Jasmine Chiang, Senior Brand Marketing Manager for Apex Legends Esports, talked to esports.gg about keeping ALGS authentic.
ALGS Year 5 just concluded with the Championship event in Sapporo, Japan, for the second time in a row. In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, Senior Brand Marketing Manager of Apex Legends Esports, Jasmine Chiang, explained how and why ALGS content has to be "authentic," what it means to appreciate the local community, and working with the City of Sapporo to make the ALGS experience better.
Why ALGS has to be 'authentic'
"A lot of the time our content is based on how comfortable pros are doing content. We would never force them to do content, and we have a lot of opportunities across our events," said Chiang.
She also added that she's especially proud of the skits that are produced as part of their content strategy while keeping the pros' identities. "We want to make sure that our content is authentic. We wouldn't push anything that doesn't make sense."
Authenticity is everything in this industry. I feel like gamers can sniff out the BS a mile away.
"We have so many pros and personalities in the space, and that's a big advantage," she said. In the ALGS Year 5 Champs alone, over 120 players were involved, not counting each team's coaching staff. "Even though media day gets a little bit crazy, it's really nice to have so many personalities to appeal to all different kinds of fans around the world."
The same attitude of authenticity is extended toward the event's partners and sponsors.
"We wouldn't have something down on the Fan Zone that fans don't care about, or wouldn't engage with. [We also consider] the energy that partners bring to the event - you can tell when they understand the community and want the best for our fans," Chiang explained.
"All the partners that we have [in the Fan Zone], we've been working with so, so closely over the past months to bring those to life. We're beyond the days of just slapping logos on broadcast." Partner brands in the Fan Zone included INZONE, Google Play, and Razer, all of which had special activations that featured content creators and players.
This lines up with EA's working mantra of "writing a love letter" to fans through their events.
Aligning ALGS merch and the local community
"The Nessie hoodie line: we've done it every single event for the past couple of years, and it's such an iconic merch element in the community."
"We had the local audience in mind when we were coming up with [ALGS Year 5] merch. We wanted people to go 'remember when we were in ALGS in Sapporo? How awesome was that?'" Chiang explained. The products channeled Sapporo past the merch, too.
Giveaways included themed pins and accessories, and the Fan Zone sported activities like wooden prayer tablets, a stamp rally, and an origami corner.
ALGS teams up with the City of Sapporo
The ALGS has teamed up with the local government of Sapporo. Thanks to this, the wintry city is home to ALGS Champs for three years in a row, until Year 6.
"The partnership with the city is something really special," said Chiang, while elaborating how EA and the city were in constant contact throughout the event's planning phase. "You can see how excited they are to have ALGS here. They are just as invested in the success of ALGS and doing right by our fans as we are, and that's awesome."
The partnership also brought local communities into the event. The Fan Zone had booths for local specialties and snacks, and even brought in some brands like Hokkaido Electric Power. Chiang thought it was really fruitful, and they're already looking ahead.
"We're already thinking about what we're doing for next year. We have so many ideas to go off of and I'm ready to get back to work right after [ALGS Year 5 Champs]."
ALGS was brought outside of the venue, Daiwa House PREMIST Dome, thanks to this cooperation with the city. ALGS banners, graphics, and promotional material were prominent in some nearby train stations, too.
"I wanted to be very clear that ALGS was back in Sapporo and we're taking over. I wanted fans and pros to land in Sapporo and be like 'wow, we're really here.'"
ALGS Year 5 Champs outsold its previous iteration in ticket sales. "The viewership and local community here have continued to be strong, and it just reaffirms that this was the right choice for us, to continue bringing Champs to Japan."
ALGS Year 6 Championship will be back in Sapporo, Japan, in Jan. 2027. Chiang didn't spill any secret plans EA has for 2026, but she emphasized that their goal is to always improve the fan and player experience.
