Fnatic signed Japan-based team to compete in Apex Legends again

The UK organization makes a comeback to Apex Legends and enters the pro scene with a completely different approach. After two years of hiatus in the discipline, Fnatic decided to explore the Asian market and there are many reasons for that. 

New Fnatic roster and the reasons for entering Japan 

On June 29, Fnatic announced that they’ve signed a new Apex Legends roster that consists of Japan-based players. The Club stopped competing in the title two years ago, when both their squads from Europe and North America were disbanded. However, since the discipline gained a lot of recognition in Asia, it seems like the organization decided to give it a second try.

The premise for Fnatic’s Asian development was that they’ve secured a $17 million funding round from Marubeni Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in Japan. The main purpose of this money is to develop on Japanese and Asia-Pacific markets. Apart from Apex Legends roster, the organization plans to support its Rainbow Six Siege team, which is also based in Japan. Furthermore, establishing a training facility in the country is also a part of the plan. 

Another important factor in such a decision is the growth and revenue of the esports market in Japan, which exceeded 8.6 million yen in 2021 and is likely to increase to 12,7 million yen in 2022, according to Famitsu. Moreover, Apex Legends is one of the leading games in Japan and is also among the most watched title on Twitch. In 2021, the game was the ninth most popular title of all categories on the platform. 

Considering all these facts, it makes sense why Fnatic decided to enter the Asian market. This includes the fact that not so many esports organizations from Europe or North America have done the same thing. 

Sam Mathews, Fnatic’s founder commented: 

“We are really excited about our new Apex Legends team, and it’s great to be furthering our presence in Japan, following the recent relocation of our Rainbow 6 roster. Apex has had resounding success as a title and with the return of international LAN events, the esports scene has become an incredible spectacle.”

The new Fnatic team will debut on July 7 as a part of Apex Legends Global Series: 2022 Championship. The squad previously competed in ALGS split and garnered a sufficient amount of points to compete in the main event right away. They previously competed under GameWith and BAKAGAKI tags. ALGS Championship starts on July 7, so we will see the new roster in action very soon. 

Fnatic Apex Legends roster 

• Yuga “YukaF” Horie
• Keita “MatsuTasu” Matsura
• Takamasa “Meltstera” Kawai
• Hiroki “Kamaneko” Kimoto (Coach)

Header credit: Fnatic