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New details of 2018 lawsuit vs FaZe Clan emerge amid Tfue legal battle New materials have emerged regarding the ongoing lawsuit against esports organization FaZe Clan, from failed social media platform Hubrick, which could also play a crucial role in Tfue’s legal case. The report from The Blast on June 5 details that FaZe are accused of “breaking away from the company and raiding the corporate offices in the middle of the night.” FaZe Clan is currently embroiled in a highly-publicized legal battle with former player Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney, who is reportedly pursuing litigation over his contract with the organization. Hubrick was started by Norwegian entrepreneur Sebastian Guerts, who formed a business relationship with FaZe co-founder Tommy ‘Temperrr’ Oliviera, who later described Guerts as a like a “big brother”. Current FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink was also recruited as part of the joint venture between Hubrick and FaZe. Hubrick’s lawsuit, filed in 2018, apparently claims that they were “screwed over”, describing the incident specifically as “a case of an unabashed theft of a business by a group of its employees, officers, directors and joint venture partners. In what amounts to an overnight corporate raid.” According to documents obtained by The Blast, FaZe stole “dozens of computers and gaming stations, some of the office furniture (…) and left it ransacked as little more than piles of empty boxes”. The Blast also obtained images of the offices following the alleged ‘raid’, which show the presumably empty PS4 and ASUS monitor boxes, and empty desks. FaZe “owes their success to Hubrick”, claims report Additionally, Hubrick claim to have “funded FaZe directly” with a $1.3 million deposit into a FaZe bank account, according to the report. The investment provided by Hubrick is believed to have helped build the most expensive CS:GO team ever, featuring an all-star lineup of five of the best players in the world. Hubrick is said to be seeking an amount in excess of $1 million for “intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and misappropriation of trade secrets.” How does this relate to Tfue’s lawsuit? Blast sources have also claimed that the Hubrick lawsuit is “important” to Tfue’s legal team, as it serves as an example of “how poorly the business was being ran at the time.” FaZe co-owner Ricky ‘Banks’ Banks previously admitted that Tfue’s contract was “horrible”, and stated that he had “made the mistake of allowing shit people to run (the) business. We’ve solved those issues and are trying our best.” The report indicates FaZe Clan are now apparently facing a double-barrel of civil litigation, as both Tfue and Hubrick pursue damages. The organization are also facing accusations of knowingly recruiting an 11-year-old Fortnite player and streamer, H1ghsky1, claiming he was 13. His real age would violate Twitch’s terms of service, which stipulate streamers must be aged over 13. On June 5, H1ghsky1’s channel was banned, but it is currently unclear if the cause of the suspension was related to his age.

New Fnatic logo leaked ahead of rebrand FnaticThe legendary esports organization Fnatic donned the color orange on their social media accounts, teasing a new look that’s set to come out the day before LEC begins. But the LEC went ahead and accidentally included the new logo in their promo video, and now a high-res image of it has appeared as well. To rebrand in the esports scene is to take a massive risk with your fanbase. In recent memory, most rebrands hope to, at best, achieve a mixed response while others have been met with a very negative reaction. On January 20th, Fnatic scrubbed their Twitter profile picture and banner, filling them with the color orange and tweeting out “the future is Fnatic.” Fnatic’s founder and CEO Sam Mathews oranged out his pictures too. Immediately sensing an imminent rebrand, fans went into panic mode, with several emploring the organization not to change their iconic logo. Even other teams and brands got in on the drama, including the recently rebranded North who replied with “Phnatic,” and former EU LCS team Unicorns of Love. The alternative future is Unicorns. pic.twitter.com/xjJ1pOQyxY — Unicorns of Love (@UnicornsOfLove) January 20, 2020 The potential rebrand appears to coincide with opening weekend of the 2020 LEC Spring Split, where the team is scheduled to play Origen and Misfits. However, the LEC did not appear interested in making fans wait, as in their Jan 22 hype video shared on Twitter, the new logo can be seen on the Fnatic players’ jerseys. Read more: LCS and LEC 2020 offseason roster tracker – Higher quality stills from the video appear to hint toward a sleeker, “modern” touchup of the logo as opposed to full-on change to it, and just a day later a full, high resolution of the image appeared online. The new logo features sharper, less rounded edges, removes the growth from one of the side wings as well as the upper dot, and slices a portion of the center line off. As Don ‘FishiestDude’ Constantin so eloquently put on Twitter, it “no longer looks like a man with a giant dong between his legs.” On the plus side the new @FNATIC logo no longer looks like a man with a giant dong between his legs pic.twitter.com/FeEa2jQufQ — kostya (@karpinism) January 23, 2020 Others expressed their appreciation for the simple, sleek adjustment. Reactions to the new logo on the CS:GO Reddit r/GlobalOffensive ranged from positive to tolerant. Some said they liked the “minimal” and “tidied up” take on the iconic crest, compared to the more drastic rebrands performed by the likes of North, Evil Geniuses, and Virtus.Pro. The image retains the original Fnatic orange, which is much lighter than the orange currently dominating the organization’s social media pages, indicating that they’re not doing away with the original color. A version of the new logo in the new dark orange has also been leaked, so perhaps it will be used for alternate jerseys or new merch. Nothing is officially confirmed yet regarding the new logo, but it’s likely fans will see it make its on-stage debut this weekend at LEC as Fnatic look to add another European LoL title to their trophy case.

7ft NBA player Meyers Leonard confirms FaZe investment with custom sneakers NBA stars aren’t averse to partnering with and dropping some of their hard-earned cash on esports organizations, with Meyers Leonard becoming the newest name to join the ranks by investing in FaZe Clan. NBA and esports: a brief history Major American sports leagues and brands have been dipping their toes in and out of the esports water for some time, with the NBA making the step to help launch and endorse the NBA 2K league as a sister division of the association. While teams like the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have their own teams in other games like League of Legends, NBA stars are also getting in on the act – with an ever-growing list of names picking a video gaming side. The Houston Rockets own the Clutch Gaming team that currently competes in the NA LCS. Leonard joins up with FaZe Now, it has been revealed that Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard has joined up with FaZe Clan as an investor. The 27-year-old former College basketball standout revealed his investment via a LinkedIn post, shortly after the team’s final regular season game win over the Los Angeles Lakers on April 10 – giving his reaction to the partnership. Something between the two entities seemed to be in the works when Leonard was spotted with a custom pair of black and grey Nike LeBron 16s sneakers that had the iconic FaZe logo on the heel, his Twitch username in clear view on the ankle and #FaZeUp on the shoe’s tongue prior to the game against the Lakers. Custom @FaZeClan LeBron 16s by @Kickstradomis for @MeyersLeonard11 tonight in LA pic.twitter.com/mouaTNFXOS — Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 10, 2019 Shoutout to FaZe Jaomock The player’s partnership with the organization, which reportedly started prior to his announcement, was teased throughout the NBA regular season as Leonard repped the brand at game’s and spoke about his love for video games during an AMA on the official NBA subreddit. Prior to the Trailblazers win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 17, the center showed his support for FaZe Clan Fortnite player Brendan ‘Jaomock’ O’Brien by wearing the player’s jersey to the game – eventually sharing a photograph of himself pointing to Jaomock’s name on Twitter. HAMMER x FAZE :fire::hammer: pic.twitter.com/BOWBLHLVGs — Meyers Leonard (@MeyersLeonard11) January 17, 2019 Leonard joins an ever-growing group of NBA personalities who have now made their mark on the esports scene. Former Angeles Lakers star Rick Fox launched Echo Fox back in 2015, while former teammate Shaquille O’Neal has invested in NRG Esports. Current stars and Golden State Warriors teammates Steph Curry and Jonas Jerebko are both invested into parts of other organizations, joining up with Team Solo Mid and Renegades respectively. It remains to be seen if Leonard hooks up with any of the FaZe clan members for a Fortnite session or two in the future, but it’s probably a safe bet that we’ll see him drop another FaZe Up if the Blazers can extend their NBA Playoffs run.

NBA star Chris Bosh joins Gen.G esports as a Player Management Advisor Chris Bosh has won two NBA Championships, made 11 All-Star appearances, and now he’s venturing into the world of esports by joining Gen.G as a Player Management Advisor. According to the organization, “Bosh will mentor teams and players, focusing on leadership, teamwork, building great teams, dealing with the pressures of high-profile sports, and more.” Bosh said as an avid gamer, he’s excited to work with Gen.G because their values and interests in player health and building effective teams align with his own. “Coaching and mentoring have always been part of my long-term plan in some capacity,” Bosh wrote about his new position with the organization. The former NBA star said he admired Gen.G because “they were one of the first esports organizations to hire psychologists, physical trainers, really putting the player’s health and well-being first. Gen.G is first-class all the way.” “Chris’ presence will have a profound effect on our players and the impact will be felt top-to-bottom within our organization,” Arnold Hur, Gen.G esports Chief Growth Officer wrote in a press release. Gen.G was founded in 2017 and fields esports teams for Overwatch, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Heroes of the Storm and Clash Royale. Read More: OpTic parent company Infinite Esports layoff a host of staff including president Chris Chaney – This means we could see Bosh make an appearance during the Overwatch League next year, since the Seoul Dynasty are part of the Gen.G organization.

