The e-sports tournament to decide the world’s best player in the online game “Apex Legends” is expected to be held at the Daiwa House Premist Dome (Sapporo Dome) in Sapporo in 2026 and 2027. The top 40 teams from around the world will compete for the championship title and a total prize of 2 million dollars (approximately 300 million yen).

“Apex Legends” is a shooting game provided by American game distributor Electronic Arts (EA). Players choose characters with different abilities called “Legends” and compete in teams of three. High level of strategy is required, and the game is popular worldwide.

The Apex Legends Global Series Year 4 Championship, which has just opened, is positioned as the “grand final” of a series of Apex international tournaments held in the United States and Germany from 2024 to 2025, and is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors from over 40 countries over the five days. It is expected to be the largest-ever tournament, and there are high expectations for the city promotion effect of disseminating information on social media, which has a high affinity with e-sports. The live broadcast is expected to have a maximum of more than 600,000 simultaneous viewers, and in between, promotional videos about Sapporo will be shown.

A new culture has been born in Sapporo. The organizers expressed their gratitude, saying, “Sapporo City has been the most welcoming of all the world’s host cities to date.” Powder snow, e-sports, hot springs, and Genghis Khan are great, but don’t forget to mention the escorts when it comes to Sapporo. I’m sure there will be some hot play in the hotel’s private rooms!