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Tekken 7 players get locked in endless rock-paper-scissors duel Electric CancelTwo professional Tekken 7 players were locked in a hilarious and almost endless rock-paper-scissors match ahead of their series at one of the main Tekken World Tour tournaments – Electric Cancel 2019. Sang-hyun ‘Jeondding’ Jeon and Jimmy ‘Jimmyjtran’ Tran were playing a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide which side they will play on ahead of their decisive losers bracket semi-finals match. This would normally take a few seconds, but, these two players made things unexpectedly different, and somehow got caught in a continuous loop. The rock-paper-scissors game is played in a best of three format and was almost instantly tied at 1-1, but then things took an incredibly silly turn. Read More: Here’s what DMX would look like in Tekken 7 – Both players went for paper, then took a small pause to think, then went for paper again, and so it went on for five tries. When they finally decided to switch it up both went for scissors, and immediately erupted in laughter. Meanwhile, the commentators were absolutely loving it and could barely keep it together after the first few ties. They even joined in and won straight away by going scissors and mocked the players as rock-paper-scissors scrubs. After around eight tries they finally managed to close out the lengthy duel, with Jimmyjtran winning thanks to a clutch rock pick. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, sitting at the edge of their seats after the first few ties and finally erupting in cheers when the winner was decided. Jimmy also seemed to be boosted by the victory, as he was able to start off hot in the game and took a clean 2-0 series and was able to advance back up to the winners bracket where he placed in second behind one of the best Tekken players ever, Kim ‘JDCR’ Hyunjin.

Tetris legend Jonas Neubauer passes away aged 39 Jonas NeubauerSeven-time Tetris World Champion Jonas Neubauer died at the age of 39 on January 4 after a sudden medical emergency. [jwplayer RVavRJpH] The American, an icon of the game, won seven of the first eight Classic Tetris World Championships (CTWC) between 2010 and 2017, finishing as runner-up in 2014 and 2018. His influence extended far beyond his achievements in the game, as he inspired the competitors around him. In a 2018 interview with VICE, now two-time World Champion Joseph Saelee said: “I would say most of my gameplay is based off Jonas’s gameplay. I try to play exactly like him for the most part.” Jonas was also a popular Twitch streamer, with 25k followers. Such was his greatness, he went viral in 2018 after accidentally breaking the then world record for quickest time to reach 300,000 points, achieving the feat in 1 minute and 57 seconds. Tributes pour in for Jonas Neubauer News of his passing was announced on his Twitter account on January 9. The message said: “He was the absolute best. We are devastated, overwhelmed with grief, and we already miss him dearly.” https://twitter.com/neubsauce/status/1347769622947274754 The news sent shockwaves around the world of esports and gaming, with tributes pouring in to commemorate Jonas and his achievements. Tetris paid tribute, writing “Jonas Neubauer was one of the greatest classic Tetris players of all time in skill, spirit, and kindness.” This is a tremendous loss in so many ways. Jonas Neubauer was one of the greatest classic Tetris players of all time in skill, spirit, and kindness. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and to the entire classic Tetris community, as we all mourn his passing. https://t.co/iOJWFdBuv0 — Tetris (@Tetris_Official) January 9, 2021 Joseph Saelee, who stunned Jonas to win the 2018 CTWC, left a simple message that said: “Rest In Peace, Jonas.” TSM chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura said: “I only had the opportunity to meet him once, but he was a very kind person who had a great enthusiasm for all games from tetris to chess and beyond.” Deeply saddened to hear about the sudden passing of @neubsauce. I only had the opportunity to meet him once, but he was a very kind person who had a great enthusiasm for all games from tetris to chess and beyond. RIP Jonas pic.twitter.com/GGdgZUanwV — Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) January 9, 2021 Chris Higgins, director of the documentary ‘Best of Five: The Tetris Champions’, described him as a “loyal son, great husband, staunch friend.” Read More: Esports fans don’t exist – One fan has created a digital card, free for all to sign, which will be sent to Jonas’ family, with the opportunity for people to leave a message to one of the greats of esports..

Team Liquid’s Impact “lucky to be alive” after car crash Twitter/ImpactTeam Liquid League of Legends star Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong suffered a neck injury after being in a car accident late at night on Thursday, July 18. The League of Legends top-laner tweeted a photo of the crash with the caption, “i was in uber and car got crashed so lucky im alive you guys need to fasten your seat belt.” Impact was in the car with Team Liquid Academy mid-laner David “Insanity” Challe. Insanity echoed Impact’s earlier statement about the importance of wearing a seatbelt. “Jesus I just got into a car accident in an Uber with Impact. We are both ok but stay safe out there and please wear your seatbelt.” The condition of the Uber driver is unknown. i was in uber and car got crashed so lucky im alive you guys need to fasten your seat belt pic.twitter.com/5Zdrm69k7P — Jeong Eon Young (@Impact) July 19, 2019 Despite the injury and possibly coming face-to-face with death, Impact was all smiles in his hospital photos taken after the crash. “Top alive” the 24-year-old captioned a photo of himself wearing a cervical collar. In another photo, both Impact and Insanity pose while the latter gives the peace sign. It’s unclear how severe his injuries are and if they will keep him from competing in his next matches. Team Liquid will be facing off against Clutch Gaming in the 2019 LCS Summer Split on Saturday, July 20 and the Golden Guardians on July 21. The team currently stands at 9-3 and one more win will secure them a playoff birth. The top six teams advance to the playoffs after the double round robin concludes. The top two teams will secure a bye to the semi-finals.

Team Reciprocity owner reveals bleak future of org in emotional message Team ReciprocityChad Larsson, the owner and founder of Team Reciprocity, has shared a somber update on the bleak future facing the esports organization with fans. Reciprocity was founded in 2017 and fielded teams in multiple esports titles like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Gears of War, Rainbow Six Siege and more over the last few years, but had been steadily letting teams go in the weeks leading up to Larsson’s announcement. The founder and owner of the org claimed Reciprocity would be taking a “bare bones” approach in an attempt at long-term survival to make it through the current economic downturn. Larsson said in the video that Reciprocity’s funding from donors had basically dried up in the last few months, with the world’s economy not in its best shape. “We were raising interim financing, this financing has since dissolved given the astronomical crash on the global capital markets,” the owner explained. “This has positioned Reciprocity to scale down to bare bones in order to survive long-term, the current market conditions.” It only took a matter of weeks, Larsson said, for everything that he and his team had done to build the Reciprocity brand to disappear. “What my team and I have built over the last couple of years, literally pouring blood sweat and tears into this since inception, is being dismantled in a matter of weeks,” he continued. “We will be releasing all staff, and scaling down to our Crossfire franchise and our co-ownership with Ranbow7 [LoL].” Important announcement regarding the future of Reciprocity. pic.twitter.com/iYETHG88Ct — Chad Larsson (@ChadLarsson) March 20, 2020 While the organization will continue to attempt to raise funds, the owner apologized to all the fans and players who had supported them through the years, but promised that this isn’t the end for Reciprocity. One of the most disappointing results from the news is that Reciprocity’s Rainbow 6 team, which was considered one of the best in North America, is officially being let go. Reciprocity is the first big-name esports org to feel the pressure from the current economic situation, but the way they raise money isn’t unique at all, so we could be seeing more organizations making similar announcements in the future.

Team Liquid secure major Coinbase sponsorship in latest crypto esports deal Team LiquidMultinational esports organization Team Liquid have entered the world of cryptocurrency, establishing a four-year partnership with crypto exchange Coinbase. The convergence between esports and cryptocurrency has really established itself in 2021, with crypto exchanges betting big on competitive gaming as a means of advertising their services. Team Liquid are the latest to cash in on this trend, though the financial value of their four-year partnership with Coinbase has not been disclosed. According to a release, they’re going to work together to “develop technology that elevates the overall fan experience.” Specifically, this new alliance will see Coinbase integrate into the org’s Liquid+ community platform, provide crypto-based payment opportunities on their store, and feature their branding across jerseys and content. An additional facet of the partnership will see Coinbase help Team Liquid work towards developing their own NFTs. Otherwise known as non-fungible tokens, this technology aims to assign ownership to digital assets. Crypto and esports have proven to be a financially lucrative crossover in 2021, with multiple deals carrying seven-figure values. TSM and FTX’s 10-year deal is worth $210m and Fnatic’s partnership with Crypto.com is valued at $15m, for example. Coinbase have already been active in competitive gaming, entering deals with tournament organizers ESL and BLAST and organizations like BIG and Evil Geniuses. gm ☀️ We made magic happen with our new partner @coinbase. Where to next? 🚀 pic.twitter.com/PBghjWYBia — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) November 10, 2021 “When we were looking for a potential partner in the crypto space, it was really important that we found someone that was doing it the right way, the Team Liquid way,” said Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet. “And the more we learned about Coinbase, the more certain we became that this was the partner we were looking for. Like a lot of our fans, crypto was new to me once, but once I started reading and watching, I realized that it wasn’t some passing fad — it’s here now, and will be in the future. Together with Coinbase, we hope we can demystify crypto for Team Liquid fans.”

Team Liquid Valorant’s roster woes: “This is really the last chance” Team LiquidAfter Team Liquid’s First Strike: Europe didn’t quite end the way that we all thought, a whole host of roster rumors surrounded the team. Captain Adam ‘ec1s’ Eccles has revealed that, while there was some substance, everything worked out. Valorant First Strike: Europe was the shocker of 2020. With Team Heretics meeting SUMN FC in the grand finals, a few famous faces were missing from the fray. With names like G2 Esports, FunPlus Phoenix and, of course, the iconic Team Liquid touted to be the organizations that would dominate the competition, a lot of fans were left disappointed by a lackluster performance from their favorite teams. This is something that TL captain ec1s knows all too well, especially considering the fallout that this loss had on the team. “We know what we did wrong.”@ec1s_ wants redemption with @TeamLiquid after their poor First Strike run. pic.twitter.com/OU1C0AcvwI — Valorant News (@ValorINTEL) January 29, 2021 TL Valorant roster rumors confirmed In the wake of First Strike, it was rumored that Complexity’s CS:GO player Jakob ‘JUGi’ Hansen was being prepped to replace either Dom ‘soulcas’ Sulcas or ec1s himself. Causing quite the stir, the TL frontman has shed some light on the situation. Noting that “we trialed with JUGi in the place of soulcas and then with myself. I’m not sure of the exact reason behind it… [but] we were both understanding of it; obviously, we didn’t perform how we wanted at First Strike. Being in Team Liquid [we’re] very understanding that they want the best team and if they think they need to make changes it’s fine by them.” He continues “I think it was a good thing because we got to see how it was with an AWPer in our team… And it gave all the players a kick on now like ‘okay right, this is really, really the last chance’ and we need to do everything we can to get some wins for Liquid. That’s what we’re going to plan to do.” Red Bull Home Ground, and of course the Valorant Champions Tour are, in ec1s words, an “opportunity to redeem ourselves, and hopefully come back here with a win.” “This is really, really the last chance”@ec1s_ confirms that @TeamLiquid trialled with @JUGiOfficial after First Strike. pic.twitter.com/IjADWo4XbG — Valorant News (@ValorINTEL) January 29, 2021 It’ll be pretty interesting to see how Liquid perform after this slight shake up, but ec1s assures us that the team are back in blue and ready to pop some heads. Will they? We’ll find out very soon.

Team Liquid debut special Avengers-themed jerseys after partnering with Marvel Team Liquid / MarvelLeague of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Super Smash Bros., and more. Now its teams are going to be backed by the might of the Avengers in an epic merchandise collaboration. First debuting on the LCS stage during the 2019 iteration of Rift Rivals, Team Liquid’s squad came out of the gates in Captain America inspired uniforms signaling the beginning of the surprising initiative. The First Avenger – and the best possible fit for @TeamLiquid fans as the championship team fights for the glory of North America. Show your support and get your own Team Liquid x Marvel Captain America jersey: https://t.co/wbzyCLqB8w #LiquidxMarvel #LetsGoLiquid pic.twitter.com/RH3Dk4pjL1 — Marvel Games (@MarvelGames) June 27, 2019 The organization released a full length video showcasing their heroes (players) from all over the world and their winning moments throughout the franchise’s history to announce the partnership. The video was a slow build up to a stunning reveal for three new jerseys directly inspired by Avengers: Endgame. CS:GO pro Nicholas ‘nitr0’ Cannella showed off the Team Liquid x Marvel Captain America design, while Smash sensation Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma wore the Quantum Realm jersey, and NA’s best ADC Yiliang ‘Doublelift’ Peng donned the Iron Man jersey. The segment was a masterful buildup to a lasting image of various Team Liquid members marched to battle in their Quantum Realm outfits, mirroring the famous scene in the film. While the video was nothing short of a spectacle, the best reveal came before Team Liquid’s bout against Eurpoean powerhouse Fnatic, in which the team posed with The First Avenger’s shield. To hype up the moment of NA’s best against EU’s top team, the LoL squad showed a uniform resolve in defending the region’s honor in their brand new apparel. Team Liquid’s LoL squad going into their first Rift Rivals match-up backed by Captain America. How did Team Liquid and Marvel manage to collaborate It’s no secret that parent entity Disney is interested in reaching into all forms of entertainment. While fans were unexpectedly surprised by the reveal, people had a clue as to how the partnership came to be. “Disney owns Marvel,” General Manager of eUnited Daniel Clerke said. “Disney invested in parent company of Liquid. Makes sense to me.” The org already has a swarm of Marvel-inspired designs available, and it’ll be interesting to see how far this collaboration extends in the future.

Team Fortress 2 & Overwatch observer publicly accused of sexual assault Team Fortress 2 event producer and freelance Overwatch observer Alex ‘Dashner’ Pylyshyn has been publicly accused of multiple instances of sexual abuse by two of his alleged victims. The first post was made by Ryan ‘Console-’ Modugno on the Team Fortress TV forums. Modugno holds a position as the head of North American coverage and has worked multiple events as a commentator and an observer. The post is long and detailed, but a summary reads like this: According to Modugno, he and Pylyshyn were in a relationship that lasted seven months before they broke up. Behind the scenes both Pylyshyn and Modugno had been discounted from working on the Beyond The Summit TF2 event, while a quarter of the staff left, supposedly in relation to the allegations. This is supposedly what triggered the announcement of the event’s cancelation three days ago. Modugno states that they first met after the cancelation of the Episode 3 LAN event when the team, who were due to be working, decided to use their now free time to head to Las Vegas for a weekend of partying. “I’ve always been a pretty big partier, but rather timid about my body, personal space, and relationships, so when he was hitting on me and attempting to hold my hand, as an 18-year-old kid with a handful of relationships under my belt vs. this intimidating 31-year-old guy I was very freaked out,” the post reads. “He has been my production role model since early iseries and was my inspiration for starting with TFTV and moving on to essentials, culminating in me getting to work on the same event he did years before, so I was really offput but [sic] him being attracted to me. He later apologized, but also asked if I was single. I lied and told him I was seeing someone to avoid any further interaction.” When Modugno was then invited to work as an Overwatch observer at a collegiate event he says that Pylyshyn essentially invited himself too, offering to work for free and that it was in order to help teach some of his skills on the job in a game that was less familiar to Modugno. It was here that he alleged the sexual assault occurred. “He had brought plenty of alcohol and insisted that I drink,” said Modugno. “Being the teenager that I am, being offered free alcohol from a friend/mentor seemed fine, especially since our call time was 3pm the next day. Ended up drinking way more than I should have, and just kinda crashed in my bed. The next thing I knew, Dashner was no longer in his own bed but in mine. Eventually things escalated to a point I was very uncomfortable with, which I told him. Despite this, things progressed and I was sexually assaulted.” Not remembering the incident and continuing to work in close proximity, Modugno says they started dating each other at this point. He also adds that the memory of the incident had been repressed due to a combination of alcohol and trauma. The post wraps up by claiming that after details of the allegation became known to their staff, Beyond The Summit asked Modugno to stand down from the event. “I was immediately asked to step down, as to not attract negative attention to the event,” he wrote. “Apparently BTS were basically hemorrhaging money to put this on for us, so any potential PR nightmare from this situation could have killed the event. Dashner, shortly after hearing about all of this, fled the TF2 scene entirely. He asked enigma to delete his TFTV profile and change his name to a random alphanumeric string, left all TF2 related discords, and privated his twitter account out of fear for his esports career.” Modugno also later edited the post to say that he had contacted the police in regards to this matter but had been advised that due to the nature of the incident having no witnesses or evidence and with Pylyshyn being a Canadian resident there was little that could be done. Shortly after the post, another was made by the co-director of the popular Ready Up: Competitive Team Fortress 2 documentary, Ness ‘uberchain’ Delacroix. In her post she alleges that she was also sexually assaulted by Pylyshyn during their relationship. “I dated Dashner and tried to stick it out with him, only realized our relationship was not normal after I left him,” she stated. “He treated me like shit including manipulation/sexual coercion/rape under stealthing/verbal abuse/emotional abuse/gaslighting/lovebombing, I thought I needed to keep quiet about it for TF2 LANs to keep going, and I didn’t name drop him because I thought I needed to protect the safety of my friends and family. I told people who knew to stay quiet about it for the same reasons.” Delacroix adds that after having read Modugno’s post she felt compelled to tell her story, too, in an act of solidarity, adding that the secrecy from both parties was down to fear of industry reprisals. “Now he’s gone and done these shit things again to Console, who was afraid to speak up because he didn’t want to jeopardize TF2 and was afraid of Dashner,” the post reads. “I made a mistake, many of us in the TF2 scene made a mistake, and we not only need to call out Dashner, but we need to stop prioritizing TF2 over hiding these terrible people because we were wrong; this hurts the community more than it helps it. Dashner is sick in the head and needs help, and hopefully he can become a better person but for now, he needs to stay away from this scene.” In addition to this post, Delacroix had mentioned the incidents without naming anyone in a tweet published in August 2018. And now I’m ready to talk about it, so here’s a non-specific list of what people did or said to me. Do I think anything will change? I don’t know. I thought they were more important over me to the scene I love and defend to this day, so I stayed quiet then. I’m talking now. pic.twitter.com/rmIVIV7nZY — uberchain (@uberchain) August 5, 2018 It has proven impossible to reach Pylyshyn for comment due to the fact that he has apparently deleted all of his social media accounts, including his Twitter and Reddit accounts he would post from. Additionally, his entire post history has been wiped from the popular Team Liquid forums along with all but one post from the 978 posts he had made on the Team Fortress TV forums. He has also changed or deleted his Steam account ID. Beyond The Summit have denied that they asked Modugno to stand down from the event, claiming that the first they heard of the allegations was when he posted on Team Fortress TV. “We definitely did not investigate any allegations and did not ask anyone to stand down,” they told Dexerto. “We found out about all that stuff essentially the same time as the public. We were only in communication with the group that was running the event and never instructed them to ban or ask anyone to step down. We were as surprised as anyone when everything came out and basically relied on the words of the group that initially pitched the event to us.” The Blast Pro Series have declined to comment.

Team Liquid and Alienware launch “world’s largest” esports facility in Brazil Team LiquidTeam Liquid and Alienware have announced the opening of a massive multi-million dollar facility in São Paulo, Brazil. It is the “largest esports operations, housing and training center” in the world, according to the international organization. The ‘Alienware Training Facility’, as it is called by Team Liquid, occupies an entire 13-story building on Avenida Angélica, in the heart of São Paulo, and will serve as the organization’s headquarters for training and operations in Brazil. Boasting 3,092 m2 of floor area, the new base is twice the size of Team Liquid’s other facilities, located in Los Angeles, California, and Utrecht, Netherlands. It is capable of housing the over 80 employees that Team Liquid have in Brazil, 90% of whom will be using the facility on a daily basis. The facility was designed to cater to all facets of an operation of this size, complete with dormitories for players, staff, and visiting teams, training rooms, production studios, streaming stations, dedicated spaces for physical and mental health, a restaurant, and an open-air rooftop lounge area. It will also give Team Liquid more ways to interact with the community as it will house the organization’s first physical store and also a fan zone. “We have committed to a ten-year lease, and the investment in the build and hardware within the facility is multiple millions of dollars,” Claire Hungate, COO and President of Team Liquid, told Dexerto. “We see esports and our investment in Brazil, as elsewhere, as a long-term commitment and investment.” Planning of the new facility began in early 2021, though the location scouting only started closer to the end of the year because of the global health crisis, Rafael Queiroz, general manager of Team Liquid in Brazil, told Dexerto. “When we saw this building it immediately clicked, and after making the decision in early 2022 it took seven months of architecture and project management, and then five months of construction to finish the facility,” Queiroz added. The opening of this state-of-the-art facility in São Paulo highlights the central role that Brazil plays in Team Liquid’s global strategy. The esports organization currently manages three teams in this country – Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and Fortnite -, with 24 members, between players, content creators, and streamers. Queiroz acknowledged that the new facility will make it easier for Team Liquid to expand their esports footprint in Brazil should they decide to sign new teams in the future. “We are constantly looking into new opportunities, and this building was set up so it can be future proof, and meet our growth and requirements for the next ten years,” he said. “So if we do decide to pick up another roster, we’ll have the space for them. Making the decision to sign a new roster always depends on whether the game provides a long-term opportunity to an organization like ours, and if there are local rosters capable of competing at a global level.”

Team Dignitas announce rebrand with new logo and name Team Dignitas have announced that they are completely rebranding their organization, with a brand new logo and a name change. Starting on Wednesday, October 31, the organization have dropped the ‘Team’ portion of their name, and will be simply referred to as Dignitas going forward. The rebranding also means fans will have to say farewell to the iconic Dignitas alien logo, which has represented the company for many years. Replacing the alien is an owl, specifically the “Owl of Minerva”, taken from Greek and Roman mythology to tie into the organization’s name. The team will also be using #SeizeTheNight as their official Twitter hashtag, a clear reference to the new owl that now takes roost on their emblem. Fans of the team will be glad to hear that black and yellow will remain as Dignitas’ primary colors, with silver joining the pair as one of the major colors seen on the organization’s brand new jersey. New merchandise will be available for fans to purchase, all featuring the brand new Dignitas logo, including new team jerseys, t-shirts, hoodies and more, all designed by American clothing brand Champion, who Dignitas partnered with back in September. Dignitas are teaming up with Buffalo Wild Wings to celebrate the rebrand with a meet-and-greet at the Rocket League World Championships, however the new logo and jerseys will make their first official competitive appearance at a Heroes of the Storm tournament at BlizzCon. Dignitas have uploaded a full video explaining their full rebrand and what it means to the players and staff, which you can watch below. With a new name and a new look, Dignitas is refreshed for a new era. It’s time to #SeizeTheNight.:point_right:https://t.co/e8BBcjbrDq pic.twitter.com/OEmNVFNNiU — Dignitas (@dignitas) October 31, 2018

T1 COO John Kim passes away age 40 T1South Korean esports giant T1 announced their COO John Kim passed away on July 16 aged just 40. T1’s COO had been hospitalized in early July due to “health issues” but the devastating news came only a few weeks later on July 16. In the announcement, T1 stated: “After being hospitalized July 7 due to health issues, John passed away July 16 2021,” though there was no specific cause mentioned. “John has been instrumental in building T1, worked tirelessly for our players and staff and he will be missed dearly. While we mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague, we will also continue to celebrate his life and the time we had with him.” T1 streamer and content creator Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare shared a Tweet about John saying: “John was somewhat of a father figure to me at T1. “During Nov, he was constantly around me daily to help ease the turbulent month& always made himself available. He always stepped in for me w/o being asked, and I considered him a confidant. I was beyond fortunate to have known him” John was somewhat of a Father figure to me at T1. During Nov, he was constantly around me daily to help ease the turbulent month& always made himself available. He always stepped in for me w/o being asked, and I considered him a confidant. I was beyond fortunate to have known him https://t.co/VJagFZdoor pic.twitter.com/cxFWiLKY43 — LS (@LSXYZ9) July 16, 2021 The Overwatch Contenders team Skyfoxes shared an emotional tweet thread about how much John Kim meant to the people in the organization, saying: “John was integral part not only to Skyfoxes and its history, but to countless budding talent in the space. John’s character preceded him and those fortunate enough to meet him were privileged to have him in our lives.” We’re deeply saddened by the news of John Kim’s passing. John was integral part not only to Skyfoxes and its history, but to countless budding talent in the space. John’s character preceded him and those fortunate enough to meet him were privileged to have him in our lives. https://t.co/7x7iAFurnp — Skyfoxes (@SkyfoxesOW) July 16, 2021 Other memorials for the former COO have also been shared on social media, with many expressing their deepest condolences. John was just 40 years old at the time of his passing.

T1 Faker’s being compared to Messi after winning Asian Games gold medal Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesThe Asian Games have concluded with South Korea and Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok walking away with a gold medal. After the Grand Final, the most storied League of Legends player responded to people comparing him to another star player from a different sport. Every sports has a player that fans have dubbed the greatest of all time, and League of Legends is not much different. Faker has stood solidly in that role for many years at this point, about since he won his second World Championship title in 2015. At the Asian Games, the quiet professional player had to deal with his popularity in full force as even fellow competitors from other sports came up to greet him as fans. Faker and his fellow South Korean teammates walked away from the tournament with a gold medal after defeating Taiwan, although Faker did not play in the final match due to illness. The squad did not lose a single match throughout the event. After the final win, and gold medal in hand, Faker was asked about fans comparing him to one of the greatest player footballers of all time, Lionel Messi. T1 Faker talks Messi comparisons after Asian Games Some would call Faker the Messi of League of Legends. While the Argentine football star is arguably in the twilight of his career, Faker is still going strong and headed to Worlds 2023. The T1 player has not only welcomed the comparison, he claims that it motivates him to improve further. “Many people call me that because of my achievements so far. I am very grateful. Messi has also left many achievements around the world and is a player worthy of respect. I am grateful that my name is called alongside Messi. It makes me feel like I have to work harder,” Faker said according to Naver Sports. Faker will get the chance to work harder at Worlds 2023 as the group stage starts on October 19. T1 and Faker will represent the LCK as the No. 2 seed.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate players are upset at “casual” new tournament mode NintendoThe Super Smash Brothers series has always had the difficult job of catering to a competitive fighting game crowd and those who want a party game experience. The new tournament mode, however, isn’t appealing to hardcore players. On July 30, series creator Masahiro Sakurai revealed the game’s newest fighter, Hero from Dragon Quest, would be available for download. An assortment of other updates are included in the 4.0.0 patch including a tournament mode. “The rules are preset, but they will change periodically,” the voice-over said in the announcement video. Preset rules are four-player free-for-alls while the competitive ruleset used in the esports scene are 1v1s with three stocks (lives), no items and only a few stages are legal. Read More: Dragon Quest Hero coming to Ultimate July 30 – On Reddit, fans are quite upset at the decision to go with preset rules instead of a separate mode catering to competitive players. Smash: *shows online tournament mode* Me: o shit this is pretty coo- Also Smash: *shows unchangeable 4 person FFA format* Me: Nevermind— Ambrosio (@ambrosio_mx) July 30, 2019 “Implementing online tournament mode that only runs off preset rules on Nintendos still garbage netplay ok lol,” Whomperss said. “Was almost going to be good. It’s like they don’t know we don’t play anything other than 1v1 no items, battleground/form. Other than the Nintendo tournament they don’t ever use any other options,” Klarkasaurus wrote. “I honestly wish they made a separate game for all the items and crazy shit and just made smash the traditional fighter that almost everyone else plays (seriously).” “Best case scenario would have been if they made it so you can set the rules. That way casuals can have 4 player ffa’s, and we can have 1v1 no item select stages,” Phonochirp chirped. Most users came to an agreed upon middle ground that allowing for players to pick the ruleset would have been the right decision. Others began theorizing about what the other rulesets will be. Kirocuto commented, “The preset rules refers to being set before the tournament, so I’m guessing we’ll have like a week of free4alls, then a week of 1v1s on FD, then a week of 1v1s with items…” While Smash Bros does have a large esports community, the ruleset is very grassroots. Nintendo has never implemented a stage ban phase for online play or anything that resembles the series format used at major events like Evo. Hopefully Nintendo listens to these pleas and implements a tournament mode to quench the competitive thirst.

SypherPK explains why Fortnite World Cup qualifiers could be “an absolute joke” SypherPK – Twitter / Epic GamesThe qualifiers for the Fortnite is largely negative following what has been a series of in-game changes during Season 8 that many have opposed. One of the biggest gripes that players have with the game is the continued existence of the Baller vehicle, which many from the competitive community have come out and bashed for being too overpowered and noncompetitive. SypherPK’s rant about the Baller On April 12, popular Twitch streamer and YouTuber SypherPK took to Twitter to share his thoughts on what kind of effect the Baller could have on the Fortnite World Cup and its qualifier tournaments. “I just want to say if Fortnite keeps the Hamster Balls in the World Cup Qualifiers or Finals, then the tournament will be an absolute joke,” he tweeted. “If you don’t understand why the hamster balls are noncompetitive and make for a terrible viewing and playing experience, then I don’t know…” I just want to say that if @FortniteGame keeps the Hamster Balls in the World Cup Qualifiers or Finals then the tournament will be an absolute joke. If you don’t understand why the hamster balls are noncompetitive and make for a terrible viewing and playing experience then idk… — LG SypherPK (@SypherPK) April 12, 2019 Sypher, who is considered to be one of the better players in the game, announced several weeks ago that he will be taking competing a lot more seriously for the World Cup, whereas previously, his content was based more on casual gameplay. Why don’t Fortnite players like the Baller? Most players would agree that the Baller simply has no place in the competitive scene, as fundamental aspects of the vehicle just don’t go well with how competitive matches play out. The main concern has always been with the Baller’s overpowered nature, and the fact that players can simply hide in one and use it to move around in such a way that makes them difficult to take down, especially in the all-important endgame phase of matches. Epic Games nerf the Baller In an attempt to appease the competitive community, Epic decided to implement some changes to the Baller that saw its health be decreased from 300 to 200. However, the plans that were originally announced by Epic – to give players the ability to shoot through the Baller’s glass outer layer and hit the driver – have apparently been scrapped after they said “it didn’t feel like the right solution” following a trial phase. Will the Baller be removed before the World Cup? Epic have confirmed that the Fortnite World Cup will be played during Season 10, which means that the qualifiers and the final event will together span over three different Seasons (8-10). With how Epic have treated controversial additions in the past, mainly the X-4 Stormwing plane, it would seem that the Ballers won’t be removed from the game until at least the start of Season 9. However, if Epic have been one thing it’s unpredictable, so no one really knows how long the Ballers will be there or even what would replace them once they get removed.

