TSM has signed three new women to their Apex Legends division. Existing content creator Janey will now be a signed Pro Player.
TSM announced the arrival of three new women Apex Legends players, as well as the re-signing of a fourth player.
Janey is moving from the content creator division, and will now be a signed "pro" with the prestigious American org. Joining her are EMEA Pro League player Kornelia "Sabz" Zawistowska, former NA Pro League player and ALGS Caster Laurice "GuhRL" Habibi, and Isabella "Avuhlie" Rivera.
This is by far the biggest investment in the Apex Legends women's scene by any organization to date.
For interviews, recap and analysis check out our ALGS Split 1 Playoffs event hub.
The team won't compete in ALGS together
While Sabz, Janey, and Avuhlie compete together in women's only tournaments regularly, it does not appear that this new roster will be taking part in ALGS together anytime soon.
Sabz would have to relocate from the EMEA region to compete alongside her teammates. She is currently the only woman to play at the pro level in the region. Phoenix Legacy finished 26th in the EMEA Pro League and will attempt to regain its spot in the second split through the upcoming Pro League qualifier.
Guhrl does not currently compete but was previously the only woman competitor in the NA Pro League. In a chat with esports.gg last year, she highlighted how keen she was to show women can make it in esports. As a former ALGS caster, she is one of the most prominent women in all of Apex.
Avuhlie is also an experienced competitor. She has competed in the ALGS Challenger Circuit. But more recently she has been focused on the emerging women's only tournament scene.
Janey has only competed in women's only tournaments, and currently has no interest in ALGS.
These signings come just a day after TSM signed Mande, signaling a noticeable foray outside of North American Apex.
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TSM to highlight players as individuals
Instead of opening a new women's division, TSM plans to highlight the four players as individuals. Sabz will continue to compete in the EMEA scene. TSM's Vice President of Esports explained that their latest signings all have the flexibility and support to essentially do as they please.
TSM's decision not to start an official women-only team might not have been in their hands. Current ALGS rules say that each organization can only have one team representing them across all regions. This is a major reason why Apex does not have any academy rosters.
Regardless, their investment in four of the leading women in the Apex community signals TSM's future intentions loud and clear. TSM is fully committed to Apex, and TSM won't be joining Cloud9, Spacestation Gaming, G2, and others in leaving the battle royale.
TSM signing helps Sabz continue to compete in ALGS
By investing in players such as Sabz, it gives her the freedom to keep competing. Money is always a problem for any unsigned Apex players. This problem is compounded by the lack of third-party tournaments in EMEA. For Sabz's entire Pro League split, she won just $1500 in prize money. Once you split this three ways, it is a minimal amount for the time invested.
The backing of TSM will give her space to improve as a player and help break down the barriers in the scene.
This move is a huge boost to the women's scene as a whole in Apex. Social media was awash with hugely positive reactions to the news.
Will this news help encourage more investment into women's only events in the Apex Legends scene? Apex, like most esports, is a very male-dominated arena. Hopefully, this will begin to change in the near future.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Apex Legends news and updates.
