100 Thieves drops Apex Legends roster before Preseason Invitational

Another esports organization is backing out of competitive Apex Legends. 

100 Thieves has released their Apex Legends roster, leaving Justin “Teenage” Phipps, Isiaih “Lifted” Slowik, and Justin “JP2” Pate without a team. 

“Thank you for representing 100 Thieves during your competitive Apex career. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors,” 100 Thieves announced on Twitter. 

This comes after the squad finished in a disappointing 10th place in the FACEIT Pro Series. This was one of the few Apex Legends tournaments that have taken place this year. Twitch Rivals hosted a tournament recently, a “pub stomp” that saw pro players scrambling to kill as many casuals as possible in order to win. 

Lack of Apex Legends tournaments causes problems

Apex Legends’ lack of tournaments has played a major part in the game’s dwindling views on Twitch. The game once took the top spot from Fortnite, but has since dropped to being Twitch’s 13th most-popular game. 

100 Thieves isn’t the first organization to drop their Apex Legends team, with Cloud9 and Immortals also letting go of their rosters this year. Though none of them have offered an explanation for the cuts, the decline in viewership and lack of event support are likely the culprits. 

Respawn Entertainment might be ready to turn this around, however. The developer announced the Apex Legends Preseason Invitational last month. From September 13 to 15, 80 teams from around the world will compete for $500,000. Twitch Rivals is also currently hosting an event with a $500,000 prize pool.