AI leaders to host Street Fighter III bot tournament with $15K in prizes 6079 / CAPCOMFighting game fans are sure to raise their eyebrows at this latest esports project, which pits AIs against each other for a first-of-its-kind ‘bot vs bot’ Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournament series. Step aside, Daigo — it’s time for AI to take the main stage. Although the fighting game community is deeply rooted in competition between human players, a group of AI “free-thinkers” is here to change this in a move that they claim will be a massive shift in the world of competitive gaming. Enter ‘AI Prize Fight,’ a new online-only tournament series that “merges artificial intelligence with competitive gaming.” In this tournament, both fighting game players and AI enthusiasts can train a bot in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike to battle on their behalf by submitting prompts to a language-learning model, LLM Colosseum. Players can sign up for the competition as team dojos and submit their prompts. Other players can then join the dojos they believe have the best prompts. These dojos will include members of the independent AI movement, as well as prominent web3 communities. AI Prize Fight will kick off in June 2024 in ‘Friday Night Fight’ weekly matches. These battles will culminate in what’s promised to be an “epic grand finale,” with over $15,000 in prizes including a Tier 3 Node from Wire Network, 6079 experience points, and more. AI Prize Fight is orchestrated by a number of “thought leaders” in the independent AI space; specifically, 6079, Wire Network, Morpheus, Hyberbolic, and Exabits. “At its core, AI Prize Fight is not just an event; we’re hoping to introduce a pivotal new chapter for AI esports,” said Mike Anderson, CEO of AI Layer Labs and core contributor to the 6079 protocol. “We believe this is a novel concept that can change the landscape of esports by introducing AI-driven gameplay through prompt engineering. The process combines human ingenuity and machine learning to create an entirely new form of entertainment.” AI is nothing new in the world of fighting games. In fact, an Eddy Gordo bot has been wreaking havoc in Tekken 8 as of late, spamming the capoeira fighter’s left kick and working its way up the ranked ladder thanks to “exactly 21 lines of Python.” Tekken 8’s Super Ghost AI system has also sparked some conversation from players, as it creates a near-perfect ‘copy’ of a player that can be used for training purposes. One player was able to save the ‘Ghost’ of their deceased brother, who died shortly after the game was released, allowing him to play with his sibling even after he was gone — a story that managed to catch the attention of series director and producer Katsuhiro Harada. Even AI tournaments themselves aren’t a novel concept in the FGC. Players have been pitting bots against each other for quite some time now, but watching two Level 8 CPUs play against each other has become a notable pastime among Street Fighter 6 players. We’ll just have to see if AI Prize Fight truly “changes the landscape” of esports as it hopes to do, or whether or not the FGC chooses to embrace this latest form of competition.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate has most registered players at Evo 2019 This year’s event features Ultimate as the only Smash Bros game. (Twitter/EVO)Super Smash Brothers Ultimate has by far the most registered players at Evo 2019, the biggest fighting game event of the year and seven of the titles will feature over 1,000 participants. According to Evo’s president Joey Cuellar, Super Smash Bros Ultimate has 3,492 registered participants. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is a distant second with 1,929 participants. The registration numbers for Smash Ultimate are record-breaking for any Smash event including Melee and Smash 4, but still don’t break the record set by Street Fighter V in its release year with 5,000 entrants. Evo 2019 Final Numbers! Smash Ultimate – 3492 Street Fighter V – 1929 Tekken 7 – 1885 Samurai Shodown – 1719 Mortal Kombat 11 – 1567 Unist – 1156 DragonBall FighterZ – 1191 Soul Calibur 6 – 742 BlazBlue:CTB – 640#Evo2019— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 15, 2019 The registration numbers for Smash Ultimate are record-breaking for any Smash event including Melee and Smash 4, but still don’t break the record set by Street Fighter V in its release year with 5,000 entrants. One reason for this large surge could be the fact that Smash Bros Melee is absent from this year’s Evo. Last year the generations old game had 1,351 registered players. Only three behind Smash Bros for Wii U which had 1,354. But unlike previous Smash Bros titles, plenty of Melee powerhouses such as Leffen have picked up Ultimate, potentially contributing to the overwhelming registration numbers at Evo. It is worth noting that Smash.gg does have slightly different numbers than the ones Cuellar tweeted out. The registration deadline was July 14 at 8:00 PM PST. According to Smash.gg, Ultimate has 3,512 registered players and Street Fighter has 1,934. Read More: Super Smash Bros pro chugs glue live at LTC7 – Additionally, it lists Tekken 7 has having 1,890 registered, Samurai Showdown (1,721), Mortal Kombat 11 (1,571), Dragon Ball FighterZ (1,191), Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] (1,154), Soul Calibur VI (745) and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (641). The 2019 addition of Evo is scheduled for August 2-4 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Streamer reveals Project L esport plans and says it could come to console Riot GamesTaiwanese fighting game pro and streamer Bruce ‘GamerBee’ Hsiang revealed multiple details about Riot Games’ in-development fighting game Project L after allegedly attending a banquet for the game in Japan. Riot Games has been teasing its fighting game, Project L, since late 2021 as the developer is looking to add another genre to its trove of live service games. Not many details have been revealed about the title since its initial tease in 2021, and 2022 updates. That is, until now thanks to fighting game pro GamerBee who revealed some key details about the game on Twitter after allegedly attending a banquet put on by Riot for the upcoming gaming in Japan. GamerBee, using ChatGPT to translate his words, said that Riot is still a long way away from even having a closed beta for the game and that there will be an esports element to the game. He also revealed that Riot is allegedly trying to “coordinate” with Sony to bring the game to PlayStation. Project L details revealed Among the things GamerBee revealed include technical moves and mechanics in the game that could change in the future, including a “retreating guard,” normal move cancels into combos and a lack of cooldown systems. GamerBee also said that the developers have not decided on whether or not the game should have a comeback system for if a player is down to one fighter against an opponent that has both. Riot is also planning on creating an esport around the title, according to GamerBee. “There will be a pro esports environment, and some may worry that official tournaments will displace community events,” GamerBee wrote. “Therefore, there will be a limit on official tournaments and community tournaments can use Project L to organize events.” Riot is also planning on letting tournament organizers run the game in the same event as other titles, like CEO or EVO, and will also allow pros to compete in other titles at the same time as Project L, according to GameBee. Riot Games has yet to confirm these details or reveal more about its in-development fighting game.

SteelSeries launches Prime Bounty program giving pros the chance to win prizes SteelSeriesSteelSeries, a gaming peripheral company with multiple ties to esports teams and orgs, has announced the SteelSeries Prime Bounty program on June 1 to give pro players a prize for winning any listed major event with a mouse made by the company. Titles eligible for the $20,000 prize include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, Rainbow Six: Siege, Apex Legends, Fortnite and Player Unknown Battlegrounds. Tournaments included for the bounty are any that have a grand final played on LAN and on a computer, using one of the SteelSeries mice, and considered “S-tier” by the company. Tournaments listed on the website include IEM Dallas, Valorant Champions 2022 and Dreamhack Sweden. Pros will also have to use specific mice made by SteelSeries to claim their Prime Bounty. The peripherals include Prime Pro Series, Aerox Series, Rival Series and Sensei Ten. The new Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset from @Steelseries was launched yesterday, and I’m allowed to give one away to my community 😊 Like this Tweet & Comment below what Pick’Em coin you got, and I will choose a winner on the 1st of June. pic.twitter.com/xaUOjHJIsr — Russel van Dulken (@Twistzz) May 26, 2022 The company will also give away a SteelSeries prize pack to a person in the player’s community who claimed the bounty. Multiple players on one team can enter and claim a prize, but the terms and conditions stipulate that players must be 18 years old or above to enter and win. SteelSeries Prime Bounty watch The SteelSeries Prime Bounty program will run until December 31, 2022 unless closed sooner at the discretion of the company. Read More: IEM Dallas 2022: streams, schedule, results – The bounty period has already begun with the conclusion of the PGL Major 2022 Antwerp where FaZe Clan walked away with the trophy while using gear from SteelSeries. “Since 2001, pros have won more prize money with SteelSeries than with any other brand and in 2021 the company launched its first series of brand events.” The company said in a press release for the program. “The SteelSeries Prime Cup Series is a collection of tournaments featuring the world’s most popular esports titles, including CS: GO, Rainbow Six, Overwatch, and Apex Legends. Thus far, teams like FaZe Clan, London Spitfire, Red Bull OG, and SpaceStation Gaming competed for over $60,000 USD in prize money.”

Stories of war: NAVI founder talks being on the Ukraine frontline Facebook Alexander Kokhanovskyy/DexertoNAVI founder Alexander Kokhanovskyy spoke to Dexerto about signing up to defend Ukraine in the war against Russia and how the conflict will impact the esports scene in his country. A few days into Russia’s attack on Ukraine, there was no doubt in Alexander Kokhanovskyy’s mind that he had to take part in his country’s defensive efforts and help repel the invasion. Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had declared a general mobilization and called on citizens to take up arms and protect their country. “We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country,” Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter. We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2022 But Kokhanovskyy didn’t need a weapon. He has his own AK-47, which he carries with him around Kyiv, his hometown. Like him, tens of thousands of ordinary Ukrainian civilians from all walks of life have joined the resistance. Engineers, musicians, businessmen – or, in Kokhanovskyy’s case, the founder of NAVI and one of the most influential figures in Ukrainian esports. “I would never forgive myself if I didn’t do it,” he said in an interview last week about signing up to fight. “I pulled back in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea and Donbass, but this time I said ‘no way’, and that I wanted to help and defend my country.” Kokhanovskyy answered my questions by audio messages during a brief period of respite from the frenzy of the war. He is part of a 20-man quick reaction force unit tasked with “enhancing police territorial defence and other forces during certain missions” in the Ukrainian capital, which has been under attack for 42 days now. His squad’s days are structured, with a good portion of his time spent getting military training in Kyiv or close to the capital’s borders, doing anything from shooting to tactical drills and basic combat medicine exercises. “When we’re done with those tasks, we have different requests. We assist with evacuation and help friends, family and strangers in need.” Ver esta publicação no Instagram Kokhanovskyy had no military experience prior to the war, but he pointed out, in a half-joking manner, that he’s putting his videogame knowledge to use. “My Counter-Strike skills help me a little bit,” he said, laughing. “I’m good at shooting. Reactions, teamwork, tactical sense – you can use some of that from Counter-Strike in real life.” Initial reactions to his decision to join in the fighting were mixed. Friends and most of his family expressed support, while his mother was “speechless at first.” “But then she said, ‘I’m proud of you. If you think that’s the right thing and what you need to do, go ahead.’” A key figure in Ukrainian esports A former Counter-Strike player who competed under the nickname ‘ZeroGravity’ during the early 2000s, Kokhanovskyy played a central role in the creation of the team that would go on to establish an era of dominance never seen before in the region. As team manager, he watched up close as NAVI (then shortened to Na`Vi), became the best in the world in 2010, when it won a series of international tournaments, including IEM IV, ESWC and WCG. That team, featuring players like Yegor “markeloff” Markelov, Ioan “Edward” Sukharev and Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko, helped put Ukrainian esports on the map. At the same time, it also laid the foundations for the current success the organization is enjoying as countless Ukrainian youngsters, including a certain Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, began dreaming that they, too, could one day put on the yellow and black mantle and scale the greatest heights. As NAVI grew in size and scale, Kokhanovskyy took on the role of Chief Executive Officer, which he held until being replaced by Yevhen Zolotarov in 2017. He has ceased day-to-day involvement in the company, though his name is still the first one that appears on NAVI’s staff page. Over the last five years, Kokhanovskyy has had a hand in multiple gaming-related projects. He co-founded DreamTeam, an infrastructure platform and payment gateway for esports, and DMarket.io, a decentralised marketplace. He was also involved in the $41 million purchase of the Dnipro Hotel, in Kyiv, which he wants to turn into the first esports-dedicated hotel in Europe. In July 2020, he became the president of the Ukrainian Professional Esports Association (UPEA), which is already “the number one tournament organizer in Ukraine”, running competitions on all levels and playing an important social and educational role in Ukrainian society. “We have a responsibility league, a league for our veterans and one for people with disabilities,” he explains. “We are also involved in research about how, for example, esports can help the veterans who come back from the war with post-traumatic stress. “As an association, we are helping to push esports within schools and universities. We’re trying to build an esports model that is similar to South Korea’s.” Prior to the war, UPEA’s goal was to make esports “the second-most popular discipline” in Ukraine after football by 2025. Kokhanovskyy knows that such plans have been scuppered and that if the conflict drags on, it could take years for Ukrainian esports to go back to the level they were at before the turn of the year. “The impact of war will largely depend on how long it lasts,” he says. “The longer it takes, the worse off esports in Ukraine will be. We’re going to have to rebuild the country, and esports will not be a priority. “If it takes longer than six months, it will be challenging to think of anything other than rebuilding the country.” Strained relationship One inescapable factor behind the success of multiple esports teams in the CIS region in recent years is the co-existence of players from different countries. NAVI’s Major-winning CS:GO team has two players from Ukraine and three from Russia, and so does Team Spirit’s Dota 2 squad, which pocketed over $18 million when it won The International in 2021. But as much as esports can provide an escape from reality, there’s no denying that the war has disrupted what was, until a few months ago, a harmonious relationship between two scenes that often joined forces for a greater purpose. That unity seems to be a thing of the past, as NAVI have demonstrated. On March 1, the Ukrainian organization severed ties with Russia’s ESforce Holding, whose properties include Virtus.pro and tournament organizer Epic Esports Events. “While NAVI employees and players spend their days in bomb shelters, ESforce Holding publicly denies the horror that is now happening in Ukraine,” NAVI wrote. This is a decision that Kokhanovskyy fully supports, despite his past ties to ESforce. He was a shareholder in the company when it owned the media and advertising sales rights to NAVI between 2016 and 2017. He divested his stake in ESforce in January 2018, according to his LinkedIn page. “I think it’s the right decision, 100 percent,” he says. “Like any Ukrainian, NAVI should cut ties with any business or government that supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine.” The loss of partnerships, revenue and talent is a risk that NAVI are prepared to take. On March 31, the organization parted ways with Russian CS:GO academy trio Vladislav ‘latt1kk’ Vydrin, Dmitry ‘fe2nk’ Gladskikh and Vladislav ‘xiELO-‘ Lysov. It’s the first step in NAVI’s plan to let go of players and staff unwilling – or unable – to leave Russia and relocate to another country, as revealed by Zolotarov, the CEO, in an interview with the Washington Post. This will affect every area of NAVI’s operation, including the CS:GO team, the jewel of their crown, with a decision expected after their “upcoming championships” – which could mean as late as August as we now enter a busy period of the season that will stretch into July. Kokhanovskyy has no doubt that the growing division between Russians and Ukrainians generated by the war and the sanctions that are being levied on Russia-based organizations will have a “huge” impact on NAVI and the CIS esports scene as a whole. “I think the majority of the game developers will try to isolate Russia-based organizations from participating in their tournaments or playing their games,” he says. “That’s the challenge we need to accept as a team and we need to find the best way to solve it – relocating players and thinking about different things that can help us further down the road. But it’s too early to discuss that because we don’t know when this war will end.” ‘No fear’ Forty-two days into the invasion, there’s still no end in sight to the war, which has killed thousands of people, displaced millions of refugees and devastated many cities across Ukraine. When we spoke, downtown Kyiv was being shelled indiscriminately on a daily basis. The war has since entered a new phase as Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive, making considerable gains around the capital and in other parts of the country. Despite Russia’s superior firepower, optimism is still intact. Kokhanovskyy says he is “100 percent sure” that Ukraine will emerge victorious from the war. “It’s not possible to occupy a country or win a war against 40 million people,” he says. “It’s not going to happen. “Each day that passes is moving us closer to victory, but the question is the price we will need to pay for that victory. The longer it goes, the more devastating it will be.” For now, Russian troops have retreated from occupied areas around Kyiv, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. There is a fleeting and fragile sense of peace in the capital, but Kokhanovskyy points out that the situation out there is much worse. “It’s literal hell in certain cities,” he says. “It’s the worst thing you can imagine.” Like many other Ukrainians, he never thought that war would erupt on his doorstep, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to defend his country. “I don’t want to live under any other country or under occupation,” he told Anton Ptushkin, the owner of a popular YouTube channel in Ukraine called ‘Anton somewhere’. I asked him how he feels as he walks the streets of Kyiv in the middle of a war, gun in hand and dressed in military uniform. Is he afraid? Not anymore, he says. With a sigh, he confesses that he has been numbed by war and the atrocities that have befallen his people. “At first, you’re scared, but now you hear those explosions every day, different ones,” he says. “You hear shooting, and you are absolutely fine. “Human beings adapt to any circumstances. So after two or three weeks I was no longer afraid. I feel absolutely safe in Kyiv, despite the explosions, despite the shooting, despite everything I’m seeing with my own eyes, unfortunately.” Alexander Kokhanovskyy has started a fundraiser to help Ukrainians in need during the war. Please visit the GoFundMe page If you wish to make a donation.

StarCraft issues touching tribute to Geoff ‘iNcontrol’ Robinson iNcontrolBlizzard’s official StarCraft Twitter account posted a touching message on the passing of former pro turned commentator Geoff ‘iNcontrol’ Robinson on Monday, July 22. The post reads, “thank you for everything, Geoff. StarCraft won’t be the same without you.” A graphic with more information was attached. It reads: “We are heartbroken to see the news about Geoff ‘iNcontrol’ Robinson. Between playing, streaming, casting, and hosting, he touched most everyone who follows StarCraft with his wit and passion.” Thank you for everything, Geoff. StarCraft won’t be the same without you. pic.twitter.com/zA7likyhf1 — StarCraft (@StarCraft) July 22, 2019 The post concluded, “He’ll be sincerely missed and forever part of the legacy of the game. Our deepest condolences to his family.” Blizzard does have a history of honoring respected community figures within their games. It’s possible they’ll be doing something similar for iNcontrol as they did for Dennis “‘Internethulk’ Hawelka when he passed away. On the Eichenwalde map in Overwatch, the words “I *heart* D H” were added to a crusader poster. Considering Internethulk was from Germany, the tribute made sense on this map. Overwatch League also has an award in his honor given to the player who had the most positive impact on the community at the end of each season. The company could immortalize iNcontrol in some form, but nothing has been officially announced Late on Sunday, July 21, it was announced that iNcontrol unexpectedly passed on Saturday, July 20 after suffering from a sudden illness. He was only 33. The statement on his social media page read: “With immense grief, we announce Geoff’s unexpected passing due to sudden illness Saturday. We ask privacy as his family works to understand what happened and make arrangements.” “Geoff is deeply loved across many communities and we’re all working to make sure his affairs are in order as he’d want,” the post concluded. iNcontrol was a StarCraft 2 Protoss player before moving onto commentary where he worked events such as season one of North American Star League and the 2012 DreamHack Open: Stockholm. The cause of death has not been disclosed and Robinson’s family has asked for privacy at this time.

Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster launches new gaming org Team Diverge HyperXPittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has announced the launch of his own gaming organization, Team Diverge, with six signed content creators and plans to move into esports. [jwplayer dy1EAYho] Smith-Schuster is well-known for his incredible skill and talent on the football field, holding a number of NFL and Steelers franchise records, but fans of gaming will know him for his love of video games, his YouTube channel full of gameplay videos, and his close relationship with FaZe Clan. As one of the most successful and marketable players in the NFL, JuJu is now continuing his crossover into the world of gaming with the introduction of his own organization named Team Diverge, which will start life as a content team with eyes to moving into esports in the future as well. “In creating my own organization instead of joining one of the big established ones, I know I chose a different path than most in my position would do,” the 23-year-old stated. “I’m not just trying to be a popular figure in gaming for myself; I’m trying to build a special organization that is a platform for others.” Team Diverge have already signed six rising content creators to serve as the core of the team in Tubasuki, Micahwave, CitizenSnipes, TheMeatMan, SteelCurtain, and Royalize, with new members set to be announced at a later date. Alongside gaming creators, Smith-Schuster also intends to recruit fellow athletes, musicians, and celebrities who will also help drive the team’s content and help promote the organization. With JuJu admitting that a lot of his Steelers teammates are gamers, it’s possible we could see them take part in Team Diverge content in the future. Going forward, Team Diverge will be creating a content house in Spring 2021 that will host both gaming creators and crossover talent, something which JuJu is well accustomed to having lived in the FaZe House in the past. During the NFL offseason, the Steelers star will host both the talent and Team Diverge members for three months, creating new content for fans to enjoy. Esports are also on the agenda, with TD hoping to acquire and create teams in all kinds of different games, including smash hits like Warzone and Fall Guys, and also intends to launch “streetwear-inspired apparel” with activewear brands who will help deliver limited-edition drops and evergreen merchandise for fans of JuJu and Team Diverge to enjoy. Smith-Schuster is no stranger to the world of gaming organizations thanks to his long history with FaZe, and even dropped a special merchandise collaboration with them back in 2018. JuJu’s relationship there was clearly fruitful, with the NFL star calling them “great guys” and admitting that he “learned a lot about the bridge between athletes, influencers, and gaming” thanks to the organization. He’ll be aiming to take that experience into his new venture with Team Diverge, who JuJu states will aim to “move in a different direction than ordinary gaming organizations,” with plans to be “unique in how [they] operate.”

Starcraft legend wins final event before entering military service KT RolsterLegendary Starcraft champion Lee ‘Flash’ Young-ho has finished off his career in style, winning his fourth Afreeca Starleague in seven years before retiring from the scene due to mandatory South Korean military service. The 27-year-old had previously won three Starleague titles in a row between Seasons 2-4. In his last year on the Starcraft circuit, Flash claimed his fourth with a 4-0 victory over Jang ‘Snow’ Yoon Chul in the grand final. Korea’s famous Terran player entered Season 8 through the Seoul qualifiers, before earning his place in the top 8 with 2-1 and 2-0 group stages. He bested Lee ‘Light’ Jae-ho 2-1 in the quarter-finals, before rolling over Jung ‘Rain’ Yoon Jong 3-0 in the semi-final. Flash boasts a long and storied career in the Starcraft scene. The veteran star first burst onto the scene as a prodigious 14-year-old, becoming the youngest player to reach an OSL semi-final at the 2007 tournament. Read more: StarLadder Berlin Major Champions stage set – He truly arrived a year later, however, ousting Song ‘Stork’ Byung Goo 3-0 during the 2008 Bacchus OSL final and earning himself more than $32,000USD in prize money. The clean-sweep win was one of the fastest finals victories of all time. Flash has well and truly cemented his legacy in the Starcraft scene. He has earned titles like “God” and “Final Boss” within the community, and was appointed one of the best of all time with the title of ‘bonjwa’ for his domination during the late 2000s. During his period of dominance, Flash recorded a historic Elo peak in the 2400s, and is one of just two players to have been awarded both the Golden Mouse for winning three OnGameNet Starleague championships, and the Golden Badge for winning three MSLs. Representing KT Rolster for most of his Starcraft career, Flash claimed more than $400,000USD in prize money since his first victories in 2007. This is the second time Flash has retired from the professional scene, after the fifth bonjwa called time on his competitive story in 2015. After spending some time streaming, the Terran player returned to the circuit in 2016. There has been no confirmation from Flash about his post-service career in Starcraft, but with five weeks of boot camp and two years of time in the military ahead of him, he has plenty of time to decide whether he wants to return to the popular RTS title in the future.

Splyce’s Director of Operations looks back on the organization’s success in 2018 The last few months have shown huge growth and success for Splyce, and even their Director of Operations is taking a moment to appreciate it. Founded in 2015, the organization has grown quickly and has teams competing in League of Legends, Call of Duty, Rocket League, Smite, Halo, and more. Splyce have shown great success in expanding and developing, but 2018 has arguably been their greatest year to date, which Director of Operations, Grant ‘Greivance’ Rousseau, took some time to reflect on with a Twitter post on November 20. Over past month or so for @Splyce: – OWL franchise spot and @TorontoDefiant launch – Splyce/TD Blizzcon Party for 500+ people – SC2 World championship 2nd place – Smite World Championship winners – Promotion to RLCS in rocket league – LEC franchise spotOnto 2019! — Grant Rousseau (@GrievanceGR) 20 November 2018 The sheer number of milestones the organization has reached in just a matter of months is extremely impressive, starting with the addition of an Overwatch League Franchise spot for 2019, the Toronto Defiant, launching in September. This announcement was shortly followed by the Splyce/Toronto Defiant Blizzcon Afterparty in Anaheim on November 2, where attendees were treated to live music, food and drinks, a live 1v1 Overwatch tournament and could meet members of the team. Splyce’s Kim ‘STATS’ Dae Yeob also came second in the Starcraft II World Championship Series Global Finals at BlizzCon that same weekend. Their SMITE team took down Team RivaL in a close series on November 18 to be crowned World Champions, making history after finishing in last place during the spring season. The Rocket League team also finished first in the Rocket League Rival Series, with a 20-9 match record, beating Bread, Rogue and Allegiance to first place at the promotion playoffs to guarantee a spot in the Rocket League Championship series. Now, Splyce have also been confirmed as one of the 10 franchise teams for the new League of Legends European Championship (LEC), with the first split kicking off in January 18. When all of the organization’s wins and new announcements are laid out in such a way, it really is remarkable how well it has managed to do and gain in a period of just three months. Grievance seems incredibly proud of what Splyce has achieve this year and also excited for 2019 following this success, could we see next year be even better for the organization?

StarCraft 2 community hosting charity memorial tournament for Geoff ‘iNcontrol’ Robinson incontrol.ggPlatinum Heroes, a StarCraft 2 community is hosting a charity tournament in honor of Geoff “iNcontrol” Robinson, a commentator and former player, who unexpectedly passed away on July 21. All donations will be going to Southern California Bulldog rescue. When Robinson passed away, his family posted on his Twitter account asking, “to honor Geoff or offer comfort to his family, we suggest donations to @SoCalBulldog, which he loved.” As of the time of this posting, 59 players have signed up to compete in the charity tournament scheduled for Sunday, August 4 at 9 AM PST. Following the devastating loss of Geoff ‘iNcontroL’ Robinson we from “”The Platinum Heroes Community”” wanted to host a charity memorial tournament that’s open to all ranks! @matcherino_ gave us an upgraded 1$ per coupon code so please do use them! Sign up https://t.co/XVHtkSoH73 — SC2PlatHeroes (@SC2PlatHeroes) July 28, 2019 The Challonge page states that, “there is no restriction on participants for required number of games or League for this Tournament. This Tournament is organised by Platinum Heroes Discord and casted by Creighton Olsen on Twitch.” Read More: Overwatch League hosts pay tribute to Geoff ‘iNcontrol’ Robinson Dexerto has reached out for more information on the event. We will update this article when we know more. Geoff “iNcontrol” Robinson passed away on July 21 due to a blood clot in his lungs. He was only 33 years old. Many within the esports community posted fond memories and tributes of Robinson after hearing the tragic news. Journalist Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields described him as “one of the most entertaining people to ever be involved with esports.” The official StarCraft Twitter account posted a heartfelt message and stated that “StarCraft won’t be the same without [Robinson].” The Overwatch League had its own touching tribute with hosts Chris Puckett and Soe Gschwind-Penski emotionally sharing their thoughts on Robinson before a video package aired with highlights from his career. Robinson started off his StarCraft 2 career as a Protoss (one of the three main races/factions within the game) player before transitioning to the role of a commentator. As a broadcast talent member, Robinson worked events such as North American Star League and the 2012 DreamHack Open: Stockholm.

Splyce announce surprising news about their status in Halo esports and their legendary roster North American based esports organization Splyce have made a surprising announcement regarding their status in Halo esports. In tweets put out on December 14, Splyce revealed that they will no longer be competing in the Halo Championship Series, despite having one of the most legendary rosters in the history of the esport. “Four championships, one legacy,” they tweeted. “Thank you to our players and to the HCS for keeping competitive Halo going, year after year.” As of now, the fates of the players have not yet been revealed, except for that of Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro, who will be remain with the org as part of their Call of Duty roster. Read More: KFC Gaming hilariously roasts Splyce’s coach for “throwing away” huge lead to OpTic Gaming at CWL Vegas – As for the rest of the players, Splyce will announce further details in the near future, although they should have no issue finding a new org to play for should the players choose to remain in Halo. Four championships. :trophy: One legacy. :snake: Thank you to our players and to the @HCS for keeping competitive Halo going, year after year. pic.twitter.com/pRC8gtjrlN — Splyce (@Splyce) December 15, 2018 Splyce leave Halo esports with a legacy that is second to none in terms of legendary status and pure dominance. Their exceptional roster placed either first or second in their last 11 official competitions, including first place finishes at MLG Orlando, MLG Columbus, and the Halo World Championship. Their roster at the latter two events also featured John ‘Skeptical’ Dadi as the Head Coach, and his future also remains uncertain with this announcement. Despite Shotzzy having been confirmed to be staying on, there is one major issue, which is that he is not yet 18 years old, the minimum age requirement to compete in the CoD World League. He will then have to wait on the sidelines until his next birthday, which comes on July 4 of next year. As for his role, with Splyce’s roster currently full, there are two clear possibilities. Either Splyce will make a roster change and replace someone on their main team with Shotzzy, or he will be the team’s substitute player, a new position that all CWL Pro League rosters are required to have.

Splyce to become the first ever League of Legends team to wear Pride jerseys on stage Splyce/OverActive MediaSplyce is set to make history at the League of Legends European Championship on July 26 by wearing Pride jerseys on the main stage and on the global broadcast as they take on Team Vitality. According to OverActive Media, Splyce’s owners, the team will swap their traditional yellow, black and grey jerseys during their matches this week to celebrate Christopher Street Day in Berlin. The Christopher Street Day festival is an LGBT celebration held in various European cities such as Berlin. Essentially, it’s very similar to Pride festivals in North America. “Across our entire organization, we are building a culture of winning, and to do that we need everyone to feel safe and encouraged to bring their full selves to work everyday. That is why I am so proud of this initiative and want to clearly reiterate that at OAM, everyone is welcomed no matter how you identify or who you choose to love,” OverActive Media’s CEO and President, Chris Overholt said. “One thing we want to send is a very clear message. Everybody is welcome in the esports community. Regardless of your gender, identity or sexual orientation,” esports commentator and Splyce social media admin James ‘Stress’ O’Leary explained in a video. Splyce’s Pride jerseys will be available for purchase and all proceeds will be going to ILGA-Europe. ILGA-Europe is a charity that fights for equal rights for LGBT communities in 54 countries throughout Europe and central Asia. Splyce is currently 7-3 and sit at third place in LEC standings. If they can maintain their position, they will advance to the LEC European Championship Summer Finals in Athens, Greece. The winner of that, will then qualify for the League of Legends World Championships later in the year.

Splitgate Pro Series Winter final results: Portal Demons win top prize Splitgate EsportsThe dominant Portal Demons have taken top spot in Splitgate Pro Series’ Winter season, after crushing the competition from start to finish. Here are the full results, and what to look out for when the next season rolls around. The Splitgate Pro Series returned in 2022 for the Winter series, pitting the 8 best teams in the world against each other for their share of the $60,000 finals prize pool. Coming into the finals, Portal Demons had already established their dominance in the league, starting out with a 6-1 record in the regular season of the Pro Series. But, the competition was hot on their heels, with We Got Lucky also keeping up with a 6-1 record, albeit with a worse map win percentage. Splitgate Pro Series Winter 2022 – Results Portal Demons defeated Revenge Tour and No Sleep on the way to finals, before facing off against No Sleep for a second time in the grand final. Both matches against No Sleep came down to a final map, but each time Portal Demons closed out the series 3-2 – securing 1st place. Bracket Portal Demons’ Hypnos was named MVP after the final, secured with a 1.65 K/D at finals – and even more impressive 1.85 throughout the regular season. If No Sleep had managed to win the final map, it would have been pushed to a second best of 5, but clutch performances in the final match secured Portals Demons’ place at the top. Congratulations to the @ASTROGaming MVP of the #SplitgateProSeries Winter Season Finals – @SGHypnos! pic.twitter.com/Get6WDm9RG — Splitgate Esports (@SGEsports) March 14, 2022 Challengers still to come However, the Winter Season is not quite done yet. Still to come are the Challengers Playoffs and the Relegation Playoffs, on March 19 and 20 respectively. The top two teams will not only secure their place in relegation playoffs, but also ASTRO A40 TR Headsets and a cash prize. Full details on the Challengers schedule and how to watch can be found here. After the conclusion of the Winter Season, the Pro Series will be back later in 2022.

