It got canceled and 24 hours later it’s back again! Here’s what we know about the Realm Champions League.
The Realm has returned to Apex League despite a rocky road over the past week. Once an important community milestone to getting called off, and now back only 24 hours later, the controversial yet incredibly skilled league of Apex has made waves over the past week. However, with their new announcement of the Champions League, the Apex Community is watching Realm with very curious eyes.
What is the Realm Apex League?
The Realm was originally a high-ranked solo queue Apex League. Akin to Season 1 of Apex Legends' Elite Queue, the Realm League would only allow the best to queue. The entry requirements to enter the league were achieving Predator rank on North American servers or Masters on EMEA servers. Additionally, on occasion, some players could be "vouched in" by other members of the league. Thus there was a limited population within this player pool which allowed for the highest quality games with the best of the best.
The Realm League launched on the first week in April 2023. The initial reactions were overwhelmingly positive. As the league provided a better matchmaking pool and better opportunities to practice. Additionally, including both NA and EU gave a much-needed hand to the EMEA region in terms of tournament practice. However, this positivity didn't last long and problems with the league arose.
Realm's short-lived success
Issues quickly arose with Realm, and the community was quick to point them out. The most prominent issue players faced was the pool of players available as it wasn't just limited to high-ranked players anymore.
Participants could be "vouched" into the league. The exclusive league started looking a lot like ranked matchmaking in Apex Legends as players who didn't meet the requirements got into the matchmaking pool. The dilution of the playerbase directly contradicted what many of the players loved about the League.
Additionally, rumors of Realm's backing surfaced after they decided to pause/cancel the league. Apex Legends caster and analyst Jon "Fallout" Kefaloukos brought light to these speculative rumors. Allegedly Realm was backed by Canadian cryptocurrency investors and planned to include blockchain services.
Realm didn't take kindly to these rumors, and so they replied promptly that the cancellation of the league was due to player feedback. They went into further detail highlighting a press release signed off by EA themselves. In short, it further reinforced that the league itself was healthy for the community.
The new Realm version - Realm Champions League
An announcement of the new season of The Realm only 24 hours after their previous statements. The Realm Champions League is exclusive to North American professional Apex teams. Over the course of three months, teams can fight for a share of the $120,000 prize pool, all broadcasted daily. Built on player feedback, this new format "trumps solo based matchmaking in comp".
In the end, the Realm Champions League is beneficial to the Apex community. The concept of what Realm attempts to accomplish is where it shines. A league for both aspiring pros and new talent coming in one matchmaking pool with a hefty prize pool. Although the league just started, they are keen on improving with the community's feedback, which means the league can only improve.
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