To say there aren’t many women in esports is an understatement. It’s been a true boys’ club since the beginning of the virtual competition, and the majority of the pros are male. But times are changing. Women’s spaces and more inclusive tournaments are popping up across the board, and nowhere more than in Apex Legends.
Only a handful of women have competed in the Apex Legends Global Series. Lauren ‘GuhRL’ Habibi, Elvira ‘Esdesu’ Temirova and Kornelia ‘Sabz’ Zawistowska are some of the most recognizable names in the ALGS, but there are countless talented surfers in the wake of these pioneering women. The biggest hurdle for the female esports scene at Apex and elsewhere comes from the fact that it’s difficult to practice and develop. Pro League scrims are tight-knit factions even when most teams don’t show up, and Apex has a significant lack of mid-tier tournaments. You have ALGS, you have G-Loot Showdown and Oversight. The prize pool plummeted from $1 million to $5,000.
Daily competitions like new kid on the block Realm help mitigate this somewhat, but standalone leaderboards like this are more of a cash incentive rankings mode than tournaments.
The Celestial Cup features a smaller prize pool than G-Loot or Oversight and is a women-only competition. But the fact that the 1st place team had to split $600 between its three members didn’t stop Sol League Split 3 Finals from being one of the most exciting Apex esports I’ve seen in years.
The tournament was played for 11 rounds of mammoth and culminated on the edge of the seat 2v2v2 to determine the winner. It was classic match point excitement as Lust ripped the trophy out of TSM’s hands in the last minute and solidified a rivalry that had been brewing all day. The women’s tournament doesn’t just give female players a chance to participate, it gives fans a chance to get attached to the team, support the players, and immerse themselves in the storyline, just like the ALGS. Fans will tune in to the next Celestial Cup to see TSM vs Lust unfold once again, and the women’s scene will benefit immensely from it.
The more women’s tournaments, the better the competition will be. Why do you think Phillip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen is as good as he is? I can afford to play Apex Legends all day, so I’ve been honing my skills and improving my already significant talents. For that to happen, women athletes need to compete, and they need competition that can pay for itself. The Celestial Cup provided the thrill, but didn’t provide the prize money the women’s Apex needed to reach the next level.
Join the Apex Legends Open Tournament. Part of Galaxy Racer’s HER Galaxy Tournament Series, the EA-sponsored public competition boasts a $100,000 prize pool, the largest ever for a women’s-only Apex tournament. Including the six other HER Galaxy series tournaments taking place this year, the prize pool rises to $250,000. With the excitement of the Celestial Cup and the prize pool of the Apex Legends Open Tournament, the female esports scene in Apex Legends is better than ever.
The Open Tournament will be streamed throughout April, May and June 6th, so be sure to watch it for yourself. If you qualify for the competition, you can register for a few more days. So why not hesitate? Hopefully 2023 will be the year female Apex explodes, and by the time the next pro league opens we’ll see a few more female players appearing there. In the meantime, I’m going to watch that Celestial Cup Match Point final replay until my eyes run out.