How to Watch Splitgate Pro Series 2022: Winter split, Standings, schedule 1047 GamesThe Splitgate Pro Series is back for the 2022 season, and the tournament organizers are going big for the second circuit. Here’s everything you need to know about the Winter split, prize pool and schedule. For its sophomore season, 1047 Games and Beyond are extending the Splitgate Pro Series throughout 2022 with four seasonal splits with a total of $500,000 in prizes on the line. This will mark the first SPS regular season, as opposed to last year’s brief competitive circuit. As eight teams compete in the SPS, the TOs are also building a path-to-pro Challengers system for any amateur team to sign-up and test their mettle in open ladders. SPS 2022 will even have a way for fans to get involved in the action with the Splitgate Community series by Beyond Gaming. Here’s a complete overview of what to expect from the Splitgate 2022 Pro Series campaign as well as how to watch along the year. Jump to: Splitgate Pro Series – Stream Every single Pro Series match will be streamed on Splitgate’s official Twitch channel, which you can watch here: Splitgate Pro League standings – Winter Portal Demons have held on to the top spot with a 4-1 overall record, while they were closely pursued by We Got Lucky and Revenge Tour. At the other end of the standings, Mushroom Hunters remain without a win after their 5 matches. SPS 2022 – Winter Season schedule, prize pool The second year of SPS is divided into four quarterly splits with every frame culminating in the Season Final. This year will kick off with the Winter Season which will span about six weeks. Teams will be placed in the Season Final based on their seeding from pro matches in the weeks prior. Here, teams will vie for a separate $60,000 prize pool distributed among the top-six placements. This format will repeat itself four times in the year across the different stages of the SPS 2022 circuit. SPS Winter schedule Pro Match Day 1: February 5th, 2022 – Pro Match Day 2: February 6th, 2022 – Pro Match Day 3: February 13th, 2022 – Pro Match Day 4: February 20th, 2022 – Pro Match Day 5: February 27th, 2022 – Pro Match Day 6: March 5th, 2022 – Pro Match Day 7: March 6th, 2022 – Winter Season Finals: March 13th, 2022 – SPS 2022 Prize pool Pro Series Matches: $35,000 Win: $1,000 – Loss: $250 – Pro Series Finals: $60,000 1st: $30,000 – 2nd: $15,000 – 3rd: $6,000 – 4th: $4,000 – 5th/6th: $2,500 – Splitgate Challengers league schedule, prize pool To foster a talent system for the SPS, 1047 Games are also hosted a Challengers series for amateur teams to rise through the ranks. Challengers Ladder Play lead to a 16-team Ladder Playoffs which will culminate in the Relegation Tournament. After all was said and done, Little Gremlins and Fire Rate Diff secured qualification to the next season of Splitgate Esports. Congratulations to both Little Gremlins and Fire Rate Diff who have qualified for the next @Splitgate Esports season! 🏆 Little Gremlins:@xCrazies @VexyFA@cBlitz_ @OrderApollo🏆 Fire Rate Diff:@JDaybreakk @SuckyTM@SolarKzx@iAgonyiiWelcome to the #SplitgateProSeries 🤘 pic.twitter.com/aVno390lAh — Splitgate Esports (@SGEsports) March 20, 2022 Challengers Series prize pool Top 2: Custom ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Headset + SPS Speaker Tags – 1st: $2,500 + Spot in Relegation Playoffs – 2nd: $1,500 + Spot in Relegation Playoffs – 3rd: $750 – 4th: $250 – We’ll be back with coverage of the next season of Splitgate Pro Series when it begins later this year.

Splitgate Pro Series announced with over $100k in tournament prizing 1047 GamesSplitgate esports arrives on October 17. With over $100,000 in cash and gaming prizing, the Splitgate Pro Series has been announced alongside 1047 Games’ plans for weekly tournaments. Back in August 2021, Splitgate made a highly anticipated return to the gaming world after an early debut in 2019. At the time, the game was heralded as a better version of Halo and many wondered what its future might hold. Splitgate Season 0 went live with new content for the Beta in late August and then the devs teased “monumental” news in early September. Those all led into more questions about the game’s next steps. Now, we have some of those answers. All of this development work has laid a path for the Splitgate Pro Series. And the devs revealed what that tournament series entails, including over $100,000 in prizing. Splitgate Pro Series: tournament format, prizing, schedule Today, we unveil the future of Splitgate esports with @PlayBeyond. Announcing the #SplitgateProSeries Launch Season! 💰 $100,000+ Cash & Prizes 🎧 Win @ASTROGaming Gear ⚔️ WEEKLY Open Tournaments 📺 Live BroadcastsLearn more & Compete at https://t.co/hA2Ynbxl8O pic.twitter.com/GFugMbgGYF — Splitgate (@Splitgate) October 11, 2021 As revealed in a tweet and trailer, the Splitgate Pro Series will kick off on October 17. At which point, teams will begin qualifying for chances at a serious prize pool and gear from ASTRO Gaming. More details are available at the series’ website, where players will be able to find news, schedule, standings, and their link to enter the competition. Splitgate Pro Series: Teams and players As far as reception, people already seem pretty excited for the open competition. Pizza Hut is asking who wants to represent them during the series and random players are getting their squads prepped. The first qualifier will award $5,000 and take place on October 17. Then, subsequent qualifiers will take place leading up to a $60,000 Grand Final on December 12. Splitgate has been described as Portal meets Halo meets Unreal Tournament. Now, it’s all meeting a big prize pool too.

Sources: Oxygen Esports to cease operations and lay off all staff Oxygen EsportsAccording to multiple sources, Oxygen Esports is in the process of laying off all staff and ceasing operations entirely, just three years after partnering with New England Patriots owner Kraft Sports & Entertainment. Oxygen (OXG) was founded in 2020 and merged with Robert Kraft’s company not long after, allowing them to fund teams in multiple esports including Valorant, Rocket League, Rainbow Six, Apex Legends, and creating the Call of Duty League franchise Boston Breach. While some of the organization’s teams earned respectable placements throughout their tenure under the OXG banner. However, despite ambitious attempts to put together strong rosters, they failed to bring home championships for their Helix Esports facility at Patriot Place. Several Dexerto sources have claimed that Oxygen Esports’s end is nigh. The organization is laying off all staff amid plans to cease operations completely. Players for the Boston Breach have been told that they will lose access to the Helix facility and be out of their apartments by August 8 — just days before they head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a $1.8 million Modern Warfare 3 tournament. The situation is still developing for Oxygen and their staff, some of whom told Dexerto they had been “left in the dark” but that “all of us are affected,” including players. This news comes just days after the Oxygen-owned Shift Summer League playoffs in Rocket League were suspended 30 minutes before they were due to start on August 6. Staff for the event were reportedly told that the promise they would be paid would no longer be fulfilled, and were urged to continue working for free. At the time of writing, several sources claimed that the board and shareholders are attempting to “resolve” the situation. Among staff, this is expected to be formalities around severance pay and should be made official by Friday, August 9. At the time of writing, it is unclear what this means for the future of the 12th Call of Duty League spot, though several organizations have quietly expressed interest in joining, especially since Activision decided to eliminate the $25m entry fee and refund all fees already paid to organizations. Dexerto has reached out to Oxygen for comment.

Spanish giants KOI enter LEC through Rogue partnership KOIKOI and Rogue have announced their partnership on October 6, after months of reporting that the two were set to combine forces, which has led to the Spanish organization taking over Rogue’s LEC spot. KOI, founded by Ibai Llanos, one of the most popular Twitch streamers in the world, and former football player Gerard Piqué, has officially partnered with Rogue and the company’s parent company Infinite Reality. Ibai announced via his Twitch stream that the organization would be joining the LEC in a direct address to his viewers and in a skit involving other streamers. In the skit, Ibai and the other streamers reminisce about old times while playing older versions of themselves while Ibai shows them photos from the past. They repeatedly ask when they joined the LEC when a Rogue executive shows up and places the photo in front of them. Rogue announced the partnership on its website and also said that the two companies will have additional ventures into the metaverse like having the two high-profile KOI founders appear in the virtual space and hold live events along with other brand activations and real-life merchandise. KOI finally joins the LEC It was initially reported that KOI was buying part-ownership of Rogue’s LEC spot back in August. The deal was reportedly priced at $60 million of 60% of Rogue’s LEC ownership. Rogue shopped around the LEC spot to other organizations, notably French juggernaut Karmine Corp., and settled on the Spanish company. The staff and players on Rogue will not be impacted initially by the business transaction according to a report on the deal. Rogue has one of the top LEC teams this year as the team is the European No. 1 seed at the League of Legends 2022 World Championships. The team placed first and second in the LEC across the spring and summer regular seasons respectively. The deal is still pending Riot Games’ approval. Rogue currently operated esports teams in Call of Duty, Rocket League, Rainbow Six, and their LEC team while KOI has teams in the LVP SuperLiga and the top Valorant league. KOI also announced that the organization will jump into Rocket League, Rainbow Six and Call of Duty.

Sources: EXCEL hire Schalke 04’s Tim Reichert as esports director Schalke 04/EXCELSchalke 04 Esports managing director Tim Reichert has joined British esports organization EXCEL ESPORTS as their new esports director, sources have told Dexerto. There are changes aplenty in Schalke 04’s esports section, which recently announced its departure from top-tier European League of Legends competition LEC. Now, the leader of Schalke 04’s esports efforts, Tim Reichert, has decided to move on from the club and join a competitor, sources have informed Dexerto. He served as the club’s head of esports from May 2016 to September 2017 and chief gaming officer from October 2017 to June 2018. From there, another role change saw him become the managing director of the esports division until his departure. Now, sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed he has joined another LEC team, EXCEL, as their new director of esports. He’ll assume responsibility for the organization’s competitive operations. This is it. This is our final documentary. A look back at the year behind us, but also at our five year journey in the #LEC. This is Nullfear – the story of how a big football club from Gelsenkirchen fought for glory in Europe’s greatest esports league. We hope you enjoy💙🤍#S04 pic.twitter.com/ikILGQlNQR — Schalke 04 Esports League of Legends (@S04EsportsLoL) September 10, 2021 During his time at Schalke 04 Esports, Reichert was at the helm of the brand. They were best known as one of 10 long-term partner teams in the LEC until they recently sold their spot in the league to Team BDS for $31.5m following their relegation in football. They will remain in esports by competing in the Prime League Pro Division, a Riot-operated league for the DACH region. EXCEL co-founder Kieran Holmes-Darby named Wouter Sleijffers as the org’s CEO in January 2020 and took up the role of esports director — the position that Reichert now holds. Sources couldn’t confirm Holmes-Darby’s future at the time of publication and EXCEL did not respond to Dexerto’s request for comment. Joel Holmes-Darby, the older brother of Kieran and also a co-founder of EXCEL, left the organization after six years in August 2020. He would go on to become the general manager of fellow UK org Method, but only after revealing that he was “gutted” that his time at EXCEL had “come to an end prematurely.” We’re not here to take part. We’re here to win, to become champions, to build a legacy. Are you ready @TomLeese? It’s time to make FIFA history. #XLWIN pic.twitter.com/EJNZwRuNgz — GIANTX (@GIANTXENG) September 24, 2021 As well as Riot Games’ premier competition for European League of Legends, EXCEL field competitors in Fortnite, Valorant, and, most recently, FIFA. They announced the signing of Tom ‘Tom’ Leese on September 24 in what is reported to be the biggest signing in FIFA esports to date. EXCEL raised £17m in investment back in July 2021 in an effort to boost growth, which CEO Sleijffers claimed was the org “entering the next chapter.” He believes that they now have the ability to “go from a household name in UK esports to an international recognized, diverse British gaming brand.”

Sources: FaZe initiated presidents exit despite reports he left over inclusivity Instagram: selkoeFaZe Clan is one of the biggest esports brands in the world, bringing gaming lifestyle to the forefront of popular culture. They have amassed a cult like following with household names such as Banks, Temperrr and, formerly, Tfue creating content under the FaZe banner. As first reported by the New York Times, FaZe Clan president Greg Selkoe left the organization after two and a half years, saying: “We realized there was a huge void that needed to be filled in the gaming marketplace. “Gamers are from all walks of life and all backgrounds. But if you look at the current organizations, they sort of resemble a frat house. They’re not reflective of the racial and gender diversity in the gaming world.” Selkoe mentioned that he wanted XSET to include more women gamers from the outset, and to recruit more LGBTQ members and more people of color than most teams have so far, noting that he wants the organization “to look like the youth of America” as part of a “very clear social mission of inclusion.” As a final addendum in his discussion with New York Times, Selkoe said: “It’s time for gaming to clean up its act. It’s not really about FaZe. It’s about the whole industry.” While the launch of XSET looks to be the reason for Selkoe’s departure from FaZe Clan, sources close to Dexerto have confirmed that FaZe actually approached Greg as early as January 2020 to initiate his exit from the organization, with his departure being announced company-wide in May. Two fellow former-FaZe employees that left with him, Wil Eddins and Clinton Sparks, only turned in their resignations this week ahead of the new brand’s launch and were not initially asked to leave alongside Selkoe. It’s not where you’re from, but where you’re at. Strength, Unity, Diversity. Let’s change the game, together. XSET is Born. The Future is Set! #RepTheSet Join Us: https://t.co/O36uQ0dnyR pic.twitter.com/ipwZE9IRZZ — XSET (@XSETGAMING) July 16, 2020 FaZe Clan CEO, Lee Trink, said: “Greg was an asset to FaZe and we wish him the best in his next endeavor. When it comes to diversity in gaming there certainly hasn’t been enough progress in this crucial area, and we will encourage and support anyone who sets out to address this vital issue. FaZe has moved diversity and inclusion to the forefront of our priorities, specifically through the formation of a Diversity Council earlier this year, unconscious bias trainings for our gamers and employees and an ongoing commitment to diversifying the industry. We welcome anyone who will join us in working toward these incredibly important goals.” The organization will include three professional esports teams that compete in Call of Duty, Valorant and Fortnite, while Eddins and Sparks will work on “recruiting notable musical artists, brands and celebrities.” The organization has already recruited a number of high-profile names in the world of sports and esports, including Valorant player Zander ‘Thwifo’ Kim, former Call of Duty champion Jordan ‘ProoFy’ Cannon, Miami Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy and Fortnite streamer AshleyBTW. What this development means for the future of both FaZe Clan and XSET remains to be seen.

Sources: Evil Geniuses was dying internally even as they took over the esports world Riot Games/Colin Young-WolffIn the wake of the most recent wave of Evil Geniuses layoffs and their subsequent exit from the LCS, Dexerto sat with several former employees to ask about what it was like working with the organization and whether or not they saw the writing on the wall for EG’s massive downturn. Evil Geniuses has been a difficult organization to root for over the past year or so. Between Dexerto’s report on Danny’s mistreatment and the investigation that would follow, as well as EG’s Valorant team winning it all only for the roster to fizzle out. What’s more, EG has since exited the LCS entirely alongside Golden Guardians, giving up a roster spot potentially worth millions and opting to exit the league rather than try to sell the spot to recoup some of the costs. Things clearly aren’t going well for Evil Geniuses. So, Dexerto sat with a variety of now-former EG staff from interns, general employees, support staff for their pro teams, and even pro players who used to compete for the org to get a grasp of what was happening internally at EG leading up to their LCS exit and downsizing in other esports. Evil Geniuses stood on the shoulders of passionate employees Evil Geniuses is one of the longest-standing brands in esports, and they’ve had the success to back up that tenure. Founded in 1999, Evil Geniuses is an organization older than many of the fans who watch their teams compete. Some of the very best competitors that have ever set foot on stage at an esports event have played for this organization. What’s more, EG has created an inroad to the esports world that, on the surface, has been a huge factor in many aspiring professionals getting their start. According to the Evil Geniuses’ Genius League site, 70% of their internships lead to jobs within the industry. And, from what former interns with the organization said, it seems that there were opportunities created by this system for interns who worked within the org. At least, for a time. “There are all these young professionals who are trying to enter the industry. EG saw that and basically took advantage of these people who were super hungry to enter the industry. It’s like dangling a carrot in front of them,” a former intern that goes by Retro claimed when speaking with Dexerto. “They’re like, ‘Hey, you’re going to have a full-time job, no matter what, if you join us and you work for us.’ So therefore, obviously, you’re going to be inclined to bust your ass, because you’re like, ‘What an incredible deal that is to come out of college work in this brand new industry that you’re super passionate and super interested in.’” Retro has been outspoken when it comes to criticizing Evil Geniuses operations in the past, and they vented some of their frustrations in a Twitter post following former CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson’s departure, one where he claimed she, “did irreparable damage to an entire generation of this beautiful sport.” Another former EG employee claimed that, while Evil Geniuses was a great way for hopeful interns and entry-level employees aspiring to find their start in esports, their position was more often than not used as a springboard to get into other parts of the industry rather than a reason to create a long-term career with the org. As a result, EG seems to have been bleeding talent just as often as they were picking it up. “There’s kind of like the cream of the crop, the really good interns, who go into EG, and then all of them but one ends up moving on to Riot or somewhere else instead within a few months. They’re either not creatively fulfilled, or they realize that EG is a corporate hellhole where nothing gets done,” a former intern claimed. “I think there’s a pretty good reason why people who work in EG either end up doing really well or end up not working in esports ever again. And there’s not much of an in-between,” claimed another former employee. Many former interns that spoke with Dexerto claimed they would often have to work over their allotted time and were incentivized to put in a great deal of extra work if they wanted to move up within the company. As one former intern put it, “You’re never off the clock in esports.” That said, multiple former interns said Evil Geniuses was always respectful when it came to taking time off for school work or to study if it was needed. “The people that I worked with were fantastic, and then even the people that I interacted with on the Genius League were great.” claimed a former intern. While conditions certainly weren’t ideal within EG according to several former employees and interns that spoke with Dexerto, not everyone had negative takeaways from their time with the organization. However, many now-former employees were shocked by just how quickly they were laid off after spending a great deal of time working there and committing their future to the org. One source gave their account of how they received news that they no longer had a job. “My prior notice was, ‘Hey, there’s an invite on your calendar for a meeting that happens in an hour. Make sure you’re there.’ That was the prior notice. So, I had an hour.” the former employee explained. They went into more detail about how the meeting went, “It was very quick. Basically, [the CEO] came on and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got the unfortunate news that we have to lay off a bunch of people. Everyone in this call is affected starting immediately.’ And then, not even five minutes go by and we all lost our Slack and Google permissions. So, it was just like a big axe, whole meeting took less than five minutes.” However, while the experience of employees who had worked with Evil Geniuses over the past few years was valuable, it’s difficult to get an idea of what may have been going on at the top considering just how big of a company this was around a year ago. Before multiple rounds of layoffs, EG employed hundreds of salaried staffers, interns, and freelancers. To learn more about what was really going on that made Evil Geniuses poorly-veiled dysfunction so clear even to those just getting started at the company, Dexerto spoke sources a bit closer to the players as well as some former competitors that played for EG. The writing on the wall As shown by examples like NRG’s incredibly large support staff at the time that they won the LCS Summer 2023 title, having a collection of strong coaches, analysts, managers, and other support staff like chefs and nutritionists is an essential part of creating an environment where players can truly shine. Considering Evil Geniuses strong track record with talent scouting between players like Danny, Jojopyun, and Demon1, they’ve always taken the approach of trying to develop players and give them an environment where they can grow rather than just grabbing a 5-man team of the best and most expensive players around. This was also clearly shown through the efforts of EG’s Valorant team, as their meteoric rise from near the bottom of the region to the top of the world was off the backs of players who were relatively unknown at the start of 2023. While these players are in large part responsible for their own success, having the right environment to grow was a key part of why they were able to beat out other organizations. Evil Geniuses has long been praised for the prowess of their coaching, scouting, and other support staff, and those qualities are viewed as a large part of why EG has been able to succeed in both Valorant and League of Legends over the past few years. However, it appears that EG didn’t have enough money to hold on to their talent. In a prior interview with Vulcan, he had this to say about why he and other EG players were dropped from the team after Spring: “I mean, I do think they decided to lower their budget. So, they traded all the players that had pretty big salaries compared to what they wanted to go for as an org. I guess it makes sense if they want to lower their budget, but it just sucks that I guess they don’t carry through a contract all the way through. But that’s pretty common in esports, right?” Vulcan gave the distinct impression that it was Evil Geniuses who decided to trade him over to FlyQuest at the time and not the other way around, though he didn’t seem overly happy with the team environment at EG either. He lamented that they, “weren’t very much a team,” when speaking about EG’s run in LCS 2023 Spring, and said that his biggest takeaway was that, “team culture is a lot more important than I believed it to be.” It’s very possible that EG’s Spring roster splitting up wasn’t entirely motivated by not being able to afford their players, and that there would have been some changes regardless of whether they could afford to keep the roster or not. Still, the org dropping everyone but Jojopyun surprised many fans. A former member of Evil Geniuses’ staff claimed that they were tasked with building a new team around Jojo for close to the bare minimum, backing up Vulcan’s suspicions that EG couldn’t afford to keep a star-studded team. “They basically told [us], ‘Here, we’re gonna give you pretty close to the league minimum for each player. Just try not to get ninth.’ That was the expectation. So, we over-delivered on that. It seemed like they were just trying to sell right there. Because we won, they were like, ‘Oh, I guess we’re gonna stick around for a little longer.’ I don’t think that EG intended to be around as long as they have.” We spoke with this source before Evil Geniuses’ exit from the LCS was official, but they were spot-on with EG’s intentions to leave the LCS even before their exit was announced. However, it seems like the organization was already stretching its crew thin even before the series of layoffs that shook EG in 2023, and one former employee felt as if the org had no intention of giving them adequate pay for the amount of work they were doing. “It was always the same organization. I think they were just always good at hiding it is the issue. I talked to a lot of my coworkers, and we all realized like, ‘Oh, we actually got a little lied to in the onboarding.’ When I joined, I was told there were two jobs that were open, and I kind of had a choice between which one I wanted to take. And, when I got here, I realized, ‘Oh, I’m just doing both of the jobs.’ And then, as more people quit, I just got more and more jobs.” Meanwhile, they felt as if growth opportunities for themselves and others were nearly non-existent. Despite work piling up, one source claimed that they received no additional compensation or bonuses related to the org’s strong performance. “There were no growth opportunities,” the former employee lamented. “They were freezing hires. They were freezing raises. They were freezing bonuses. No one could move up at all.” This employee felt lied to from the start, ultimately feeling as if they were overworked and underpaid, “It was just smoke and mirrors the whole time. That’s how my experience went with EG.” Things only got worse within Evil Geniuses when the report about Danny came out. Having been with the company at the time the news broke, one source felt as if that report landing was the nail in the coffin. “We didn’t know—no one at the company knew everything that went down with the whole Danny situation until it was reported on, basically. So, after that? Freefall.” It’s important to note that the investigation into Evil Geniuses’ treatment of Danny is still ongoing. Still, the report about his mistreatment made waves even within EG itself, to the point where the organization’s attitude around at-the-time CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson shifted. A shifting narrative within Evil Geniuses A former employee recounted the meeting where Nicole officially announced her departure, and it sounded awkward, to say the least. “We had a meeting, and she was doing her sendoffs, announcing to the company that she was leaving. And the thing that I remember the most is that, at the end of it—So that whole meeting, it was an all-hands meeting, right? Everyone in the company was there. And the whole point was like, ‘Hey, I just want to let you guys know, I’m stepping down effective immediately. I haven’t been working for the past two weeks already, but today, I’m officially stepping down.’ At the end, it felt pretty clear that she was waiting for a round of applause. Like, ‘Oh, thank you for everything you did!’ You know what I mean? “But it just didn’t happen, and then everyone just walked away. No one said anything.” “Holy s***, that’s a special kind of ‘you f***ed up’ to get that. Especially because, the year prior, the whole company was based around—the whole mantra of the culture [at EG] was, ‘We love Nicole’,” the former employee claimed. “At the time before anyone knew anything about what was going on, it was great.” On the surface, it may seem counter-intuitive for a team that’s winning across two of the biggest esports in the world to be actively bleeding money, losing capital to such an extent that they’re making cuts all the way from the top of the food chain. And, while it’s clear that several former employees have disdain for Nicole and her actions as CEO, problems within the org seem to run much deeper than just the person who was at the helm. Making money is about much more than winning. How are you taking advantage of the extra eyes on your team? Are you selling merch, or providing merchandise that’s worth buying? Are you giving your players a platform to become stars, franchise players that represent your team for years and build a fandom? Winning is one thing, but becoming an iconic team people will remember and, more importantly for the sake of this conversation, be willing to spend money on supporting, is another entirely. And, with their Valorant roster likely splitting up and both their DOTA 2 and LCS rosters crumbling as they exit both esports, Evil Geniuses don’t seem to have been able to support the legacy their players could have built. Profiting in esports is something that’s proven difficult, but properly supporting and monetizing players who have dominated domestically and internationally is a good start on the path toward becoming a sustainable organization. Ultimately, it seems that it may be impossible for Evil Geniuses to recover despite having built one of the oldest and most iconic brands in esports. Though their past triumphs are many, they ring hollow when it comes to their lack of presence in the current esports ecosystem. As one source put it, “The whole company was working together to fail spectacularly.” However, it’s hard to get a complete picture of what was going on within Evil Geniuses without talking to the driving force behind it all: the players themselves. Though we spoke with Vulcan earlier this year and his insight at the time was insightful as to what was happening with EG, we wanted to speak with someone else who played under their banner. Driven to compete despite the odds This player chose to remain anonymous in this report, meaning that some of the details of the conversation have been edited to obscure the names of the players they competed alongside and the game in which they were a pro player for. However, there’s one important piece of information about them that’s relevant here: Their livelihood was directly affected by Evil Geniuses’ decision to significantly downsize their operations in esports. And, while EG’s LCS exit is much more public-facing, the org was moving to spend less within Valorant far before their exit from League of Legends, leading to their World Championship-winning roster very likely not sticking together if they stay in VCT at all. EG also opted to exit from DOTA 2 entirely after the 2023 competitive year ended despite having over a decade of history within the title. EG had over $20 million in winnings to their name across their tenure in the esport. Ultimately, several players under EG’s banner have been affected by their downsizing across multiple esports, and dozens have lost their jobs amidst the chaos. However, this player seemed determined to keep pursuing a career in the game they’re passionate about. They have the very same mentality that’s allowed many of EG’s young prodigies to succeed, and it’s impossible to fault the organization for just how good their scouting has been over the years. “If I got the shot on any team right now, I’d do very well. If I wasn’t top 3 in the region, I’d be disappointed. I think that the chance to prove myself was there, a few days ago. It isn’t anymore.” claimed the former EG pro player we spoke with. As the year winds down, many teams have already locked their 2024 rosters in across multiple esports. The window for players who got cut from teams to find new homes has, in most cases, closed. However, this player is motivated to keep trying despite everything. “The opportunity will come, just give it time. [Getting back on a pro team] is not my goal but a step toward my goal. I’m too good to give up.” With all the sentiment from former staff being so negative, it may surprise you that the player we spoke to in particular looked back on their time with the organization fondly due to the incredible effort of the support staff and coaches around them. “It hasn’t been all bad, and I’ve loved a lot of the people in the organization. I think it’s important to distinguish good people from a good organization, however.” They continued, “The staff, specifically [the coaches], all worked really hard and were massive for my development.” The anonymous player we spoke to seemed happy they got the opportunity to compete at all, a sentiment that isn’t all that rare in esports. Getting paid to play video games professionally is still a paycheck many would be happy to have. That said, there was one experience within Evil Geniuses that really stood out to this player once they started training in one of EG’s facilities. “The players when I joined weren’t provided with food at the office, we were not meant to eat the food there. But, we would when management people weren’t in the office since there was always so much left over. I think that was a pretty clear sign the org wasn’t headed in a positive direction.” With Evil Geniuses refusing to provide their players with food according to this former competitor’s claims, alongside the source close with their LCS team claiming many of their players were making minimum wage as the organization’s funds dried up, the picture of what was going on within EG becomes clear: Evil Geniuses’ legacy was built upon the effort of its passionate players and staff, even as many of them were getting paid the bare minimum and working under less-than-stellar conditions. While it’s ultimately a shame for things to have ended this way, it seems unlikely that EG’s brand will be able to recover. Their exit from the LCS and overall downsizing seems to be a fatal blow dealt by their lack of support for incredibly talented players, coaches, and other staff who are doing great things in esports. Additional reporting by Declan McLaughlin.

SonicFox announces Echo Fox departure and teases future plans YouTube: BETDominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean, the final Echo Fox player left on their FGC lineup, has finally left the organization, although there’s already new plans in the works for the enigmatic fighting game player. Echo Fox used to be one of the most powerful organizations in fighting games, but now all that remains is a legacy. The storied team has let go of their final competitor, SonicFox, as of February 25, with the talented player letting their fans know on Twitter. “Announcing my official departure from Echo Fox,” they said. “Had a lot of good runs with the team and it changed my life! Looking forward to the future and new opportunities!” Announcing my official departure from Echo Fox! Had a lot of good runs with the team and it changed my life! Looking forward to the future and new opportunities! Expect new announcements soon 👀 — SonicFox (@SonicFox) February 26, 2020 They told fans to “expect new announcements soon,” but whether that could be in the competitor space or otherwise is unknown. Either way, the rumor mill is spinning on where the fan-favorite fighting game player could end up. A couple of names being thrown around are Team Liquid, 100 Thieves, and G2 Esports. Team Liquid has an established FGC fanbase, being home to some of the genre’s best players including Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma and Samuel ‘Dabuz’ Buzby. However, it would be a new foray into fighting games for both 100T and G2. While they might have a big presence in games like League of Legends and CS:GO, neither organization has a single fighting game player in their books. SonicFox won a number of titles across numerous franchises during their three-year stint with Echo Fox. They took home two EVO titles in 2018 and 2019 for Dragon Ball FighterZ and Mortal Kombat 11 respectively, and a handful of majors across the world. Their only result in 2020 so far is a 13-16th placement at the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals after being swept 0-3 in the group stages of the event. Mortal Kombat 11 will not be making a return to EVO in 2020, so SonicFox won’t be able to defend their title there, but they will have a chance to redeem themselves in Dragon Ball FighterZ after placing second in 2019. The @NetherRealm crown rests easy on the head of @SonicFox5000 once more, he runs the table and is the inaugural EVO #MK11 champion here at #EVO2019! #EVOPS4 #ProKompetition pic.twitter.com/HJGlu13Kgk — Evo (@Evo) August 4, 2019 Echo Fox used to be home to some of the FGC’s most legendary names, including Yusuke ‘Momochi’ Momochi, Justin Wong, Leonardo ‘Mkleo’ Lopez Perez, and Jason ‘Mew2King’ Zimmerman. The team officially disbanded in November 2019 after months of legal disputes between co-founder Rick Fox and other directors of the team.

