Update:
ESPN will in fact be airing the tournament, the decision has been explained as, “The decision was made out of respect for the victims and all those impacted in the immediate aftermath of the shootings and it seemed the prudent thing to do given the swirl of that moment.”
Here are the rescheduled air dates and times for those interested:
Sunday, October 6 at 5p ET on ESPN2
Tuesday, October 15 at 11p ET on ESPN2
Sunday, October 27 at 4 ET on ESPN2
Original Story:
Apex Legends fans were looking forward to seeing an upcoming tournament, but that invitational tournament has now been pulled from TV broadcast by the network. And it’s entirely understanable, although debatable, as to why they did it. And yes, it’s all about the horrific mass shootings of the last few days in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
ESPN and ABC have announced to affiliates that they will no longer air the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games this coming Sunday, Aug. 11. Their exact reason for doing so is “out of respect for the victims and all those impacted by the recent shootings.” Instead, the channel will air “E:60 – Forever Broncos” in the same time slot.
So the announcement has been revealed, showing that ESPN and ABC have made the decision to not air the tournament, ostensibly because it features guns and violent imagery. Even though Apex Legends is a much more cartoonish shooter compared to a much more realistic Battlefield or Call of Duty, the public perception of the event is still important enough to consider.
And it’s pretty understandable given the current climate video games find themselves in. The consistent rise of far-right and misogynist violence is impossible to ignore. And despite no clearly established links, many see video games as an influence with these issues. So while it sucks, the public perception of this problem is very important.
Combine this with the fiasco around the ESA data leak, and things don’t look good for the game industry right now. Despite the positive news surrounding some promises to disclose loot box odds recently, there’s still a ton of work to be done.
