Sweet, one of the strongest Apex Legends pro players in the game’s storied history, has stepped away from pro play indefinitely. He claimed that being a pro player wasn’t financially viable anymore and that the scene was heading downhill fast.
The ALGS Year 4 Finals had a massive turnout, with the incredibly popular Battle Royale taking over Tokyo for one of the biggest esports events of the year. What’s more, news about Apex Legends’ pro scene in 2025 was promising. EA laid out a plan to put millions up for grabs to keep the scene alive and thriving.
However, sweet’s account of what 2025 looks like paints a more grim picture behind the scenes. Though he claims to have been offered multiple spots on top teams with other top-tier pros, he declined and stepped away.
While he hasn’t given up on Apex Legends just yet, he gave some context on why he felt it’s the right decision. And that context spells doom for the esport.
Sweet claims Apex Legends pros make much less in 2025
Considering esports as a whole is a young industry with organizations that die on the turn of a dime, it should come as no surprise that many of the world’s biggest competitive games pay out subsidies to ensure players get paid.
Sweet claims that EA cut these crucial partner program funds for big orgs participating in the game, drastically reducing the amount of money in the scene for anyone other than the top-level players who walk with massive prize winnings.
“I made more money in Poker last night than the offered salary of the next 12 months combined of ALGS,” sweet claimed in a Discord announcement to his viewers.
This is coupled with grim news for the future of the esport:
“This news was coupled with the rumor (not a rumor) that ALGS year 6 is canceled. This created a situation in which pay and org support was declining, the commitment to continue the esport was abandoned, and a bunch of other behind-the-scenes stuff I can’t talk about.”
We’re currently on year 5. So, if sweet is correct, that means ALGS will be dead in 2026, and Apex’s main pro circuit will be gone.
Now, while this may sound bad, there is hope. Apex Legends tournaments run by third-party organizers could breathe new life into the scene where the traditional ALGS fell short.
Sweet also acknowledged that Apex Legends has room for growth and that he’s not completely giving up on the scene, even if he isn’t actively competing.
Either way, though, the main first-party league for Apex dying isn’t exactly encouraging for the future of the esport. And, while the game has kicked its downward spiral in terms of player count decline, it’s still much less popular than it was at its peak in 2023.
