Twitch and YouTube influencers battle it out in The Apocalypse Games.
One of 2020’s biggest and most-anticipated summer sporting events is finally here, and it will bring the most prestigious athletes together to compete for honor, grace, and glory. Nope, I’m not talking about the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Those have been postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19.
I’m talking about The Apocalypse Games, a virtual Olympic-style competition taking place in Skydance Interactive’s VR title The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners where apoc-olympians go toe-to-toe against walkers and, of course, each other.
You won’t see athletes like Simon Biles, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, and Kohei Uchimura on the medal podium. The Apocalypse Games brings a whole new level of competitors for you to root for this summer. Twitch and YouTube luminaries such as Berleezy, Otterworldy, Poiised, and Nukemdukem, VR streamer CerberusArms, gaming hosts Trisha Hershberger and ParkerGames, and Kinda Funny Founder Greg Miller will be going for gold as they compete against each other in a series of apocalyptic challenges.
The Apocalypse Games kick off August 12th with e-athletes competing in four different games, all of which taking place in The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, so expect some awesome walking killing action.
The Competition
- ARCHERY: This one is all about good old-fashioned walker killing. Competitors are armed with only a bow and arrows as they battle against waves of the undead. The apoc-olympian with the most kills at the end of their round takes home the gold. Competitors will need to channel their inner Daryl Dixon to come out on top.
- WALKER BASKETBALL: It’s basically basketball, but with a decapitated zombie head. Competitors hack off walker heads and throw as many as they can through a basketball hoop in 5 minutes. Each basket is worth one point; no three pointers.
- MARATHON: This one will push our Apoc-olympians to the edge of true athleticism as they attempt to survive level 20 of “The Trial”, Saint & Sinners ferocious horde mode. Speed, accuracy, and gut reflexes will play a big role here. The e-athlete with the highest wave takes home the gold. Highest score breaks the tie.
- FIGURE SLAYING: This is most unique competition in The Apocalypse Games and the most fun in my humble opinion, apoc-olympians battle it out in the aforementioned “The Trail,” only this time it’s all about style. Competitors will need to show off some serious flare as they slice, chop, and dismember their way through hoards of flesh-hungry targets. The more difficult your kill move is, the higher your score. Judges want to see creativity! In the event of a tie, the competitor with the highest kill total gets the win.
Think you have what it takes to bring home the gold? Players interested in competing can record their own clips and submit them to the Virtual Athletics League as part of their community contest. To enter you’ll need to submit a video of yourself playing all four games.
There is also a Twitter competition in which users can submit photos and videos of themselves slashing walkers using the hashtag #theapocalypsegames. Rack up votes for the best fighting style, best costume, and more! Each submission offers you a chance at being featured on Twitch and YouTube alongside your favorite influencers!
While many live sporting events are currently being run with no fans in attendance, esports and gaming events continue to broadcast to viewers without interuption despite the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. As major professional sports struggle to keep their players healthy and on the field, esports leagues continue to plug along, growing in both viewership and participation.
Jesse Lubinsky, co-author of the upcoming “The Esports Education Playbook: Empowering Every Learner Through Inclusive Gaming” and Chief Learning Officer at Ready Learner One talked with VRScout about why events like The Apocalypse Games are becoming so popular, saying, “During the pandemic, esports was the only sport to continue due to the ability for teams to compete remotely,” Lubinsky adds, “Given the uncertainty around how long it is going to take for a return to a pre-COVID-19 sense of normalcy, one of the only givens we can rely on in terms of programming are esports programs.”
Skybound, Skydance Interactive, and their sponsor Nongshim understand this, which is why The Apocalypse Games is a fully virtual event, keeping all of the e-athletes safe in their homes while at the same time delivering a super fun VR competition for fans of VR and The Walking Dead.
As for the future of esports, Lubinsky says this is just the beginning. “As more organizations and schools add programs, the desire to continue finding these opportunities will only continue to grow. Esports, as well as events like The Apocalypse Games, give everyone the opportunity to achieve greatness on their own virtual fields of dreams. Even if those fields involve playing with sliced up walker body parts.”
The Apocalypse Games can be viewed on Skybound’s YouTube page along with participating influencers’ individual channels starting on August 12th and will be live streamed through the month of August.
Schedule
- Wednesday, August 12th – Berleezy @2PM, Cerberusarms @5PM.
- Thursday, August 13th. – Trisha Hershberger @1PM.
- Friday, August 14th – Otterworldly@10AM, Greg Miller @2PM, Poiised @5PM.
- Saturday, August 15th – ParkerGames @11AM.
- Monday, August 17th – NukemDukem @12PM.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Standard Edition is available now for $39.99 via the Oculus Store, Steam, PlayStation Store and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners’ official website.
Image Credit: Skybound, Skydance Interactive
