Former Overwatch League stars birdring and EFFECT make the jump to Apex Legends

The Apex Legends competitive scene has always been a haven for veterans of other games. Many of the top pros in Apex came to the game from other competitive battle royales, like Fortnite, PUBG, and H1Z1. Other players honed their skills in tactical shooters like CS:GO before finding careers in Apex. 

Then, there’s the crowd that were drawn to the game because of its hero shooter elements. For those people, a new Korean Apex team most likely features two very familiar names, with Kim “birdring” Ji-hyeok and Hyeon “EFFECT” Hwang jumping into the game’s pro scene with a new team that aims to compete in the APAC North region of the Apex Legends Global Series.

The two will be joined by Seo “ZELO” Myeong-sung, a veteran of Korea’s Apex scene.

Both birdring and EFFECT are best known for their professional Overwatch careers, and both were popular Overwatch League players. EFFECT was a DPS player for the Dallas Fuel before he retired from the game due to mental health issues. Birdring was one of OWL’s most mercurial stars, winning the first season with the London Spitfire before eventually moving on to the Los Angeles Gladiators. and subsequently retiring from professional Overwatch in 2021. 

Now, both look to join a challenge in a completely different title and form a squad that fans will expect big things from in the midst of a talented region. Several teams in APAC North made their mark on the international stage last year, such as squads like Fnatic and aD. For the time being, the team will most likely focus on finding an org to represent and qualifying for the APAC North Pro League.

Year three of ALGS is slated to begin in late 2022.