Sources: Activision exploring unifying brands across CDL and Overwatch League Activision BlizzardAccording to Dexerto sources, Activision has floated the idea of enforcing a mandate across the Call of Duty League (CDL) and Overwatch League (OWL) to have franchises unify their brands across both leagues, sharing a name rather than using separate ones. When the Overwatch League first launched in 2018, there were 12 teams with brands based around the city they chose to operate in, with the likes of Toronto, London, Los Angeles, and more all included with their new brands. Two years later, the Call of Duty League launched, with similar city-based franchises, including some owned by OWL organizations. For example, OverActive Media owns both Toronto Ultra in the CDL and Toronto Defiant in the OWL. There have already been rumors of possible changes coming to the city-based franchise system, with it being said by one owner that they may abandon the city bases altogether. Unifying CDL and OWL team brands One topic that has been discussed between Activision Blizzard esports executives and league partners is the idea of unifying brands across both leagues. In practice, this could mean, for example, both Boston Breach (CDL) and Boston Uprising (OWL) teams taking on the Boston Breach (or Uprising) name and branding across both leagues. One could theorize that this is the reason for Seattle Surge’s rumored move to Vancouver as they own the Vancouver Titans Overwatch team, though with no other franchise being reported to change with immediate effect, this may not be related. Here are the teams that could be affected if this change were to take place, as they are owned by the same parent company: Boston Breach (CDL) and Boston Uprising (OWL) – Toronto Ultra (CDL) and Toronto Defiant (OWL) – LA Guerrillas (CDL) and LA Gladiators (OWL) – Atlanta FaZe (CDL) and Atlanta Reign (OWL) – Vegas Legion (CDL) and Vegas Eternal (OWL) – OpTic Texas (CDL) and Dallas Fuel (OWL) – New York Subliners (CDL) and New York Excelsior (OWL) – Seattle Surge (CDL) and Vancouver Titans (OWL) – Florida Mutineers (CDL) and Florida Mayhem (OWL) (though the Mutineers are reportedly partnering with Heretics to become Miami Heretics) – While a decision hasn’t been made on this change yet, multiple sources have confirmed that it is something being explored by Activision. Dexerto has reached out to Activision for comment.

SMITE and Paladins World Championships: How to watch, streams, schedules and more The highlight of the Hi-Rez esports calendar is almost here, with the World Championship for both Smite and Paladins approaching. On November 16-18, the world elite of both games will descend upon the Georgia World Congress Center to battle for the title of World Champion. In each, eight teams will fight through a single-elimination bracket. Two teams each have qualified through the EU and NA pro leagues for their respective games, while the final four in each tournament came through international qualifiers. Both tournaments will see defending World Champions return, with Na’Vi looking to defend their crown in Paladins and eUnited seeking a second SMITE World Championship. Here’s everything you need to know to keep up with the action in both games. Upsets abound on Day 1 of SMITE and Paladins World Championships – SMITE and Paladins World Championships Day 1 interviews – The grand finalists of the 2019 SMITE World Championship have been decided – The grand finals of the 2019 Paladins World Championship are now set – Paladins Challenge: How well do Paladins pros actually know the game? – SMITE Challenge: How much do the pros know about their game? – Team Envy are the 2019 Paladins World Champions – Final placements and recap – Splyce defeat Team RivaL to claim 2019 SMITE World Championship – Final placements and recap – Smite Stream Schedule Friday November 16 Saturday November 17 Sunday November 18 Paladins Stream Schedule Friday November 16 Saturday November 17 Sunday November 18

Snoop Dogg resigns from FaZe Clan’s board of directors after just one year Twitter, @FaZeCommsIn an SEC filing for FaZe Clan, the company revealed that Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus, Jr. resigned from the company’s board of directors after one year. FaZe Clan filed its 2022 Q4 financial results on March 30 and gave people insight into the gaming and lifestyle brand’s business dealings over its first year as a public company. In an April 4 filing, the company also revealed that Snoop Dogg notified FaZe that he is resigning from the board of directors “effective immediately” on March 29. The SEC filing also says that his resignation was not because of “any disagreement with the company or any of its subsidiaries.” Snoop Dogg was given almost $2 million in company stock with his board appointment, with some other stock that was divided between his son and manager, per a report from Forbes. The report also said Snoop Dogg’s stock does not vest until next year, by which point it will probably be worth much less than its original valuation as the stock price has plummeted since the company went public. Snoop Dogg parts ways with FaZe Clan In FaZe Clan’s letter to shareholders about 2022, getting the California rapper on the board was noted as an “accomplishment” under talent highlights. FaZe announced the rapper’s addition to its board, and as a member of its talent, on March 7, 2022. Snoop Dogg teased his involvement with Faze in February 2022 by wearing a gold chain with the company’s logo while he performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. Faze Clan did not have the best year financially, according to its SEC filings. The company lost $53.2 million and its stock price hit an all-time low at $0.40 per share on March 20. The company also went through a round of layoffs in February 2023. The company also got a deficiency notice from Nasdaq in 2023 and has 180 days to regain compliance, meaning it must maintain a share price over $1 for 10 consecutive business days, or it will be delisted from the exchange.

Smash Ultimate pro suspended for damaging wall after tournament loss Twitter/Elegant/NintendoSuper Smash Bros Ultimate pro Matt ‘Elegant’ Fitzpatrick has been suspended by 2GGaming after an outburst at Wednesday Night Fights on September 11 in which he punched a wall after a loss. While many assumed the Luigi main was simply angry after a loss, it was soon revealed that he had been under a lot of stress because a moving truck with all his family’s belongings in it had been stolen. In a series of emotional tweets, Elegant apologized for his actions and the Smash community rallied behind the pro, raising a whopping $11,725 through a GoFundMe to support him. Many who donated also posted encouraging words and comments. “Elegant motivated me to participate in tournaments, and to learn luigi since smash 4, I’m forever grateful to him, and I hope he gets his life sorted out so we can see him in tournaments again soon! Keep it up my dude,” one vocal funder wrote. The pro was taken back and couldn’t believe the generosity of the community, but said he would find a way to repay everyone for their kindness. I just don’t know what to say. Even at my lowest point, even after everything. All of you still have my back and said some heartwarming things to me. I have to pay you guys in some way for your generosity. I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I’ll find something to repay you all — NVR | Elegant (@Elegant_Matt) September 13, 2019 Now, however, nearly six days after the wall-punching incident, 2GGaming has announced that Elegant will be suspended for one month as this is his first strike. The organization added that will have to pay for the damages he caused to the eSports Arena if he wants to compete at 2GG events in the future. Per our standard ruling, Elegant will be receiving a one month suspension for damaging the venue as his 1st strike. In addition, he must also pay for the damages he caused to the property before he’ll be allow to compete again at 2GG events. — 2GGuh-Huh (@2GGaming) September 16, 2019 Elegant was scheduled to compete at Glitch 7 over the September 13 weekend, but dropped out after the wall-punch controversy. Pikachu icon Eric ‘ESAM’ Lew would go on to win the tournament. Looking at video of the incident after Elegant’s loss to Jesus ‘MastaMario’ Fragoza in the Winners Semis, it appeared as if he punched a hole or serious dent into the wall, but the camera cut away back to the commentators. In any case, with over $11,000 donated to the legendary Luigi smasher, he shouldn’t have any problem paying for the damages or being welcomed back into the community. Only time will tell if he shows up for the October 16 edition of Wednesday Night Fights. Until then, there are plenty of other tournaments that Elegant can enter that aren’t affiliated with 2GG.

Smash pro Zain starts beatboxing instead of giving victory speech after winning tournament btssmashOne of the world’s top Smash players, Zain Naghmi, surprised crowds at a Smash Bros Melee tournament when he decided to replace the expected victory speech with a short beatboxing performance. Zain, widely considered to be the best Marth player in the world, took to the stage after winning the Fête 3: By the Sea: Melee tournament held in the UK, which saw him net over 3000 dollars in prize winnings. But the crowds weren’t expecting the Moist Moguls player to break into a beatboxing routine that left the host speechless and the viewers screaming in applause. Top Smash Bros player beatboxes to celebrate victory at Melee tournament After the host declared him the winner and handed him the mic, Zain said: “I don’t have much to say about the set, but here goes nothing.” He then immediately started beatboxing, and once the audience realized what was happening, they started cheering him on. Zain joined the competitive Melee scene in 2014, and has become one of the quickest-rising players in the game’s history. He was ranked the number one Melee player in the world in 2022, so his victory in this tournament was no surprise. The Fête 3: By the Sea: Melee tournament is one of the foremost Smash Bros tournaments, and the largest of it’s kind in the United Kingdom. The tournament also saw Jmook place third, and popular Smash content creator Hungrybox place third. For more news and updates on Smash Bros, check out Disguised Toast’s pledge to sign a new Smash pro if he hits a certain milestone.

Smash Ultimate exploit leads to Joker x Pokemon Trainer doubles ban NintendoA bug involving Pokemon Trainer and Joker in Smash Bros Ultimate has resulted in the two fighters being banned from being played together in duos at Glitch 7. The bug, which could easily be exploited, gained traction after Sonic Fiend posted a video to Twitter showing the interaction. Basically, when Pokemon Trainer and Joker are on the same team, if a Pokemon has been damaged and recalled near his teammate, Joker’s Rebel Gauge will fill and call Arsene faster. Arsene is Joker’s “Persona” and essentially buffs each of his moves, including his recovery. So as JaDX in Ciphercord discovered watching Treta 2019, if PT switches in a team with Joker after being damaged, it will fill Rebel gauge and call Arsene faster. I believe this is because the game registers each Pokemon as a new character and dumps in free meter to compensate. pic.twitter.com/gAOqXThqSY — Fiend @ Den of the Blue Lions! (@SonicfiendSmash) September 9, 2019 “So as JaDX in Ciphercord discovered watching Treta 2019, if PT switches in a team with Joker after being damaged, it will fill Rebel gauge and call Arsene faster,” Fiend wrote. “I believe this is because the game registers each Pokemon as a new character and dumps in free meter to compensate,” he added. In the right hands, Joker is arguably the best fighter in the game. EchoFox’s Leonardo ‘MKLeo’ Lopez Perez used the character to win EVO 2019 and Super Smash Con. Now, Glitch has decided to ban the Glitch. Rather than just implementing some sort of rule specifically for changing Pokemon near Joker, tournament organizer TheTantaIus is banning the two from teaming. Also just want to announce publicly that the pairing of Joker and Pokemon Trainer in doubles will be banned until Nintendo patches it out. If they don’t patch it by next tuesday then the ban stays in affect for Glitch 7. https://t.co/EcwqRlHfOR — Tantalus @ #Glitch7 (@TheTantalus) September 9, 2019 “Just want to announce publicly that the pairing of Joker and Pokemon Trainer in doubles will be banned until Nintendo patches it out,” the TO said. “If they don’t patch it by next tuesday then the ban stays in affect for Glitch 7.” Glitch 7 is scheduled for September 14-15 in Laurel, Maryland. The premier event has some star-studded entrants including EVO runner-up Tweek, Samsora (the man who ended MKLeo’s Joker win streak), Nairo, Esam, Salem, and Void. As time ticks down, it’s looking more and more likely than Joker – Pokemon Trainer pairings may need to go their separate ways.

Smash Pro CaptainZack dropped by org for “blackmail and match fixing” David Doran / DreamhackProfessional Super Smash Bros player, Zack ’CaptainZack’ Lauth has been dropped from his organization after allegations of match fixing and blackmailing fellow pros were brought to light. Match fixing is often regarded as one of the more extreme violations of competitive integrity in esports and when allegations that CaptainZack had been blackmailing #2 ranked star Elliot “Ally” Carroza-Oyarce to match fix, fans were eager for the truth to be revealed. This comes only a month after the Smash star Ally announced that he would be retiring from the competitive Smash scene after publicly admitting to the relationship between him and then 16-year-old pro CaptainZack. The 2018 Smash Evo finalist, CaptainZack revealed on August 2 that he had instructed Ally to throw games at Smash tournaments, and apologized to his fellow competitors: “I apologize to Nairo and Zackray for ruining the integrity of competition and to the entire community for letting my personal relationship affect an entire result.” CaptainZack then followed on by explaining why he had chosen to allegedly “blackmail” Ally to throw matches, claiming he felt that Ally didn’t deserve to be competing. “The reason was because when I was doing poorly in tournament I was watching him always perform well and get top 8 placings when I believed he should not have been allowed to play.” 400Zack’s organization, Polar Ace Esports, announced that they would be cutting ties with the smash pro after learning about the allegations, adding that they will be releasing a more in-depth statement in the coming days. “We have decided to cut ties with CaptainZack effective immediately for blackmail, match fixing, and irresponsible behavior.” We have decided to cut ties with @CaptainZack_ effective immediately for blackmail, match fixing, and irresponsible behavior. We will release a statement in the following days with more details regarding our decision. — Polar Ace (@PolarAceEsports) August 3, 2019 Ally has not yet commented publicly on the allegations or responded to CaptainZack’s Twitlonger post which explained his point of view. Read More: CS:GO roster, who each received permanent suspensions from all of Valve’s major tournaments as punishment. Although this situation is quite different to the CS:GO incident, many Super Smash Bros fans suspect that CaptainZack could face similar punishment to that of the iBuyPower members. –

Smash pro explains why he raged and punched wall at tournament Super Smash Bros Ultimate pro Matt ‘Elegant’ Fitzpatrick could be facing a suspension following an outburst after a loss at Wednesday Night Fights on September 11. UPDATE – September 12 at 2:28 PM In a series of tweets, Elegant has apologized for what happened and said he has never felt so ashamed. He revealed that after losing everything in a robbery it reached a boiling point. A GoFundMe has been started for his family. Original story follows… Elegant, who is considered to be the best Luigi player in the world, was facing off against Jesus ‘MastaMario’ Fragoza in the Winners Semis side of the bracket. The best of five series went the distance with a single hit being the difference between a victory and a defeat. While Elegant tried, Luigi yet again played second fiddle to Mario with MastaMario emerging triumphant with a 3-2 match win. A clear distraught Elegant showed no ill will towards his opponent and shook his hand, but immediately marched away from the stream. At 18:37 of the video above you see the end of the match and its aftermath with the Luigi main looking upset. Moments later, the 2GG Gaming broadcast showed a dent in the wall at the eSports Arena. “As you can see there, a bit of a dent in the wall,” the commentator duo described. “I wasn’t going to bring it up… this was just what happened here.” It would also seem that it wasn’t just losing the match that set the Smash prodigy off. Elegant’s mom posted on Twitter to say that a moving van with everything they own had been stolen. She wrote that the family had been staying in a hotel because their new home “fell through”. Moving van with EVERYTHING we own was stolen. This has been an extremely difficult, frustrating and sad time for us all. This too shall pass:upset:I love u all @Elegant_Matt, @William02647287 @billieisabeI @Willl_Yummm @jayignacioag — Elemom (@JessluvsBil1678) September 12, 2019 If this is true, then it’s obvious that Elegant had other things on his mind than just the match he lost and could have had emotions boiling over. After the incident, the pro disqualified himself from the rest of the tournament. 2GG co-founder Jmex told Dexerto there will be internal discussions regarding the incident in order to decide what actions to take. As of this posting, however, Elegant has not yet been suspended. Once a decision has been made, a statement will be released. Something new from Dexerto: Episode 2 of Hungrybox – A Smash God Documentary

Smash pro Ally retires after admitting to lying about dating 16-year-old TischphotosProfessional Super Smash Bros. player Elliot ‘Ally’ Carroza-Oyarce has announced his retirement, after confessing he lied about having a relationship with fellow pro player Zack ‘CaptainZack’ Lauth, now 17, which he previously denied. Ally, who has been competing in fighting games since as early as 2010, apologized for not earlier admitting to the relationship, claiming he was “really scared.” Concluding his statement on July 3, the pro player said: “Because I feel like it’s the right thing to do, I am going to retire from Smash. Sorry to everyone I disappointed. Sorry for the wait, I only got home yesterday night from CEO. Here are both my statements for everything that I had to address. I won’t be active on Twitter and I’m retiring from Smash as of now. I’m extremely afraid but it has to be done. I’m really fucking sorry to everyone. pic.twitter.com/goxFbpRo3T — Ally (@AllyUltimate) July 4, 2019 While the age difference has split opinion in the fighting game community, there is no suggestion that the relationship was illegal, with the age of consent being 16 in Ally’s native Canada, as well as Zack’s home state of Louisiana. Initial claims about the secret relationship Accusations against Ally first came to light on March 22, 2019, when another pro player, Tamim ‘tamim’ Omary posted in a since-deleted Tweet: “Hey @AllyUltimate how’s the minor you’re dating doing?” After identifying this ‘minor’ as CaptainZack, Zack himself apparently deleted Tamim’s account which he somehow had access to, but Tamim continued on another account called ‘@tamimexposing’, where he posted a series of Discord messages where Ally says ‘he started caring for (Zack) and liked him back’. 500On March 23, Zack claimed that no sexual relationship had taken place between himself and Ally, stating “nothing ever happened even close to that”, when asked if they had slept together. However, on June 29, CaptainZack tweeted an image of himself holding a note, on which he had scribbled: “Tamim was telling the truth”. 500Following Ally’s retirement announcement, and after a number of days of silence on social media, Zack asked for the “situation” to never be brought up to him again, saying it had “been taken care of.” Community reacts to Ally’s admission and retirement There has been a mixed response to the situation within the Smash community. Some have pointed to the fact that, legally speaking, Zack was above the age of consent in his home state of Louisiana, as well as Ally’s native Canada, meaning even if it was a sexual relationship (which Zack claimed it was not), it was not illegal. What does this have to with Smash?? Why do Smashers care about his relationship with his ex?? Or Zack?? Stop calling this pedophilia when it isnt. You might not like the idea of them “”dating”” but it’s not illegal or against the rules. Y’all are silly. https://t.co/6oWjR5t9uC — Meru / メル (@MeruSensei) July 4, 2019 However, others argue that irrespective of any legal argument, the relationship is still problematic, given the disparity in ages and the position that Ally holds within the Smash community. Tempo Storm pro player Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios called it a “terrible” day for the Smash scene, and that his friendship with Ally “doesn’t excuse terrible acts.” I’m really sad tonight. Today has terrible for the Smash scene, mutiple bad things happened. Friendship doesn’t excuse terrible acts. I hope Ally seeks rehabilitation at the least. I just want to encourage positivity within the scene, despite today being a day of darkness. — Tempo ZeRo (@zerowondering) July 4, 2019 Tamim, the pro player who initially aired the allegations against Ally, posted an apology on July 4 for how he “handled” the situation: “I know I will never handle a situation like this again as I’ve definitely learned and grown from this experience,” he explains. “I couldn’t stand seeing my friend at the time, in a situation where I felt like my protests to him had no impact.” “I know I was stupid and I am completely sorry for outing the victim, as I have apologized to him many, many times,” Tamim continued. “I know there is no justifying it either, but in the situation I was in at the time, I felt like it was the only other option.” Ally was also caught up in another controversy on July 3, after 15-year-old aspiring player Bocchi beat him in a match, and backlash from some fans almost drove her to retirement. The hate was so severe that she said “I literally would have rather lost that set and have done nothing.” Bocchi added being a teenage-girl “in an extremely male dominated community” is the “worst” and “very weird,” and confirmed she would take a break from competing.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak reveals release window for upcoming character NintendoSmash Bros players may not have to wait much longer to play as Hero from Dragon Quest as the game’s newest DLC character. Nintendo uploaded a YouTube video on July 16 promoting the company’s big July plans, including the release of Hero in Smash Brothers Ultimate. However, the company edited the title of the video from July to Summer without providing an explanation. Every other game in the video has a July release date or is currently undergoing an event, such as Fortnite season 9. The change had not gone unnoticed and some users screen grabbed the previous title. Nintendo think they slick by changing the title huh pic.twitter.com/O3e2wh5Ahl — Hackoru (@HackoruTV) July 17, 2019 YouTubers who saw the original title let Nintendo know in the comments section. “NO NO NO NO YOU DON’T NINTENDO! We saw July don’t you DARE pretend it said Summer,” user SonicMaster211 wrote. “For those that came late. This video originally said “July” instead of “Summer” when it first went up. Seems like it was edited to removed the connection to DQ Hero DLC arriving in July,” GeneralDisarray666 commented. The next character to be released after Hero will be Banjo-Kazooie. Nintendo has already said he is scheduled for “fall”, but gave no further details. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate continues to dominate the fighting game scene. Nearly 3,500 Smash players have registered for Evo – the most out of any game at the 2019 event. Evo is set to begin August 2, 2019 in Las Vegas. Evo president Joey Cuellar tweeted that “DLC/Patch lock-in will be July 17. Anything after that date will not be allowed at Evo. This includes any hotfixes made without a hard patch.” That means Hero will not be allowed at the event unless he is to be released today, July 17.

Smash players furious after Mango’s low TBH9 first place payout revealed Twitch: BtssmashSmash players have hit out at Nintendo’s contributions to prize pools after the payout for Melee’s top players at The Big House 9 was revealed. On Sunday, October 6, Joseph ‘Mango’ Marquez defeated Zain Naghmi in the Grand Finals of the Michigan major to win The Big House 9. However, his reward for winning one of the most prestigious Smash tournaments was just $3,636. Zain, who finished second, earned $1,818, while William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte’s was paid $1,090 for his third-place finish. Notably, two Smash Gods – Hungrybox and the returning Mew2King – left The Big House with only $454 each for their fifth-place exits. Congrats to @C9Mang0 for winning #TBH9 909 Entrants = $9,090 pot1st – @C9Mang0 – $3,636 2nd – @PG_Zain – $1,818 3rd – @TSM_Leffen – $1,090 4th – @FictionIRL – $727 5th – @MVG_Mew2King – $454 5th – @LiquidHbox – $454 7th – @Legend0fLucky – $272 7th – @iBDWSSBM – $272— Smashboards (@Smashboards) October 7, 2019 Over on Twitter, the legendary ZeRo dropped a bombshell of a fact on the community and revealed that during his 56-tournament victory streak he made under $45K. In a follow-up tweet, Barrios explained that this was the main reason he retired. He then insisted that Nintendo should start supporting the scene financially, something Leffen agreed with. I remember when I brought up in 2014 and 15 how it sucks that you can consistently place top 5 at super majors and still lose money, only to be called greedy by the general public… Let it be known that the year I won 56 tournaments, and every single super major, I made ~45k. — Tempo ZeRo @ Red Bull Straight Rhythm (@zerowondering) October 7, 2019 This is the main reason I retired (on top of not enjoying the smash community, and the games less and less), I’d bust my butt working to win these tournaments, deal with obnoxious people constantly, and at the end I’d have jack to show up for it. It is what it is. — Tempo ZeRo @ Red Bull Straight Rhythm (@zerowondering) October 7, 2019 The Swedish Fox superstar replied to ZeRo saying that other companies pay millions for half the viewership Smash gets and both parties could benefit immensely if Nintendo started supporting their own game. On r/SmashBros a thread titled “Payouts for melee top 8. This has to change” was posted early in the morning on October 7 and received 300 upvotes. This 100%. Nintendo is not doing nearly enough. Other companies are paying millions of dollars to get half the viewership smash does. Both parties could benefit if Nintendo stopped dropping the ball— Leffen (@TSM_Leffen) October 7, 2019 Upon seeing the low payouts, some users offered some potential solutions. Cabbage_Vendor wrote: “Why don’t tournaments have a way for viewers to donate to the prize pool? Twitch channels with less than a thousand viewers can survive on donations / subscriptions, yet Smash gets tens of thousands of viewers every time and the payouts are s**t.” Kingfritters stated: “While this is a problem, it is also nothing new. Smash has no money. Sponsors have money, but the game itself does not because there is no developer help,” Whether or not Nintendo suddenly starts supporting their flagship esports title remains to be seen, but it would be a welcome change for a company which is known for taking some time to adapt to the ever-evolving gaming landscape. As for Mango, while everyone else in the scene was complaining about his low payout, the Falco main claimed he made five grand gambling after the tournament ended. So at least he ended the day with a bit more in his pocket than he had after leaving The Big House.

Smash Bros Ultimate dethrones SFV for Evo 2019’s prime time Sunday slot Graphics: Nintendo, EVOThe schedule for Evo 2019’s finals has been announced and for the first time since its release, Street Fighter V won’t be headlining Sunday’s prime time slot. Instead, that honor is going to Smash Ultimate. Joey Cuellar, the President of Evo tweeted out the finals order early on July 22 and fans couldn’t help but notice a major change in the lineup. Starting on Friday August 2, the day will end with Soul Calibur 6. On Saturday, August 3, we’ll see Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] followed by Dragon Ball FighterZ, Samurai Showdown and the day will conclude with Mortal Kombat 11. Evo 2019 Finals Order! Friday = SC6 Saturday = UNIST ==> DBFZ ==> SAMSHO ==> MK11 Sunday = BBTAG ==> SFV ==> TEKKEN 7 ==> SMASH#Evo2019— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 22, 2019 Then on Sunday, August 4, it will be BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle up first, Street Fighter V next, then Tekken 7. Smash Bros Ultimate will wrap the day up and conclude Evo 2019. This is the first time that Smash Bros Ultimate will be at Evo, but it’s important to note that Melee is absent from the lineup this year. However, doesn’t mean that Melee won’t be represented. William “Leffen” Hjelte, one of Melee’s most dominant players, has picked up Ultimate and is the tournament’s 51st seed, according to Smash.gg. Other notable entrants include #1 seed MkLeo, Tweek, Marss, Dabuz, Nairo and ESAM and Salem. It’s promising to be a stacked tournament and one for the ages. As we earlier reported, Smash Bros Ultimate has the most registered players at the event with a whopping 3,492. Street Fighter V is a distant second with 1,929 participants. The registration deadline was July 14 at 8:00pm PST. In its debut year at Evo, Street Fighter V had a record 5,000 entrants. Evo will be taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The event will run from August 2 to August 4.

Smash Ultimate pro ESAM explains why Hero shouldn’t be banned ESAM/NintendoSuper Smash Bros Ultimate pro Eric ‘ESAM’ Lew of Panda Global has weighed in on the controversy over the game’s newest fighter Hero. Hero’s legality has been a highly debated topic within the Smash community ever since it was shown that RNG or luck plays a big factor in getting value out of him. The Dragon Quest character has the ability to land critical hits which result in double damage and doubling the distance an opponent can fly off screen. This can lead to kills at 0% even for heavy fighters. Additionally, Hero uses magic and can choose from four random spells at any given time. Some of these are stronger than others. For instance, thwack can potentially kill a fighter right off the bat and snooze can sleep a target, resulting in a free smash attack for Hero and with it, as previously discussed, a critical hit. For ESAM, these elements are not enough to warrant a ban, though he agrees some parts of Hero’s kit are silly. “I’ve seen matches end where like you get the first kill and then you Hocus Pocus and you become big and then hit someone twice and kill them two times. Like, that’s kinda stupid and I don’t necessarily disagree, but the chance of that happening is incredibly low,” he said in a video. “There are much more likely chances that a misfire is going to ruin a Luigi game or stitch face is going to appear or a bomb for Peach and you’re not going to try to ban those characters. And I’m not comparing the effectiveness of one bomb or one misfire to a Hocus Pocus – clearly that Hocus Pocus can be better, but the RNG is still low of that happening…” he added. Read More: GimR explains why Hero is ‘broken’ in Ultimate The Pikachu master went on to say that he takes the biggest issue with Magic Burst – an ability that uses 100% of Hero’s MP, but even it has drawbacks such as it only being a good option when a player is up a stock. “Zero MP Hero is going to be one of the most easily edge-guarded characters in the entire game,” he explained. He isn’t the only professional against the ban. Legendary Smash player Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios recently spoke out against bans, calling it a “knee-jerk reaction”. Some tournaments have already decided to ban Hero. South Australia made the decision earlier in August and in their reasoning stated that the character’s RNG is anti-competitive. Super Smash Bros pro Leffen defended the ban and wanted more regions to follow suit. It will be interesting to see how things play out and if players end up having success with Hero, resulting in even more discussions about the fighter’s future.

Smash Bros pro Leffen gives his secrets to improving at Ultimate TSMSuper Smash Brothers pro William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte provided his best tips to not just get good at Smash, but any game. The 24-year-old Swede, who recently came first in Melee at Super Smash Con, sat down with Team SoloMid to name tricks that have worked for him and should apply for any up-and-coming player. Given Leffen’s long history of success in multiple games, it’s clear that he’s speaking from experience. “Really these tips are for anyone trying to improve at any competitive game or sport or chess,” the former Evo-winner said. “I’ve played a lot of different games and these tips kinda apply to all of them.” The first tip Hjelte provides is “play a lot of games” as in “play a lot of matches as often as you can and get that experience in.” “There’s a lot of people who go to these types of videos that kinda look for a shortcut,” the Dragon Ball FighterZ player explained. “Everyone who gets good has been in a lot of matches. They’ve put in a lot of time.” The next tip Leffen gives is “go to tournaments.” Due to Smash’s weak online play, going to local tournaments is key according to the TSM legend. In order to get used to formats, stages and other rules, going to tournaments and putting yourself in that environment is a must. Leffen’s next tip is to watch game footage. This is a more advanced tip to players who have played a lot and want to take their game to the next level. By evaluating footage, you can spot mistakes, learn from opponents, research habits, etc. “See what other people are doing better than you, watch your own matches after you lose, after you win…no one is going to make you a good player. You’re gonna have to learn by yourself and sometimes you destroy your friends, right and you think you’re the best in the world. If you go to tournaments you’ll quickly see that’s not true. You’re gonna have to look at your matches… the more you watch the more you actively try to think about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.” The Swedish pro’s penultimate tip is to get your mentality in check and know how you deal with nerves. “This isn’t a unique problem to Smash”, Leffen explained. “It’s a part of competition in general. People are always nervous. Even top athletes are nervous. People miss more free throws in the NBA finals than they do in practice. That’s just how it is. Pressure will always be there.” According to Leffen, understanding that everyone gets nervous and figuring out how to handle it is a must. Asking others how they deal with nerves, like taking a break or focusing before a match will give you an advantage. The final tip he gives is to get your shit and your life together. “Once you have all these other things you can clearly notice when someone is putting in the work… you’re going to have to live a stable, pretty consistent lifestyle if you want to be one of the absolute top players.” “If you want to make it long term and if you want to compete with the absolute best people, and even if you just want to live a better life, you’re going to have to have set routines, you’re going to have to make sure you don’t burn yourself out, you don’t look at social media too much after your loses…you need to get your shit together and you need to work on your own weaknesses.” Leffen goes on to add that sometimes your biggest problem holding you back could be your daily life. Sometimes your issues in-game are attributed to factors outside of it.

Smash Bros legend Leffen set to miss EVO Leffen/TwitterLegendary Super Smash Bros player William “Leffen” Hjelte will be missing Evo in Las Vegas on August 2 because he couldn’t pick up his passport. “My passport with my visa arrived, just in time so I could make it to EVO. But I couldn’t pick it up because, well, you need ID to verify and the only one I have atm that they recognize is my passport…” The superstar who was set to compete in Smash Ultimate revealed on Twitter. Leffen said he showed cards and bank statements from five years back and had his girlfriend Jennie vouch for him, but had no luck. “Called support and they say they cant do anything, gotta call the embassy which is already closed for today. GG no Evo for me :(,” the opinionated Swedish smasher added. He explained his situation in greater detail in a TwitLonger, “Started the visa process a long time ago, even paid for premium processing too ($500 extra). Making the petition takes extra time since it recently got a lot more strict. politics etc.” My passport with my visa arrived, just in time so I could make it to EVO. But I couldn’t pick it up because, well, you need ID to verify and the only one I have atm that they recognize is my passport… showed cards &bank statements from 5 years back and had jennie vouch, but no.— L3ff3rd (@TSM_Leffen) August 1, 2019 “Then after getting it approved to get a time at the embassy, then you leave your passport there and then they send it back to you (iirc you can pick it up but it was already very close time wise),” he said. “Generally when you pick up passports at the police etc you can have parents/partner to verify you, thats why I thought I’d be ok, but this specific postal service refuses to accept anything other than state id/drivers license.” Leffen admitted it was stupid of him to not have another form of ID, but said he didn’t have this issue back in 2016. “I’ll probably be able to get my passport in the next few days so its a shame that everything took longer than expected… Hopefully I can get it back in time for smashcon and sorry for anyone I disappointed,” the popular Smash icon apologized. Leffen’s absence should open up the Smash Ultimate field a bit more, especially in pools where he was likely to advance. As a player, Leffen is most well-known for his success in Melee, being the first player to defeat the “five Gods” of Mew2King, HungryBox, Armada, PPMD and Mango. At Evo 2018, Leffen finished 1st in Melee using the fighter Fox.