NBA 2K League players fined and suspended following on stage brawl NBA 2K LeagueFollowing an on-stage scuffle between members of the Hawks Talon and Celtics Crossover NBA 2K League teams, the league announced suspensions and fines for multiple players involved. During the first week of action during Season 2 of the NBA 2K League, a brawl broke out between Hawks Talon and Celtics Crossover Gaming when Celtics’ player Albano ‘oFAB’ Thomallari pushed Talon’s Randolph ‘Rando’ Moreno as the two went to shake hands following their match. Unsurprisingly, the League didn’t take long to come up with punishments for the players involved in the scuffle, announcing their decision on April 12. What were the punishments? The NBA 2K League announced fines and suspensions for three different players involved in the fracas, two from the Crossover and one from the Talon. Celtics’ Crossover point guard Albano ‘oFAB’ Thomallari was fined $500 and suspended for one game and small forward Ahmed “Mel East” Kasana was also fined $500 “for his involvement in the altercation,” according to the press release. On the Hawks Talon side, forward Connor “Dat Boy Shotz” was also suspended for one game, which means he’ll miss the Talon’s April 19 matchup against Jazz Gaming. oFAB will serve his suspension Thursday, April 25, when the Crossover take on 76ers GC. https://twitter.com/NBA2KLeague/status/1116732803343843329It was the first Hawk’s match of the 2019 regular season, so things have certainly gotten off to a spicy start in the league this year. Players made little mention of the incident on social media afterward, and Desk host Phil ‘EE’ Visu also avoided going into too much detail when they came back from the break, simply saying “a lot happened” during the incident. The League may not approve, but the Twitch clip of the shakeup is already one of the most viewed NBA 2K League clips ever and could end up giving the league quite a bit of free publicity.

NAVI raise $500,000 for Ukraine aid Stephanie Lindgren/ESL Gaming via ESPATUkrainian esports organization Natus Vincere have raised half a million dollars in support of the country amid the war against Russia. The funds were raised as part of the partnership between NAVI and UNITED24, a global initiative launched by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to collect donations to help the country. Almost half of the amount raised came from the NAVI organization, which gave $200,000. NAVI owner Maxym Krippa contributed $108,000, while CS:GO star Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev made a personal donation of $100,000 for an ambulance. The rest of the money was raised through the BORN TO BE BRAVE charity tournament, which featured many of the best CS:GO players in the world. According to UNITED24, the funds will be used for medical aid for the Ukrainian people. In a separate initiative, NAVI have purchased 100 cars, each fully serviced and painted in a protective color, to aid “the heroes in the AAF and the Kraken regiment” in their combat missions. The Ukrainian organization had previously purchased 120 armored and multi-purpose vehicles for the Ukrainian armed forces. Based in Kyiv, NAVI have organized a series of initiatives to raise money and awareness of suffering in Ukraine since the start of the war. In March, NAVI cut ties with ESforce Holding, a Russian company that owns several esports properties, including RuHub and 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 said.

NBA 2K League indefinitely bans six players for gambling on games NBA 2K LeagueThe NBA 2K League has banned six players from three different teams, as well as a coach, for “violating the league’s gambling and fantasy rules” by wagering on league games. Six NBA 2K League players have been “indefinitely disqualified” from competition for breaking the league’s gambling policy, it was announced on October 27. Four players from Blazer5 Gaming, associated with the Portland Trail Blazers, were struck down with bans: Marquis ‘Randomz’ Gill, Christopher ‘BreadwinnerLA’ Lafanette, Dorian ‘Bucket’ Earl Miller, and Robert ‘CantGuardRob’ Nastasi. Kimanni ‘Splashy’ Ingram from Jazz Gaming and Zekirri ‘Zayynoss’ Dennis of Mavs Gaming were also suspended, along with Blazer5 coach Andrew Maxie. NBA 2K League officials said Dennis, Ingram, Lafanette, Miller, and Nastasi all “wagered or attempted to wager” on league games. Gill and Maxie, while not wagering themselves, failed to report violations or cooperate with the investigation. “The integrity of our game is, and always will be, the NBA 2K League’s top priority,” league president Brendan Donohue said. “We take our obligation to the competition and to our fans incredibly seriously, and we will always act forcefully regarding violations of the rules governing game integrity and the related reporting and cooperation requirements.” These bans come ahead of the start of the 2023 NBA 2K League season as players attempt to qualify for draft eligibility. The next season of play is set to begin in early 2023.

Nadeshot’s 100 Thieves receive new valuation following latest round of funding Matthew ‘Nadeshot‘ Haag’s esports organization 100 Thieves is now valued $125 million, making a nearly 40% leap in value in less than a year. 100 Thieves has numerous high-profile investors including rap superstar Drake, music manager Scooter Braun, and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, just to name a few. Going back to October 2018, the team was valued at $90 million coming off the initial round of funding, according to an article by the New York Post. The new valuation of $125 million shows a meteoric rise for 100 Thieves, something a NY Post source says shouldn’t be surprising. “It’s not a surprise,” the source told the Post. “Investor groups are looking to get involved. They are selecting teams in which they have confidence.” 100 Thieves doesn’t plan on stopping here as the team is also eyeing a spot in the Call of Duty World League as a franchise team in Los Angeles. If they are able to pull this off, they will become the second LA-based CoD team, joining OpTic Gaming in the city. 100 Thieves is headquartered in Los Angeles so it makes sense for them to pursue opportunities close to home. With roster spots in the new league rumored to be up for grabs for as much $25 million, it’s a good thing 100T raised the money they did. Popularity for the organization has skyrocketed thanks to numerous high-profile signings such as Jack ‘CouRageJD‘ Dunlop, content creation team The Mob, and Fortnite World Cup qualified pro Arkhram. Despite this, Nadeshot thinks his org is still a long way from being the most popular organization, as he believes FaZe Clan is still the biggest team out there. With their valuation increasing at such a rapid rate, it might only be a matter of time before 100T leapfrogs FaZe.

NAVI enter three-year partnership with crypto exchange Bybit Bybit/ESL/Stephanie LieskeUkrainian esports organization Natus Vincere, frequently referred to simply as NAVI, have established a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Bybit for three years. Following in the footsteps of other examples of the convergence between esports and cryptocurrencies, Bybit are sponsoring the major CIS organization in an effort to put their “name on the map in the esports space.” The deal will see NAVI’s players donning the exchange’s logo on their jerseys and includes “impact-driven collaborations” such as charity initiatives, school projects, and campaigns against bullying. Founded in March 2018 and boasting more than 2 million registered users, Bybit have been named the org’s exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner and will use the exposure from the sponsorship to promote their World Series of Trading competition. Are you ready for the quest of a lifetime? It’s back… one of the world’s greatest #crypto trading competitions will soon arise from slumber. It’s time to sharpen your swords and raid the dragon’s hoard. ⚔️ Find out more about #WSOT2021 here: https://t.co/D620zoPzWw pic.twitter.com/6WzQk8hEX1 — WSOT (@WSOT_) August 15, 2021 This is the first move into esports for Bybit, but they’re not the first crypto-focused company to enter the industry. Most notably, crypto exchange FTX are spending $210m across 10 years to sponsor North American org TSM. Read More: LCS announce 7-year FTX sponsorship deal – NAVI currently hold partnerships with mainstream brands like Monster Energy, Logitech, tech company Philips, and PUMA. The value of their deal with Bybit was not disclosed but Dexerto has requested such information — the article will be updated should the figure be revealed. “I believe that this was bound to happen,” said NAVI’s chief marketing officer Alexander Pavlenko. “Cryptocurrency and esports have much in common: They are new, fast-growing, and interesting to keep watch and learn. “We shall strive to show esports fans the real value of digital-based communication by cryptocurrency platform Bybit and our team. Also, we want to represent the esports world to cryptocurrency enthusiasts as a point of their interest.”

Nadeshot & Valkyrae address 100 Thieves departure rumors 100 Thieves co-founder and CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and co-owner Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter have hit back at speculations and concerns that they left the organization. Nadeshot won numerous CoD championships under OpTic Gaming — and even became a Red Bull athlete — before retiring from professional Call of Duty in 2015. A year later, Nadeshot went on to form 100 Thieves, which has quickly grown to become one of the leading organizations in the esports world, winning multiple championships across several titles, all while simultaneously seeing success in entertainment and apparel. Since 2018, streaming star Valkyrae has been by Nadeshot’s side as one of the faces of the brand, before becoming a co-owner of the organization in 2021. However, on December 10 rumors began that both had departed from 100 Thieves, as fans spotted that the brand was nowhere to be seen on their Twitter profiles. Not only that, but the official 100 Thieves account had seemingly unfollowed both of them. Nadeshot & Valkyrae respond to leaving 100 Thieves speculations At the start of his December 10 live stream, Nadeshot responded to the rumors after one viewer mentioned in his chat how even Google now states he’s the former CEO of 100 Thieves. The retired CoD World Champion clarified to his fans that he hasn’t departed from the organization. “Chat I don’t control what f**king Google says,” he replied. “Google doesn’t know me.” Nadeshot added: “‘Former CEO’, until I tell you something has happened nothing has happened, okay? Leave me be.” Similarly, Valkyrae also addressed speculations in her latest stream after one fan noted how the organization is no longer featured in her bio on Twitter/X. She responded: “Bro, I’m promoting my merch, I’ll put it back after the launch.” “I’m still in 100 Thieves, I’m still a co-owner of 100 Thieves,” the YouTube star further explained. “I took it out of my bio… I’m promoting my merch because it’s dropping in three days.” Despite putting rumors to rest, many fans still believe something is going on internally at 100 Thieves. However, we’ll be sure to keep you updated with any news right here on Dexerto when we learn more.

