Apex Legends enters Season 16, with its highest player count since release. The Ranked playlist also continues to break new records with the points to reach Predator, as more players find themselves interested in the competitive side of Apex. A new tournament now seeks to create the best ranked environment possible, allowing the top of the online ladder to compete.
Realm, an automated matchmaking service, tweeted the details of a new official seasonal league, which seeks to tailor the traditional ranked ladder into a more competitive experience, using the solo queue format for all players competing.
The season will run for three months, starting on April 1, with signups starting in the middle of March. To qualify, players in North America must be the rank of Predator or above, while EMEA must be Masters or above. Realm’s SoloQ League will include different tiers for lower Elo players, with their own set of prizing and season finals. Additional information concerning the ruleset and tournament structure will be announced in Realm’s Pro League Discord server.
The arrival of a new alternative to the traditional ranked ladder has been met with wide positive reception, with the recent rise of cheaters negatively affecting the gameplay of pros and content creators alike. Season 16’s ranked experience has been plagued with new documented hacks, taking full control of the firing and reloading of players’ guns, leaving them disadvantaged in what should be a serious and competitive match.
With Realm’s private matchmaking network, all players can compete in a safe environment, with additional measures for keeping cheaters out of the league. Players who wish to enter must pass additional qualifications stated in Realm’s discord rules, including additional security measures such as account linkage to their website and past recorded results in the Challengers Cup or Pro League Qualifiers.
Despite the worries for their future and sustainability, Realm has confirmed the full support of Respawn and EA for the league. Set alongside Split Two of the ALGS, all Realm competition days will differ from any ALGS or Challengers Cup dates. EMEA matches will run from 2-8pm CET, with NA afterward from 2-8pm EST.
Many pros and content creators have already voiced high praise for Realm’s involvement in Apex, with their recent pre-season finals featuring a captain draft format and a $10,000 prize pool, involving several ALGS partnered orgs such as EMEA’s Element 6 and Fire Beavers.
All future Realm SoloQ League tournament matches can be viewed on their official Twitch channel. Realm’s website also features live-updated stats and leaderboards for their events, with plans for additional Apex leagues and expansion into CoD Warzone and Fortnite.