Smash Bros not returning for Evo 2022 as Nintendo pulls out of event Evo / NintendoPopular fighting game tournament EVO has announced that Super Smash Bros. will not participate in the 2022 event. The Evolution Championship Series – or as it’s commonly known, EVO – is the most prestigious fighting game tournament of the year. It’s an annual event that brings on thousands of fans from all across the world as it houses multiple tournaments spanning up to nearly 10 different games. Similar to others of its type, its events are completely open and make use of the double-elimination format, making winning even more difficult. It also typically announces which games will partake in the event months prior to the actual contest beginning. Nintendo pulls out of Evo 2022 Following their usual statement that will decide which games will participate at EVO 2022, the fighting game tournament also announced via Twitter that “Super Smash Bros. will not be making a return appearance”, leaving many fans confused. “Since 2007, we’ve seen historic Super Smash Bros. moment created at Evo’s events. We are saddened that Nintendo has chosen not to continue that legacy with us this year. In the future, we hope to once again celebrate the Super Smash Bros. community alongside them.” This news comes after Nintendo themselves announced a Melee and Ultimate circuit alongside organization, Panda Global, in late 2021. It was met with mixed emotions from the Smash community as the partnership left many concerned due to the developer’s lack of involvement with the scene in the past. Additionally, some have speculated that this severing of the partnership would come following Sony’s purchase of the fighting game tournament in March of 2021. Whether or not this will be the first and last time Super Smash Bros. is fully out of Evo remains uncertain. Dexerto has reached out to both Evo and Nintendo for comment.

Smash Bros legend Leffen goes undefeated in Guilty Gear Strive at EVO 2023 EVO | TwitchThough he put himself on the map as a Smash Bros player, Leffen has managed to take the EVO 2023 title for Guilty Gear Strive in decisive fashion. William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte has been competing for a long, long time. Though much of his career saw him being a competitor in Smash Bros, he’s been able to transition over to Guilty Gear and, after a great deal of practice, managed to take home a win at EVO 2023. Leffen’s been an incredibly strong Guilty Gear player since 2021 and managed to take the EVO 2021 online title. However, at in-person tournaments with international representatives, he’s always fallen just short. With a third-place finish at both EVO 2022 and Combo Breaker 2023, he was hungry for a big international win. Not only did he get that win at EVO 2023: He dominated on his way to the trophy. Leffen dominates Guilty Gear Strive at EVO 2023 Though Leffen made a name for himself across several Smash Bros. titles, his transfer to Guilty Gear Strive has been a successful one. These two games are completely different but Leffen’s wealth of stage experience with Smash seems to have served him well in getting to the top of Guilty Gear. Cloud9’s Joseph ‘Mang0’ Marquez, a longtime rival of Leffen’s, was jokingly praying on Leffen’s downfall through the entire tournament, cursing him in an attempt to throw him off. However, Mang0’s attempts to throw Leffen off of having an extremely dominant winner’s bracket run in Guilty Gear Strive weren’t successful. He didn’t drop a single set. This also makes Leffen one of few players to ever have taken an EVO title in two different games, making him a legendary competitor within the scene. He had some choice words for Mang0 following his win. With how dominant Leffen’s win was, it’ll take some serious practice for another competitor to come close to beating him if he maintains this form.

Smash Bros. coach parts ways with Tempo Storm amid sexual assault allegations Global esports powerhouse Tempo Storm announced the recent departure of Super Smash Bros. Coach Daniel ‘Pierce7d’ Seraphin as allegations have surfaced involving a string of sexual harassment/assault accusations. Although Tempo Storm didn’t specify the reason for his departure, Pierce7d maintains that it was his choice to leave the organization. Through series of Twitter threads, numerous claims have been made against Pierce7d that follow a similar pattern of behavior toward those he’s been in contact with, the most prominent coming from photographer and content creator Kat aka ‘Princess Hyrule.’ you’re even lying to yourself. you really don’t remember CEO beach house? you don’t remember WRAPPING your arms around my waist until i couldn’t move?? please, pierce. you can lie to them but you can’t fucking lie to me. — Kat :sparkles::soon:G6 (@princesshyruIe) January 22, 2019 In light of accusations, Tempo Storm’s only signed Smash Ultimate player Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios released a public statement of his own, condemning the actions of Pierce. “I don’t stand for Pierce’s behavior or his actions at all. I worked with Pierce for a long time and thought I knew him, but only after signing was done did people close to me make me aware of the extent of his past actions, and I honestly felt disgusted,” ZeRo said. ZeRo also revealed that the he and the organization worked to find the quickest way of dropping the Super Smash coach after the accounts had come to light. My statement on the Pierce situation. pic.twitter.com/68kIFN4oGk — Tempo ZeRo (@zerowondering) January 22, 2019 Even after departing from Tempo Storm, Pierce7d was looking forward to the upcoming Genesis 6 on February 1 to be his last major event, but has since been banned from attending. “FYI for concerned attendees, Pierce will not be attending Genesis 6,” the tournament’s official Twitter announced. Many in the Smash community are actively voicing their disdain and outright reproach against the former Coach. Pierce is currently replying to anyone who is seeking further details on the matter. Pierce will look to continue his Smash career by making instructional videos on the game. had a really busy day but we wanted to make sure it was clearhttps://t.co/a0krfxzXnP — Bear :soon: Genesis 6 #G6 (@BearUNLV) January 22, 2019

Smash Melee legend to be inducted into Esports Hall of Fame NintendoSmash Bros Melee icon Adam ‘Armada’ Lindgren is set to be inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame. On October 1, the Esports Hall of Fame announced that Armada had 69.26% of the votes cast by the community to earn an induction. The presentation is set to take place at ESL One in Hamburg. The Swedish superstar is regarded as the best Melee pro of all time and the results speak for themselves. In his illustrious career, he had multiple first-place finishes at Evo, Smash Summit and Genesis. The people have spoken. With 69,26% of the votes, @ArmadaUGS will become the next inductee into the @EsportsHall presented by @paysafecard at #ESLOne Hamburg! pic.twitter.com/X82oNQTdpt — Esports Hall of Fame (@EsportsHall) October 1, 2019 Over his career, Armada revolutionized how Melee was played first taking Peach to the limit of her potential as a character. He would go on to become dominant with Fox and Young Link – the latter of which he picked up as a counter to Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma’s Jigglypuff. After a brief retirement in 2013, Armada would return for Evo that same year and place fourth. His dominant performances would cultivate into an Evo 2015 victory and several major tournament wins thereafter. His success has earned him the title of one of the “Five Gods” of Smash. In 2018, he announced his second retirement from Melee and hasn’t looked back. He has, however, competed in Smash Ultimate competitions using Inkling as a main. Over his career, Armada has won a whopping $311,692.72. He sits second in all-time Smash winnings behind Hungrybox. The legendary Smash star has gone down in history as a two-time Evo champion (2015 and 2017), a three-time Genesis champion (Genesis 2, 3 and 4), a two-time Smash Summit Champion (2 and 3), and the winner of majors such as Smash N Splash 4, CEO 2014 and Super Smash Con 2018. The previous winner of the Esports Hall of Fame Community Awards was none other than League of Legends prodigy Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. The Hall of Fame lineup doesn’t end there either. Armada will also be joining the likes of Quake’s Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel, Warcraft’s Jang ‘Moon’ Jae Ho and the man who changed how Terran is played in StarCraft Lim ‘BoxeR’ Yo Hwan. ESL One Hamburg takes place from October 25 to October 27 with the Hall of Fame ceremony taking place on the 27. With Armada now entering the Hall, it will be interesting to see if any other Smash Gods join him in the future.

Slasher explains Blizzard’s Hong Kong Hearthstone controversy on Fox News L: Fox / R: BlizzardEsports expert Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau appeared on Fox News on October 9 to speak about the ongoing controversy surrounding Activision Blizzard after the company punished a player for supporting the Hong Kong protests. A Hearthstone player named Chung ‘Blitzchung’ Ng was banned by Blizzard on October 6 and had his winnings withheld after making a statement supporting the Hong Kong protests during a post-match interview. Key community members and fans all around the world quickly rallied behind the player, dubbing the company’s decision as unfair and even started a trending #BoycottBlizzard movement, which took over the internet for some time. Just a few days later on October 9, Slasher was invited to speak about the subject on Fox News, where the American explained the situation and compared it to the situation with the NBA Rockets GM who tweeted a meme supporting Hong Kong. However, he stated that “Blizzards was even harsher than the NBA and went a step further in punishing this player.” The host Dana Perino then mentioned that other people had stood up and even went as far as to say that they will no longer be playing Blizzard’s games. today I went on TV on Fox News to talk about Activision Blizzard’s awful suspension of Hearthstone Hong Kong player blitzchung over his support of protests in HK, a complete lack of of communication from Blizzard, and all game developers kowtowing to China pic.twitter.com/fnM3ek8RDV— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) October 9, 2019 Later, Slasher drew attention to the collegiate team that were quickly removed from a livestream after they held up a Hong Kong protest sign, highlighting them as one of many examples of the community supporting Blitzchung. He then finished by explaining that “gamers are probably one of the most digitally entrenched people in the world and they really want to protest this company for what they did, then Activision Blizzard really deserves it.” Support for the banned player is still mounting as more and more influential community members begin to put out public statements, with Brian Kibler and Octavian ‘Kripparrian’ Morosan being two examples of people who have recently voiced their opinion.

Slasher schools ex-NFL player Jack Brewer about positivity of esports on Fox Fox BusinessRod ‘Slasher’ Breslau appeared on Fox Business on Friday, August 16 to discuss the Fortnite Champion series, noting its importance and the growth of esports. With competitive gaming growing at an ever-increasing rate and slowly creeping its way into mainstream society, Fox Business invited Slasher on to provide some insight as to why people should care about this event. The Fortnite Champion series starts September 20 with the Grand Final taking place on September 22 with $10 million up for grabs. After reminding the hosts about 16-year-old Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf’s $3 million payday for winning the Fortnite World Cup, the group started digging into the economics of esports going forward. “I know a few banks that have actually hired a department, so more than just one or two researcher people to begin to follow this as an economic sector,” Dagen McDowell chimed in. I went on Fox Business TV to talk about esports reaching the mainstream across multiple games and genres, why it is absurd to compare video games like Fortnite to opioids, and how esports, gaming can be a truly positive, uplifting social experience for people @dagenmcdowell pic.twitter.com/tOfYuGlp0d — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 16, 2019 “Because video games in general are growing so much and Fortnite as a great example of competitive video gaming, that’s growing the overall esports pie… the biggest games in the world right now are the competitive games everyone is playing and at the core of that is esports on the more professional level.” McDowell went on to ask Slasher about the skills needed to play esports at such a high level and how they can be beneficial for teenagers and not addictive like drugs. “There’s a lot that goes into gaming and there’s a lot of good that comes out of it.” “The criticism in the way is really absurd,” Slasher said. “To compare video games to an addictive drug… is pathetic and that should never be happening and it shows a lack of understanding of what’s going on and at the same time, video games and especially esports, really are a social activity more so than really most activities now… people think it’s anti-social, but it’s actually one of the most social things that you can do online.” “It’s more social than taking selfies and editing them so you don’t look like yourself,” McDowell added. Former NFL player Jack Brewer then confessed he doesn’t let his 7-year-old playing video games and is anti video game, but Rod was making him question his views. “How much time does it take to get really good at these games?” Brewer asked. “Do I allow my seven-year-old, who is a phenomenal athlete at his age… do I allow him to spend five hours in front of a TV playing video games versus being out training with me?” “Honestly, for competitive games, and the games that are in esports, it really does take as much time to practice and to scrim and to play and to really grind your way at the game as it does a professional sport,” Breslau answered. “You need to play 6-8 hours a day at the professional level, practice with your team, practice against the best players in the world to really do so.” “But, to your point though,” the New York-based journalist went on, “really parents should be more involved in what their kids are doing. Video games are bigger than ever before. Everyone who has kids has a kid playing games. If you’re more active in what they’re doing, they’ll respond better…” The Fox Host went on to link Nascar drivers to video games because they learn to drive via gaming. “If your kid can run fast, jump high and has good prospects to get scholarships, do you let him play games instead? I don’t know if I could,” Brewer stated. “Some of those kids love playing games as much as they love playing traditional sports,” Rod replied. “Sometimes they excel even more at the games. There are pro athletes that play games just as much and sometimes that path is the one they truly love to do.”

Slasher condemns “exploitative” U.S. Military recruitment of CoD players on NBC ActivisionEsports consultant Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau made an appearance on Newsnation and was asked if gamers or Call of Duty pros make good soldiers. In response, ‘Slasher’ denied any correlation between war and gaming. Military entities and esports have a well-documented history. In April, Richard Lewis, Dexerto’s Editor-At-Large, called on tournament organizer ESL to cease its partnership with the US Air Force. USSA Insurance is a Call of Duty League sponsor, and the US Army was a sponsor before allegedly cutting ties amid the Activision Blizzard Lawsuit. NewsNation invited ‘Slasher’ on to discuss why army recruitment is down and if CoD players would be a good fit to help the shortage. Slasher urges esports community to push back against military Senior National Correspondent, Brian Entin, asked the esports consultant if it’s a good idea for military recruiters to reach people through video games. Slasher answered, “I find it exploitative. I find it insidious that these streamers are recruiting gamers and young people on Twitch under the guise of just playing video games, but they are really there as recruiters.” Breslau said violent video games and military service correlate less than people think. He said violent video games, television, and music, are just forms of entertainment. “People cannot expect pro gamers in Call of Duty to be adept at going into the military.” The video game insider concluded by calling the esports community to action. He cited the community’s push back against Russian esports players and teams and Saudia Arabian money. “We have to bring that same energy to the American military and not allow them and all of their money to come into our community without any pushback.”

SK Telecom T1 to rebrand following partnership with Comcast LoL EsportsOne of the most recognizable names in esports, SK Telecom T1, is set to rebrand following a partnership with Comcast Spectacor. SK Telecom and Comcast have announced a joint esports venture to create T1 Entertainment & Sports, which will house SK Telecom’s renowned League of Legends team and intends to field squads in a number of other titles. SK Telecom is the most storied and successful organization in League of Legends history. Home to Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, considered almost universally as the greatest player of all time, SKT has collected three world championships and six LCK titles, a trophy cabinet that no other organization in League of Legends can come close to. Read more: Team Liquid CEO Steve Arhancet explans why more investors like Infinite could leave esports – Though the new organization will keep the “T1” to its name, the change is nevertheless a dramatic shift, marking, among other things, the first time that Faker will compete under a name other than SK Telecom. While best known in the modern day for its League of Legends team, SK Telecom has also housed some of the most legendary names in StarCraft, including the likes of Lim ‘Boxer’ Yo-hwan and Choi ‘iloveoov’ Yeon-sung. This isn’t the first venture into esports for Comcast Spectacor, who also own Overwatch League Season One runners-up Philadelphia Fusion. Both the Philadelphia Fusion and its academy team, Fusion University, will remain separate from T1 Entertainment & Sports and entirely under Comcast Spectacor, however. While the SKT League of Legends squad will headline T1 Entertainment & Sports, the new organization will also look to enter a variety of other games, including Fortnite, PUBG, Super Smash Bros and Hearthstone. According to a report by EsportsObserver, T1 Entertainment & Sports has already signed a team for Apex Legends, but the line-up has yet to be revealed. T1 Entertainment & Sports have also yet to announce their branding beyond the name, so it remains to be seen if the iconic SK Telecom red and white will carry over to this new organization.

Skip Bayless & Shannon Sharpe debate if esports is a ‘sport’ on Hot Ones Sports pundits Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe appeared on an episode of Hot Ones and discussed if esports can really be considered a sport. Bayless and Sharpe make a living debating sports topics but they stepped out of their comfort zone and appeared on the wildly popular Hot Ones YouTube show. The pair appeared during a “Truth or Dab” episode where they either had to answer a question truthfully or they’d have to take a bite of a chicken wing coated in the flaming hot “Last Dab” hot sauce. Sean Evans, the host of Hot Ones, asked them if they thought esports could be considered a sport and if Ninja could be considered a professional athlete. As with any debate, there has to be two sides taken so Sharpe, an NFL Hall of Famer, argued that esports is indeed a sport. “I know who Ninja is,” Sharpe said. “I follow him on (Instagram) and on Twitter. I do know who Ninja is. I also know who Bugha is. I’m gonna say yes, it is a sport. If you notice Michael Jordan has bought into it, (Patriots owner Robert Kraft) has bought into an esport. So, yes, it is a sport.” This means that Bayless had to take the alternative stance and argue against esports being a sport. “I do not follow Ninja on anything,” he said. “And I’m going a big no. It is not a sport. It’s a skill, but it’s not a sport because there’s no real athleticism to it. There’s no full-body use at all. It is reaction time, obviously. It’s a sport of the mind.” (Quotes begin at 2:24) The debate on whether or not esports can be considered a sport has long been argued and both sides make solid points. Bayless actually hit a couple of them in his argument – the players don’t display any athletic abilities and just sit down the whole time. However, those who argue for esports being a sport will point out that players still have to put the time in for practice and playing with their teammates, just like you would for any other sport. Not everyone who plays a video game is cut out to a professional player, just like not everybody who can dribble a basketball will be making it to the NBA. More and more, it appears the general audience is becoming more accepting of esports, with the Overwatch League airing games on ABC, for example. The players themselves have also categorized themselves as athletes, with Fortnite star Tfue’s Twitter bio reading “professional athlete.” Prize pools for esports events have even started to eclipse traditional sporting events, with Bugha’s win at the Fortnite World Cup earning him over $3 million, besting Tiger Woods’ incredible victory at the 2019 Masters by almost a million. On top of this, viewership for some esports events is flat-out eye-popping. The League of Legends World Championship in 2019 hit a record-breaking 21.8 million Average Minute Audience (AMA), topping even the Fortnite World Cup. Esports aren’t going anywhere and as they continue to grow, we’ll see even more big-name personalities looking to get involved.

Sjokz shuts down trolls saying she “only made it” because she’s a woman Riot GamesPopular League of Legends host Eefje ‘Sjokz’ Depoortere has clapped back at trolls who claim that she “only made it” because she’s a woman, after winning multiple Esports Host of the Year awards in 2020. With shows such as The Game Awards, some of the biggest stars in gaming and esports are highlighted each year, for their outstanding efforts in becoming the best at their roles. Each year, the decisions made around these awards tend to spark debates amongst the gaming community, particularly for the likes of the Game of the Year award and more. One 2020 award winner was Sjokz, for her work as a host throughout the 2020 LEC season and for the League of Legends World Championship, but she was, somewhat predictably, targetted by trolls after it was announced that she had won. Read More: League patch 10.25 notes: Rell release, more – The LEC host shut down some of the bizarre claims against her after some viewers suggested that she was only successful because she was a woman, setting the record straight during one of her December 11 Twitch broadcast. “There’s always people that say “you only made it because you’re a woman,” she explained. “The fact is, it’s just not true. I’m awesome, I work my ass off and it’s sometimes very, very difficult.” The popular LoL personality continued on, highlighting some of her achievements throughout her time in the esports industry. “I speak five languages, I have two master’s degrees. I have built this career as a pioneer in this industry for the last ten years. I deserve it, I really do.” I had an unfiltered moment on stream and I guess it‘s everywhere and now i feel bad I‘m trying to work on celebrating my achievements more, and I guess I went a little ham Also i mentioned the languages because I‘m proud I‘ve hosted in 4 of them. Spanish is WIP 😂❤️ — Eefje Depoortere (@sjokz) December 11, 2020 “So often I am afraid to say anything because I’m afraid of the backlash and all that,” she added. “And so many of my female colleagues have the same thing, and its f***ing bulls**t!” While there were a few who were attempting to troll Sjokz, the overall response towards the LEC broadcast host was quite positive, with many sharing their support and kind words.

SK Gaming turn to nutrition to improve player performance REWE/YouTube: SK GamingGerman esports organization SK Gaming are turning to nutrition to find an edge for their professional players, entering a deal with domestic retailer REWE. The difference between a win and a loss can often come down to the finest margins in many competitive disciplines, and esports are no different. Competing in prominent titles like Rocket League and League of Legends, SK Gaming have named German supermarket chain REWE their nutritional partner. REWE will provide “fresh and high quality food” to the organization’s players moving forward. The length and financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. SK Gaming will activate their new partnership by displaying REWE’s logo on their 2022 player jerseys and around their facilities in Cologne, Germany. REWE already serve as a partner of FC Köln, the football club that purchased 67% of SK Gaming alongside Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler AG in January 2019. “Esports is a dynamically growing digital sport, both nationally and internationally, which will continue to gain attractiveness in the coming years, especially for young target groups, and which has great potential for growth,” said REWE CEO Lionel Souque. “We are very pleased that we, as a Cologne-based company, are taking the next step in our esports activities together with the Cologne-based company SK Gaming and that we can further expand the competence we have gained in esports with this strong partner.”

Sinatraa breaks silence amid ongoing abuse allegations Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentSentinels Valorant star Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won has broken his silence after recent sexual abuse allegations were made public. Won claims he did not abuse his former partner, and is cooperating with all investigations. Sinatraa was accused of abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Cleo ‘cle0h’ Hernandez, in a nine-page document shared on March 9, detailing her experiences with the 2019 OWL MVP turned Valorant star. She wrote that she “lived in constant fear” during their nine-month relationship, sharing screenshots and audio recordings of alleged sexual abuse. 24 hours later, Sinatraa responded to the allegations in a brief statement. “It is clear from Cleo’s recent post that she recalls our relationship differently than I do. What we do agree on is that it was unhealthy for the both of us,” he said. Sinatraa apologized to Cleo, claiming he “[regrets] how things ended,” but denied “[assaulting] her in any way.” “I am fully cooperating with the investigations and providing the full audio and video clips Cleo referenced in her post.” It comes after the Sentinels star was suspended by both his team and Riot ahead of this week’s VCT Stage 1 Masters event, which Won was to compete in. Cle0h hits back at Sinatraa’s response Cle0h has since responded to Sinatraa’s statement, disputing his apology. “You have never apologized to me ever. For anything,” she wrote on Twitter. “The least you could do is message me personally. But you can’t even do that.” “Of course we ‘recall the relationship differently.’ One of us was incredibly cruel and one of us was scared.” https://twitter.com/cIe0h/status/1369851591524777985 She added she believes Sinatraa’s statement is “gaslighting.” “Imagine responding to an accusation of emotional abuse with ‘we remember things differently,’ a key phrase to gaslighting,” she said in a follow-up. https://twitter.com/cIe0h/status/1369858851487498241 The Overwatch League has also taken steps to change Sinatraa’s “Alien” MVP skin in Overwatch, offering refunds to fans. His former Overwatch squad, the San Francisco Shock, have also distanced themselves from Sinatraa since Cleo’s statement was first posted.

SicK jokes Sentinels “purposely” lost rounds to 100 Thieves at VCT Challengers Following Sentinel’s 3-1 win over 100 Thieves during the VCT Stage 3 NA Challengers Playoffs grand finals, Hunter ‘SicK’ Mims suggested that Sentinels “purposely” lost some rounds in for the team order to learn. Only losing one series during the entirety of the VCT Stage 3 Challengers, Sentinels have proven that they’re a force to be reckoned with. With an almost perfect run, the North American titans have undoubtedly cemented themselves as the best Valorant team in the world. Learning from your mistakes is arguably one of the most important things in life, and that also carries over to esports, but how do you learn from your mistakes if you make none? A problem that only Sentinels has to deal with. On August 16, following a 3-1 victory over 100 Thieves in the Grand Finals, Sentinels player Hunter ‘SicK’ Mims revealed during his live stream that Sentinels had to “throw” a few rounds in order to learn something. SicK explains that during the second game of the series on Breeze, Sentinels felt like they had to throw a few rounds, as they were undefeated on the newest Valorant map. “Why did you guys lose on Breeze?” asked a viewer. “Well the thing is because we were undefeated on the map, we felt like we had to lose to learn something, so we purposely lost a few rounds just to learn some better ways to play it. The fact that we were undefeated, we weren’t learning anything,” SicK responded. Although he had a wry smile on his face, he assured viewers that he wasn’t ‘capping’. In fairness, the team has actually said in press conferences that they have tried to learn through lost rounds – despite how rare they are. 100 Thieves ultimately won Breeze 13-11 over Sentinels, the only win against Sentinels they managed during the tournament. While Sentinels looked unstoppable during their VCT run to Masters Berlin, SicK is most likely kidding about throwing rounds, but Sentinels have repeatedly complained about not learning anything due to their win streaks.

Valorant pro Sinatraa accused of sexual abuse by ex-girlfriend Blizzard EntertainmentValorant pro Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won has been accused of sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend Cleo ‘cle0h’ Hernandez, who alleges the esports star would “leave [her] crying in the bathroom” after being intimate and would ignore her saying no “countless times” during their relationship. The Sentinels star’s ex-girlfriend, who goes by “cle0h” on Twitter, wrote in a nine-page Word document shared on March 9 that she “lived in constant fear” during their nine-month relationship. Cle0h alleges in the March 9 doc, which includes a dozen text message screenshots, as well as logs from the pair’s private Discord conversations, that Sinatraa would force himself upon her. She also writes he wouldn’t stop if she asked him to during sex; he would claim he was “so close” each time. https://twitter.com/cIe0h/status/1369497186740928512 Sinatraa breaks silence [Update: Mar. 10, 10:38 pm] A day after the abuse allegations first surfaced online, Won has finally responded to Cleo’s claims. The former OWL star states that he “never assaulted her in any way.” “It is clear from Cleo’s recent post that she recalls our relationship differently than I do. What we do agree on is that it was unhealthy for the both of us,” he wrote in a short Twitlonger statement released late on March 10. Won also outlined how he is “fully cooperating with investigations and providing full audio and video clips” for instances referenced in the initial document. Riot Games, Sentinels suspend Sinatraa amid investigations [Update: Mar. 10, 1:55 pm] Following the allegations, Riot Games responded by launching an official investigation and, in the meantime, suspending Sinatraa from the weekend’s Valorant Champions Tour event. Similarly, his team, the Sentinels have also suspended the star player indefinitely while working through their own investigation internally. Both the developers and team are in the midst of their own internal investigations. Cle0h has explained that she began writing this document of allegations back in April 2020, but was hesitant to finish and publish it publicly. That hesitation, she explained in the “J” document, was due to the sensitivity of the topics discussed: “Eventually, I would rather just say ‘yes’ and lay there until he was done than fight him on the ‘no’.” “I remember one day… he wanted to have sex. I didn’t have an excuse, [so] I just let it happen and laid there and stared at the ceiling with him on top of me, his weight crushing my chest. I think about staring at that ceiling every day.” “If I included everything, this document would be over 15 pages long.” Cle0h accuses Sinatraa of “lying, manipulation” Included in the March 9 doc are several examples of alleged mistreatment, including an audio file (warning: some may find the audio disturbing) that appears to reveal a conversation between the former couple. “I’m sure you can recognize his voice,” she said. “I’ve called sexual assault survivor hotlines countless times. Spent over a year of my life in therapy trying to heal myself and get back what he took from me.” Won was also accused of consistent emotional abuse throughout the relationship. More than a dozen screenshots revealed arguments between the two. There was also “plenty that didn’t happen over text,” according to cle0h. “He used to check my location to see where I was, which was fine. But sometimes it would glitch and he’d instantly accuse me of cheating. He was so insecure he would push me into a corner and make me beg him not to break up with him. “[Sinatraa] is a liar. He is a manipulator,” Hernandez added. Cle0h described her time in the relationship as living in “constant fear.” Since moving on, she detailed having “nightmares” about her experiences with Won. “[There have been] countless nights where I lay in bed and wonder what I did to deserve what he did to me,” she wrote in the document. While some criticism was originally placed on Won’s subsequent girlfriend, ’emmyuh,’ for mischaracterization, cle0h has since clarified that the two have spoken and that emmyuh’s “involvement in this is completely null and void as I completely forgive her.”

Shroud explains why Ranked is bad practice to go pro in CSGO & Valorant Shroud, YouTubeMixer star Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek has revealed why aspiring competitors should not put too much stock in their performances on ranked playlists in games like Valorant and CS:GO. Before his transition to full-time streaming, shroud was considered one of the top Counter-Strike players in North America and was part of Cloud 9’s iconic 2015 summer roster. Following the recent release of Riot’s FPS title Valorant, shroud reflected on his time competing, during his latest YouTube video, and explained why up-and-coming players, on most titles, should not be spending too much time on a ranked mode. Shroud compared ranked playlists in different FPS titles and explained that there were too many variables to make it truly competitive compared to MOBAs such as League of Legends. “They think competitive and ranked should be this 100% balanced thing impossible to do. There’s so many variables compared to a game like a MOBA, so you can’t create the same ranked system.” the former CSGO pro explained. “People have to accept the fact that ranked doesn’t matter,” he continued, “If you truly want to get to the next level and compete, you do custom games with really good people, it’s really that simple.” Topic starts at 1:17 While he admits that ranked playlists in titles like Valorant do have some benefits, he claimed that it is not worth investing much time into when trying to reach an elite level. “If anyone is good or is trying to go anywhere in this game, they stay far away from ranked,” he shared, “It’s not that you don’t learn anything from ranked, it’s the rate at which you learn.” Shroud followed up by pointing out many of the issues with different ranked modes, adding that, even at high elo, you will get matched with some bad players who will ruin your experience. “All the information you take in is very minimal because they don’t know what they’re doing,” he admitted, before pointing out that much of that time could be used to improve other aspects of their gameplay. Shroud has recently considered going pro again, after recognizing his early prowess on Valorant, however, as he has explained before, it would not be practical for him to do so with his streaming career.

Shroud trolls 100 Thieves by calling them a “merch team” 100 Thieves/ShroudShroud is one of the best-known Twitch streamers around, and while he’s not officially signed to any esports org, he is a fan of 100 Thieves – but based on recent comments, they don’t seem to make things easy for him. 100 Thieves have been the talk of the town lately thanks to their new ‘Foundations’ merch line that dropped at the beginning of July. While parts of the internet were complaining about the price of some of the items, shroud said he still backed the Thieves, even if they were just a “merch team.” Now shroud probably doesn’t have an issue with paying $135 for a hoodie (sorry, an anorak), but he couldn’t resist giving Nade and the boys a little ribbing after the line dropped. “100 Thieves might be my favorite… merch team,” the streamer quipped. “Like honestly, they’re by far my favorite org, when it comes to merch.” Jokes aside though, shroud did say that being a 100 Thieves Valorant fan can be a harrowing experience. They’re one of the top teams in NA, but it does seem like once they get on a roll they run into a match that’s much closer than it really should be. “I feel like I have very high hopes whenever I talk about 100 Thieves,” he explained “Every time I talk about them, and I have such high hopes, and then they always have the scariest, closest match ever.” Shroud very well could have been talking about 100 Thieves recent performance in the North America Stage 3 Challengers 1 – Open Qualifier. 100T did manage to qualify, but not before two matches that should have been easy 2-0’s against SoaR and Noble went the distance at 2-1 apiece. Perhaps victory in Stage 3 will get Shroud to finally acknowledge 100 Thieves as more than just a “merch team,” but in the meantime we have to admit the ‘Foundations’ drop does look pretty dang clean.