Nadeshot slams 100 Thieves fans who claim he “doesn’t care” about teams Twitter: Nadeshot / ESL100 Thieves owner Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag has slammed fans of the organization who claim he “doesn’t care” about their CS:GO, Valorant, and League of Legends sides, saying they are “taking steps to improve and hopefully win one day.” 100 Thieves has been in a performance slump when it comes to esports. Across CS:GO, Valorant, and League of Legends, they haven’t been hitting the highs they set out to. In CS:GO, the core of the org’s Australian roster has slipped out of the HLTV Top 10 in the last couple of months. The Valorant team, led by Hiko, has been struggling to even place in Ignition Series events. Their League team capitulated mid-season, with major roster shuffles marring a good start to the year. The team’s loyal followers have started to get frustrated. Angered fans have taken to the subreddit to ask why 100 Thieves isn’t living up to their high expectations. They say that Nadeshot seemingly “doesn’t care” about the squads. However, the former Call of Duty champion has slammed those critics. Nadeshot has stated pundits don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors, and anyone who says he “doesn’t care” doesn’t know who he is as a person. “I don’t think people really understand the position 100 Thieves is in in esports. It’s one thing to say that our teams aren’t playing well — I agree with that. We haven’t found a ton of success in esports aside from our Call of Duty team,” he told fans on a August 10 Twitch stream. “What hurts me the most is that people on the subreddit [/r/100Thieves] think that I don’t care. I spent a decade competing myself. I hate losing. You think I enjoy spending all this money on esports and losing? You think that I don’t wake up angry every weekend, every tournament, where we fall short and lose? “I’m not happy with the results, but the problem I have is when people say that we’re not trying to get better. I promise that you are not alone in the frustrations you have with 100 Thieves in esports. You can say that you are frustrated with us not winning, but you can’t say that…we don’t care.” He says the organization is currently doing all they can behind the scenes to help build their teams into champions. Time, money, resources — all of this is being poured into their squads in the hopes of reaping the rewards down the line. Everyone in 100 Thieves is putting in the effort. “I’m not happy that we’re losing. I’m not, and I’m going to do something about it. We are taking steps to improve and hopefully win one day. I just think it’s unfair that people say we don’t care because the employees that work for 100 Thieves every single day, they live and breathe this brand,” he added. “You guys just don’t see from the outside looking in how much this organization cares about our teams and our results. Just wait and see, that’s all I’m asking.” Nadeshot asked fans to temper their expectations slightly. While they’ve seen success outside of the server with their apparel and content creation arms, they’re still trying to replicate it in-game. Once they do though, he wishes his opponents good luck. “We’ve only been around for three years — and three years is a really long time when you think about it, but at the same time it isn’t. We’ve been competing against teams who have been around for over a decade. We’re going to crack into [the top] eventually, we’re not going to lose forever. “Organizations should be worried. There’s a lot of things we do well — content and apparel we do really well. Once we start winning, good luck.”

Nadeshot, TimTheTatman and more react to Project A: new Riot Games FPS Riot GamesFollowing the teaser reveal of Project A, prominent esports and gaming figures have given their verdict on Riot Games’ efforts for their upcoming competitive tactical shooter. The League of Legends decade-long reign as one of the most prevalent esports titles was marked by their 10th-year-anniversary special edition show of Riot Pls. During the hour-long livestream, Riot unveiled a new animated series, mobile versions for both their MOBA and Teamfight Tactics, a new collectible card game called Legends of Runeterra, a fighting game, and a brand new tactical shooter, code-named ‘Project A’. Given the popularity of first-person shooters within the gaming community, and Riot’s track record of development of competitive games, it’s no surprise that Project A has received plenty of attention. Pro players and personalities from various esports took to their respective social media to provide their reaction to the game’s debut. Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau posted some intel (per sources) with regards to the internal mechanics and how they feel in comparison to other popular shooters, claiming that its a “mix of Counter-Strike and Overwatch”. those who have played the game describe it as a ‘mix of CS and Overwatch,’ — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) October 16, 2019 From the trailer alone, Project A appears to boast fluid in-game mechanics alongside an in-built system designed to make the title an equal playing field, by reducing the impact of latency and deterring cheaters. After Riot teased what’s to come for the new FPS, the community came out in droves to show their interest and give praise to the development team. Big name streamers such as TimTheTatman, Dizzy and fl0m all gave their two cents, alongside former professional Call of Duty player and now CEO of esports organization 100 Thieves, Matthew ‘Nadeshot‘ Haag. Really exited for this. Love cs but competition is good. Hope this doesn’t disappoint and we have a 2nd good fps :blush: — fl0m (@fl0mtv) October 16, 2019 An FPS made by people who actually know what they are doing in the game/scene. Hopefully they get similar or the same people to run their leagues and esports divisions! — Danny Montaner (@OfficialfRoD) October 16, 2019 Riot Games developing their own FPS. Mind blown. https://t.co/Mtc1FX2pQo — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) October 16, 2019 However, others have remained skeptical, which is only natural given that the announcement has only teased gameplay so far. Caster Auguste ‘Semmler’ Massonnat isn’t totally convinced that Project A will challenge the likes of CS:GO or Call of Duty, but could muscle its way in against Blizzard’s Overwatch. I don’t think that Project A will challenge CS or CoD, due to the nature of the gameplay that we’ve seen. OW however could be in for a run. Still looks like a long ways off though, so we’ll see — Semmler (@OnFireSemmler) October 16, 2019 Riot arguably paved the way for how developers work within the esports scene, with their direct involvement and in-game integration. They have propelled League of Legends to become one of the most popular esports games. Indeed, the new tactical shooter is in very capable hands. Keep updated here with the latest on Project A, as more news surfaces.

Nadeshot says FaZe Clan’s stock price collapse is a “terrible thing” for esports Twitch: Nadeshot100 Thieves CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag has shared his thoughts on the ongoing drama surrounding FaZe Clan, including on their downward spiral on the stock market, calling it a “terrible thing” for the esports industry as a whole. In July 2022, FaZe Clan officially went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, opening with a $1 billion valuation. Since then, they’ve watched their share price drop massively, from a peak of $20 a share to a close, at the time of writing, of just $0.42, with a market cap of $30.7m. This drop has been heavily documented online, as FaZe Clan’s stock plummets and the threat of being delisted grows ever more possible. While they’re not the only esports organization to be listed publicly, they are certainly the biggest in terms of brand recognition, and that’s why Nadeshot says it’s such a big deal for the industry in general. “Let me tell you this, and let me be abundantly clear,” the former Call of Duty pro said during a Twitch stream. “You could say it’s their own doing, and they f**ked us by jumping in and giving that a shot, their lack of success on the market is a terrible thing for the esports industry.” He continued: “People look at that, outside investors or people who want to be a part of gaming, they won’t touch it with a 100-foot pole.” Of course, FaZe Clan have other issues going on around the business, with former members and founders/owners of the company speaking out against what it has become. This has been highlighted predominantly by Nordan ‘Rain’ Shat, who joined the organization in September 2012, and Jakob ‘Teeqo’ Swaerden calling them out for what they believe to be poor business decisions and a lack of clarity over their roles with FaZe Clan.

Nadeshot Roasts Team Liquid CEO Hard Ahead of Their Teams’ Summer Split Semifinal Meeting This Weekend DBLTap / Team Liquid100 Thieves CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and his Team Liquid counterpart Steve Arhancet have gotten into a good-natured war of words over social media. The two orgs’ League of Legend teams are set to clash in a high stakes match-up in the semifinals of the NA LCS 2018 Summer Playoffs on September 2 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. Although that match is still several days away, the two CEO’s have already started their trash talking, with Arhancet tweeting out a clip from their meeting the Spring Split Playoffs Grand Finals, which Team Liquid dominated to win 3-0. How have you been sleeping this week @nadeshot? The 100 Thieves CEO did not blink an eye or hesitate in his response, as he threw a jab at the fact that it took Arhancet and Liquid six years to get a championship banner, while it only took 100T six months to make it to the finals of a NA LCS Split. Been getting 8 hours every night knowing it took 6 years for you to get a banner in the studio but only took us 6 months to meet you in the finals. This Split has not been as easy; the team went 10-8 to place third, and thus were forced to play in the first round, which they advanced through after beating FlyQuest 3-0.

Nadeshot reveals spectacular new 100 Thieves team house for Fortnite World Cup 100 Thieves – YouTubeWith the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers pretty much underway,100 Thieves have acquired an amazing looking brand new team house to give their pro players the best chance at qualifying for the $30 million competition. On April 12, 100 Thieves founder and CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag appeared in a YouTube video to announce and unveil their new Fortnite team house, which they’ve acquired in partnership with one of their newest sponsors Totino’s. The purpose of this house is for 100T to support various members of their pro Fortnite roster through the upcoming 10 grueling weeks of qualifiers for the World Cup, as well as making content along the way. “And so to have everybody under one roof and helping each other improve week after week and be able to rely and lean on each other to just push their game even further, I think this house is going to be unbelievable,” Nadeshot said. “It’s going to help our team so much. The house itself is pretty magnificent in both its exterior and interior. From the outside, the house already looks massive, and a trip through two floors of bedrooms, living rooms, and gaming areas makes it pretty clear that 100 Thieves are very serious about the World Cup. Who is staying at the 100 Thieves Fortnite World Cup team house? Again, the video does not formally announce who exactly will be residing at the house, but it’s likely to include most if not all of the Fortnite players who are part of the org’s official pro roster. Kenith – SirDimetrious – Ceice – Elevate – Kyzui – Blind – One 100 Thieves member who will likely not be staying at the house, despite the fact that he too will be competing in the World Cup qualifiers, is popular streamer Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff, who is technically a content creator for the org and not a “pro player.” Interestingly enough, spotted in the video above is Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, a member of 100 Thieves’ pro Call of Duty team, which hints at the house potentially being used by both pro teams for the time being. Where is the 100 Thieves Fortnite World Cup team house located? For obvious reasons, the video makes sure not to divulge much about where the house is located, but it’s very likely to be somewhere in the greater Los Angeles area of California. 100 Thieves’ main base of operations is located in LA, where Nadeshot and most of the staff reside, so it would make sense for the house to be not too far away. What is the Fortnite World Cup and when does it take place? The Fortnite World Cup is the biggest Fortnite competition to date, whose finals feature a $30 million prize pool with an additional $1 million handed out during each of the 10 weeks of qualifier tournaments. The World Cup is open for all players to try and qualify, but it will be extremely difficult to since only 100 Solo players and 100 Duos will qualify from the entire world. The first week of qualifiers will take place April 13-14, and there will be a separate qualifer each week thereafter until June 15-16, after which the qualified players and teams will travel to New York City for the finals on July 26-28.

