The ALGS Split One Playoffs may have come and gone, but the event will no doubt be special to manyApex Legendsfans, players, and teams. The event gathered 40 teams around the globe and pitted them against each other in grueling brackets, and while some fans may have expected legendary teams like TSM or DarkZero to win, performance day in and day out made it clear it was anyone’s game. And throughout some of these games, fans could hear the commentary of Dan Gaskin and Mark “Onset” Hatcher, among others.
During the recent ALGS Split One Playoffs, Game Rant chatted with commentator Mark “Onset” Hatcher about his career casting forApex Legends,changes in the game’s meta, and the state of the esports scene as a whole.The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Image Credit for all ALGS images -EA |Joe Brady @joebradyphoto
Onset Talks ALGS and Esports Growth
Q: You’ve been involved with Apex esports and ALGS for about five years now. How did you get into casting for Apex?
A: It was the first game I’ve played sinceHalothat I fell in love with the same way, and from there, I was like “I love this game so much, I need to be a part of it.” It was the first game I couldn’t get away from the same way. I played a massive amount of hours of it, and it was ironic because I really didn’t likebattle royalesup until that point. I actually made a point of being like, “BRs are so uncompetitive." I didn’t like anything about the format of them.
Then I playedApex Legendsand thought: this is actually different. From there, I reached out to people who were running tournaments and got a lucky shot. I’d known a few people in charge of talent for a good number of years, and Dan Gaskin and I got a shot. Poland was our first event, and it feels like a lifetime ago now.
(Dan Gaskin pictured left, Mark Hatcher right)
Q: With that in mind, what has changed about ALGS the most in that time, from both a commentary perspective and an overall one?
A:From a commentary perspective, we now have the tools to commentate on the game a lot more easily. When we started for ALGS, we didn’t have things like a kill feed or a champion banner. You didn’t really know who had won a game at some points; you were kind of speculating. Now, we have these incredible tools that have developed to give us the ability to tell these great stories.
As far as the way it’s developed, I think there’s been a great push from both the pro players and developers to create the most competitive battle royale there is. I personally feel they’ve done an excellent job of mitigating RNG that was detrimental to the game, but keeping the RNG that makes it so fun to watch. I think that kind of movement towards that middle ground has madeApexone of the best games in esports overall to watch. It’s been a great coming together of those core principles.
The armor changes are a prime example of that. I remember Poland, it would be like, “Blue armor, certain zone, boom, that’s it.” Teams would win games because of it. Now, you’ve actually got to do some work.
Q:Looking at the bigger picture from that, what has changed the most forApexand esports in general?
A:I always say thatApex Legendsis very lucky to have had esports grow with its content creators. Some of the most celebrated pros are also some of the biggest content creators. Watching them grow alongside each other has kept this constant interest in following, not just team success but individual success. I think the fact that we’re now at a point where it really feels like a global esport speaks to that because it’s something so rare in any other title across the world.
Look at some of thebiggest games in the world likeCounter Strike. There’s obviously domination between certain European teams. There’s kind of a smattering of North and South America, but not really like Apex South or Apex North. Whereas inApex,look at what we’ve seen so far. You have an Apex North team on top, you have Apex South breaking records. One broke a record earlier in the tournament. South America has played incredibly too, and then you obviously have the historic winners from North America. It truly does feel like a global competition. When you have an esport like that, it creates fandom not just in a region but across the globe, and I think that’s a very special thing.
Q: You touched on it, but what would you say about the pro players thatApexhas managed to attract and grow over the past few years?
A:When you have a game that pulls previous professional players from other titles towards it at the start, during, and even now, it says a lot about the appeal of the esport. Snip3down is a great example. I’ve watched Eric Wrona play since I was 12 years old. Seeing him come over toApex,when you’re dragging those kinds of names that are synonymous with huge esports moments in general, you can see that attraction and watch the pros at the top develop into these kinds of superstars.
TSM is a great example.ImperialHalwalks down the streets in Japan, and people are stopping him. He’s on the sphere in Vegas. How many people across the world can say that? That’s the level thatApexhas allowed some of them to get to. That impact is amazing for the game, the Esport, and for anyone who has aspirations to be a part of it.
Q: Whatwere some of your favorite moments commentating for ALGS?
A:There’s the obvious one which everyone refers back to– the ‘Hal comes down from the heavens moment.'[laughs]
There’s a good story behind that because I thought that I had completely fluffed the end of the tournament. I was like, “Oh I f—ed that up, it was such a bad ending.” Then, it became one of the more iconic moments in ALGS history, so it always sticks out to me. It’s almost like when you watch it back, it doesn’t feel like it was you.
And I have Dan to thank. I feel very privileged that he gave me the space to deliver that moment because, as a color commentator, I passed it to him, and he could have run with it. But he respected my role in our duo to give it back to me, and I’m always incredibly thankful for what he brings to our commentary.
Another moment that will always stick with me throughout my career was the second post-pandemic event and the first championship we had on LAN. Seeing the whole community come out with the mindset of, “Finally, we’re allowed outside, and we want to show all the love that we can to these players.“That was a really special moment for me.
