Although the Apex Legends community celebrated VK Gaming’s thrilling victory in Riyadh, the ALGS Playoffs broadcast and event itself have faced consistent criticism across the tournament.
Delayed broadcast starts, the absence of critical POV’s, and commitment to a non-traditional format are hot topics of discussion.
ALGS Playoffs Broadcast woes – delayed starts and missed fights cause disappointment for viewers
Despite day one of the Apex Legends tournament running relatively smoothly, day 2 of the ALGS Playoffs faced extreme delays. The broadcast and games did not start until over an hour after they were scheduled to begin.
Broadcast-specific issues were not isolated to Apex Legends, either. Valorant suffered from broadcast and audio loss that delayed one game for over two hours. It is unknown as to whether the two broadcast issues were related.
These broadcast issues likely impacted viewership across both Valorant and Apex.
Both Apex Legends and Valorant fans also raised complaints about the observation of critical engagements and fights during the Esports World Cup.
The Esports World Cup utilised its own broadcasting, observation, and production network for the ALGS Playoffs. This move away from EA’s typically highly-regarded observation and production team proved controversial.
Many fans complained online about missing key fights. At several points during the broadcast, producers would cut away from observers watching crucial team fights, forcing viewers to rely on the kill feed to determine the outcome.
Usually, popular official B-Stream hosts NiceWigg and Greek are granted spectator privileges for the ALGS. Fans frequently praise their ability to follow crucial game-changing moments. However, they were not granted an official B-Stream for the Midseason Playoffs.
Instead, both streamers were forced to watch-party the main broadcast.
The B-Stream has a cult-like status in Apex Legends, frequently topping primary broadcast viewership. Fans sorely felt its absence from the ALGS Playoffs in Riyadh.
Questioning format – is the Esports World Cup format fair?
Year 5’s Apex Legends Global Series features three offline LAN tournaments. The ALGS Open took place in May, the ALGS Midseason Playoffs just concluded at the Esports World Cup, and the ALGS Championship is scheduled for January 2026 in Sapporo, Japan.
Due to being integrated into the Esports World Cup, the ALGS Midseason Playoffs adopted an elimination system unique to the event. This system prioritises efficiency, beginning the elimination process on day one.
Traditionally, ALGS tournaments have followed a specific Groups, Brackets, and Finals format.
Group Stage vs Pool Play
The Group Stage typically features four groups, which play each other over two days. Games are conducted to ensure that seeding is determined after every team has played all other tournament competitors.
However, the Esports World Cup-hosted ALGS Playoffs scrapped this format. Instead, they ran a “Pool Play” stage. The tournament’s 40 competing teams were split into two “pools.”
They only played against teams in their pool during this stage of the competition. “Pool Play” also consisted of only two games overall, one for each group.
This means that teams are not able to compete against all other competitors in the initial tournament stages. It also means that seeding from Pool Play is based on a total of ten matches, all of which are played consecutively.
In the traditional ALGS format, eighteen matches determine the seeding, divided into three games of six matches.
As a result, teams are not forced to play more than six consecutive matches, allowing for better recovery and recuperation.
Some criticised the brutality of a ten-match series, particularly after Furia player Keon ‘Keon’ Berghout encountered medical difficulties stemming from a lack of food while competing in Pool Play 1.
Teams unable to instantly perform at their best were also brutally eliminated in Pool Play. Those finishing the ten-match series in 18th, 19th, and 20th place instantly leave the competition.
Traditionally, ALGS eliminations do not begin until the third day of the competition. This allows players to adjust to a new LAN environment during the Group Stage.
Elimination Brackets vs Last Chance Semifinals
All post-Pool Play eliminations from the Esports World Cup format occur after another ten-match series named the “Last Chance Semifinals.”
Only the top six teams from these ten matches proceed to the final with the top-seeded Pool Play teams.
When comparing this format to the traditional EA tournaments, Apex fans have felt that it was a “missed opportunity to add more depth to the tournament and screentime for crowd favourites.” On the CompetitiveApex subreddit, posts begged for more games, as opposed to less.
Overall, the consensus was that the tournament format felt rushed, with teams given little chance to prove themselves.
Missed opportunities at LAN tournaments are particularly harmful for teams. Vital Championship points are accumulated in these tournaments. In the rushed Esports World Cup format, one bad game flushed these Championship Points down the drain.
Will the ALGS Playoffs be permanently integrated into the Esports World Cup?
The LAN schedule for ALGS Year 6 is unconfirmed. Pushback against ALGS integration into the Esports World Cup may encourage EA to reconsider its Year 5 decisions. However, the financial benefits from offloading LAN tournament costs to a different organisation may take priority.
In the meantime, teams will continue working towards the Year 5 Championship. Dominant teams such as Team Falcons, Alliance, 100 Thieves, and Midseason Playoffs winners VK Gaming are likely to be hot tickets on esports betting sites to take the title.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