Nadeshot returns to his roots with new 100 Thieves sponsorship deal As part of their efforts to aggressively expand in the world of esports, North American organization 100 Thieves have add yet another major sponsor heading into 2019. In an announcement via social media on November 29, 100 Thieves revealed that they have partnered up with Red Bull Esports, a branch of the popular energy drink company. “Today, we’re excited to announce our partnership with Red Bull Esports,” they tweeted. “Together we will push the limits of our teams, creators, and the entire 100 Thieves organization.” While partnering with Red Bull may be a brand new experience for almost everyone at 100 Thieves, for CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, it will be a homecoming of sorts. Nadeshot was a Red Bull Esports athlete for nearly six years, spanning from the days when he was a member of OpTic Gaming’s professional Call of Duty team. The announcement tweet for this new deal features a nostalgic video that includes clips of when the former CoD star was first partnered with Red Bull and visited their facilities in Santa Monica, CA. Using well-executed production, the video perfectly contrasts the old clips with the new, showing how far Nadeshot has truly come from being an eager CoD player to becoming the CEO of one of the biggest esports orgs in the world. 6 years ago, Nadeshot joined Red Bull as an esports athlete. Today, we’re excited to announce our partnership with @RedBullEsports. Together we will push the limits of our teams, creators, and the entire 100 Thieves organization. #100T pic.twitter.com/e5d3c2pNUM — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) November 29, 2018 In honor of this nostalgic reunion, Nadeshot took to Twitter to post his first ever interaction with Red Bull, back when all of what is going on today was nothing more than dream. “This was my first DM sent to Red Bull back in 2011. It was my dream to work with them after watching Walshy growing up,” he tweeted. “To now have my organization partnered with Red Bull going into 2019 feels like beyond a dream.” This was my first DM sent to Red Bull back in 2011. It was my dream to work with them after watching @Walshy(who was their first gaming athlete) growing up. To now have my entire organization partnered with Red Bull going into 2019 feels like a dream. Beyond excited @100Thieves! pic.twitter.com/j9lRQSBbpk — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) November 29, 2018 Red Bull Esports joins an elite collection of companies that 100 Thieves have partnered with since entering the esports scene, which also features Razer, Rocket Mortgage, and StockX. With their League of Legends team expected to recreate the magic of their first season, and their new Call of Duty pro team looking to make huge waves in the CWL, 2019 is looking bright for 100 Thieves.

Nadeshot reveals 100 Thieves plan to enter new esports Riot Games / 100 Thieves100 Thieves CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot‘ Haag unveiled the organization’s new headquarters on July 16, and also revealed their plans to expand beyond their current lineup of esports ventures. It’s been a busy week for the LA based organization, after announcing their $35 million Series B funding on July 16, resulting in an overall valuation bump up to $125 million. As part of the announcement, 100 Thieves also revealed their new facilities, which will double as both an office and training area for their esports teams, as well as a retail space for their apparel line. With the added investment, Nadeshot confirmed that they are “still thinking about” purchasing a franchise spot in the upcoming Call of Duty league, although didn’t clarify further. 100 Thieves to join new esports However, the former CoD pro did state clearly that in the next 12 months “we will be expanding into new esports titles”. The news followed the acquisition of Jacob Toft-Anderson, previously of OpTic Gaming, who joins as the VP of esports. Which esports will 100 Thieves expand into? During Toft-Anderson’s time at OpTic Gaming, the organization expanded into a variety of new titles, including the Overwatch League and League of Legends’ LCS. 100 Thieves already fields a team in the LCS, and the Overwatch League is now locked in for Season 2, although there is a possibility of expansion for Season 3. A return to CS:GO? One move that fans of both the organization and the esport itself would love to see, would be a move back into CS:GO. 100 Thieves briefly took on the former Immortals lineup, who brought with them a Legends stage spot at the ELEAGUE Boston Major. However, following controversy with in-game leader Vito ‘kNgV-‘ Guiseppe and VISA issues, the team never made it to the Major and 100 Thieves released the roster shortly after. A second attempt at joining CS:GO is certainly on the cards now though, with 100T a more experienced organization overall, and with improved financial backing. And the possibilities don’t stop there. With a team in League of Legends already, 100 Thieves could be considering a move into rival MOBA Dota2, with the large prize pool at The International 2019 bound to get any organization raising eyebrows. There’s also opportunities for expanding into Rocket League, which continues to grow in viewership. Or, if Nadeshot wants to stick with his FPS roots, Rainbow Six Siege is another viable option, another esport that continues to show healthy, albeit very gradual, growth.

Nadeshot loses it at “idiot” Valorant teammate after heated trash talk Twitch: Nadeshot/Riot GamesSolo queueing Valorant ranked play can be a testing experience at the best of times, but Nadeshot couldn’t contain his rage at a teammate talking trash to him during one intense match. Ranked play in any game can be a tough task, especially if you’re not stacking with friends or teammates. It’s hard to tell how your random teammates are going to want to play, you’re not sure what their attitude will be like, and in games like Valorant, it sometimes means having to be fluid on what Agent you want to play as. It’s not rare for these matches to end in disaster, with arguments between random teammates, and that’s exactly what happened with Nadeshot as he reached the end of one particularly tight game. Down 10-9 and hoping to get the ball rolling to win the final rounds, Nade’s teammate started questioning the former Call of Duty pro’s plays, and things quickly became toxic. When the Reyna started to ask why he made certain plays and telling him what he did wrong, Nadeshot hit him with a resounding “shut the f**k up,” before being called a “f**king bum.” Another teammate called for the two to “keep their composure,” but the beef was already in motion. “Instalock Reyna that can’t shoot straight to save his life, what a surprise,” said Nadeshot. The Reyna then died and accused Nade of “baiting” and being “a sh**ter,” and that’s when he lost it. “I’m playing f**king smokes,” he screamed down the mic, before finally getting pushed and killed, much to his trash-talking teammate’s delight. Nadeshot ended up muting the Reyna and the game went to overtime, with the 100 Thieves founder finding himself on the tougher side of a 2v1 in the final round, falling and losing the game. The match was no doubt hindered by the argument between Nadeshot and his teammate, and it would have been interesting to see whether good moods would have seen them prevail.

Nadeshot responds to backlash over 100 Thieves layoffs: “Will regret for the rest of my life” YouTube: 100 Thieves Cast100 Thieves CEO and founder Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag has responded to the backlash he and the company have faced after a recent wave of layoffs, with former employees speaking out against issues within the organization and questioning a shifting focus towards other 100 Thieves-owned businesses, such as Juvee and Higround. 100 Thieves was founded in 2017 and almost instantly became one of the most recognizable brands in esports. In addition to an LCS team that went to Worlds in its first year, 100 Thieves also quickly found success in other games, such as Fortnite and Call of Duty. They’re now competing with, and often usurping, brands that have been in the space for far longer, through a mixture of their esports success, their content arm, and other businesses, like drinks company Juvee and hardware creators Higround. In January, however, 100T announced a round of layoffs affecting a number of staff members, including Chief Revenue Officer Matty Lee and a number of editing and VFX staff. Addressing criticism of launching Juvee In a podcast episode several weeks later, Nadeshot opened up about the report that came out from Digiday in the aftermath of the layoffs, explaining how he disliked having to take that course of action and why criticism over the creation of Juvee, for example, is not all correct. “The toughest part about 100 Thieves is balancing all the things that we’re doing,” he admitted. “This article came out a couple of weeks ago, a lot of people are questioning, even former employees like, ‘Why the f**k did you guys start Juvee? That’s stupid.’ “When we first started raising money with 100 Thieves, and you’re trying to raise capital to keep your business alive, the only thing investors at that time were asking about was… ‘Are you doubling revenue year-over-year? How much money are you making? How are we going to grow that? How are we going to be a billion-dollar business one day?’ “Esports as a whole hasn’t been monetized to the level a lot of outside investors expected. But 100 Thieves, as a brand, always viewed it as, ‘This can push everything that we want to do forward.’ “I know it’s a super competitive market, but we have this road in the gaming community, where we know people are going to try it, so let’s build a brand that doesn’t have any ties to the gaming community and do something bigger than what we do with Higround, that is just endemically gaming and esports.” Timestamp 1:06:54 Nadeshot reveals regret over layoffs That wasn’t all, though, as Nadeshot went on to discuss how bad he felt about the layoffs and what went down, including how the global health crisis affected brands wanting to work with 100 Thieves and their ability to bring in revenue. He said: “Because of the tough decisions that we made, which I’ll have regret for the rest of my life, and I’m not saying that to have you think of me any better, we had to make tough decisions for the betterment of the company and the duty that we have to ourselves, to our board and investors who put money into this. “The company’s in a great place. We set expectations, we had the hard conversations, and we made changes, and I’ve never been more excited for the future of 100 Thieves, that’s God’s honest truth.” He went on to add that he’d “rather be buried six feet under than do it again,” but clarified again that he knows full well his situation is nowhere near as bad as that of the people who have lost their jobs. As well as Juvee and Higround, 100 Thieves are working on a video game that has not yet been named, known only as Project X.

Nadeshot vs H3CZ: OpTic’s rivalry with 100 Thieves begins @ CDL Kickoff Classic As the Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic marks the start of the 2021 season, we preview the event and what could become one of the biggest rivalries in Call of Duty history. After spending years as the face of OpTic Gaming, Nadeshot is back in competitive Call of Duty with his new LA Thieves franchise, and will face off against OpTic Chicago, who is now back under the ownership of H3CZ. As OpTic Chicago and LA Thieves are set to do battle in the final match of the Kickoff Classic Day 2, will the student pull one over on his mentor once again? With the CDL focusing this year on Activision’s latest installment, Black Ops Cold War, PC and controller-focused play alongside 4v4 match-ups aim to shake up the new season. The return of Treyarch maps will also, no doubt, be one of the biggest changes for the pro players to face, as we see the iconic Raid returning for the first time since Black Ops 2. Gameplay changes aren’t all to expect, though, as huge roster shake-ups during the off-season look to be a huge treat for fans, with the Huntsmen being rebranded to represent the Green Wall in 2021. While 48 players are looking to claim the top spot of the event, there are also plenty of individuals to keep an eye out for. Clayster and Shotzzy no doubt being on everyone’s radar during the event. For all Call of Duty and CDL news, make sure to head over to our dedicated hub.