Even when not commenting but just watching, I look back on all these moments, like the armor swap in Poland, which became one of the first viral moments. All of these things stick. It’s been five years now, and it feels like it was yesterday. Just being a part of watching this grow has been amazing.
ALGS Split One Playoffs
Q: We’re three days into the tournament. What was your mindset coming into the event? Did you have general expectations?
A:It’s difficult not to talk about the “Big Two,” but as a commentator, I’m thinking more about: What’s the interesting story here? Not just, “Are DarkZero and TSM going to win again?” But instead, can anyone dethrone the dynasty? Can anyone else raise the level to match them? And I think we’re seeing that, even though DarkZero had this crazy group stage run, we’ve seen that before from other teams.
Reject Winnity Ultimately Won
Reject Winnity Wins ALGS Split One Playoffs
It’s more about what’s happening in the winner’s bracket now. Some of the other squads have come through big. Fnatic had a huge kill game in one of the best lobbies in the world. It feels like this might be the biggest challenge yet, but the crazy thing about that is, we’ve said this before, that all of a sudden the two powerhouses turn up. International Apex has got a lot to be proud of up until this point, but nothing really matters, of course, till the end of the event.
Q: Have there been any major surprises that stood out to you so far?
A:Seeing Alliance come out and do what they did was one. I think Europe has a reputation as being a lesser region. One thing aboutApexis that people still put a lot of stock into online performance. In other esports, online performance is kind of thrown away in comparison to LAN. Alliance is a great example of that. Then you’ve got Made In Heaven and 2R1C, who are making really good runs. I think it’s proof that there is a lot of talent in the area at the moment. It might be a bit more top-heavy than North America is, but I think the performances so far, (and I always say so far, because the finals lobby is the finals lobby) show that there is more to them, and they are due more respect than maybe they were being given before.
Q: Shifting gears, what’s it like commentating on theApexmetas as they change?
A:It’s thetoughest esport in the worldto commentate for, in my opinion. I would love to talk to everyone who criticizes some of the commentators on this game because there is no other Esport in the world that challenges you as much as a commentator as this one. At this event, we have five regions, 60 teams total, and legendary players. All of these things are going through your head, and that’s before you even start looking at the games.
There’s so much that goes into a 3v3Apexmatch-up. People may not truly appreciate what it takes to understand and relate to different types of audiences so that everyone can enjoy it, from the hardcore fans to someone who’s never watched before. I think that’s one of the reasons people love, say NiceWigg and Greek so much, because they have that access point of fun and character, but also give that insight from their experience.
And there’s just never a game that’s the same. In other esports, you might have a capture the flag where there’s a meta to how it’s won and lost. InApex,when the zone shifts a little bit, the whole game changes. Keeping track of that and everything else is extremely challenging, but I’ve never had more fun. It can be like, “Cool, OK, we’ve got a good grip on this now.” And before you know it, there’s a patch, a new map,a new legend, a gun meta change, and it all shifts. It’s a lot, and it keeps you on your toes. And again, I’m very thankful I’ve got Dan alongside me because we each cover the other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’ve been very lucky with our partnership.
Q: Speaking of the meta, is there anything you’d like to see as a caster grow from it in the course of the next few months and events?
A:My biggest thing is the visual clutter. Though that’s been negated slightly in this most recent patch, like withBangalore’s smokedissipating a bit quicker. It really does help, but the reason for it isn’t so much the way the game is playing, but from a watchability point of view. If you’re new to an esport and there’s a final circle where you’re not sure about it, or you physically can’t see what’s going on, it obviously makes it quite hard to follow.
Now that we’re seeing adjustments that make those kinds of legends and fights a little bit less prevalent, it makes a little bit more sense. But personally, what I want to see is, I don’t care what they have to do tomake Pathfinder meta again, but make him meta again. I’ve always said Pathfinder’s ultimate should be that he’s just able to kill everyone for the next five seconds, if it makes him meta.[laughs]
To me, Path was one of the most fun legends ever in the early competitive days to watch, since there was such a huge skill gap to the movement. I miss my boy, Pathy, but that’s purely an emotional link.
Q: With your experience, what advice or insight would you give to aspiringApex Legendspros?
A:Find yourself a team and work on being a team. Don’t chop and change. We’ve seen the teams who have had the most success coming through the Challenger Circuit, coming into the Pro League, and then making it to LAN, being teams that have stuck together and worked together. There is so much you have to learn about your teammates and the way they play, how you all engage in fights and the macro, and everything, and that all takes so much time and effort. There is way more benefit to sticking together and working on it than switching teams.
I’d say that about any esport– stick with the players that you know focus and train on making each other better. Also, don’t jump at the first offer, because sometimes it’s difficult to get back on the team when you find out the grass isn’t as green as you thought. Keep watching the best players in the world,grind ranked, and also appreciate that ranked doesn’t play the same as pro play. It’s a completely different game.
[END]
Apex Legends
WHERE TO PLAY
Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play* Hero shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame & fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.Master an ever-growing roster of diverse legends, deep tactical squad play, and bold new innovations that go beyond the Battle Royale experience—all within a rugged world where anything goes. Welcome to the next evolution of Hero Shooter.This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.
