The X Games extreme sports event is due to take place this August, and for the first time in three years, will include esports as well as more traditional events. This decision was announced earlier today by ESPN, with EXP Invitational Qualifiers set to take place on the 29th of June. This year’s esports event at the X Games will be an Apex Legends tournament.
Apex Legends Esports Will be at the X Games This Year
The X Games have included esports on a handful of occasions; the first, for instance, was a Call of Duty tournament in 2014. Both Counter-Strike and Halo have also featured at the event. However, after a brief set of appearances, esports were dropped from the event and haven’t returned for three years. This year’s event will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of August in Minneapolis, and will once again feature esports. This time, however, the event is looking to Apex Legends.
ESPN plans to hold online qualifiers for the tournament on the 29th of June, with qualifiers taking place simultaneously in Europe, North America, and Australia/New Zealand. Fifteen of the top esports teams who compete in Apex Legends have been invited to the tournament directly. The qualifiers will result in an additional five teams joining the roster; two from North America and Europe both, and one from Australia/New Zealand. As such, there will be twenty 3-player teams overall competing at the X Games in August. The prize purse will be $150,000.
The tournament will be available to watch live on a variety of platforms. These include the ESPN app and a variety of online streaming services. A recorded and cut-down version of the tournament will be broadcast on the 10th of August on ESPN2 at 10:00 PM ET. This will focus on the highlights rather than broadcasting the entire event.