Nadeshot clears things up with VENN following E3 “miscommunication” E3/VENNOn Monday, June 14, E3 viewers were treated to an extended interview with 100 Thieves founder Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag – but the esports org CEO wasn’t too happy about how the interview with Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez was portrayed. Luckily, it seems he was able to quickly patch things up with production company VENN. Esports becomes a bigger and bigger part of the wider video game scene every year, so it makes sense that E3, one of the biggest shows for the industry all year, would feature a bit of esports during the show. On June 14, before the Capcom showcase that everyone was waiting for got started, E3 broadcast a pre-recorded interview with H3CZ and Nade about 100 Thieves, how the org was created, and some challenges they’ve faced. Shortly after it aired, the 100 Thieves boss tagged production company VENN on Twitter. Radio silence and a few months later, they publish the episode live on E3’s official channel without any context or communications with me directly. Not one single second or asset was ever sent to me or reviewed. I had no idea this was happening nor did I consent. — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) June 14, 2021 “Disappointed in @watchvenn. I did this show as a favor to my brother H3CZ. We sat down and had a real conversation and I said explicitly that I wanted to review the episode before it was published in case I wanted anything cut,” Nadeshot explained. “Radio silence and a few months later, they publish the episode live on E3’s official channel without any context or communications with me directly.” Despite him asking to see what VENN was planning to show, Nade claims he didn’t hear about the interview again until it showed up on YouTube, and added that he doesn’t “consent” to what the production company did with the material. “Not one single second or asset was ever sent to me or reviewed,” he added. “I had no idea this was happening nor did I consent.” Now I’m getting tweets like this. A conversation amongst best friends about my history as a competitor and business man doesn’t belong on E3. I didn’t ask for this, nor did I pay for this promotion. I’m sorry to all the fans and community that celebrates E3 every year. https://t.co/3j4SaDM5V4 — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) June 14, 2021 “A conversation amongst best friends about my history as a competitor and business man doesn’t belong on E3,” Haag wrote. “I didn’t ask for this, nor did I pay for this promotion. I’m sorry to all the fans and community that celebrates E3 every year.” Roughly an hour after sending out the initial tweet blasting VENN, Nadeshot posted an update where he said, after talking to the company, it seems to have come down to “miscommunication.” After speaking with @watchvenn, I don’t believe there was malicious intent on their end. This was a miscommunication and we’ve cleared things up. I appreciate them reaching out and taking care of me. All good on my end. Sorry I stirred the pot, was a frustrating moment. — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) June 14, 2021 “After speaking with @watchvenn, I don’t believe there was malicious intent on their end.” Haag wrote. “This was a miscommunication and we’ve cleared things up. I appreciate them reaching out and taking care of me. All good on my end. Sorry I stirred the pot, was a frustrating moment.” VENN, for the most part, has stayed completely silent during this episode, obviously preferring to take care of things behind the scenes. Based on Nadeshot attempting to clear the air, it does look like there was no ill-intent behind the interview — no matter how poorly framed it was.

Nadeshot breaks down Drake and Scooter Braun investment, talks future of 100 Thieves 100 Thieves CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and COO John Robinson have released a video discussing the investments made by Drake and Scooter Braun, along with what the future holds for the organization. 100 Thieves came to the forefront of esports on Tuesday, October 23 when they announced that rapper Drake and entertainment talent manager Scooter Braun had become co-owners of the esports and apparel brand. The partnership has clearly been in the works for some time, with Haag commenting: “This Drake and Scooter Braun announcement that we just dropped on social media, this is something we’ve been working on for six months. All the really cool shit we’re doing, I can’t talk about.” When asked to explain why Drake and Braun were so valuable to the organization, Robinson stated: “As we think about making great content and making amazon apparel, we wanted to think about other investors who know that world really well, and can help us level up really fast. “At the top of your list, and the top of my list, were Drake, and when we met Scooter and learned his background, and what he offers and how many connections he can help us make, it was a dream team right away.” Robinson confirmed that the organization’s focus for 2019 will be esports first, with a vision to utilizing Drake and Braun to help build on the current content team, along with improving the availability of apparel. “We have made strides over the last year to deliver the highest quality apparel,” commented Haag. “We have another drop coming in December, and then we’re blowing the hinges off in 2019.” “More drops at a wider variety of price points, so hopefully we’ll be giving you stuff more often,” agreed Robinson. Unfortunately, there is no official announcement as to what will be coming in the December apparel release, so fans will have to keep their eyes on the 100 Thieves social media accounts for more information.

Sources: Largest college esports league to launch in landmark partnership Durham Lords EsportsFour major players in the collegiate esports scene in North America have entered a landmark partnership to launch the largest collegiate competitive gaming league to date, according to information obtained by Dexerto. As esports has grown over the years, numerous companies have attempted to get in and dominate the market in American colleges and universities by providing opportunities for collegiate competitions on titles such as League of Legends and Rocket League. Now, as a way of consolidating these efforts and obtaining the largest market share in the ecosystem to date, Dexerto has learned that four companies have come together to launch the NACE Starleague. League operators CSL Esports, collegiate initiative National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), infrastructure company and tournament organizers Nerd Street Gamers, and tournament platform Mainline have all entered an alliance. Proud to announce our first high school state association esports partnership with Washington! Together, CSL Esports and @wiaawa will work to teach the student participants of Washington life skills through video games💙 Learn More @ https://t.co/whKxBllUjp pic.twitter.com/4L0S1mg6NV — NACE Starleague (@nacestarleague) June 16, 2021 As a result of the partnership, these four companies expect to deliver esports to over 15,000 students across 600 colleges and universities, sources have informed Dexerto. It’s expected to get underway in the third quarter of 2021. Plans behind the NACE Starleague include working with colleges to host local invitational events, building esports training facilities, facilitating competition for students of varying skill levels, and ensuring fair competition by coordinating with game publishers. The league will be regulated by the NACE, operated and broadcasted with assistance from Nerd Street Gamers, facilitated on Mainline’s tournament platform, and competed in by schools that are a part of CSL’s program. The state of high school and collegiate esports is as fractured as the esports industry itself, with no central power being able to grant exclusivity across multiple titles. This partnership has been forged in hopes of providing a uniformed, optimized experience for students across the board. For example, Riot Games have their own collegiate initiative for League of Legends, heavily-funded PlayVS are vying to be the de facto destination for scholastic esports, and popular tournament organizers ESL also have their own college division.

Nadeshot blasts ‘idiots’ who claim 100T “doesn’t care about winning” Twitch: Nadeshot100 Thieves CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag has hit out at ‘idiots’ who accuse him and the organization of not caring about winning. In the past, 100 Thieves has been accused of being a “hoodie org,” or caring more about content than results in-game. Obviously, the organization has seen plenty of success despite its relative infancy. It’s one of the biggest orgs in the industry, won multiple championships across Call of Duty, Valorant and Fortnite and made LoL Worlds in their first season. Being at the top has been paramount to 100 Thieves’ success, but Nadeshot still regularly faces accusations that he and the org don’t care enough about winning. Choosing to address this during a Warzone stream, Nade hit out at these claims, letting his fans and critics know the score. “I’m going to say this, and I’m going to be pretty candid with this one,” he said, addressing the claims. “I don’t even care if you say it in the chat as a meme, I don’t care if somebody on Reddit says it, I don’t care if somebody says it on Twitter or Instagram. “If you think 100 Thieves doesn’t f**king care about winning, you’re an idiot. Look at the moves we have made in League of Legends, Valorant, and Call of Duty in the last year. How could you argue at this point? How could you say we’re a hoodie org?” This comes off the back of one of the most notable roster moves in Call of Duty esports history, as their CDL franchise LA Thieves picked up Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland from Dallas Empire, dropping Thomas ‘TJHaly’ Haly in the process. Whatever you think of 100 Thieves, Nadeshot clearly disagrees with any sentiment that winning isn’t a key consideration for the organization. Now, they’ll have to collect some more trophies to prove it once and for all.

Multiple OpTic Gaming staff members let go in further esports industry layoffs YouTube: HaloThe number of layoffs in the esports industry continues to climb early in 2023 as this time around, OpTic Gaming, has let multiple staff members go across various positions. 2023 has been off to a rough start across the entire gaming industry. From media publications reducing their workforce to upwards of 10,000 employees being left without a job across Microsoft-owned studios, many have had their careers unexpectedly shaken up early into the new year. The esports space hasn’t been spared of this trouble either, with multiple popular brands dropping employees as they restructure for the year ahead. Namely, 100 Thieves most recently let go of more than a dozen staff members across its video, social, and marketing teams, even suddenly parting ways with its Chief Revenue Officer on January 10. Now, the hits continue to pile up across the industry as OpTic Gaming, best known for its efforts in the Call of Duty scene, has now joined the layoff list and let go of multiple employees to round out January. At the time of writing, it’s yet unclear just how many staff members were let go in the January 26 layoff round at OpTic. However, with multiple employees sharing their situation on social media, we know multiple divisions were hit, ranging from those on the social media team to those directly leading the Esports Management for the ‘Green Wall.’ “Unfortunately, today is my last day with OpTic & Dallas Fuel as I was laid off,” former Brand Manager & Head of Marketing Lindsay Caudill shared. Prior to the OpTic-Envy merger in 2022, Caudill climbed through the ranks at Envy, having started as a Social Media Intern before rising to Social Manager and then, full Brand Manager for OpTic once the takeover was in effect. After almost four years at the organization, Caudill is now “looking for work” elsewhere in the industry. Caudill also liked a post from renowned reporter Jacob Wolf, seemingly agreeing with the sentiment that the company hasn’t been “their OpTic,” since the merger took hold. Similarly, former all-rounder, Ian, responsible for team management, scouting, sponsor events, drafting contracts and budgets, and the like, has also found himself out of a job. “This is my last day with OpTic,” he said. Rocket League stars Retals and AYYJAYY both chimed in to vouch for the former staff member, saying they “loved working together.” OpTic is yet to address the layoffs publicly but we’ll update you here should that change in the coming hours.

