Things are going wrong in the shooter Apex Legends . A player was transferred a prize of over $100,000 for a win via PayPal. However, the pro only participated in the event for one day, and his team ended up in 16th place.
Which tournament is it about? The tournament is the “ALGS NA Pro League Split 1”:
- The tournament ran from January 21, 2024, to March 25, 2025
- The tournament was won by the team- “DarkZero Esports” – which was supposed to receive a prize of $20,000
- However, the pro Zeddo was transferred $100,026 because he allegedly won the tournament. He announced this on July 9.
$100,000 for 1 day of work and 16th place
This is what Zeddo says: Zeddo did not properly participate in the tournament but was only a substitute player for “Native Gaming” for one day, which finished sixteenth and as a team won a total prize of $2,000.
On Twitter, he ironically comments: The one day really paid off for him (via Twitter).
Many other players are missing large portions of their prize money
Is this an isolated case? No, apparently, something is going wrong. Other players who should have been entitled to a certain amount received much less money:
For instance, Shobby is upset that he only received $512, although he should have actually been entitled to $5,600 in prize money. While it is common to wait two to three months for the prize money, it is frustrating when only $500 is paid out, he writes.
Other pros from Apex Legends are also complaining that only fractions of their winnings were paid out.
An article by Dexerto suggests that there might be significant changes happening at the responsible organizer, the e-sports company Esports Engine
. The company was taken over in 2023, and as a result, several people were laid off. Perhaps they fired the wrong people.
Ah, so that’s why EA needs so much money
Additionally: This is also unfortunate because Apex Legends is under criticism for drastically increasing the prices of the Battle Pass. Players joke that it’s no wonder EA is tightening the price screws. Apparently, Apex Legends simply lacks money: A major shooter on Steam now has deep red reviews, even players with 3,000 hours are complaining
“Our partner is taking care of it”
Update July 13, 8:58 AM: There is now a statement from an EA employee (via twitter). It states that the payout partner for the prize money is currently correcting the errors. They have already communicated this internally with the professional players via Discord.
The player who mistakenly received the $100,000 writes on Twitter in the meantime: “It just sits there. It stares at me and makes me sweat.”
