Fnatic returns to Apex Legends with a bang at ALGS Championship ’22

Apex Legends
July 8, 2022
Bryan Francis

Fnatic revealed a new Apex Legends squad based in Japan only a week ahead of the ALGS Championship 2022, signalling their return to EA’s battle royale shooter title. While this is very much beneficial for the ecosystem of the Apex Legends Esports scene, it is also important for FNC’s ever expanding global brand presence.

One major reason being the name value of Fnatic will help get in new advertisers and sponsors for the tournaments in the future. What does this mean for an organization like FNATIC, and how important is their maiden voyage back into Apex Legends at ALGS Championship ’22.

FNC Algs championship

What does FNC’s re-entry mean for Apex Legends esports?

While there isn’t much information to go off on based on their team’s playing style or patterns. Their run in this tournament is going to be as crucial as it gets. This is mainly because one can easily figure out the current base point of the team when compared to other roasters. Majorly also figure out the places they need to build on from.

As it currently stands FNATIC is already in the top 20 of the teams in the ongoing Apex Legends Global Series: Championship tournament. Currently placed at the 11th spot. While this is their first major tournament as a team, it will be quite a feat to notice for fans worldwide. The FNATIC Apex Legend Roaster consists of:

  • YukaF (In-Game Leader/Captain)
  • MatsuTasu
  • Meltstera
  • Kamaneko (Coach)

The Apex Legends scene is returning to prominence, as more teams are joining in and investing money into the sport. This will simply give more exposure to the teams and the game in various regions where they didn’t notice the game. For example, Japan has three games which are in the hype right now: Valorant, LoL and Rainbow Six. Apex Legends hasn’t yet got the exposure it needs, and organizations like FNATIC joining in again after the pandemic in both R6 and Apex bolsters both the global fandom and local fandom for the titles and local crowd.

Only time will tell if the third run of the organization in Apex Legends will be fruitful for them in the long run.

Fnatic pushing eastward for new audiences and fandom

Founded back in 2004, FNATIC is one of the most recognized esports organizations in the world. They have consistently expanded to various regions to be able to recruit new talent and followers. Since the second rise of esports in 2011, the organization has been building and rising at quite a rapid rate. Over 100 events are attended annually by Fnatic players who represent the organization in over 25 nations. The team has more than 1,200,000 social media followers.

Currently, Fnatic is a staple and household name in both CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant. Their fan base is global, and they keep expanding into new markets, intentionally signing rosters from various corners of the globe.

Adding Apex Legends and Rainbow 6 in Japan only reinforces their presence in the APAC region. This also complements their Southeast Asia presence in Dota 2. At this stage, Fnatic only needs a Mobile Games team somewhere in South Asia or India and a FreeFire, OWL team in China/Korea to fully stamp their presence across the region.

Sam Mathews, the Fnatic founder, stated the following after the Apex roster announcement:

“We are really excited about our new Apex Legends team, and it’s great to be furthering our presence in Japan, following the recent relocation of our Rainbow 6 roster… Apex has had resounding success as a title and with the return of international LAN events, the esports scene has become an incredible spectacle.”