Mysterious esports org goes on sale for over $3m with teams in League and CSGO Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesAn unknown Russian esports organization have listed themselves for sale on startup acquisition marketplace MicroAcquire for a total of $3.15m. The past few years of the esports industry may as well be nicknamed the ‘venture capital age’, with almost all of the prominent organizations raising millions of dollars from investors. Some organizations have been sold for plenty of cash during that period too, the likes of OpTic Gaming are a prime example, but one company is forgoing that trend in favor of another method. An unspecified esports organization based in Russia is listed on an online marketplace, in hopes of finding a new investor as the current operators eye up an exit strategy. The org is unknown but they specify that they’re Russian, they compete in League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and they’ve generated $300,000 revenue in the last 12 months. Read More: Every public esports company & organization – The unknown company claim they’re one of the “ten most popular organizations in the CIS” region and that they receive over 8m views across their content on a monthly basis. Their asking price for an investor is $3.15m. They would seemingly use the funds to help expand their sales team to maximize how much they generate through sponsorships and advertisements, with the end goal of multiplying the return by 2-3 times within the next three years. The org wants to sell their company, through either an acquisition or going public with an initial public offering (IPO), for up to $8m. The selling details listed on the marketplace state that they’re open to a full sale, though also welcome the idea of selling 15%, 21%, or 48% of the company. They claim to have generated $35,000 in revenue in the last month, of which zero profit was made, as part of an annual earning of $300,000 which also yielding zero profit.

ONIC Esports win MSC 2023: Final placements and recap MoontoonThe Mobile Legends: Southeast Asia Cup, also known as MSC, has come to a close, with ONIC Esports securing the trophy. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament. ONIC Esports are Mobile Legends’ new Southeast Asian champions after winning MSC 2023, which took place in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The Indonesian team, the fourth-placed finishers at the M4 World Championship, defeated Blacklist International 4-2 in a nail-biting BO7 grand final, collecting the first prize of $140,000 and succeeding RSG Philippines as MSC champions. It was a dominant run from ONIC, who beat the champions from M1 (EVOS Legends), M4 (ECHO) and M3 (Blacklist International) en route to the title. Nicky ‘Kiboy’ Fernando, ONIC’s 20-year-old roamer, was named the MVP of the tournament. Even without the prestige of the World Championships, MSC 2023 leaves a mark in Mobile Legends Esports’ history books. The grand final had a peak of 3.65 million viewers, second only to the M4 World Championship‘s peak of 4.2 million, according to data firm Esports Charts. Moonton raised the bar even higher in 2023 by expanding MSC to include teams from other regions for the first time. The tournament welcomed top teams from North America, Turkey, and MENA (Middle East and North Africa), turning an “established regional brand into an international championship”, according to the organizers. Below is everything you need to know about MSC 2023, including the schedule, the latest results, and how to watch. MSC 2023: All results The event took take place from June 10 through 18, with a one-day break between the group stage and the playoffs on June 14. For the first time in MSC history, Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, was picked to host the tournament. The event was held at AEON Mall Mean Chey. The official schedule is the following: June 10-13: Group Stage – June 14: Break – June 15-18: Playoffs – MSC 2023: Prize and standings MSC 2023: Playoffs (June 15-18) Day 1: June 15 Day 2: June 16 Day 3: June 17 Day 4: June 18 MSC 2023: Group Stage (June 10-13) Day 1: June 10 Day 2: June 11 Day 3: June 12 Day 4: June 13 Group A Group B Group C Group D MSC 2023: All qualified teams Note: The MSC Committee has announced that the winner of the North American qualifier, BloodThirstyKings, is unable to attend the event. The team will be replaced by the qualifier’s runner-up, Team Outplay.

Most watched esports tournaments of 2021: League, Dota, CSGO, Valorant Esports viewership stats for 2021 show that this year’s statistics topple last year’s. Here are the most-watched esports tournaments of 2021. Like traditional sports, esports fans will argue that their favorite game is the best. However, one aspect that can’t be argued is the most popular esports, which can generally be gauged by their viewership. With statistics provided by the esports charts, here are the most-watched esports tournaments of 2021. Note that these statistics exclude Chinese viewership figures, generally considered unreliable. Most watched esports tournaments – 2021 10 — Valorant Champions 2021 Hours watched: 46.04m – Hours streamed: 98 – The end of the inaugural Valorant Champions Tour is a tournament that Valorant fans will remember for years to come. From the North American powerhouse Sentinels being knocked out in early stages to the underdogs KRU Esports’ miracle run, where they almost made it to the finals. Read More: Acend win Valorant Champions 2021 – Valorant Champions makes its way onto the list with 46.04M hours watched and 98 hours streamed as Acend took down Gambit Esports in a gut-wrenching best of five series to become the first-ever Valorant World Champions. 9 — Mobile Legends: MPL ID Season 7 Hours watched: 54.29m – Hours streamed: 169 – Season 7 of the Mobile Legends Indonesian Pro League makes the list with 54.29M hours watched. The 169 hours streamed were full of intense games, as EVOS Legends took down Bigetron Alpha 4-2 taking home $140,000 and a spot at MSC 2021. 8 — League of Legends: LCK Summer Hours watched: 60.52m – Hours streamed: 295 – The League of Legends LCK Summer Split makes this list effortlessly with 60.52M hours watched with 295 hours streamed. The LCK 2021 Summer Split made history, and it’s no surprise that it was DWG KIA setting more records as they became the first team in Korean history to win three splits back-to-back-to-back. 7 — League of Legends: Mid-Season Invitational Hours watched: 61.18m – Hours streamed: 86 – The 2021 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational was one of the most hyped events of the year. The upsets and triumphs, especially seeing the OCE region prevail and make it out of groups for the first time ever will be a moment League of Legends fans won’t forget. Read More: Royal Never Give Up claim second MSI title – We saw Royal Never Give Up take down World Champions DWG KIA 3-2 to claim their second title in the Grand Finals to end off an exhilarating MSI. Riot’s dominance with their esports tournaments continues, as MSI had 61.18M hours watched in just 86 hours streamed – the lowest amount streamed on this list. 6 — Mobile Legends: M3 World Championship Hours Watched: 62.61m – Hours streamed: 103 – The M3 World Championship marked the end of the Mobile Legends 2021 competitive season, and it held an impressive 62.61M hours watched with 103 hours streamed throughout its third iteration of the tournament. The finals of the 2021 M3 World Championship were arguably one of the most entertaining we’ve seen, as Blacklist international swept Onic Philippines 4-0 in the best-of-seven series. 5 — League of Legends: LCK Spring Split Hours watched: 67.64m – Hours streamed: 290 – Making the list for the second time, we have the League of Legends LCK. The spring split clocked in at 67.64M hours watched during the 290 hours that were streamed. Read More: DWG KIA emerge as LCK Spring 2021 champions – The LCK Spring Split saw a very dominant and entertaining 16-2 run from DWG KIA – who at the time were the current World Champions. 4 — Counter-Strike: PGL Major Stockholm Hours watched: 71.26m – Hours streamed: 120 – The only first-person shooter in the top five most-watched esports tournaments is of course from no other than Counter-Strike’s PGL Stockholm Major. Stockholm’s Major was the first since 2019, and had Counter-Strike fans around the world more hyped than ever. Read More: NAVI win CSGO PGL Major Stockholm 2021 – With 71.26M hours watched with 120 hours streamed, PGL Stockholm is one Counter-Strike fans will always remember as Natus Vincere took down G2 in the grand finals, securing their spot in the history books. 3 — Mobile Legends: MPL ID Season 8 Hours watched: 76.94m – Hours streamed: 172 – It might be a surprise for those unfamiliar with Mobile Legends to see it make its mark on this list once, never mind three times. The MPL ID Season 8 was the third most-watched esports of the year. While the most-watched tournaments list is usually dominated by Riot Games, but with 76.94M hours watched with 172 hours streamed the future of competitive Mobile Legends is bright. Onic Esports were the ones to take the trophy and tickets to M3 home, after taking down RRQ Hoshi 4-3 in the finals. 2 — Dota 2: The International 10 Hours watched: 107.23m – Hours streamed: 125 – While Dota 2’s TI10 is nowhere close to LoL Worlds, they sit an impressive 30.29M hours watched ahead of MPL with 107.23M hours watched with 125 hours streamed taking a solid second place on this list. Team Spirit’s legendary run at The International 10 will definitely be one to remember after the underdogs took down PSG.LGD 3-2 in the Grand Finals. With a crazy $40,018,195 prize pool – the biggest in esports history, the future of competitive Dota 2 is bright. 1 — League of Legends: World Championship Hours watched: 174.82m – Hours streamed: 134 – Of course, the top of the list is held securely by Riot and the League of Legends 2021 World Championship, and it isn’t even remotely close. With 174.82M hours watched in the 134 hours streamed. Read More: EDward Gaming claim maiden Worlds title – The League of Legends 2021 World Championship sits a comfortable 67M hours watched ahead of Dota 2’s TI10. Worlds 2021 saw Chinese team EDward Gaming lift their first international title since 2015 after taking down the defending champions DWG KIA. Overall, the future of esports is looking better than ever, with record-breaking statistics year after year.

MSC 2023 Grand Finals draws more viewers than CDL Champs, VCT Masters Tokyo, & OWL combined Mobile Legends EsportsThe Mobile Legends: Southeast Asia Cup Grand FInals drew more viewers than CDL Champs, VCT Masters Tokyo, and OWL Midseason Madness combined last weekend, with millions tuning in. For esports fans across many games, it was an exciting time last weekend. CDL saw New York Subliners claim the 2023 Champs trophy, OWL saw Atlanta Reign go on a flawless run at Midseason Madness, and VCT saw the Masters playoffs kick off with one of the most unlikely brackets drawn. For Mobile Legends fans, they saw the conclusion to MSC 2023, witnessing ONIC Esports claim their second MSC title in an extremely dominant run through the tournament. But with all the different esports tournaments ending this weekend, the one that drew not only the most eyes, but also absolutely smashed viewership records across the boards, was Mobile Legends. According to Esports Charts, the MSC 2023 Grand Finals between ONIC Esports and Blacklist International drew in a staggering 3,650,822 concurrent viewers at its peak. The Indonesian stream alone, which is the region where Mobile Legends is most popular and where ONIC is from, drew in a jaw-dropping 2.16 million viewers at its peak. Whilst the YouTube stream peaked at 2.41 million viewers. Meanwhile, VCT’s highest viewership over the weekend was the PRX vs DRX match which saw 454,107 viewers at its peak. CDL Champs peaked at 294,178 viewers, and OWL’s Midseason Madness at 83,987. Combined, it doesn’t even come close to the peak of the Indonesian stream, let alone the tournament’s highest viewership peak. The most insane part of Mobile Legends is this was not even the most watched match of all time, rather only the second. The M4 World Championship match between Blacklist and RRQ saw 4.27 million viewers at its peak. And according to Esports Charts, Mobile Legends is by far the most popular esport viewership-wise, with League of Legends trailing behind by two million viewers.