Should esports pros create content? ImperialHal, ropz, more players enter debate Adela Sznajder/ESL Gaming via ESPAT & ValveAs the esports industry continues to mature, certain age-old debates around pro players continue to crop up. This time around, esports pros debated on Twitter about their relationship to content creation and how much they should do. Cloud9 social media manager Mateus Portilho put out a “Take” Tweet about how much pro esports players should work on their social media presence and content creation. The post, which was later co-opted and amplified by Jake Lucky, caused many pros to give their own opinions on content creation while competing. TSM’s Phillip ‘ImperialHal’ Dosen agreed with Portilho’s opinion, saying that it wasn’t even a hot take and “just facts.” The Apex Legend player is one of the most recognizable figures in his esport and has a track record of competitive success as well. CS:GO pro Robin ‘ropz’ Kool also weighed in on the debate, saying that some people at the highest level of esports don’t care enough to create content or engage with people on social media. He also added that social media plays a big part in signing a professional contract. “You obviously get paid accordingly as in how big your brand is and how many people you can attract. A guy with 10k followers ain’t gonna get paid the same as a guy with 1M followers if they have the same skill level. That’s all part of negotiations,” ropz said. Should esports pros make more content debate continues? Many people responding to the threads shared a similar sentiment that esports pros should be working on creating content and crafting a social media presence. But Kyrylo ‘ANGE1’ Karasov, a 33-year-old pro who has competed in Counter-Strike and Valorant, said that he has never focused on content and is in a good spot in his career despite it. A few pros also focused on the time commitment element to creating content after hours of practicing the game. “Pretty unlucky that you have to be good at the game (which requires lots of hours and dedication and can also go unrecognized) and STILL have to build a brand/stream/community,” Disguised Valorant player Amgalan ‘Genghsta’ Nemekhbayar said. With the changing landscape of the esports industry, content creation and its connection to gaming and esports is something that is still being revisited and debated even in its current state.

Shroud explains why he refused Nadeshot’s offer to co-own 100 Thieves shroud / FlickrPrior to 100 Thieves becoming the esports giants that they are now, it turns out that founder and CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag had offered a chance at co-ownership to Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, but it was one that he refused, according to the Mixer superstar himself. New information has surfaced indicating that Nadeshot, during the building stages of 100 Thieves, had tried to recruit shroud to be one of the organization’s co-owners, in addition to being the face of their content creation team. When asked about it during one of his recent streams, shroud confirmed that the CEO had indeed made such an inquiry, while also revealing that he had respectfully declined. “At the beginning of 100 Thieves, before 100 Thieves even existed, Matt reached out to me and he was talking with me and wanted me to be part of the process, part of the upcoming of 100 Thieves,” he said. “He asked me to be part of the co-ownership and whatnot.” What was the star streamer’s reason for declining? Turns out, it all came down to not wanting to be involved in the important decision-making that comes with being a part of the executive process. “I honestly said ‘I’m lazy bro, I can’t put in work,’” he said, laughing. “I pretty much told him I don’t want to work because I don’t want to truly give input on any decision, that would be too much work for me.” The former CS:GO pro also revealed that, following his refusal to become a co-owner of 100 Thieves, Nadeshot offered him to be a streamer for the org. However, that too was not something that he wanted to do, because ever since he left Cloud9, shroud hasn’t really looked to “tie himself” to another brand. “Obviously, he offered me to just be a streamer and stuff, but I don’t want to be a streamer as part of any org. I don’t want to tie myself to a brand but my own,” he said. While he was unable to successfully recruit shroud, Nadeshot did end up bringing Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff on board as the face of their content creation operation and a key player in the org’s development. Unfortunately, that ended up in a messy divorce years later, in early 2019, as Nick accused Haag of failing to fulfill the promises he’d made early, which reportedly included a 5% stake in the company’s equity.

Shottzy reveals huge OpTic Texas issue ahead of CDL Major 2 OpTic TexasThe OpTic Texas camp went through the wringer in the process of installing Huke as Dashy’s replacement, and now Shottzy says there’s one more big problem for Major 2 and the qualifiers. The Dashy saga is largely done and dusted for OpTic Texas, and it’s time for the squad to turn their eyes toward Major 2. While early rumors suggest the squad is handling their first few practices well, the race to the next big competition is still not quite an open highway for the Greenwall. According to Shottzy, iLLeY is yet again facing a problem that could present quite a roadblock for the otherwise eager unit. OpTic Texas’ Visa issues for Major 2 qualifiers During a late-night stream on January 13, Shottzy revealed that his Canadian teammate Indervir ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal’s Visa was declined and that he’ll have to restart the entire approval process. “I’m not going to lie, I don’t know how that s**t works,” he stated. “Apparently he should be good for the Major, but yeah, he’ll be playing out of Toronto [for the qualifiers].” If that optimistic prediction doesn’t come true, this would be iLLeY’s second season in a row having to take time away from the team after a persistent thumb problem saw him step down for much of the Vanguard cycle. OpTic has experience getting Visa matters settled though, as Dashy was also sidelined from the starting lineup back in Black Ops 4 for similar reasons. The team’s first qualifying match takes place on Sunday, January 15, against the Boston Breach and will continue for three weeks after. This leaves plenty of time to get the situation under control, but OpTic fans will surely be waiting with bated breath until that day comes.

Shopify launch Rebellion esports organization with StarCraft II roster ShopifyCanadian e-commerce company Shopify have launched Shopify Rebellion, their very own esports organization that plans to compete across multiple games. The e-commerce giants have chosen to start their journey in competitive gaming with Blizzard’s real-time strategy title StarCraft II. Shopify Rebellion have launched with three notable competitors under their ranks, namely Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn, “ByuN” Hyun Woo, and Julian “Lambo” Brosig. Dario Wünsch, a retired StarCraft II player better known as TLO in the gaming world, left esports organization Team Liquid in September 2020 to join the e-commerce outfit. TLO joined Shopify as their esports program manager, at the time it wasn’t clear as to what the position would entail. Now, as of the announcement on February 19, it’s clear that the company were eyeing up the growing industry in a non-traditional sense. Typically, when non-endemic companies decide to engage in esports, they sponsor a team or competition. Shopify have decided that there’s merit in them housing and managing players — perhaps it’s an elaborate marketing effort for their e-commerce offerings. “We want to take a deep dive into what makes esports so great; the human stories that are told in-game and off-screen,” said TLO regarding Shopify’s esports venture.”The wit. Discipline. Endless pursuit of mastery. What better way than to begin this journey than with three legendary players, playing a game so historically important for esports. After all, it is arguably the game that started it all.” Raise the flag. (Case Study Soon) All reverence to @shopify & @shopifyrebels. Today marks the day of the Rebellion.#ArmTheRebels pic.twitter.com/HMjqIdD3d9 — Paper Crowns (@papercrowns) February 19, 2021 Paper Crowns, a creative and marketing agency, were behind the branding of Shopify Rebellion. Just in January 2021, according to a tweet, they worked with the likes of infrastructure giants Vindex, Overwatch and Call of Duty developers Activision Blizzard, and iconic organization Dignitas.

ShahZaM explains decision to join G2 Valorant: “The goal is to qualify for franchising” G2 EsportsShahZaM may have missed the cut for being on a franchised team, but he’s joined with G2 to create a team that can fight for a franchise spot. Dexerto asked him about how G2 came together, as well as his goals and aspirations with the team. Sentinels became a household name through their legendary run at Valorant’s very first international LAN tournament. They swept Reykjavík without dropping a single map, asserting themselves as the best team in the world at the tournament that kicked off international Valorant esports. Since then, Sentinels have been unable to recapture the magic of that original run. They were able to secure franchising in Valorant’s Americas League, but decided to make some big roster changes ahead of 2023. Roster changes that would push Shahzeb ‘ShahZaM‘ Khan and Michael ‘dapr’ Gulino off the team. They’ve joined G2, an organization that missed franchising, and are looking to earn their franchise spot rather than having it given to them. We asked ShahZaM about what it’s been like joining G2, his exit from Sentinels, and OXY’s incredibly high potential as a player. ShahZaM has found a new home with G2 For a player like ShahZaM, missing franchising is a massive blow. He’s been a player who defined the early days of Valorant pro play, and has proven himself as an incredibly strong player. He’s determined to earn that franchise spot for himself and his team. “Obviously, every player’s goal is to compete in franchising. It’s a little disappointing how limited the spots are in franchising, but you kind of just have to accept the reality of that and realize that, if you do want to compete, you have to continue putting in the effort.” With G2 failing to secure a spot in the EMEA franchise league, it only made sense for some of the best talent outside of franchising to come together with one of esports’ most iconic organizations. As for the reason G2 didn’t make franchising, it’s been difficult to separate former CEO Carlos’ actions from the organization itself for many G2 fans. When asked about whether or not the controversy affected his decision to join the org, ShahZaM had this to say: “I think an organization is not represented by just one person. There are a lot of wonderful people that make up the org that are passionate about esports and work very hard to make the org what it is.” G2 have fully separated themselves from Carlos as he’s doubled down on keeping the friends that got him into hot water in the first place. With their former CEO behind them, G2 was looking to build the best Valorant roster they could to give themselves a fresh start. And ShahZaM was happy to oblige. “G2 wanted to build a strong team, and the team that I thought had the best chance of winning Ascension. Ultimately, the goal is to qualify for franchising. It was the ideal option.” Building the dream team for G2 Most of the players on this roster are proven talent, players with more than enough experience under their belt to hold their own at international competition. But there’s one player who’s a relative wildcard: OXY. When we asked about this player, ShahZaM got audibly excited. He was clearly enthusiastic about G2’s 5th player. “So, I’m the one who really gunned for OXY because I played a lot of ranked games with him. He’s got a superstar-level talent, I think he just needs someone to guide him through team dynamics and stuff.” It’s important to remember that many of Valorant’s best players came from other esports and had prior experience playing on a pro team in other esports. This is an advantage OXY doesn’t have on his side, but ShahZaM was willing to go to bat for him regardless. “His comms are good, and he takes his own initiative if he’s got a read on a play. I think that’s really valuable. It’s just about having confidence in the stuff you wanna do. I think he’s an incredible player, and people are gonna figure that out.” While G2 has their own coach in Immi, ShahZaM has a history of in-game leadership. During Sentinels’ run in Reykjavík, he was the captain and primary coach for the team. If there’s anyone to trust when it comes to spotting talent and molding them into the best player they can be, ShahZaM is the guy. Though he certainly had his gripes with the way his time with Sentinels ended, ShahZaM has moved on and is ready to build a new legacy with G2. “I think there’s a bit of disappointment in the way things were handled in the end there, not just with me. It’s pretty sad considering the long tenure we had on that team, but you can’t get strung up on it. I’ve got a new home now, and I’m focused on what’s ahead.”

Sentinels Valorant head coach says initial plan was to bring over the entire XSET roster Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesIn an interview with Wyatt River, Sentinels head coach Don ‘SyykoNT’ Muir talked about how the new Valorant roster was constructed and how he wanted to bring over the entire XSET roster wherever he went next among other topics. The 30-year-old head coach said in the interview that when it was announced that XSET was not joining the Valorant Champions Tour 2023 partnered league he started looking around for opportunities to coach in the league. He detailed how he contact Sentinels and got to work becoming the organization’s head Valorant coach. SyykoNT said that his initial plan was to bring over the entire XSET squad to Sentinels if he could, but that did not come to fruition. “That was always Plan A for me,” SyykoNT said. “I spent over two years building this team fleshing out the system, establishing the chemistry, developing the team and the individuals. I really wanted to keep the whole team together but obviously, it’s part of the business. These guys were getting offers weeks before the partnership news even came out.” In the end, Matthew ‘Cryocells’ Panganiban ended up with 100 Thieves, Jordan ‘AYRIN’ He moved on to Global Esports and Brendan ‘BcJ’ Jensen has yet to sign with a team. The coach continued to explain how two of XSET’s former players, Rory ‘dephh’ Jackson and Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone, made their way to the team and how the Brazilian duo of Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi and Bryan ‘pANcada’ Luna came on board. SyykoNT said that he collaborated with his strategic coach Adam ‘kaplan’ Kaplan and dephh on what kind of roster they wanted to put together. The organization initially targeted pANcada as a Controller player that has fragging power and when the team heard LOUD was breaking up, they went to see if Sacy would also be interested in a move to Sentinels. For the final starting roster spot, SyykoNT said that he was looking for a sniper and had talks with Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker, Ardis ‘ardiis’ Svarenieks and Saif ‘Sayf’ Jibraeel. In the end, Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo remained with the team because Sentinels would not have to buy out his contract from another org, and he seemed like a great fit, according to SyykoNT. “When we got in that phone call one of the first things that he said, and I didn’t even have to prompt it, he said, ‘Look there is the public perception of me. That I don’t want to work hard, that I don’t want to compete. I just want to be a streamer and I just want you to know that that is false,’” SyykoNT said.

Sentinels Valorant star TenZ sets 2023 target: “I have a lot more to show” Michal Konkol/Riot GamesIn an interview with Sentinels content creator Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik, Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo revealed why he stayed with the Valorant squad and discussed potential communication issues with his new Brazilian teammates and what’s to come in 2023. TenZ had one of the more interesting offseasons in Valorant. His Sentinels future was not set in stone, with rumors emerging that he could even switch back to content creation. The speculation about the Canadian star was finally laid to rest on October 12, when re-signed with the team for VCT 2023. In an interview with tarik, he said that he hopes he can return to his 2021 form. “I definitely think I have a lot more to show and recent results don’t exactly show who I am as a player, but hopefully sometime in the future I can show the form I was in before,” TenZ said in the interview. In 2022, TenZ and Sentinels failed to make any international tournaments. In VCT Stage 2 Challengers, the team even failed to reach the playoff stage, finishing in a disappointing 11th-12th place. TenZ on the new Sentinels roster When asked about why he decided to stay with the organization, TenZ said that he still wanted to compete and thought the roster the coaches were putting together could win tournaments. TenZ went on to say that the team has incredible potential, especially if the new coaches can get every player on the same page. The one thing TenZ and tarik mentioned that can hold the team back is potential communication issues with the Brazilian players, Bryan ‘pANcada’ Luna and Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi’s, both of whom were signed from LOUD. “I’m sure it won’t be that much of an issue,” TenZ said. “Just because when it comes to gaming I don’t think you need to be fully fluent in a language. I definitely think you need to know some words here and there, but I would say comms are very broad.” He expanded further by saying that some callouts are just numbers and spots on maps, though he noted that communication could potentially break down during mid-round adjustments. Fans will be able to see TenZ play with his new teammates and potentially return to his previous form at the 2023 VCT Kickoff tournament in Brazil in February.

Sentinels sign 2022 VCT Champions Sacy & pANcada for 2023 Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesSentinels have signed the Brazilian 2022 Valorant Champions Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi and Bryan ‘pANcada’ Luna from LOUD, bringing them in for VCT 2023. Following the announcement of the VCT partnership teams, the community has had its eyes locked on social media amid the ongoing roster mania. With a market full of free-agent talent, we’ve seen organizations across the Americas, EMEA, and Pacific make shocking roster moves. The North American organization Sentinels has officially announced two Brazilian players from the 2022 Valorant Champions roster will join them for 2023. Sacy and pANcada join Sentinels Sentinels have been in the process of setting up their team for VCT 2023 over the past few weeks, replacing a number of players and overhauling their coaching staff. It has officially been announced the 2022 Valorant Champions winners Sacy and pANcada have both joined Sentinels’ starting lineup. The Brazilian duo join Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone, who was signed from XSET, and Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo, who has agreed to a new contract with Sentinels. Rory ‘dephh’ Jackson will reportedly round out the starting lineup, but Sentinels have yet to confirm an agreement for the XSET captain. Hunter ‘SicK’ Mims, Jared ‘zombs’ Gitli, Shahzeb ‘ShahZaM’ Khan, and Michael ‘dapr’ Gulino are all inactive under Sentinels, with the latter stating that he has been offered the opportunity to remain with the team as a substitute player. Sentinels Valorant roster Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo – Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone – Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi – Bryan ‘pANcada’ Luna – Don ‘SyykoNT’ Muir (head coach) –

Sentinels & LOUD dominated as Twitter’s most-popular esports orgs in 2022 Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesSentinels and LOUD were the top two most engaged with esports Twitter pages in 2022, according to social media marketing consultant and former Fnatic social media manager Brendan Husebo. LOUD tops the Twitter metrics for esports orgs as it raked in over 19 million engagements on Twitter in 2022. The rest of the field was over 10 million engagements behind as Sentinels came in second with 5.87 million engagements on Twitter. The rest of the teams in the top 10 were around the same with Japanese esports org Crazy Racoon taking the third place spot at 5.34 million engagements. The esports org’s engagement on Twitter was up 115% year-over-year in 2022, according to Husebo. G2 Esports and Karmine Corp rounded out the top five with FaZe Clan, Optic Gaming, KOI, Team Vitality, and FURIA making out the sixth through 10th spots. Esports Twitter in 2022 The average engagement of each esports org’s Twitter page was also taken in this report, with Sentinels Crazy Raccoon, and ZETA DIVISION taking the top three spots. Sentinels improved 160% year-over-year in average engagement in 2022. Other insights from the averages include TSM’s Japanese Twitter page shooting up 414% year-over-year with about 4,000 average engagements. 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, and OpTic Gaming had a negative year-over-year percentage in 2022 in the same metric. The report also hones in on Brazilian and Japanese esports markets in specific, highlighting LOUD’s dominance regionally and the success of TSM and Fnatic’s Japanese Twitter pages. In a LinkedIn post about the report, Husebo pointed to the different ways in which North American, Brazilian, and Japanese esports fans choose to engage with org’s posts on Twitter. He said North American fans prefer to like tweets, Brazilians reply to pots more often, and Japanese fans almost always retweet or quote tweet posts instead of replying.

Sentinels ownership group gives company $3.4M as crowdfunding winds down Robert Paul/Riot GamesSentinels have announced that its ownership group has injected $3.4 million in additional capital into the company to continue to operate as usual. Sentinels revealed in a press release on October 30 that its ownership group has invested an additional $3.4 million in the esports company. The ownership group consists of Sentinels’ parent company P1 Esports LLC, JAG Futureu Ventures LLC and the Jerry A Greenburg Trust. The news comes as Sentinels’ crowdfunding effort is about to reach its conclusion. The StartEngine crowdfunding campaign will end on November 3 and has raised over $150,000 so far from individual investors. Sentinels came under fire around the launch of the campaign as its offering memo revealed how strapped for cash the company is, and how much its top executives make. The company’s CEO Rob Moore addressed these concerns in an interview a day later and said that Sentinels had already “raised capital internally” from its investment group. “The ownership group remains committed to supporting the company and will continue to assess the cash needs of the company on an ongoing basis,” the press release said. Sentinels end crowdfunding campaign, also get cash from ownership Moore also addressed the capital injection in the press release. “The investment in the company is a testament to our belief in Sentinels as a brand and the long-term opportunities in esports. We also wanted to provide fans, who are the most important part of our business, the ability to own a share of the company,” he said. The release also said the next quarter will see the company’s burn rate “improve substantially” thanks to industry-wide downsizing in player costs. It also highlighted in-game cosmetics sales from the esports organization’s flagship competitive title, Valorant, as something it stands to benefit from in the future. The injection of millions of dollars and the correction of the market in terms of esports player salaries should be a boon for the organization that stated in its offering memo that it could be on its last legs if it didn’t hit certain goals with its crowdfunding operation.

Sentinels CEO disputes ShahZaM’s claim of being “left in the dark” over Valorant roster Riot GamesSentinels star player Shahzeb ‘ShahZaM’ Khan claimed that he learned he was dropped from the organization’s Valorant team live on stream, but the CEO of the team has a different account of the situation. After news broke on October 5 that Sentinels IGL ShahZaM was set to be replaced by his former Complexity CS:GO teammate Dephh, a clip emerged of the star player reacting to the info live on his stream. He initially claimed that “I just found out with you” when speaking to his audience, Sentinels lead man Rob Moore has now clarified that the situation wasn’t so cut-and-dry, and that Khan knew beforehand that his place on the team wasn’t exactly solidified ahead of his expiring contract. Sentinels CEO explains “unfortunate timing” of roster leak and ShahZaM being dropped Moore started off by saying that he and the team’s leader of three years spoke back on September 21 about how the team’s roster was still up in the air ahead of franchising. “I want to clarify the situation with ShahZaM. On 9/21 I reminded him he did not have a contract for next season, we were most likely bringing in new coaches, they would decide the new roster and he was free to contact other teams,” he explained. He further went on to say that Khan did talk with the new coaches and that no offer was extended. While the team was in the process of securing new members, it was simply the fault of an untimely leak that things worked out in the the manner they did. When referring to the information going public, Moore simply said “that was not an announcement from the team, the timing was unfortunate but certainly not a surprise.” ShahZam himself acknowledged that he and Moore were now talking about the situation privately and that “the timing of the leak, along with being in the dark, created the emotional response you saw on stream.” While he won’t be donning the red-and-black of SEN next season, the multi-game pro is already looking to find a new team to compete for as the world of Valorant esports prepares for a massive change.

Sentinels CEO moves to calm fears about org’s future amid financial concerns Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesSentinels CEO Rob Moore has quashed the notion that the organization is at risk of closing down, stressing that the company is on a path that could “soon” lead to profitability. An offering letter submitted by Sentinels to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month revealed that, even if the organization reached the target goal of raising $1.23 million through its crowdfunding campaign, it would require additional investment to continue to operate beyond a four-to-five-month window. Sentinels added that it would only be able to operate for two to three months if it only raised the campaign’s minimum target ($14,997.15) and if it was unable to raise “additional capital through either existing shareholders or other outside sources of financing”. Those two scenarios, coupled with the reveal that Sentinels spends almost $700,000 a month in salaries for players, creators, and staff, and merchandise inventory, have come under intense scrutiny as the industry goes through what is often referred to as the “esports winter”, with many companies cutting costs or simply closing their doors. The response to the offering letter prompted Rob Moore to address concerns about Sentinels’ future. “It is a little funny that, in an 80-page document, one sentence in that document has become the exciting element of Twitter this morning,” he said in an interview with George Geddes. Moore added that Sentinels has “raised capital internally” and that the investment group behind the company is “very committed” to the strategy in place. “The intention is that we will continue to provide funding for the operation,” Moore insisted. Sentinels could reach profitability “soon” Moore explained that Sentinels gained momentum and reached a critical stage in its development as a company when its Valorant team became an international sensation in 2021. That year, Sentinels won VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík and finished top 8 at VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin and top 12 at Valorant Champions. According to Moore, that was when Sentinels made the decision to “make a big investment in our brand”, with hopes of catching up with other North American organizations, some of which have been around much longer. “We needed to close the gap in terms of the reach that we have and in terms of the strength of our brand,” he said. “We made a substantial investment over the last two years to take that momentum in Valorant and try to build up our brand. What we’ve accomplished in that time is that we’ve gained more followers on Twitter over the last year and a half than any other organization in North America. In 2022, on Twitter, we had the most engagement of any North American esports org.” Looking at the future, Moore said he has high hopes for Valorant team-branded skins, which are coming to the game in 2024. “That is one of the reasons we’re optimistic about the investment we’ve made in our Valorant brand,” he said. Despite being in business for only five years, Sentinels now have as much reach as storied North American organizations, according to Moore, who added that this could lead to better sponsorship opportunities in the future. Speaking of other revenue opportunities, Moore highlighted the creation of SEN Society, a membership club that quickly garnered, according to him, a thousand paying subscribers. He also revealed that Sentinels is now running its merchandise operations in-house, which will lead to better margins. In 2022, Sentinels lost $8.2 million, up from nearly $6.4 million in 2021. But Moore remains confident about the future of the company. “We’re optimistic that we’ll be on a path where we’ll reduce these losses, and hopefully soon we’ll be profitable,” he said. As of writing, Sentinels have raised almost $65,000 through its crowdfunding campaign, which will run until November 2. The company is valued at $30.09 million.

Sentinels at risk of running out of money amid crowdfunding efforts Robert Paul/Riot GamesAccording to an offering memorandum on Sentinels’ StartEngine crowdfunding page, the company is in financial trouble amid massive spending on player, staff and content creator salaries. Sentinels was listed on the investor crowdfunding platform StartEngine on August 4 after a successful testing phase. The company said it saw over 100 individual investors reserve shares during the initial phase. The listing allows fans to put up their own money to own a piece of Sentinels and comes with a number of perks, based on how fast fans they invest and the amount of money they put in. However, the company is quickly running out of money, as per an offering memo on the investor page. In a section titled ‘Liquidity and Capital Resources’, the company said that it will be in financial trouble if it fails to raise substantial funds. “If the company raises the minimum offering amount, and if the company is unable to raise additional capital through either existing shareholders or other outside sources of financing we anticipate the company will be able to operate for 2-3 months,” the memo explains. The memo also says if the company reaches its maximum funding goal of over $1.2 million, it will be able to operate for four to five months. Sentinels spend almost $700,000 a month on player, staff and content creator salaries, as well as merchandise inventory, according to the document. The esports organization has three esports teams under its brand in Valorant, Halo and Apex Legends, and has signed four content creators, Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik, Daphne ’39daph’ Wai, Brandon ‘Aceu’ Winn and Jared ‘Zombs’ Gitlin. Sentinels’ crowdfunding effort reveals financial woes The memo also lists the salary for each executive at the company, with all four receiving over $200,000 per year. The company’s CEO, Rob Moore, has a salary of $360,000 a year, according to the memo. In addition to crowdfunding, Sentinels have announced other initiatives to get fans involved. On May 17, the organization launched Sen Society, a subscription service that allows fans to have exclusive access to players, content and merchandise. In an interview with George Geddes, who has done public relations for the company, Moore discussed Sentinels’ history and the crowdfunding effort. He said the company has “raised, invested and spent about $25 million” over its five years of operation. The news of Sentinels’ potential financial peril was first shared on social media by Hunter Grooms. Many esports insiders and community members have commented on the revelation since. “I said a few weeks ago that crowdfunding for a business this late into its path is a red flag and an admission of defeat. I didn’t expect it to be this bad. They are literally approaching the line of the legal requirements necessary for RegCF crowdfunding. Even if they get the funds, they could go under,” esports reporter Jacob Wolf said in response to the news. According to the company’s StartEngine page, Sentinels has already raised over $65,000. The funds from the campaign will be used to “fund operations, including expansion into new business lines,” the company stated. Rob Moore dispels notions of financial risk amid Sentinels crowdfunding campaign However, after the flurry of responses from the community about Sentinels’ potential financial woes, Moore released another interview quashing suggestions of financial problems, stating that the crowdfunding campaign is simply an opportunity for fans to invest in the organization. “This is all about making sure investors have as much information as possible when they make the decision,” Moore said of the information shared in the offering. Saying that they wanted to give investors full disclosure, which meant talking about how the campaign would help them financially. However, Moore explained that the campaign does not mean that their current investors have stopped funding the org. “We raise capital internally, our investment group is very committed to the strategy that we have, and the intention is that we will continue to commit funding to the operation. We’ve created this opportunity where fans can invest alongside us.”

New esports org Semper Fortis plan to go public and raise £2.5m DreamHack/Jennika Ojala/Semper FortisSemper Fortis Esports, a new esports organization based in the United Kingdom, are looking to raise £2.5 million by floating on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. The org claims to be “multi-operational,” planning to operate in three key areas: establishing esports teams, forming partnerships with brands and prominent figures, and business-to-business consultancy. According to their press release, Semper Fortis have already recruited their very first esports team. Top Blokes, a predominantly British Rocket League roster, are said to have joined the organization. Towards the end of 2020, the squad won a couple of European regional events as part of RLCS Season X’s The Grid. The team has not confirmed the news on their official Twitter account at the time of publication. The board of directors for Semper Fortis is said to include former Football League chairman Keith Harris and Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Operating under the presumption that they do indeed trade on the Aquis Stock Exchange, they’re looking to raise £2.5m to fund their operations and are aiming to go public on April 26. Expanding upon their intention to sign well-known individuals in entertainment, Semper Fortis explained that they’re looking to work with “professional footballers and influencers” according to Morningstar. Introducing our new look… We are pleased to announce the start of a new chapter for us, continuing under the Top Blokes banner. With financial backing and the ability to grow and improve, we are excited to see what we can do moving forward. More information to come soon. pic.twitter.com/Oa0gFs8kSP — SMPR (@SMPR_esports) March 11, 2021 Guild Esports, a British esports organization that went public in October 2020, is co-owned by former professional football player David Beckham. In February 2021, they announced intentions to be dual-listed by also trading in the United States. “We see a significant opportunity to become a leading force in esports and associated technology development and consultancy services as we develop our business into the multiple vertical markets that serve esports and the wider gaming industry,” said Kevin Soltani, Semper Fortis Esports’ CEO.

Semper Fortis launch play-to-earn esports division with Axie Infinity signing Semper Fortis Esports/Axie InfinityBritish esports team SMPR, owned by public parent company Semper Fortis Esports, have established a new division for play-to-earn cryptocurrency games. The growth in popularity surrounding NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, in 2021 has been unignorable. Sales of the technology, which is currently used primarily for digital art, reached $10.7b in the third quarter of 2021 alone. The growth of crypto-based assets has been witnessed outside of art too, with play-to-earn games like Axie Infinity surging in popularity. SMPR, a UK-based esports team brand, are looking to capitalize on such growth with their new player signing. Aleksei ‘Iner’ Bakumenko, traditionally a professional Hearthstone player, has been named as the first signing in the esports company’s new player-to-earn division. He’ll compete in both Axie Infinity, an NFT-based online game, as well as Blizzard’s digital collectible card game. This is a monumental day as we have entered into the #crypto #gaming space, after 8 months of hard work with our addition of a @AxieInfinity player on a professional esports contract Proud of @Iner_hs one the world’s first dual esports players (@PlayHearthstone & #Axie)#semp pic.twitter.com/2WgdE3LUWN — Semper Fortis Esports (@SFesports_GG) October 18, 2021 Semper Fortis Esports are being careful around their foray into the world of play-to-earn, however, having only signed Iner on a three-month contract. There is an option to renew the agreement for an additional six months, however. The “earn” aspect of Axie Infinity sees players secure tokens that can be traded on crypto exchange Binance. The playable in-game characters, known as axies, are digitized as NFTs and can be bought and sold. Axie Infinity developers Sky Mavis raised $152m in investment in October 2021, valuing the company at almost $3b. They’re aiming to fuel further growth in the game with the funding. A Digital Nation Rises ✨ pic.twitter.com/Z0RHlMjvOf — Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity) October 16, 2021 As for Iner, his top placement in Hearthstone esports came in 2016 when he achieved a second-place finish in the Hearthstone Championship Tour’s European spring championship. In 2021 so far, he’s finished 157th, 35th, and 20th in the Orgrimmar, Dalaran, and Silvermoon stops of the Masters Tour, respectively. “Our latest signing will pioneer our strategy to build out the SMPR play-to-earn division, opening doors for a new pool of players entering the esports space and diversifying the company’s revenue model,” said Semper Fortis Esports CEO, Kevin Soltani.

