AK (gamer)
| AK | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Alexandre Gabriel Laverez 2000 or 2001 (age 25–26) | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| Games | Tekken | ||||||||||||||
| Team history | |||||||||||||||
| — | Playbook | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Natus Vincere | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Alexandre Gabriel Laverez, known professionally as AK, is a Filipino Tekken player.
Early life and education
Alexandre Gabriel Laverez was born in 2000 or 2001 to a businessman father and a corporate manager mother.[1] [2] It was his uncle introduced him to the Tekken franchise and taught him the basics and how to execute combos.[1]
Laverez said he started playing at four years old. He played Tekken Tag Tournament in arcade cabinets in shopping malls and according to his own account he was already beating older players. He later acquired a PlayStation to continue honing his skills in the game.[1]
He graduated from the De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde with a degree in business management in 2024.[1][3] He began attending the De La Salle University College of Law by 2026.[4][5]
Career
Gaming
Alexandre Laverez, later known by his handle AK, has been competing in domestic and international Tekken competitions since he was 13 years old.[3] He started joining competitions with Tekken 6. Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix were his main characters.[1] He won his first tournament in 2012, the Pinoy Gaming Festival.[6]
At the 2013 Global Championship in Seoul for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, AK finished third behind Korean players Saint and JDCR. This earned him a berth at the 2015 The King of Iron Fist Tournament (KoIFT), the first global tournament for Tekken 7.[6] Shaheen, a new character introduced in Tekken 7, became AK's main.[1]
At Evo Japan 2019, AK was first runner-up losing to Pakistani gamer Arslan Ash in the grand finals.[7]
At the 2019 SEA Games hosted at home in the Philippines, AK as part of the Sibol national team finished as silver medalist in the Tekken 7 tournament losing to Nopparut "Book" Hempamorn of Thailand in the final.[8]
AK played at The Nationals representing Laus Playbook where he won four titles in Tekken 7.[9][10]
He won another silver medal as part of the national team at the 2023 IESF World Esports Championship held in Romania.[4]
In May 2024, AK won the Combo Breaker in Schaumburg, Illinois, his first international title in Tekken 8. AK defeated Arslan Ash in the grand finals.[11][12]
AK joined Natus Vincere (NAVI) in June 2024.[13] He stayed until NAVI disbanded its Tekken team in August 2025.[14]
Events organization
By 2026, AK is managing Playbook Events, along with Pocholo Estrada and Kevin Mando. The organization bears the same name but is unrelated to AK's previous esports organization.[5][2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Limos, Mario Alvaro (June 29, 2024). "Filipino Tekken Prodigy AK was Beating Adults at Arcades at 4 Years Old". All-Star. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- 1 2 Lozano, Dannel (June 19, 2026). "Playbook Events Tekken World Tour Dojo event in Toycon 2026". Malaya Business Insight. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
- 1 2 Domingo, Ramon (August 6, 2025). "The Paths That Lie Ahead for NAVI's AK". The Game. Modern Media Group, Inc. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- 1 2 Lojo, Michelle (July 28, 2026). "Tekken star AK juggles Esports World Cup stint, law school, events management". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "Gamer Theory: Success in esports amid school life". Malaya Business Insight. July 25, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
- 1 2 "The Filipino Tekken Prodigy Returns to the World Stage". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 6, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Ronquillo, Ram (February 28, 2019). "Filipino Tekken 7 prodigy PBE|AK bags silver in EVO Japan 2019". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
- ↑ Dannug, Jonash (September 27, 2020). "SEA Games final loss still fuels AK up to this day". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Sevilla, Jeremiah (September 27, 2020). "AK rules The Nationals Tekken 7 anew". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Dannug, Jonash (June 5, 2021). "Playbook's AK cements status as PH's top Tekken player". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Ubaldo, JohnEd (May 28, 2024). "AK claims first Tekken 8 international title at Combo Breaker 2024". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Dioquino, Delfin (May 27, 2024). "PH's AK captures breakthrough major Tekken title with Combo Breaker win". Rappler. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ Pineda, Carlos (June 13, 2024). "Pinoy Tekken player AK joins Natus Vincere (NAVI)". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
- ↑ "NAVI disband Tekken roster". NAVI. Natus Vincere. August 29, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2026.