Most watched esports teams in 2018 revealed – OpTic, Liquid, FaZe and more A top 10 list of the ‘most popular teams by esports hours watched’ was recently released and it featured some surprising names. It has been a great year for esports with viewership of the most popular events such as the League of Legends World Championship 2018, estimated to have pulled in around two million peak viewers according to ESC. A report was released on March 30 by ESC detailing many of the esports viewership statistics for the past year and one of the most most interesting ones for fans to see was the “Most popular teams by esports hours watched” The chart shows ten of the biggest organization names in esports with teams being fielded in a wide range of the top esports. However, it was Team Liquid who secured the top spot with 92.8 million hours watched of their esport teams. Team Liquid were followed closely by Fnatic who were only 2 million behind the first placed organization. Team Liquid field rosters in almost all of the most viewed esports such as League of Legends, Dota 2, CS:GO, Fortnite and much more. Although this list featured some huge fan favorites there was one name fans were surprised to see, despite only competing in one esport during 2018, Astralis and their dominant CSGO roster pulled in 40.4 million viewers to creep in at 9th place. Another surprise to fans was the absence of fan favorite TeamSoloMid who notably have a huge presence in Fortnite and League of Legends with top streamers such as Myth and Daequan on their Fortnite roster and star players such as Bjergsen and BrokenBlade on their LoL team. Esports viewership is growing at such an incredible rate that we can only expect the numbers to be much higher next year and many are looking forward to seeing if Team Liquid can retain their spot at the end of 2019.

100 Thieves, FaZe and LOUD dominate as most viewed esports orgs on TikTok in 2021 TikTok/ESLTikTok has become one of the key driving forces for content views in esports, and some organizations are killing it more than others. Here are the most-watched esports orgs on TikTok throughout 2021. TikTok is the home of countless viral phenomena, across a range of subjects, genres, and demographics. Esports is no stranger to TikTok, either, with top pros, streamers, and organizations utilizing the app to its fullest extent. But which orgs managed to pick up the most views above their competition? With some surprise standouts and the biggest names in the industry, here are the top 10. The Twitter thread embedded below from Brendan Husebo ranks the top 10 most viewed esports orgs on TikTok, sorted by total views as well as providing average viewership per post. Topping the list is Brazilian organization LOUD, with 383m views and approximately 1.1m views per post. Elsewhere, notable orgs such as 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, NRG, and Call of Duty League side Toronto Ultra round out the top 10. The most viewed esports organisation pages on TikTok in 2021: 1 @LOUDgg 🇧🇷 2 @evosesports 🇮🇩 3 @NRGgg 🇺🇸 4 @100Thieves 🇺🇸 5 @teamrrqofficial 🇮🇩 6 @FaZeClan 🇺🇸 7 @Sentinels 🇺🇸 8 @fluxogg 🇧🇷 9 @TorontoUltra 🇨🇦 10 @bigetronesports 🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/u3GvYfYoqs— Brendan Husebø (@BrendanHusebo) January 18, 2022 Call of Duty League franchise Toronto Ultra’s inclusion in the list will definitely surprise some esports experts, especially since they’re nowhere near as big in the content world as the likes of FaZe and 100 Thieves. Husebo goes into more depth on each org’s TikTok pages in the thread, looking at their engagement rates and overall growth, among other things. There’s clearly a huge market for esports orgs to reel in viewers on TikTok, but some are just doing it better than others.

Twitch forced to delay Rivals event after Mortal Kombat players doxxed mid-tournament NetherRealm Studios / TwitchTwitch has been forced to delay the Max Presents: MKX Lives! Twitch Rivals tournament after someone ‘doxxed’ the Mortal Kombat players by posting their addresses in chat during the stream. The Max Presents: MKX Lives! Twitch Rivals tournament was set to be a cracker, with 32 Mortal Kombat players competing for a chance to win bragging rights and a piece of the $5,000 prize pool. However, Twitch had no choice but to delay the tournament after someone started posting player’s addresses in the chat during the stream, which continues ‘doxxing’ and is a serious offense shortly after it started. Naturally, Twitch took the incident very seriously and didn’t want to take any chances. They immediately canceled the stream, issued a statement condemning the behavior, and announced that it would be rescheduled. “We do not condone harassment of any kind on Twitch, and we have paused today’s Max Presents: MKX Lives! Twitch Rivals tournament to ensure the safety of our participants,” they said. “The top 8 phase of the tournament will be rescheduled for a later date.” It’s an unfortunate situation for everyone involved, especially the players who were exposed to potential danger. Fans were disappointed, too, considering how exciting the tournament was shaping up to be. But they understood that the player’s safety is paramount. Twitch hasn’t worked out when the tournament will re-commence, but the moment they do, we’ll update the article and keep you posted.

MonteCristo and IWDominate explain how TSM are “destroying” their players Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesIn the latest episode of The Jungle, Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykkles and Christian ‘IWDominate’ Rivera didn’t hold back on discussing TSM’s attitude to player development, and their treatment of new support Wei ‘Shenyi’ Zijie. TSM’s recent roster moves have been, to say the least, controversial. Their out-of-left-field offseason decision to acquire two relatively untested players from the LPL’s developmental league backfired massively, with the org going 0-4 in the opening two weeks of the LCS. It was clear that the organization needed a change, but they found that change in the controversial decision to bench Shenyi and bring up academy support Wang ‘Yursan’ Shengyu. On the latest episode of Dexerto’s ‘The Jungle’, IWDominate slammed the move, explaining that he “didn’t see how this decision would move the team forward.” MonteCristo explained how typical this behavior was for TSM, even going so far as to label it the “TSM jungler treatment.” “He’s just getting the TSM jungler treatment of the past. You get a player for their specific strengths, you ignore all of those strengths, and then you destroy them.” Shenyi was famed in the LPL for his aggression and shot-calling ability. Shortly after he was benched, he explained in a live stream how he didn’t feel that the TSM roster trusted his decision-making, and that he felt that the team was not cooperating with him as a support player. The roster has also had to contend with a language barrier, as neither Shenyi nor Keaiduo speaks particularly strong English. TSM’s misguided approach The team quickly fell apart, with Shenyi explaining on a live stream how he didn’t feel that TSM’s players trusted his shot-calling ability. He was moved down to the academy roster after only two weeks on the team’s starting roster, a move IWDominate labeled as “stunting your own growth” for a TSM whose messaging has been all about long-term improvement. “Not only are you not doing the things that are conducive to actually progressing as a team,” he explained, referencing TSM’s reliance on the enchanter top strategy that has since been patched out of the game, “but you’re not even doing it with the f*cking player that you’re presumably going to be playing with at some point.” “Their management and their gameplay both suck as hard as is possible at this point in the season.” From an outside perspective, it can be difficult to see how a plan can backfire as hard as TSM’s developmental roster has backfired for the org. MonteCristo offered his perspective on the decisions that have led to TSM’s rough 2022 start, explaining that “it’s a disaster that the people who made this roster are now no longer even with the org.” With TSM’s CEO Andy ‘Reginald’ Dinh currently under investigation by Riot Games after allegations made about a toxic working environment by former TSM employees, it’s unlikely that he’s currently in communication with the team’s League of Legends roster. MonteCristo explained that “Regi and Parth, who ostensibly made these roster decisions, are all out of the picture right now.” “So you’re left with a guy who didn’t make the initial roster decisions, making choices that are only going to shoot them in the foot later on. So what we can infer is that this roster is going to be even worse, somehow, in the future.” TSM have a lot of work to do if they’re going to turn around their run of bad form in the LCS. They currently sit tied for dead last with CLG, with a 1-5 record after three weeks of competitive play, their worst start to an LCS split in history.

MonteCristo finds new home at Cloud9 after departing Overwatch League Twitter: MontecristoFan-favorite caster Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles will be creating content for Cloud9 as well as “partnering with them [to design] competitive products” in 2020 after his very public departure from Blizzard’s hallmark esports league. MonteCristo has worked with Cloud9 in the past in a more informal capacity, hosting shows like Summoning Insight, a League of Legends talk show, and The 9’s, a series covering esports news from around the world. However, the former Overwatch and LoL caster will now be shifting into full-time content creation under the Cloud9 banner as the organization looks to boost their content game in 2020. The move was announced on January 19 in true MonteCristo fashion — by taking off one layer of clothing to reveal a new chapter. “I know you’ve seen a lot in the media recently about my departure from the Overwatch League, and I just wanted to have a chance to explain my experience to you and tell you the reasons why I left,” he said, deadpan into the camera. “Obviously, I’ve been with the Overwatch League since the inaugural season and even before that I started casting Overwatch at the start of the competitive scene, going all the way back to APEX. https://twitter.com/MonteCristo/status/1219046484772962307 However, the jokes then started coming as he announced his new home. “I was there for the very first C9 in Overwatch and I’ve gotta tell you, this is going to be my last C9 as well.” While he doesn’t have a formal title, MonteCristo said “I will be making content my way with Cloud9. “I appreciate the fact that C9 embraces my creative vision and goals,” he added. He also has partnered with them to design “competitive products” that will be announced in the coming weeks. Little is known about what this could mean, so it could be anything from new content, teams, or other paraphernalia. Jokes aside, what this means is that I will be making content my way with @Cloud9. I will also be partnering with them on designing competitive products that will be announced shortly. I appreciate the fact that C9 embraces my creative vision and goals. — MonteCristo (@MonteCristo) January 20, 2020 This comes after multiple rumors that MonteCristo could be returning to League of Legends, or even casting new games like CS:GO after his departure from Overwatch’s franchised league. The door might not be closed on some of these opportunities if he can go his own way with his content, so fans of the caster could look forward to him moving on to new games alongside his role with the North American organization.