Scump’s first CDL watch party dominates official stream viewership Twitch.tv/ScumpScump’s first watch party absolutely dominated the day, as his viewership overtook the Call of Duty League’s official channel by a wide margin during Week 2 of Major 2 qualifiers. Seth ‘Scump’ Abner shocked the world when he announced his abrupt retirement on January 17, and his first stream back since that day absolutely took off. OpTic members MBoZe and H3CZ watched alongside Abner as the CoD roster took down Seattle Surge in their first match since Dashy rejoined the squad, and the fans flocked in to support as they cheered their boys on. Scump’s first watch party viewership numbers The series between the two organizations (that have been at odds ever since the failed deal for Pred) went the distance, with OpTic eventually claiming a Game 5 victory. Scump’s stream was on fire as the final S&D played out, peaking at around 95,000 viewers as the post-game celebrations occurred. The Call of Duty League’s own viewership topped out at around 63,000 views for the majority of the match. The legendary player’s insight brought the supporters out in droves as he broke down in-game situations with expert knowledge. During the stream, he predicted multiple times that his former teammates would take series via the “Neslo” route of winning Control and both Search & Destroys and that’s precisely how it turned out. He also invited the team to come and hang out at the watch party afterward to celebrate, showering them with compliments for how they handled the first match. Scump will be live again on Saturday, January 21, to watch as OpTic Texas takes on Toronto Ultra.

UK organization Semper Fortis Esports go public and raise £2.5m Semper FortisSemper Fortis Esports, a new organization based in the United Kingdom, have raised £2.5m after listing on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. The organization are said to be the first to go public on this particular stock exchange and successfully raised £2.55m at a price of £0.01 per share. Semper Fortis, who classify themselves as a “multi-operational esports organization,” will have a market capitalization of £4.155m. This reflects how much they are worth, tallying up the total market value of outstanding shares. They aim to make a name for themselves in the esports industry through a multi-pronged approach of “establishing esports teams, forming brand and technology partnerships, and providing business to business advisory services.” As per a presentation prepared for their public listing, they estimate that £1.13m will be spent in expenses in their first year. This includes £320k in director salaries, £285k in operational cost, £220k for marketing and product development, and £130,000 for “professional fees.” Read More: NICKMERCS becomes part-owner of FaZe Clan – They signed their first team earlier in April 2021, picking up the predominantly British Rocket League roster known as Top Blokes. Interestingly, the roster will continue to operate under their pre-existing name and branding — suggesting that Semper Fortis will act as a parent company instead of directly competing through that brand. The time has come! We are thrilled to be coming to market on the @AquisStockEx. A big shout-out to everyone involved in getting us this far. Massive Congratulations to all. This is just the beginning!#SEMP #AQSE #IPO pic.twitter.com/eqYkqHnmOc — Semper Fortis Esports (@SFesports_GG) April 26, 2021 The org will utilize the newly-raised funds to continue to sign teams, though it’s unknown at the time of publication as to which titles they are aiming to enter next. It is known, however, that they’re looking to work with “professional footballers and influencers” like fellow UK team Guild Esports. The aforementioned Guild, Danish esports organization Astralis, and Luminosity Gaming owners Enthusiast Gaming are all already listed publicly but have expressed intentions to enter the US market in an attempt to access more investors.

Scrutinizing the ESIC “whistleblower”: The first contact Valve / ESICIn a new article series, Dexerto’s Editor-at-Large Richard Lewis takes a deep dive into the wild claims made by a former ESIC employee about the organization and its alleged uninterest in seeing investigations through. The past week has seen a flurry of reporting around claims made by someone framing themselves as a whistleblower from inside the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC). The initial wave of headlines made claims about the nature of ESIC’s business, framing them as dishonest actors more concerned with profiteering than preventing match-fixing. This led to very specific allegations of match-fixing from teams and players alike, particularly from Ukraine and Russia. And of course, this led to subsequent denials and attempts to impugn the whistleblower’s reputation. Before this happened, several things had been widely established anyway. The first and most obvious is that esports has an unfathomably deep problem with match-fixing globally, so much so that not even the official entities that police it have a grasp of its true scope. Second, ESIC are woefully ill-equipped to battle this problem and have not so much bitten off more than they could chew but rather they’ve ended up like a python that bursts itself trying to swallow a whole donkey. Thirdly, in the world of match-fixing, there are many types of dishonest actors, and nothing can ever be taken at face value. As if all of this wasn’t enough to contend with, few regions have a higher distaste for ESIC’s work than the one encompassing both Russia and Ukraine. In a community that has always been something of a law unto itself when it comes to esports, many prominent parties were skeptical about recognizing ESIC’s assumed authority. That shaky foundation was eroded when then forZe coach Sergey ‘lmbt’ Bezhanov had a ban overturned after maintaining his innocence the whole time. (He later told Dexerto that ESIC only began investigating his case after he was already banned). Then, when actively petitioned by the teams competing at the EPIC League’s regional qualifier event for the PGL Stockholm Major to investigate one of the competitors, Team Akuma, ESIC still failed to act. Tensions then peaked when the rising Team Spirit saw their coach hit with a ban just days before the Major in Antwerp. The infraction that Sergey ‘hally’ Shavaev was “guilty” of was certainly a lesser offense by comparison to the many coaches that were banned for lengthy time periods in 2020, and many felt that the additional penalty of him missing a Major simply because ESIC had stalled their investigation seemed additionally punitive. Team Spirit’s lengthy letter to the community poisoned what little goodwill was left, the icing on the cake coming when hally’s ban was overturned after the Major anyway. In general terms, there are many with plenty to gain from ESIC’s credibility being shot in this part of the world. It is rife with match-fixing across most of the popular esports titles, and sportsbooks do little to prevent it. With so many skeletons in so many closets, having the one entity likely to ever open those doors declared incompetent by plausible voices is one way of evading scandal. It is my strong suspicion that the reason ESIC’s investigative work has slowed to a snail’s pace is that they themselves recognize the potential dangers of any more high-profile mistakes or retractions. It is worth taking all that in mind as we peruse the allegations. At the time of writing, they had made little impact in the Western esports media, but the former ESIC employee continues to court the attention of as many journalists as possible. I was one of those journalists, and I have spent my time trying to carefully sift through his many claims to establish fact from fiction and reality from suspicion. What I instead got was a series of frustrating exchanges from someone who seemed more interested in being publicly credited as another would-be savior of esports without actually being able to provide much in the way of substantive evidence to validate any of his claims. The first contact On Thursday, October 13, a user blog was posted on the Russian esports news website Cybersport.ru. It was visible for a few minutes before being taken down, presumably by the website’s administration team. (The blog post has since been put back up.) A contact of mine was able to copy its contents and send them to me, explaining that they would be of great interest to me. The blog had been written by a little-known figure in the CIS esports scene called Aleksey ‘Yarabeu’ Kurlov, who was claiming to be a former ESIC employee that wanted to expose not only their ineffectiveness but also just how widespread the match-fixing problem was across esports. The allegations made in the blog would be accurately characterized as largely established. Certainly, for anyone who has been following the trajectory of ESIC or reports of match-fixing in esports there would be no surprises here. ESIC have been overwhelmed and ineffective? The Chinese betting market is rife with corruption? Obtaining irrefutable evidence of match-fixing is so difficult as to be nearly impossible? Well, color me shocked. What was of interest was that finally there was someone seemingly from within ESIC willing to talk about the scope of the task they have set for themselves and the organization’s shortcomings. Yarabeu detailed the story of how he was recruited by ESIC. A lengthy preamble that read like a who’s-who of Russian esports match-fixing that also served as a confession to his own match-fixing activities that he engaged in while working an entry-level position at IP.pokerlite.ru. He explained something that is already well established in esports circles: many employees at betting sites with less than stellar reputations use the information they obtain to protect their business for the purposes of self-enrichment. “Fake bets and fraudulent events… some of the company’s employees were interested in personal enrichment. As we were the monopolists on the market of esports betting, not only in CIS, but also in the world for a long time, all the cheaters stuck to us. We caught Alexey Solo Berezin and failed to catch Vladimir PGG Anosov, but they are only a small part of the number that came to our watering hole. Anyway, working all the time with stakes, numbers and teams I started to build up my own database of cheating players, teams and the people they collaborate with. I was identifying employees of other companies, siblings, and friends of esportsmen, making connections and generally developing a database and a system of protection for my bets, so as not to have my accounts blocked ten times… While I was gathering this database to protect, some employees were gathering it to attack and as I am quite a sociable person, one day one of these employees in conversation offered me the opportunity to “make money on the side” . To me, this was no surprise: We had all been to meetings where some bragged about financial successes from other companies, but what did the bosses say? The bosses were happy with the answer: ‘We’re robbing the competition, so we do our site a benefit.” And you know, it sounds simple, but it was enough.” To be fair, if I were running a company that was designed to catch and penalize match-fixers all across the globe, this is the type of person I would consult with. Someone that had been in the mire, knew the mechanics and contacts of how to make dirty bets that were mostly untraceable, and at a later date had a change of heart and now wanted to do the right thing after years of being on the other side. Unfortunately for both parties, it seemed Yarabeu had very unrealistic expectations about what the work would entail once he came aboard. “… The main founder, Ian Smith, [was] interested [in hiring me]. We had a couple of talks and he offered me the position of head of investigations but with a consultancy contract for three months. While we were negotiating with him I didn’t stop sending in information about every event I knew or had seen in the time I had just met him. Job secured, I’m head of investigations at a cybersport integrity company on a three-month trial. Now I won’t just be catching cheaters in betting, but in all things cybersport… When I arrived I was shocked, firstly by the company system from within, secondly by their database, which turned out to be 50 times smaller than mine, thirdly by their knowledge of esports and how to cheat in it, it’s almost mid 2022 and I have to explain what GRID is, what an observer is, how a team can get access to it and win. You’ll say, ‘So what? We don’t all know that either’. But for starters, consider that this method is four years old and that the loudest scandal was with Akuma, which ESIC promised to sort out and that was also based on that. So the company that promised to sort it out doesn’t even know what it has to sort it out, more than a year later I tell them about it and they just don’t understand what I’m saying or what I’m talking about. Speaking of staff numbers, I came and headed a whole department of investigations related to cheating in ALL of esports. Do you know how many people were in that department before me? Zero, and with me there was one!” These criticisms deserve some scrutiny. I have reported extensively on ESIC since their inception. I was the first esports reporter to feature their founder, the aforementioned Ian Smith, on a podcast in 2016, and I have done all I can to bolster their work as an external contributor. However, I, too, have been disappointed with the effectiveness and speed at which they operate. It was March 2021 when Smith declared that their report on North American match-fixing in the ESEA league would be published “within the next ten days to two weeks” and we’re still waiting. Many of the accused have gone on to establish careers in other esports titles. At the other end of the spectrum, ESIC has also been guilty of some “false starts”, having issued bans to CS:GO players and coaches in such a hasty fashion they have had to subsequently walk them back, the worst thing any authoritative body can do. So, while I still believe they are necessary for the long-term success of esports, I am certainly more than aware of the very valid criticisms that can be leveled at them. Still, Yarabeu’s disappointment seems based largely on a lack of understanding about how niche esports is, even to those coming from a mainstream sports background. While I can agree it would be ridiculous if there was one person heading up investigations for all global match-fixing in esports, why would anyone be surprised that lawyers with little esports experience background struggle to grasp the minutiae of “radar hacking” in CS:GO? Expertise is built over time, and ESIC’s staff are certainly learning from the ground up. He also claimed to have been “reprimanded” for undertaking investigations without demanding payment, although again this seems rooted in a lack of understanding about the ESIC business model. I’ve seen the subsequent salacious reporting around these claims but they were public knowledge for anyone with even a cursory interest in how they operate. Partners pay a fee to gain access to services such as the monitoring of suspicious betting patterns. Yarabeu’s framing makes it sound like a form of extortion, a tone some other news outlets were quick to pick up on. “At first I thought I was missing something, then I noticed that in almost three months not a single one of my investigations had been published, not a single person had been punished. I’ve been involved in investigations, I’ve been on calls with witnesses and I’ve also been on calls with game publishers, but it wasn’t to help cybersports [meaning esports], it was to get ESIC’s name out there. So you take a LOUD name – tell companies about it, call them, tell them you know about it and that’s it, you don’t do anything else. Just nothing at all. At some point, the company’s partners started to ask me questions: What about the investigations? Will there be any information about anything? Can we share with them a list of dishonest teams? And I could not answer them anything because no one was going to answer me. So the system in ESIC is built so that bookmaker companies and big organisers pay ESIC. ESIC put it in their pocket and think how to put more. It’s a non-profit organisation, by the way. Yes, it was put in my pocket for three months and it was pretty good and could have been put in my pocket for a long time.” In the next few paragraphs, Yarabeu went on to say that the people that made up ESIC had no interest in really resolving the issues in esports and were more interested in taking money for themselves. The basis for this was his frustration at them having not published a single one of his investigations and that they had taken little to no action on his findings. When I initially made contact, Yarabeu sent me emails that confirmed he had worked at ESIC. I checked the specifics of his time at the company. A source there familiar with Yarabeu’s work explained to me that his time at ESIC had come to a somewhat acrimonious end. “As with all people we employ, there was a three-month probationary period in place to review whether or not they would be able to do the job long term,” they explained. “Aleksey was hired to be an investigator, but it became clear during these three months he didn’t understand the necessary legal standard we had to operate under. Many of his investigations amounted to him being told something by a contact, which was a starting point for an investigation rather than a final destination. We explained this to him many times and he would become frustrated and tell us that no further evidence could be acquired. Obviously, when that is the case we cannot take any formal action against someone and can only proceed to monitor their activities. “In the end, he didn’t meet the required standard to pass his probation,” they continued, “but because we acknowledged his experience and source network could be useful for further investigations we offered him a reduced role, one that would only require him to gather evidence rather than head up formal investigations and report to a new investigations team leader. He took this as an insult and is now enacting what I can only best describe as a professional tantrum. It’s a shame, but it has taught us to be stricter with our hiring criteria.” This seemed a reasonable explanation, but I still wanted to keep an open mind about the allegations surrounding ESIC specifically. After all, if they intend to be a governing body for integrity issues in esports, they themselves must be above reproach. When I first spoke with Yarabeu, I asked him about ESIC’s version of events and he disagreed with their characterization, although he did confirm that they had said he was going to have to work under another person. “I talked to Ian Smith, and his position was, ‘Aleksey, I’m too busy for all the investigations and I don’t want to do it, I need you to cooperate with another person, but you will keep 90% of your duties and do all the things that you did all these three months.’ Does that sound like a downgrade? Or a failure to pass the probationary period? When you retain 90% of the duties but have to work with another person because the first one is busy? No, I wanted to continue working, but after conversations with other employees, I realized that my new duty is to sit in place and get paid, and preferably quietly.” At times, our initial conversation became relatively heated, and one of his main bugbears was my constant requests for hard evidence for the claims he was making. His point was that if the evidence around the allegations didn’t “fit my standards,” had I ever thought about changing them? I explained that the standards I operated under had not been crafted by myself. They were simply the standard that is expected of any reputable journalist, that serious allegations require evidence. “Maybe because they’re so high you’ll never catch anyone,” he said to me. I told him I shared his frustration with people getting away with things, but that the standards were inflexible. Of course, this being esports, it would turn out that not everyone would agree with that.

Saudi Crown Prince announces Esports World Cup to replace $45m Gamers8 Gamers8The Gamers8 social media account, and the leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, have announced a new event, the Esports World Cup. Gamers8 is a Saudi Arabian esports tournament that featured multiple esports events in the country and hosted many different teams and organizations worldwide. The tournament series started in 2022 and finished its 2023 edition in late August. Its prize pool across all tournaments last year added up to over $45 million. At the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which features top executives from multiple esports companies, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud revealed a new tournament series that will replace Gamers8, The Esports World Cup. “The Esports World Cup is the natural next step in Saudi Arabia’s journey to become the premier global hub for gaming and esports, offering an unmatched esports experience that pushes the boundaries of the industry. The competition will enhance our progress towards realizing the Vision 2030 objective of diversifying the economy, growing the tourism sector, creating new jobs in various industries, and providing world-class entertainment for citizens, residents, and visitors alike,” the Crown Prince said in a statement. No details like prize pool, esports, or timeline have been revealed about the new esports event, other than that it will take place sometime in the summer of 2024. Gamers8 replaced by the Esports World Cup Sports, gaming, and esports have been a big part of the Saudia Arabian government’s Vision 2030 plan which involves diversifying the country’s economy away from oil. The country started Savvy Games Group, which is funded through the government’s public investment fund, to help reach that goal in gaming. Savvy has invested in, or bought, multiple companies in the esports space including ESL, FACEIT, and Chinese esports tournament operator VSPO. Saudi Arabia has even committed to building an “esports city” inside its capital. Gamers8 and Savvy’s acquisition of some of the biggest esports tournament operators in the esports space has been criticized by the community because of its connections to the county’s government and its record of human rights violations. This, however, has not stopped some of the biggest names in esports, like G2 Esports and 100 Thieves, from attending Gamers8 or the New Global Sport Conference in the country.

Scrutinizing the ESIC “whistleblower”: Going down the rabbit hole Adela Sznajder/ESL Gaming via ESPAT & ValveDexerto’s Editor-at-Large Richard Lewis begins to untangle the web of claims made by Aleksey ‘Yarabeu’ Kurlov, the disgruntled former ESIC employee who claimed he wanted to expose that esports is rife with match-fixing. You can read Part 1 of this article series, “Scrutinizing the ESIC “whistleblower”: The first contact”, here. While it was clear that Yarabeu had a burning desire to talk to people about his experiences, I had assumed there would be at least some kind of restraint on how many people he spoke to and the nature of the allegations he made. As it turned out, he was talking to almost any outlet that would spare him the time, and his allegations grew increasingly specific, despite the fact that they seemingly couldn’t be substantiated. Once they had verified the emails, Cybersport.ru republished the blog in its entirety. The general reaction from the users of that site was muted, with most seemingly concluding that the blog was light on details for its length and that there was mostly little new information in it. Yet the three months Yarabeu had worked at ESIC had lent him a kind of credibility, so the assumption was that he would have had access to lots of information the rest of us wouldn’t. I knew of a number of journalists that entered into conversation with him but weren’t exactly champing at the bit to publish what those conversations had entailed. Eventually, he would go on a lengthy live podcast with Belarusian CS:GO commentator Konstantin ‘LENINIW’ Sivko. Here, the number of allegations that he would make was almost too many to count, and he wasn’t shy about naming people, either. LENINIW himself posted a summary of the allegations on the CS:GO subreddit, but it was subsequently deleted as the moderation team wants to discourage witch-hunting of players. These allegations included the claims that: Ukrainian player Volodymyr ‘Woro2k’ Veletnyuk has played for a number of teams banned by bookmakers. – All Chinese teams are corrupt when it comes to match-fixing in esports. – TYLOO, Lynn Vision, Fun Spark and D13 all have shared ownership. – Relog Media run “fake tournaments” where they provide no-delay streams to enable teams to fix outcomes. – Kazakh player Ramazan ‘Ramz1k’ Başizov intentionally lost matches and now owns teams that engage in similar activities. – Akuma used the “radar hack” method during the EPIC Esports CIS Region RMR qualifier event for the PGL Stockholm Major. ESIC did issue some penalties for strange betting patterns around their matches that resulted in the recommendation to all partners that any team made up of three or more of the players be prevented from entering their competitions. – Ukrainian player Igor ‘w0nderful’ Zhdanov has participated in fixed matches, something Yarabeu says he determined during an ESIC investigation by looking at his bank account statements and seeing a disparity in salary claims. – It is worth noting that during the course of the podcast, there wasn’t a single piece of corroborating evidence presented for anything Yarabeu said. In addition to claims of precise details, there were a number of vague intimations made about other teams and players. For example, he said that the former Copenhagen Flames team was “weird” because they could win at LAN events but would lose regularly in online competition, implying that it could be deliberate. He also stated that he knew of a “critical vulnerability” within CS:GO that players could exploit for an advantage but couldn’t do anything about it as he had no means to contact Valve — an endeavor that would be easy enough for a member of the general public, let alone someone who worked at ESIC. So incredible were these claims media sites jumped all over the contents of the broadcast and, because reporting standards aren’t exactly high in the space, they added their own embellishments. For example, a list of players published by CIS publication CSGO HS was then tweeted by Turkish website Esporkolik, and that tweet subsequently went viral. The problem with that? The list of player names was obtained by going through the rosters of teams Yarabeu had mentioned in passing and there was no distinction made between the players he made hard allegations about and teams, such as Copenhagen Flames, he had made mere observations about. This scattergun approach to allegations was a problem for me, especially now that it was likely innocent players were being accused due to the shortcomings of social media-based reporting, where engagement and shares are prioritized over quality. I even asked him about this list of players that was now doing the rounds and he said they were wrong to include a number of names. “I never talked about HooXi or degster,” he said. “They [CSGO HS] used [their names] to hype it up. I was a participant in a podcast in which they cut a lot of phrases and tried to twist them. I gave some names and teams, but they twisted it.” He stood by his claims about other players he specifically named. I asked if he had any concerns about potential legal action for defamation. He was bullish. “Let them file [lawsuits], [I will] ask them where they got the Rolex and ask for their tax statements along with the turnover on their bank accounts.” As expected, the denials from the players specifically named have been swift. In CS:GO especially, allegations of match-fixing are often leveled at players from vitriolic bettors whose tickets didn’t come in. This has been the case for years and with so many players having their DMs open on platforms like Twitter for reasons I’ll never understand, the threats and abuse are both prolific and intense. Of course, the innocent players haven’t been helped at all by the guilty, many of whom have operated so brazenly that even in the absence of hard evidence their reputations as match-fixers are cemented. People have become comfortable now making the type of allegation that would have at one time been shocking and therefore reserved. As such, players no longer wish to kill these allegations with silence. Woro2k posted on Telegram: “Let them throw at least one proof so that they catch me [guilty] of fraud. Why doesn’t he provide proof if he knows everything about me? Let him call me the labels that are forbidden and the rest.” Dmitry ‘Dima’ Bandurka also posted on VK following the claims made on the podcast, saying: “HAHAHAHAHAHA, right now I’m watching Lenin’s podcast on my stream and I’m laughing out loud from this invited former ESIC employee. IN [MY] LIFE I have never done 322 [fixed matches], no radar, no gotv, no information or agreements. Zero scams, my conscience and reputation are fully clear, I have always played honestly and I give all my best.” degster, who Yarabeu said he didn’t even name, reacted to the supposed allegation on Telegram with: “I’ve seen all sorts of news about fixed matches. They wrote that degster might be [involved]. Of course, I didn’t see what this dude was saying, but, man, if you really said that, what an *** you are. “Perhaps”, I “participated in something” – yes, yes, I’ve been living alone since I was 15, without parents, for the sake of 322 [meaning fixed] matches. [Damn], what an abomination.” Regarding these allegations, I repeatedly asked if he had any hard evidence that would conclusively demonstrate that any of the players were indeed guilty of participating in fixed matches. Obviously, the evidentiary standard is incredibly high and would require multiple pieces. Betting data alone isn’t enough, testimony alone isn’t enough, it’s incredibly easy to manipulate screenshots, and betting websites protect data, making it impossible for anyone without internal access to know who actually did what. This is becoming even more difficult to track with the advent of cryptocurrency-based bookmakers. When it comes to evading being caught, the odds remain staggeringly in favor of match-fixers, even ones that seemingly make their activities obvious. “Yes, of course I do [have hard evidence], but let’s change the subject…” I didn’t want to, so I asked again. “You can ask me the nickname of a player you are interested in, and I will name the match he lost for money and the date.” Since w0nderful was named specifically, I asked what evidence he had that this player had engaged in match-fixing. “I am the owner of MAJESTY (a team w0nderful played for briefly in 2020) and I paid for match-fixing. He [w0nderful] was my player. I sent him the money and I have another player who will confirm it.” A body of work Let’s pause there for a moment before we explore those allegations further and look at Yarabeu’s claimed experience. It’s clear enough to me, based on everything he said publicly and everything we talked about personally, that he has been in and around match-fixing circles for some time. To what level of aptitude and how highly connected it’s not possible to say. I mentioned earlier that his original blog was sure to mention some key names in CIS match-fixing lore. Indeed, he claimed that the website he worked at had caught the now infamous throw by Dota 2 player Alexey ‘Solo’ Berezin, the man responsible for the term “322” as slang for match-fixing due to that being the amount in dollars returned for losing a match he had bet on himself to lose. He said that he worked with banned Starcraft 2 player Pavel ‘Revolver’ Belov in a scheme that was netting him “10,000 dollars at a time” before it was caught and shut down. While the timeline of this claim wasn’t made clear, Revolver was banned by Blizzard in 2017 for impersonating a broadcaster and trying to influence another player to “collude on matches for monetary gain”. The alleged amount he stood to gain was reputedly only $100, a strange amount to risk a career for someone supposedly used to raking in thousands of dollars from past fixing activities. These names would be known to even many casual fans as they are woven into the fabric of the esports scene. Name-dropping them wouldn’t require someone to be an insider, and it also serves the benefit of piquing someone’s interest. That said, I’m inclined to agree with the initial consensus on the blog. It was long but light on details and dates, and yet, if it was to be believed in its entirety, it would make the author something equivalent to the Forrest Gump of CIS match-fixing: Always in the right place as history, even of the dubious sort, was made. I’ve been writing about esports match-fixing for over a decade, so allow me to editorialize for a moment. In my experience, whenever you interview someone who tells you they are guilty, they never want to be guilty of only something insignificant. If I were to take every person I interviewed at face value, the only people who ever confessed were kingpins, never footsoldiers. The reality, of course, is a lot more mundane: People who brazenly break rules have enough of a narcissistic streak to self-aggrandize. They know that if their legacy must be a shameful one, then they’d rather be the most shameful as opposed to the least. There’s a sizeable industry in paying criminals to talk about their escapades to the point of borderline glorification, all the while insisting that crime doesn’t pay. I approach every interview I do on this topic with this in mind, that the hustle didn’t end the second they decided to stop match-fixing. There’s also always a repeated modus operandi in these conversations, too. You take an established fact and you claim involvement, unique knowledge, or add an embellishment to the story that supposedly only someone who was there could know. Typically, this is done for the purpose of synthesizing credibility. For example, if you want someone to give you money for the purposes of fixed matches, you tell them about all your many successes, and show them betting slips and suchlike. Did you have insider knowledge they were fixed? Were you the person organizing the fixes? Are you the shadowy fixer with no name the players were whispering about? Hell, you can say whatever you like so long as you can convince the person listening. Greed should do the rest. “You’re an investigator, have you ever heard of me?” he asked at one time during our conversations. He was right. Despite what is now closing in on two decades working in esports, with well over half of that spent on reporting about the things everyone would rather ignore, I had never heard of this individual, not even in passing. “Before my blog, I don’t think so,” he continued. “However, many team managers had my nickname in the list — [for] match-fixing. I am blocked in the GRID system officially for leaking information — check it out, they will confirm, [REDACTED] is my Skype. Investigate, contact Parimatch, 1xBet, Marathonbet, or any other by mail. Do you know what you will find? All accounts are blocked for endless betting on suspicious matches, and you know what else? All accounts are not under my name, but the mail is mine. Contact Stepan Shulga [Head of Esports at Parimatch] and ask him how he caught me and my company in SC2. Find tournament organizer HPL [Hot Price League], and explore the scandal associated with it. It is also my project. I took part there.” I did take the time to contact Shulga and ask if he had any recollection of the events as described by Yarabeu. He said there wasn’t much history there and made it sound far less dramatic. “I know him from the news going around, and we have a private conversation on Telegram. I’m sure that [the] described schemes with SC2 existed. We stopped such parlays on fake tournaments a few years ago. We never met before but some information from him seems to be true.” I asked about the specifics of Yarabeu’s supposed scheme that was enabling him and his partners to bring in ten thousand dollars a time. “A few years ago we discovered strange parlays in [the] system,” he said. “It was like ‘pre-made’, ideally before all games. Something like in the film “Back to the Future”. It was small tournaments, that usually come from Liquipedia. Some prize pool, [but] very low, Korean names, some sponsors that were strange, like a book shop from SEA or something like that. And most interesting of all the games were live on Twitch but were being cast from demo files. The organizers said, ‘It’s common practice, nobody wants to see games early in the morning.’ We even tried to speak with players, and they said strange things as well. “Generally, a) someone made the tournament; b) scheduled it on Liquipedia; c) made it look like a real tournament with even some [popular] names; d) games played and results are known by someone [in advance]; e) games are broadcast as live but were played 5-6 hours earlier; f) parlays are settled upon existing results. “I’m not sure that it was [Yarabeu] personally. All my questions were to the tournament organizer. We spoke with [Yarabeu] a week ago and he said that it was “his work” but I have no evidence here.” So, as it happened, Shulga only knew the name from the recent furor around Yarabeu’s claims and said that, while he had indeed shut down a particular method of Starcraft 2 match-fixing, there was nothing to directly tie Yarabeu to involvement. If you believe that knowledge of the method means that he must have had some involvement then you probably weren’t paying attention to how bad things had got in Starcraft 2 from 2015 onwards. The type of fixing method described wasn’t exactly a secret. There were a variety of methods being employed by the match fixers in smaller tournaments at that time, and much of it became very public. There’s even a Liquipedia entry about it that names me as having been sent evidence about this, which was indeed the case. But as is the lament down the years, it didn’t meet the evidentiary standards for publication. In short, anyone could go and read this and claim they’d been involved and got away with it. I had asked Yarabeu to detail the work he did during his brief stint with ESIC. He sent me a detailed list of all the cases he claimed to have worked on, and all of them shared a common thread. Suspicious activity, allegations becoming investigations, yet irrefutable proof always seemed to elude him. It was also strange to read as both he and I had covered much of the same ground. He had investigated stories I’d been making notes on, in some cases for years. With one or two exceptions, his caseload was essentially an epitaph for all the stories I could never get over the line for publication. But now he had made many of them public, an action that actually only made it more likely the people involved would work harder at covering their tracks and tying up any loose ends. It was contrary to everything he said he wanted to achieve. It was also becoming increasingly clear that attempting to use anything from him I might be able to verify wasn’t going to help with anything linked to the bigger picture. There just weren’t enough details for me to follow up on, and despite claims to the contrary, the depiction of himself as some well-known match-fixing operative didn’t seem to be accurate. All signs pointed to him being someone that had managed to parlay limited knowledge about match-fixing into a six-figure job who then inexplicably decided that this wasn’t enough to satisfy his ego. What I wanted then was for him to be able to demonstrate evidence of just a single match-fixing incident as this would at least afford him some credibility in the eyes of the community and also justify the use of my time to investigate the many claims he had already made. It was always going to be highly unlikely that anything came from this at all, so nailing down at least one match fixer would have at least made some sort of difference. I chose a name at random from the list of players he had specifically called out. w0nderful seemed like the best one to ask about as not only was he playing for a CS:GO team that was ranked 12th in the world at the time of his allegations, but they had just come off a miracle run at the Major in Antwerp that saw them make it to the semi-finals. Yet despite repeated claims of having hard evidence and having said both publicly and privately he wanted to expose these people, he was very reluctant to share anything he claimed to have. “All I see so far is that you want to make news on my information instead of using it to start more investigations as a base of information,“ he said. “You are not asking me how the system was set up on the team, how many players were involved, how many matches were lost or won. You are interested specifically in hype on a t1 player.” I didn’t have the heart to point out the irony of what he was saying.

