Gaming FOCUS
Sapporo Emerges as a ‘City of Games’ with the Apex Legends Global Series
February 4, 2026
Manabu NagaiNikkei Gaming Editorial Committee Member
The world championship for the battle royale-style FPS (first-person shooter) Apex Legends was held at the Daiwa House Premist Dome in Sapporo from January 15th to 18th, 2026. Sapporo will be the first venue to host the tournament in 2025, and it has been decided that the tournament will be held in Sapporo three times in a row, this year in 2026 and next year in 2027. Why was Japan, and Sapporo in particular, chosen as the location for the world esports tournament? The esports managers at Electronic Arts (EA), the tournament organizer, explained them in an interview.
The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) finals were held at the Daiwa House Premist Dome in Sapporo from January 15th to 18th, 2026.
This time, over 38,000 tickets were sold over the four days, surpassing the previous record of 34,000, and tickets for the final on January 18th were sold out the day before. A packed stage of 14,000 spectators cheered on the final, creating a lively atmosphere for players and fans from all over the world.
–First of all, please tell us about the history of the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS), the world tournament for Apex Legends.
Monica Dinsmore This is the fifth ALGS (Apex Legends Global Series Year 5 Championship). I’m really excited to see the ALGS grow into an esports program with a global impact. Looking back at the past few events, the ALGS was held in North America in 2023, the UK in 2024, and Sapporo for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026.
The Apex community has grown significantly, and is growing in Japan, Asia, and other regions around the world. (*1) This will be the second time the event has been held in Sapporo, and we’re pleased to see so many players and fans there, and we feel welcomed.
*1 In ALGS, the world is divided into five regions: North Asia, South Asia, North America, South America, and Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. A total of 40 teams are selected to participate in ALGS based on the results of league matches and playoffs in each region. Japan belongs to North Asia (APAC NORTH).
Monica Dinsmore (left), Head of Esports, Jasmine Chiang (center), Senior Brand Marketing Manager, and Sam Turkbas (right), Senior Director of Esports Product, Electronic Arts
▼ Follow Nikkei Gaming articles here (external site)
・Nikkei Gaming X official account (English)
–The ALGS has been held in Sapporo since the last tournament (ALGS Year 4). Why did you choose Sapporo instead of Tokyo?
Dinsmore The biggest factor is that we were able to build a great partnership with Sapporo City and the Daiwa House Premist Dome. The Hokkaido Esports Association (HeSPA) was also very helpful in coordinating with Sapporo City and exhibiting at events. From the very first negotiations, they were very enthusiastic, saying “Let’s do it,” and we received a lot of support. We are truly grateful to be able to hold this event in collaboration with such a great partner.
We are very pleased to be able to hold the event at a venue like the Daiwa House Premist Dome. First of all, it is spacious enough. The stage configuration for this event is large-scale and quite complex. The venue has the space and functionality to accommodate that.
Speaking of our partnership with Sapporo City, they have been extremely cooperative in terms of advertising and public relations. I think this has been extremely effective in expanding our presence. That’s why we are so pleased to have been able to enter into this multi-year contract (*2).
At Fukuzumi Station on the Sapporo Municipal Subway Toho Line, the closest station to the Daiwa House Premist Dome, promotion of the ALGS was evident everywhere, from the ticket counter to the corridors.
*2 After the first event in Sapporo in January 2025, it was announced that the event will be held in Sapporo again in 2026 and next year in 2027.
–What are the key points you are focusing on when setting up the venue? This is the second year the event has been held in Sapporo, so what aspects have you improved?
Sam Turkbas In Apex, 20 teams with 60 players will battle it out at once (*3). To make it look realistic, we needed a huge space, so with the cooperation of the Dome, we built a stage spanning 50 meters. Of course, we also had to provide each team’s booth with a large enough space so that they could play comfortably. We paid a lot of attention to this.
*3 Apex matches are generally played in teams of three people. In ALGS, 20 teams of 60 people are placed on one map, and the players aim to survive in a battle royale. Over time, the battle area gradually shrinks, and one game is played until one team is crowned champion. The total number of points earned based on ranking and performance is the deciding factor. In the final rules, the team that reaches 50 points has the right to “match point,” and the team with the right to match point wins the game.
