The BLGS, a $400,000 Apex Legends open tournament circuit, is making waves as it kicks off this weekend. Hosted by popular Apex Legends creators and casters Jack “NiceWigg” Martin and Athanasios "Greek" Alestas, the BLGS has already become the game's largest Pro-Am tournament, boasting over 750 teams signed up in the Americas and nearly 1,600 signups worldwide. In an exclusive interview, Jasmine Chiang, Apex Legends Esports Global Brand Marketing Lead, shared insights into the significance of the BLGS and its impact on the community.

"The BLGS honestly has been one of the more fun projects that I've worked on during my time at EA," said Chiang. "This is a competitive series centered around our official B-stream casters, hence the name BLGS. Our boys NiceWigg and Greek are hosting this series, and it consists of four open qualifier tournaments and regional finals where there's $100,000 up for grabs in each of our four regions: the Americas, EMEA, APAC North, and APAC South." One of the standout features of the BLGS is its open ecosystem, allowing anyone—even casual players—to compete alongside seasoned pros and popular content creators.

"This open series hits on a few major pillars for the ALGS," Chiang explained. "One thing that makes the ALGS unique is the ability for anyone—and I mean literally even you or me—to get a shot at the big leagues. You'll hear the term 'couch to champion' thrown around here and there, and I love the grassroots angle that ALGS has." The BLGS also serves as a testing ground for new broadcast graphics, stream integrations, and the inclusion of all six maps in competitive play for the very first time, including the newest map, eDistrict.

"We've been playing around with all the broadcast graphics and stream integrations that you'll see in the regional finals, and I think the community will really like them," said Chiang. "We're also testing out all six maps in competitive for the very first time, and many in the community weren't sure if eDistrict—the newest map to Apex—was ready for competition. I think this past weekend proved to me at least that it is." The inclusion of popular content creators alongside professional teams adds a fresh dynamic to the competition.

"The sentiment has been awesome," Chiang shared. "We've heard really positive things from content creators participating in competition for the very first time. While it's daunting, they're telling us how exciting it is—that thrill of competition that makes Apex really what it is." Chiang emphasized the importance of maintaining the grassroots aspect of esports.

"I've just been a fan of esports for so, so, so long, and I think that we can't ever lose that grassroots aspect of it—or it doesn't feel like esports to me without it," she said. "To me, the ALGS is an esport built on the community, and the BLGS is just an opportunity for us to celebrate that community in the lead-up to champs." Reflecting on the past year, Chiang highlighted the growth and milestones achieved by the ALGS.

"It's crazy to me that we're already at the tail end of year four," she remarked. "In my eyes, the ALGS has successfully made its claim as the destination for the best of the best. One thing that I'm particularly proud of is our ability to say that we are a truly global esports circuit." With tens of thousands of competitors from over 81 countries and a prize pool of five million dollars, the ALGS has solidified its position on the global stage.

"Esports is one of the most powerful engagement tools that we have as a franchise, especially with a game like Apex that's so competitive in its nature," Chiang stated. "I'm proud of the team; I'm proud of the work that we've done this year, and it only fuels the fire to see what we can do going into year five." As for what's next, Chiang remained tight-lipped but hinted at exciting developments on the horizon.

"I won't spoil anything for year five, but this is definitely a testing ground for us," she said. "We're collecting as much feedback as possible. It's really helped guide some of the changes that we may see in year five." In the meantime, fans can look forward to the ongoing BLGS qualifiers and the regional finals happening in December.

"Stay tuned to the ALGS socials on X and on YouTube," Chiang encouraged. "There's a lot of really interesting and cool content that we plan to make around the series, and I'm excited for the community to see that."

With the BLGS bringing together pros, content creators, and newcomers alike, the Apex Legends community is set for an exciting journey leading up to the ALGS Year 4 Championship.