than just pre-existing map changes and new legends every two seasons to keep players engaged. The recent Apex trailer for season 19 received mixed reactions, with fans hoping for a Titanfall 3 announcement instead.
Furthermore, Sweetdreams highlights the issue of viewer burnout on Twitch. Games like CS:GO and Apex rely heavily on their pro scenes to maintain popularity, but the lack of significant changes between seasons leads to repetitive content. This, in turn, results in declining concurrent views and hours watched on Twitch.
If given the opportunity, Sweetdreams would invest in weekly Apex tournaments that are open to players from all around the world, not just those already in the pro scene. This would provide a fresh and exciting experience for both viewers and participants, attracting the 760,000 viewers who tuned in for the ALGS Y3 Championship finals.
Source: DOTESPORTS