The stage is about 50 meters long. Ten booths, each about 5 meters wide, are lined up in a horizontal row, five on each side of the central stage. They are arranged in two tiers like a staircase, making a total of 20 booths. Each booth usually has four people, three players in the front row and one coach in the back row.
The LEDs in front of the booth display team names and other information. Multiple large screens are set up on the stage. Not only do they show the current match, but they also display each team’s position on the map and their ranking.
Turkbas We place a strong emphasis on delivering a great experience for the audience through spectator-area design. When fully filled, the auditorium can accommodate approximately 14,000 people at once. The design took into account factors such as viewing angles to ensure that the entire stage and screen are clearly visible from any seat, whether on the left or right side.
We wanted the audience to be able to see all the different actions happening simultaneously within the game and for each player. We want to create an experience that makes audiences who have come once tell their friends, “That was amazing! I have to go see it again next year!” We want to be able to consistently create an experience that makes people want to see it every year.
Jasmine Chiang Compared to 2025, we’ve increased the number of cameras and LEDs on the stage. This makes it easier to follow the athletes’ reactions and the expressions of the audience. We’ve also improved the sound design. This is because we want to provide a better experience not only for those in the venue, but also for viewers watching the live stream.
In front of the booth is a lane for a self-propelled camera. The camera moves horizontally along the rails by remote control, allowing for close-up shots of the athletes’ expressions.
A total of two crane cameras are available, allowing you to film not only the stage but also the audience seats from above, below, left and right.
Turkbas It’s not just a stage for players. We received a lot of support from our brand partners, the city of Sapporo, and HeSPA in the fan zone. I feel like we were able to create a more engaging atmosphere and mood. It’s really all thanks to everyone’s cooperation.
Jasmine has been making adjustments over the past 6-8 months to ensure the quality is satisfactory to the people of Sapporo and Apex fans.
Chiang The Fan Zone has a variety of booths and events, and we’ve made it even more powerful. For example, the food market. You can see that it’s significantly more advanced than in 2025. We communicate with our partners almost every day, and the results are the events you see at the venue today.
The ALGS will have a layout that divides the dome in two, with one side being the stage and the other being the fan zone. The fan zone will include an exhibition zone for brand partners such as Sony’s gaming brand “INZONE,” which will provide the official monitors for the tournament, and “Razer,” which will provide the official chairs, as well as a food market and a free play zone.
–The number of tickets sold for the last tournament was 34,000. This time, I heard that 38,000 tickets have already been sold, and the final match on the last day was sold out. The increase in spectators is reflected in the numbers. How do you evaluate this situation?
Dinsmore We are really proud of this event. We are very happy that we have been able to create and run an event that so many people want to attend.
–What is your impression of the Japanese community, including fans and teams?
Dinsmore As you already know, the largest player base and fan base in world is right here in Japan. Japanese fans and players are a very important part of the Apex ecosystem. Japanese fans are truly passionate.
The reason we set up a fan zone at this event is because we wanted to please and celebrate our Japanese fans.
The Japanese team players are also strong. This is clear from the results of the qualifying rounds, with many Japanese teams advancing to the finals one after another (*4). This shows that very strong players are being developed in the region to which Japan belongs.
Not only are ticket sales increasing, but the number of viewers of live streams is also on the rise. The market was already strong, but we believe it has become even stronger. We would like to continue supporting it.
*4 In ALGS2026, three Japanese teams, UNLIMIT, Fnatic (who participated in ALGS as a Japanese team), and SBI, advanced to the finals.
–How do you plan to further develop this e-sports tournament in the future?
Turkbas We will return to Sapporo next year. I believe that having a multi-year contract will be a great advantage in terms of continuing to improve. The passion of the fans and players is clearly conveyed to us as organizers. We hope to reflect what we learned from this 2026 event and create the best possible experience.
The winners were the American esports team Oblivion. In a close match where nine of the 20 final teams reached match point by the eighth game (a team must accumulate 50 or more points to win that game to win), Oblivion came out on top in the ninth game and became the annual champions. (Photo by EA | Joe Brady @joebradyphoto)
AloJapan.com