- Apex London is prepared if players test positive for Covid and have to be isolated
- The event has extra rooms that Covid-positive players can use
- The same system will be implemented at other events during 2023
Last year saw many teams unable to play at the London ALGS Split One Playoffs due to teams getting positive Covid tests, so Respawn is determined not to make the same mistake.
ALGS Implements Covid Plan
We are currently in the middle of the 2023 ALGS Split One Playoffs which will run until Sunday, February 5. It’s the first Apex Legends LAN competitive event of the year and will see forty teams from around the world duke it out to be crowned the Split One champions, as well as earn important Playoff Points.
The 2022 iteration event, which was won by DarkZero Esports, was mired with Covid-related difficulties. The ALGS organizers did not foresee there would be a lack of accessible facilities Covid-positive Apex pros could compete in. To ensure this does not repeat this year, the London Playoffs now feature increased measures to ensure all attending players can participate, regardless if they’re tested positive for Covid.
Last year, Covid-positive players were denied the opportunity to play in the tournament, which impacted many teams’ performance. Fourteen out of the forty teams participating in 2022’s London Playoffs had a player test positive for the virus. Just nine of the affected teams had an extra player, or sometimes even coach, to substitute for the missing member. However, for the rest of the affected teams, there was no other choice but to drop out of the competition.
Many Teams Were Negatively Affected Last Year
One notable team that had to go through these troubles last year was GMT Esports who had Torrent’s RamBeau step in as a sub. Despite the unpredicted swap, the team finished in fifth place in the grand finals with highlight plays like clutching game one by himself against two full squads.
Unfortunately, not all teams could afford such easy changes. APAC-N saw four teams test positive for the virus, some of which had multiple players affected. PULVEREX was one of the affected teams but they managed to substitute their coach, ChaNRiyo, in for saku on day one. However, ChaNRiyo tested positive on day two, and with the team not having an extra player, it had to go on as a duo.
FENNEL was another team that was in the same situation. The team had two sick players, whom they substituted with the organization’s two coaches. However, the same disaster struck again when Otogi also tested positive for Covid, leaving FENNEL with a duo of players, like PULVEREX.
Respawn hopes to avoid such situations this year with the development of quarantine rooms for the London LAN. the Split One Playoffs and all future events for the 2023 Apex season (the Split Two Playoffs and Championship will also be held in London) will feature the starting lineups of each team.
