The 2024 Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Regional Finals for North America was marred by a significant hacking incident during a live match.
Apex Legends publisher EA has decided to postpone the remainder of the ALGS regional finals, which determines the teams competing in the Split One playoffs, as a result.
During the ALGS NA Pro league split 1 finals, two professional players appeared to have cheats remotely enabled on their game client by a group of hackers, who subsequently posted messages in the game’s lobby taking credit for the hack.
The players, DarkZero’s Noyan ‘Genburten’ Ozkose and TSM player Phillip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen, appeared confused as the cheats appeared on their screens without their knowledge, both in different matches. ImperialHal’s game was subsequently ended early by tournament admins.
The nature and source of the hack have not yet been confirmed.
Following the incident, which took place on March 18th, the ALGS confirmed that the “competitive integrity of this series” had been compromised and said it would share further details soon. The next steps surrounding the remainder of the ALGS North American Regional Finals have yet to be determined.
“Due to the competitive integrity of this series being compromised, we have made the decision to postpone the NA finals at this time,” organisers said on X.
An incident of this nature is arguably unprecedented during a live top-tier esports tournament and raises integrity concerns. With the hack taking place during a live match, it could have implications for various verticals, including bookmakers.
Now in its fourth year, Apex Legends’ esports circuit continues to grow. The 2023 edition of its season-ending championship recorded peak viewing figures of 596,014 according to esports data platform Esports Charts.
The Apex Legends Split 1 playoffs take place from May 2nd-5th at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. Of the 40 teams competing, 12 slots are reserved for the North American region. It’s unclear how the hack will affect the remainder of the Regional Finals and the qualification process.
Apex Legends isn’t the only esport to fall victim to technical breaches. Korea’s League of Legends franchised league, the LCK, was hit with DDoS attacks resulting in match delays and a switch to pre-recorded matches without a live audience in attendance.