Saudi-backed group makes $265m investment in Chinese esports company VSPO VSPOSaudi Arabian games and esports company Savvy Games Group has announced that it has invested $265 million into VSPO, a Chinese tournament operator. The deal, which remains subject to “required regulatory clearances and approvals and the satisfaction of other closing conditions”, will see Savvy Games Group become the largest equity holder in VSPO. According to a press release, the investment will help VSPO deliver on its global strategy and increase the scale of its mobile esports operations, “with a particular focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. The announcement is in line with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plan to become a global hub for gaming and esports by the end of the decade as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 project. In September 2022, the Savvy Games Group, which is fully owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, outlined a SAR 142 billion (~$37.9 billion) strategy that includes the acquisition of a leading game publisher and investment in key companies within the esports sector. “This is a significant strategic investment for Savvy in one of Asia’s pre-eminent esports organizations,” said Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy Games Group. “The transaction marks the biggest cash investment ever made in an esports organization and shows our confidence in the potential of this fast-growing sector. “Through Savvy’s investments, we are seeking to play a significant role in the sustainable growth and development of the global gaming industry, which will enable technology innovators like VSPO to facilitate broader, more equitable access to the dynamic esports market. “This is a significant transaction for Savvy, and gives us a major foothold in the important Asia region. We are looking forward to diversifying our geographic footprint alongside VSPO, a leading player in the world’s biggest esports market. This investment is part of our long-term commitment to growing a thriving global esports community and further positioning the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a leading global hub for games and esports.” Last year, Savvy Games Group acquired ESL and FACEIT for a combined $1.5 billion. The deal has come under intense scrutiny and criticism due to Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights violations. Who is VSPO? Founded in 2016, VSPO is one of Asia’s biggest tournament operators. It was known as VSPN until earlier this month, when it rebranded to differentiate itself from ESPN. Over the past decade, VSPO has struck partnerships with several developers in the region, including Tencent, Garena, and Krafton. The company has hosted tournaments in multiple esports titles, including Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile and CrossFire, and has venues in Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, and Seoul. “This is an exciting time in the global esports industry and we are delighted to be working with Savvy to grow the sector worldwide,” said Dino Ying, VSPO CEO and founder. “We believe we can take this industry to the next level and deliver our aligned vision; bringing communities together through esports. “This historic investment will strengthen our ambitious global strategy, with a particular focus on Asia and the Middle East where we will support Savvy’s vision to grow esports throughout this incredibly dynamic and young region.”

Saudi-backed Esports World Cup to pay orgs thousands in new program Gamers8The Saudi-backed Esports World Cup’s foundation is setting up a program that gives esports organizations who participate in the EWC Club Program a chance to be eligible for an annual six-figure payout. The Esports World Cup is a Saudi Arabian-backed esports tournament featuring multiple titles. The tournament is said to have the largest prize pool in esports history and is set for a summer 2024 start date. The event is another recent step that the country has taken in the esports and gaming space from its PIF foundation. Details about its actual schedule, and game lineup, have yet to be revealed. The tournament will replace the Gamers8 event series held across 2022 and 2023, which feature titles like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike. Riot Games is reportedly interested in featuring its League of Legends teams from its top close circuit leagues in the event, making it a historic event in terms of the games feature, prize pool, and team prominence. Esports World Cup announced EWC Club Program The EWC announced on February 1, 2024, that it will be launching a program for 28 esports companies that will give them an “annual six-figure payout to support their existing operations and their entrance into new competitive titles within the Esports World Cup.” Six teams will be able to apply for the program through an open application, with 22 have been given direct invitations. The participating teams have not been announced, the open application period ends on February 15. The announcement stipulated that teams accepted into the program that show “competitive excellence, draw the most viewership, and generate social engagement leading up to and during the World Cup” will be able to receive an annual six-figure sum. “This incentive will offer a sustainable opportunity for the Clubs to maximize their participation in the World Cup, based not just on their competitive performance but also on their ability to grow their international esports fanbase,” the announcement said. Teams in the club will not be guaranteed spots at the event, however, as even those who win the award will have to use “traditional methods to earn their spot in the tournament for each game,” according to a press release.

s1mple said he warned Boombl4 before being cut from NAVI HLTVNAVI star Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev has claimed he and others warned now former teammate Kirill ‘Boombl4’ Mikhailov about his situation before he was released from the team. S1mple is one of the best CSGO players of all time, but his NAVI squad faces some hurdles going forward after parting ways with Boombl4. Initially, there was only speculation as to why the entry fragger had been let go. However, it quickly became apparent that drama surrounding his divorce was the reason for the split. Now, s1mple has claimed that he and others warned Boombl4 about the situation he was getting into beforehand. “He was told by everyone, Kirill don’t do this” s1mple about @Boombl4CS ex-wife.. pic.twitter.com/ClqkKF1Sza — 🇺🇦 s1mple clips (@s1mpleband) June 8, 2022 During a stream on June 8, s1mple answered a viewer who asked what was up with the whole Boombl4 situation. “Nothing, he got involved with a dirty w****!” the pro exclaimed. “He was told by everyone ‘Kirill, don’t do this, don’t mess with her, she’s a w****,’ and he either loved her or not, I don’t know — got attached to her. I hope that’s all, he won’t mess with her anymore.” He went on to explain that he had warned Boombl4 about the possibility of being blackmailed long before everything went public, echoing the now former NAVI pros claims about the situation. “We said, ‘Don’t, don’t mess with her.’ Well, I already said a month ago that she would blackmail him later,” s1mple told viewers. “As always, I was right.” 🇺🇦b1t shares his thoughts on Boombl4’s departure (sub) pic.twitter.com/hoQOKVvm3S — 🇺🇦 s1mple clips (@s1mpleband) June 3, 2022 During an earlier stream, s1mple called the situation surrounding Boombl4 “f***ed up,” but added it was sad as well, because he and the Russian pro had played a ton of CSGO together. Where NAVI will go without Boombl4 remains to be seen at this point. Whether they stick with temporary stand-in Victor ‘sdy’ Orudzhev or not, it’s clear we’re entering a whole new era of Natus Vincere CSGO.

Saudi Arabia will allegedly build $500 million esports city in Riyadh Casino.orgThe CEO of one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest private equity firms has announced that an “esports city” is set to be built within the nation’s capital, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is upping its investment in the gaming industry, this time by building a city dedicated to esports. Mohammed AlQahtani, the CEO of Saudi Arabia Holding Co., announced the project, a $500 million city-within-a-city in Riyadh, in a post on LinkedIn. The project is scheduled to finish construction in 2024. “The esports city is expected to attract major esports teams and players from around the world,” AlQahtani said. “It will also provide a platform for local talent to develop and compete on the global stage.” AlQahtani said that the city will have a capacity of 20,000 spectators and will host several events, including the World Cyber Games, whose roots go back to the early 2000s. An esports city is coming to Riyadh in 2024 Saudi Arabia has been making ways in the esports ecosystem as it looks to become a major player in the gaming and esports space by 2023. Last year, Saudi Arabian government-backed Savvy Gaming Group spent $1.5 billion to purchase ESL and FACEIT. More recently, the Savvy Gaming Group invested over $250 million in VSPO, a Chinese tournament operator. This summer, Saudi Arabia will host multiple elite-level esports events as part of the Gamers8 festival. The event will $45 million on offer, making it the “largest prize pool” in esports history, according to the organizers. The Gamers8 festival, and much of Saudi Arabia’s recent acquisitions in the esports space, has been criticized by the community because of its connections to the county’s government and its record of human rights violations.

Rogue reveals meaning behind org’s logo redesign RogueRogue, the North American organization owned and operated by ReKTGlobal, have revealed their new logo to kick-off 2021. Described as a modernization of their previous visual identity, the brand refresh is also supposed to reflect the team’s “relentless competitiveness” across the titles they compete in. The change comes just weeks ahead of the start of Riot Games’ LEC beginning its 2021 campaign. The spring season of the European League of Legends competition launches on January 22nd. The organization explained that they evolved in 2020 and, presumably, this is why they felt it was necessary to change how they’re represented for the foreseeable future. Rogue also competes in the Ultraliga, the Polish national league for League of Legends, and in Psyonix’s Rocket League. They saw regional success in 2020 in the LEC, placing first in the regular season of the summer split and booking their spot in the World Championship. With the momentum we gained over the past year, we felt like this was the right time to reimagine the Rogue brand,” said Anna Baumann, executive vice president of esports at ReKTGlobal. “This process was both exciting and terrifying – we know how deep the passion and love for our brand runs in our fans, so we worked hard to keep the essence of the Rogue logo, while modernizing it.” ReKTGlobal owns a number of other companies outside of Rogue, including Call of Duty League franchise London Royal Ravens, talent management firm TXG, content agency Greenlit, fan loyalty company Fullcube, and marketing firm Fearless. This is the latest in a long line of rebrands that we’ve seen in esports in recent months. The likes of Korean League of Legends competition LCK, current LoL world champions DAMWON Gaming, UK teams EXCEL and Enclave, Spanish org Team Heretics, and CoD franchise Chicago Huntsmen have also recently updated their branding. The trend of logo changes appears to be, at least partly, due to brands feeling that they’ve become outdated and that they need to make sure their visual identity aligns with what they’ve evolved into over the past few years. As the industry becomes increasingly professional, the demands for brands to stand out increases.

Riot Games share master plan on how they’ll keep LoL as the top esport Riot GamesLeague of Legends esports is headed for the future, and what the company plans on doing to keep the title at the ‘pinnacle’ of the gaming scene. Competitive LoL has long been a trailblazer for national and international competitions. Domestic leagues like North America’s LCS and Europe’s LEC are well-established and strongly supported competitions that draw millions of viewers every season. Needham revealed Riot’s focus is no longer just on the competitive level of the game, but also on the entertainment that surrounds it. That could include more live performances for leagues, bigger finals venues, and more “memorable experiences” overall. “We will stop at nothing to ensure the world recognizes that League of Legends is the premier global property in esports, sport, and entertainment,” Needham said in his state of the league update on Tuesday. “In 2020, we’ll be more accessible to fans in every corner of the globe, support our growing regional leagues, and stage the biggest and most innovative live esports events the world has ever seen.” Needham pointed to the popular live-cross-virtual performance from K/DA at the 2018 World Championship as one example of what worked for a global audience: “Competition is priority number one, but it’s no secret that experiences such as K/DA at Worlds 2018 resonated extremely well with a wide range of fans. “We’ll continue to invest in delivering memorable experiences that thrill our community. We’ll do this by focusing on programs that will entertain longtime viewers and also bring in new fans from new places.” The LoL competitive scene has already seen a boom in recent years both in regards to gameplay and production. Mainstream companies like Coca-Cola, Honda, State Farm, and Nike have all joined the company’s sponsorship roster. On the Rift, the return of western teams to the fore at international events has also boosted global interest in the leagues. G2 Esports, Fnatic, and Cloud9 all finished in the top four at Worlds last year, while G2 and Team Liquid contested the first all-western MSI final. One thing’s for sure – professional League of Legends isn’t going anywhere if John Needham and Riot Games have anything to say about it. With more and more investors coming onboard, and exciting results flowing, the scene could continue to grow for years to come.

Rise Nation drop two pro FortniteBR players who were caught cheating in World Cup qualifiers Rise Nation – Twitter / Whos Chaos – YTNorth American esports organization Rise Nation have released two professional players from their Fortnite Battle Royale roster after they were found guilty of cheating. The qualifiers for the Fortnite World Cup have already had their fair share of drama, despite the fact that only three out of the ten qualification tournaments have been played. Easily the most controversy came during the qualifier played April 27-28, which saw Rise Nation pro player Damion ‘XXiF’ C. qualify for the World Cup but also be accused of cheating. XXiF accused and later found guilty of cheating Back on April 29, a video was published on Twitter that showed XXiF potentially teaming with other players during the qualifier to try and get free elimination points, a direct violation of Epic Games’ rules. Read More: Date and time confirmed for highly anticipated ‘Unvaulting’ event in Fortnite Battle Royale – Despite his denial of any wrongdoing, XXiF was brutalized in the court of public opinion, with a large majority of the competitive community outraged at what they had seen in the clip. Gonna leave this here @FortniteGame @EpicGames pic.twitter.com/4rfJAaBW0N — RBK HighSky (@ItsHighsky) April 29, 2019 Epic launched their own investigation into the matter, and later concluded that there had enough evidence to implicate XXiF of teaming, which resulted in the player forfeiting his prize money and World Cup qualification. Although he wasn’t specifically named in Epic’s competitive ruling post on May 3, pretty much everyone knew that XXiF was the player who was handed the 14 day competitive ban. Rise Nation drop XXiF and Ronaldo Once the competitive ruling from Epic was posted, it was only a matter of time until Rise Nation would drop XXiF from their competitive Fortnite BR roster. Interestingly enough, XXiF was not the only player dropped, as Rise decided to cut ties with Ronald ‘Ronaldo’ Mach as well. “Due to he recent allegations being confirmed by Epic Games, we’ll be releasing XXiF and RonaldoTV from our Rise Fortnite roster,” they tweeted. “We don’t tolerate cheating within our esports organization and hope our fans continue to support us.” We hear you. :writing_hand::skin-tone-3: pic.twitter.com/qCzoo6a6Lb — RiseNation (@TheRiseNation) May 3, 2019 While this may have caught some off guard, Ronaldo had also been under public scrutiny in the days leading up because some had accused him of having teamed with the same players that XXiF was seen teaming with in the third qualifier. Whether or not Ronaldo was also handed a punishment by Epic remains unclear at this point, but that could very well have been what convinced Rise to drop him as well. Ronaldo, of course, established quite a name for himself at the Secret Skirmish event in February, placing top-10 in the Solos tournament while winning the Duos competition with Ghost Gaming’s Saf. Ronaldo (left) placed first at the Duos tournament during the Secret Skirmish event, having been paired up with Ghost Gaming’s Saf. Rise Nation’s competitive overhaul The two Fortnite BR pros were not the only Rise Nation players to have parted ways with the team, as top Street Fighter V star ‘MenaRD’ also left following the expiration of his contract. Having won the Capcom Cup in 2017, MenaRD is widely considered to be one of the best FGC players out there, so it came as a shock to many that he was allowed to leave the team in such manner. However, unlike the situation with XXiF and Ronaldo, MenaRD’s departure was not due to any foul play or cheating, and he expressed high admiration for the org on his way out.

Riot Games sued by female employees over alleged unequal pay and sexual harassment A lawsuit was filed Tuesday, November 6 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of current and former female employees accusing the makers of “League of Legends” for “gender-based discrimination, retaliation and harassment. Just some of the actions the lawsuit claims to have occurred include “crotch-grabbing, phantom humping, and sending unsolicited and unwelcome pictures of male genitalia,” according to a story in the L.A. Times. The Times said the suit also claims “Riot Games retaliated against outspoken female employees with “denied promotions, refusals to provide increased compensation or equal pay, demotions, reassignment with significantly different responsibilities,” and other actions. Riot has already come under fire for sexual harassment after Kotaku wrote a story about the “Culture of Sexism” at the company, and Riot responded to those claims shortly after. Stories on the lawsuit are currently being removed from the League of Legends subreddit, which isn’t unusual according to esports personalities like Christopher ‘MonteCristo‘ Mykles and Richard Lewis. This isn’t the first time the subreddit has been accused of removing posts, as ESPN’s Jacob Wolf previously discussed the matter on Twitter. 600Riot Games spokesman Joe Hixson said in the Time’s story they couldn’t comment on the lawsuit, but “we can say that we take every allegation of this nature seriously and investigate them thoroughly.” The suit is still in its initial stages at this point, so whether the court decides to move forward remains to be seen.

Riot Games to reportedly pay 1,548 women in settled gender discrimination suit Melissa Andres/Riot GamesRiot Games will reportedly pay over 1,500 current and former women staffers and contractors in line with its 2021 gender discrimination lawsuit settlement. Riot Games is reportedly set to pay 1,548 current and former women workers in a previously announced settlement over gender discrimination claims, according to Axios. Riot Games agreed to pay out $100 million to settle the case in late 2021. The terms of the settlement reportedly call for payments of $2,500 to $5,000 to women employed by the developer. The payments could be up to $40,000 depending on how long the employee worked at Riot and their company status. Axios has also reported that seven women chose to opt out of the settlement. Number of women Riot Games will pay in gender discrimination case revealed The class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 and was originally set to settle for $10 million before California employment agencies stepped in and argued for a higher payout to employees. The $100 million settlement was announced in 2021 and approved by in July 2022. Initial reporting in late 2021 had the total number of women eligible for payment at over 2,000, according to The New York Times. In the settlement, Riot has also agreed to a diversity and inclusion program funding internally and a three-year analysis of gender equity in its employment practices by a third party. Riot Games started releasing an annual diversity and inclusion report in 2020, and in 2023 said women made up 27.5% of its global workforce and 26% of its global leadership. The settlement payouts will come five years after Kotaku published an expose on the company, alleging it was a toxic workplace for women, which was then followed by the lawsuit.

Riot Games promise a “slew of changes” to improve Valorant pro scene Riot GamesValorant’s Global Head of Esports Leo Faria has promised fans that changes are on the way to improve the competitive ecosystem. Valorant’s competitive scene is vastly different from what it was when the game first launched, especially with the Champions Tour. Launched in 2021, the Valorant Champions Tour was the first step in Riot’s plan for creating a thriving esports ecosystem. Even since there have been many changes, notably with many arriving at the beginning of the 2023 competitive season with the launch of the three international franchised leagues, as well as the kick-off of Ascension — giving amateur teams a clear pathway to the top. However, not everyone is happy with Riot’s efforts. Head of Valorant esports claims competitive changes are coming Despite Riot’s best efforts, some feel as if there’s more that can be done, with some players believing the current ecosystem doesn’t allow for the best of the best to play at the highest level. With calls from the community to wider support the second level of competition, Valorant’s Head of Esports Leo Faria has promised fans that changes are on the way to improve the competitive scene. In a tweet on July 29, the Head of Esports claimed that a slew of changes will be introduced beginning with the 2024 competitive season that’ll give teams more opportunities to compete. “Seeing lots of discussion on VAL tier 2 today. Want to let you know that we hear you and that we have a plan!” Faria wrote. “Sustainability is just one challenge. We’re implementing a slew of changes for next year, including a fully revised calendar with more opportunities for teams to compete.” “I know the debate comes from a place of passion and desire to the part of the VCT ecosystem. We appreciate you all for that. Stay tuned for a full update later this month, I think you’ll be excited about it!” The dev clarified in another tweet that the update would arrive sometime in late August, giving more details on what’s to come.

Riot and TSM investigating org’s CEO Reginald over bullying and abuse accusations Twitter: TSMCEO and founder of TSM, Andy ‘Reginald’ Dinh, has been accused by multiple former employees of workplace bullying and abuse. Both Riot Games and TSM itself are now conducting investigations into allegations made against Dinh. A report by Wired reveals that as of January 11, Dinh is under investigation by both TSM themselves and Riot Games for allegations of workplace bullying and harassment. Riot confirmed in an email to Wired that they have “engaged the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP to conduct an independent investigation into claims of misconduct” towards Dinh. TSM “dominated by a culture of fear” In the Wired report, employee statements describe Dinh verbally abusing employees, calling them “stupid” and “worthless”. He allegedly yelled at colleagues in front of their coworkers in order to “make an example” of them, and contacted employees after hours in order to berate them. It’s said that Dinh would launch tirades at employees to the point of making them cry, and that he would bring a staff member to tears “at least every other week.” It was not just employees behind the scenes who were victims of Dinh’s abuse, though. There are multiple examples of him arguing with professional players on video or via Twitter, the most famous of which is a video recording of him berating ex-TSM toplaner Marcus ‘Dyrus’ Hill during a Twitch stream. Ex-TSM AD Carry Yiliang ‘Doublelift’ Peng also famously spoke out against Dinh in November 2021 via a Twitch stream, calling him a “bully who gets away with being a bad person because he’s powerful”. Doublelift’s public denouncement of Dinh came after Dinh got into a Twitter spat with support player Philippe ‘Vulcan’ Laflamme, insinuating he would be working a minimum wage job if not for the LCS. Ignorant tweet. If every LCS team left the LCS- you’ll be out of a job buddy and probably be paid minimum. — TSM Reginald (@TSMReginald) February 20, 2021 Dinh was fined $5000 for “conduct unbecoming” by Riot for the Tweet, according to Travis Gafford. Riot’s investigation Sources told Wired that the investigation into Dihn began after Doublelift’s public accusations in 2021. The firm Riot has hired to investigate TSM, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, is an LA-based law firm that provides “transformative legal work for industry-leading companies” according to its website. TSM also confirmed to Wired that they were conducting their own independent investigation into the allegations against Dinh. The legal firm has worked alongside gaming organizations previously, providing legal counsel to Envy Gaming and representing Google in their legal dispute with Epic Games during Epic’s antitrust lawsuit. Reginald responds to accusations In response to the accusations, Dinh told Wired that he has “exceedingly high expectations for myself, and I share those same high expectations with everyone I work with. I have zero tolerance for underperformance. I am intense, passionate, driven, and relentless in the pursuit of winning- it’s my nature. I set an extremely high bar, and when I feel that someone is not delivering, I directly and bluntly share that feedback.” He also admitted that “my vocabulary was at times too harsh and ineffective,” and “I know I need to work on my delivery. I am working to improve the way I communicate with my team and those around me. I support and am fully cooperating with the independent investigations that are already underway and will gladly embrace any recommendations from the investigators.” This is not the first time Riot has investigated an LCS organization. In 2019, the LCS made an official investigation into alleged racist behavior by a member of the Echo Fox ownership group. The LCS has concluded its preliminary investigation into the alleged comments made by a member of the Echo Fox ownership group. Hate speech, threats, and bigotry have no place in the LCS. We have directed Echo Fox to take appropriate corrective action within 60 days. (1/2) — LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 15, 2019 Dinh, an ex-professional midlaner turned CEO, has been a prominent figure in North American esports for many years. He founded TSM alongside his brother Dan Dinh in 2009. The organization began as community website Solomid.net, which hosted League of Legends champion and strategy guides alongside community forums. They quickly branched out, forming a League team for which Reginald was the midlaner. They have since acquired teams in multiple esports titles, and have become one of the most well-known brands in North American esports.

Riot Games partners with sports data firm Sportradar to monitor betting in LoL Timothy Norris/Riot GamesRiot Games has announced a new partnership with Sportradar Integrity Services to monitor global betting surrounding League of Legends and report potential integrity issues back to the company. Under the partnership, announced July 30, 2019, Riot Games will also have access to Sportradar’s Intelligence and Investigation Services unit. The two companies will also review the current in-house integrity policies, their procedures and any future educational programs for esports competitors. On its website, Sportradar boasts that its Education & Prevention solutions have “successfully helped our partners to raise awareness and understanding of illegal betting and match-fixing amongst those involved in sport.” Sportradar currently monitors over 300,000 sporting matches per year across the globe. Its services expand to multiple leagues including the NHL, MLB, NBA, and FIFA. The company employs over 2,000 people worldwide with more than 30 locations. It describes itself as “the world’s leading supplier of anti-match fixing, anti-doping, due diligence, and integrity strategy & policy solutions to more than 100 sports bodies, leagues, state authorities, and law enforcement agencies to support them in the fight against betting-related fraud and sporting corruption.” With the esports industry growing each year and more comparisons being made to traditional sports, the decision to safeguard against match-fixing and illegal betting seem logical and inevitable. “The competitive integrity of our sport is of the utmost importance for Riot Games. As our sport continues to grow, it’s important that we monitor developing trends and ensure we have the necessary mechanisms in place to account for shifts in our industry,” Doug Watson, Head of Esports Insights at Riot Games said. “This partnership with Sportradar enables us to protect our players, teams, and competitions and continue to deliver a best-in-class product to our fans.” League of Legends esports has over 800 professional players on more than 100 teams across 13 global leagues comprised of 10 teams. The esport has attracted millions of people online and with live events such as the upcoming LCS Summer Finals in Detroit. Andy Cunningham, Head of Integrity Services and League Relations, North America at Sportradar praised Riot for its anticipation of growth in the esports betting scene. “With legal sports betting expected to grow over the next several years, especially in the US, we are encouraged by Riot’s proactivity, as it looks to maintain and further establish its leadership position in the esports space,” he said.

Richard Lewis wins Esports Lifetime Achievement Award ELEAGUEDexerto editor-at-large and award-winning esports journalist Richard Lewis has become the latest inductee into the coveted Esports Awards Lifetime Achievement in esports Class of 2020. The award honors “stalwarts of the esports industry who, over the course of their entire career, have pushed the industry forward,” and few have had such a profound effect on the scene as Richard Lewis, with the Esports Awards honoring the veteran British journalist for his work. Having forged his own path into the esports journalism industry; Richard has been fundamental in shaping the way that the then-fledgling industry is represented in the media. Now established as one of the most renowned esports journalists in the world, he is also the only journalist to win the coveted ‘Esports Journalist of the Year’ award on two separate occasions. Making a name for himself in the esports scene, Lewis is perhaps best-known for exposing a number of match-fixing scandals. Most notably, Richard was a key figure in exposing the iBuyPower CSGO scandal in 2014/15. Not only did he expose the iBuyPower scandal, but Lewis has also been a major part in exposing a number of other CSGO betting corruption and fixing scandals. Lewis has also written numerous reports centered around unethical practices in the esports community, including contractual issues and exposing sexual abuse in the esports industry. Alongside his journalism career, Richard is a standout figure in the esports hosting world as a former desk host of ELEAGUE, alongside his own popular creations such as The Richard Lewis Show and By The Numbers which live on his YouTube channel. In September 2020, Lewis became the first editor-at-large for Dexerto.com, after initially joining the team in November 2018 to write opinion-led pieces and the investigative articles than have become synonymous with his work. Please welcome the latest inductee to the Esports Awards Lifetime Achievement in esports class of 2020 @RLewisReports, a veteran esports journalist, tournament host, and analyst. pic.twitter.com/QeZVm1hq2X — Esports Awards 2020 (@esportsawards) September 30, 2020 The latest inductee into the prestigious class, Richard is in great company with the likes of Hector Rodriguez, Ralf Reichert, FATAL1TY, and many more. Being such an incredible award, there are a number of strict criteria that Richard had to fit within: “Any individual who has made a significant contribution towards elevating esports over the course of their professional career.” “Someone who has worked within the esports industry for a significant amount of time and consistently supported its growth.” “Someone who has achieved a high level of popularity thanks to their work and has been a long-time evangelist for the industry.” Having shaped the esports scene into what we’ve come to know and love, Richard is the perfect fit for the award.

Richest esports players ever – Dota, CS:GO, CoD and more EpicentreEsports athletes are now able to lift one single championship and vault themselves into a game’s highest-earners list. Yet, for some, competitive titles have been their life and have racked up a significant amount of cash in the process – even when prize pools may not have been what they are today. It’s an increasingly lucrative business, esports, as players get rewarded substantially for the hard work and effort they put into making it to the top level. While some games boast bigger fan bases and higher prize pools than others, ending up as a champion will net you some serious cash, regardless of your selected field. Here are the richest esports players, in history, across numerous different titles – thanks to EsportsEarnings. Call of Duty: Karma – $805,847.25 Call of Duty may not have prize pool backing of some other games, but having a long-standing career that spans over multiple titles and world championships isn’t shabby at all. Read More: Top 20 highest earning Call of Duty pros – At the top of the CoD mountain is Seattle Surge star Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, who has racked up $804,847.25 in winnings since beginning his career back in 2011. The three-time Call of Duty World Champion has been consistently dominant ever since breaking into the scene but scored his most winnings, $269,500, following his third championship in 2017 with OpTic in Infinite Warfare. It’s also no surprise that he’s closely followed by two veterans of the game in long-time teammate Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks – who have both been around as long as Karma. Clayster claimed his second world title at CWL Champs 2019 and could surpass Karma in the near future once Call of Duty’s franchising model really gets into its rhythm. League of Legends: Faker – $1,254,240.23 League of Legends always has a competitive field, yet, one name stands alone at the top of the card – Lee ‘Faker’ Sang Hyeok. Faker is one of the greatest, and most dominant, LoL players of all-time – racking up huge prize winnings across his three world championship and multiple LCK wins. While recent seasons have been rocky for him and Faker’s eyes will be firmly set on returning to his throne, securing his fourth Worlds title, but, he’ll have to wait another year to do so after failing to pick up the 2019 Worlds title after a defeat at the hands of eventual runners-up G2. Faker may be the only LoL star to break the $1 million mark but Lee ‘Duke’ Ho Seong and Lee ‘Wolf’ Jae Wan aren’t far behind either. Bae ‘Bang’ Jun Sik, a former teammate of Faker, is also an honorable mention. DOTA 2: N0tail – $6,882,440.18 Dota 2 may not directly compete with LoL, but their prize pools could be enough to make some players think about switching over from Riot Games’ MOBA to Valve’s. Not every Dota event is showered with gold, however, but make it to the incredibly prestigious International – which OG has now won for two years in a row following TI9 – and you’re in the money. Read More: Top 20 highest earning Dota 2 Pro Players – At the top of the table following OG’s back-to-back International wins is team captain Johan ‘N0tail‘ Sundstein who’s winnings have now put him well over the $6 million mark. It doesn’t hurt that the International’s prize pools the last two years have been the largest by far in the tournament’s history, with OG players taking home $26,837,290 in winnings from their back-to-back championships. Before the TI9 finals on Sunday, August 25, N0tail was sitting at $3,757,403.98 in lifetime Dota 2 winnings – which means he made $3,124,036.20 from the weeklong tournament in China. CS:GO: Xyp9x – $1,745,921.90 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may not get the prize money support of its DOTA counterpart but that’s not to say that players can’t win head-spinning amounts of money from competing. Winning a CS:GO major will net a team $500,000 before they split it between themselves. Astralis’ Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth has climbed that mountain, three times, and began dominating the highest-earners standings alongside his Danish teammates. Since the start of 2018, and the beginning of Astralis’ dominant era, Xyp9x has earned well over $1,000,000. With the Danes capturing success at the StarLadder Berlin Major, Xyp9x added another Major to his trophy cabinet as well as growing his lead at the top of the charts. Fortnite Battle Royale: Bugha – $3,062,966.67 As the wider esports scene continues to grow, games are doing their best to make a name for themselves – offering big prize pools, and one such title is Fortnite Battle Royale. The popularity of the game has seen the competitive scene explode, with the Fortnite World Cup cementing Kyle ‘Bugha’ Gieresdorf as the top earner. With six solo games, the 16-year-old bagged $3 million – even if he did lose the majority of it to taxation. The fallout of the World Cup has shaken up the highest earners, with players like Tfue and Bizzle – who dominated pre-World Cup events – falling by the wayside. CLG’s Harrison ‘Pslam’ Chang moved into second place with $1,865,800.00 while duos winners Aqua and Nyhrox jumped into third and fourth by winning $1,500,000.00 each. Starcraft II: Maru – $808,551.50 While Fortnite might be a baby in the esports world, Starcraft II has been around for quite some time. The list is dominated by South Korean players but Cho ‘Maru’ Sung Choo stands atop them all with $808,551.50 earned. Maru has been competing in Starcraft since 2010 but had to wait until 2018 before he saw his earnings total skyrocket. The Korean earned just shy of 50% of his current total earnings with $370,117.05 across 14 events in 2018. Despite kicking off 2019 with $113,891.35 earned in 13 events, his lead over second-placed Joona ‘Serral’ Sotala is now only a slender one. The Finnish player is less than $1,000 behind the Korean on $804,994.74 and could, realistically, take the top spot sooner rather than later. As more and more titles decide to get to involved with competitive play – be it a small dip of the toe, or a huge dive into the deep end – players will have the chance to earn life-changing amounts solely by finding what they have a knack for. This article was last updated on Tuesday, February 18 at 11:07 AM Eastern Time.