MoistCr1TiKaL shares details on Moist Esports’ expansion plans YouTube: penguinz0In an interview with Jake Lucky, MoistCr1TiKaL stated that there were “a few big announcements” coming up for his esports organization ‘Moist Esports’. Charles ‘MoistCr1TiKaL’ White Jr is one of the internet’s most veteran content creators. One of the original stars of YouTube, his career spans over sixteen years and multiple platforms, including livestreaming website Twitch. In 2021, he founded his own esports organization, Moist Esports. Beginning with the signing of Super Smash Bros Ultimate player Kolawole ‘Kola’ Aideyan in 2021, the org now hosts teams in Rocket League, Guilty Gear Strive, and Super Smash Bros Melee. Recently, Moist Esports’ Rocket League team were crowned the champions of the 2022 Rocket League Spring Split major. They attended the RLCS World Championship, where they lost 2-3 in the quarterfinals to FURIA. In an interview with Jake Lucky while attending the RLCS World Championship, MoistCr1TiKaL took the opportunity to tease fans with some of Moist Esports’ upcoming plans for expansion. ‘Big announcements’ coming soon for the org In the interview, MoistCr1TiKaL confirmed that the organization had “a couple of big announcements round the corner”, including a “big pickup in a different game”. The organization has enjoyed huge growth in the year since its creation. While Cr1tiKal wasn’t willing to give away any major details as to what that “new game” would be, the org’s rapid expansion shows no signs of slowing down. Critical also teased the possibility of announcements for Moist Esports’ existing titles. With their successes in Rocket League marking the org’s greatest achievement to date, fans hopefully won’t have to wait long to find out what these announcements will be.

MoistCritikal’s esports org refuses invite to $2m Saudi esports tournament Provided by PsyonixMoist Esports announced that its Rocket League division is not attending a $2 million dollar prize pool Rocket League event in Saudi Arabia. Moist Esports was founded by popular YouTuber and streamer Charles “MoistCritikal” White Jr. in 2021. Moist Esports has teams in Guilty Gear Strive, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Rocket League team is fresh off from winning the League Championship Series Spring Split Major in July 2022. Moist Esports created their Rocket League division on May 5, 2022. Gamers8 is a $2 million dollar prize pool Rocket League tournament featuring four groups of six teams in Saudi Arabia. Moist Esports announced on July 8 that it would not be attending. Moist Esports declines to attend Gamers8 Rocket League tournament Media personality Jack Lucky shared tweets from Moist Esports Rocket League team member rise and Moist Esports Rocket League coach/manager nzeroah. nzeroah said, “To simply put it, I will not be associating with a country that does not recognize LGBTQ+ people as human beings. I think it’s important to put my morals and beliefs over money.” rise said, “I really wanted to attend GW8. However, seeing how much this meant to Noah changed my mind. We are just going to focus on Worlds and do our best there. ” Despite being invited, Moist esports will not be attending the Rocket League event in Saudi Arabia. Denying an easy chance at playing for $2 million to stand by their morals. pic.twitter.com/DedWFQk7aP — Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) July 8, 2022 G2 and FaZe have yet to announce if they will attend the tournament. As of writing, Complexity Gaming, Luminosity Gaming, and 10 other teams have accepted to compete in the tournament. Moist Esports will return to the grand stage for the Rocket League World Championship in August. The event has a prize pool of just over $2 million dollars featuring 16 of the best Rocket League teams in the world.

Mobile Legends esports event gets massive viewership on YouTube MoontonThe Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Grand Finals that took place on Sunday 17 October has been identified as one of the biggest esports events of 2020, in terms of peak concurrent viewers. While Mobile Legends may be unknown to many in the Western world, the game has cemented itself as one of the most dominant mobile games of the Southeast Asian mobile gaming scene. With millions of players worldwide, the game has become a behemoth in the competitive mobile esports environment. Designed as a MOBA, the game sees the player join forces with four other players in an attempt to conquer the enemy base. It wears it’s League of Legends inspirations on its sleeve. Strategy and team composition are key, so it’s not your average handheld game. Mobile Legends YouTube viewership This is even further proven by the fact that Sunday’s (17 October) Grand Finals attracted 611,000 peak concurrent (CCU) views, making it one of the most-watched esports events of the year, as highlighted by YouTube Gaming’s Ryan ‘Fwiz’ Wyatt. https://twitter.com/Fwiz/status/1318894028285378563 Wyatt goes on to put the viewership numbers into perspective, noting that the recent ESL Pro League Season 12 Grand Final for CS:GO peaked at 316,000 CCO across both Twitch and Youtube. https://twitter.com/Fwiz/status/1318915263543140353 Mobile gaming esports When most people think of esports they imagine huge gaming arenas filled to the brim with glowing neon computers and young kids staring intently at their screens. However, mobile gaming is revolutionizing the way that we perceive esports. With huge franchises such as Call of Duty now having a mobile professional scene, and rumors swirling about a possible mobile version of Riot Games’ newest title Valorant, mobile games are becoming an unstoppable force in the esports world. It’s exciting to watch their expansion, especially in regions of the world where computer and console-based gaming are few and far between. Only the future knows whether mobile game titles will come to dominate the traditional esports scene, but until then it’s worth checking out Mobile Legends to see what all the hype is about.

MoistCr1Tikal is starting his own Esports team called ‘Moist Esports’ MoistCr1TiKal, Smash Ultimate SummitMoistCr1TiKal’s success seemingly knows no bounds, however, his move could be his most interesting chapter yet as he says he’s starting an esports team. The world of esports sees new challengers enter the arena constantly. While some are destined for greatness, others don’t quite reach those lofty heights of stardom. However, for some people entering the scene, this is a great opportunity to boost upcoming talents in some way. In the case of YouTuber MoistCr1TiKal, an exciting new career move is unfolding before our eyes. Charles ‘Charlie’ White Jr., more commonly known as penguinz0 or MoistCr1TiKal, garnered success with his comical gaming commentary videos and topical breakdowns. Delivered in an amusingly deadpan fashion, the creator has gone on to spawn an enormous 8 million YouTuber subscribers and 3 million Twitch followers. With over 3.8 billion video views, the sky is truly the limit for lies ahead next. Harnessing his passion for the gaming community, entering the world of esports is the latest chapter of his runaway success. Today I’m giving birth to the next big esports team Moist Esports. Our first player Kola needs your help to win Smash Summit. Please vote for him here https://t.co/1IuGj4nFHR — Charlie (@MoistCr1TiKaL) August 11, 2021 Announced over at Charlie’s Twitter, the celebrated content creator will be debuting his new esports team soon. Dubbed “Moist Esports”, this new team will debut their talents in Smash Ultimate Summit 3. To mark the occasion Charlie has recruited Kola, a recognized talent within the Smash Bros competitive circuit. Fans have responded positively to the news so far, noting the importance of the Summit’s invitational selection. Kola, formerly known as Salt One, has already proved their talents are strong enough to compete before. Often regarded as the best Roy player in the world, the newly recruited talent has bested the likes of Dabuz, WaDi, Wrath and Cosmos. Comment byu/KenshiroTheKid from discussion inLivestreamFail The Smash Ultimate Summit begins on August 26 and we’re excited to see this bright new era of Charlie’s career come to fruition.

MLG Twitch channels banned after hack Popular tournament organizer and esports broadcaster Major League Gaming has had its Twitch channels suspended after their accounts appeared to be hacked on February 22. Commonly known as MLG, the tournament organizer has held multiple esports events in many of the top titles such as Call of Duty, CS:GO, Halo and more since it was founded in 2002. On February 22, their Twitch channels, including their main account which had amassed almost 800,000 followers on Amazon’s broadcasting platform, were unexpectedly suspended. Both of the tournament organizer’s partnered channels, ‘MLG‘ and ‘MLGBravo’, were suspended from the platform after they an apparent hacked. MLG has used these channels to stream many major events, such as the Call of Duty World League in past seasons and the CS:GO Columbus major in 2016. The two channels were taken down shortly after fans noticed that content, which broke the community guidelines, was being broadcasted to MLG’s followers. ❌ Twitch Partner “”MLG”” (@MLG) has been banned! ❌https://t.co/JltvIbzY8Z#twitch #ban #firstban #partner #twitchpartner 👨🏼🏭 — StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) February 22, 2020 The suspension was initially met with surprise, as coverage of the latest Call of Duty League event in Atlanta had also just kicked off. The CDL is now exclusively streamed on YouTube, thanks to Activision’s deal with Google. However, it did not take long for them to assume, along with Twitch’s moderation team who quickly shut down the channel, that MLG’s channels had probably been the victims of a hack. The length of the ban is unknown. Although the infringing content shown would typically result in an indefinite ban, it is possible for Twitch to lift the suspension after further review.

Major League Gaming co-founder forms Electronic Sports Group In a joint effort, leading industry names from both esports and traditional sports announced the creation of a global esports advisory firm, Electronic Sports Group (ESG) on November 27. Major League Gaming cofounder and Overwatch League pioneer, Mike Sepso is partnering up with former NBA and IMG executive Bobby Sharma to create an all-encompassing firm that “will deliver strategic business advice to senior management at clients across the advertising, finance, sports, and media industries.” The esports scene is growing at a rapid pace, and ESG will look to guide smaller or upcoming ventures in the right direction in terms of appropriately assessing the best avenues for growth. “Bobby and I envisioned Electronic Sports Group to provide a level of expertise and strategic insight that is missing in esports. Our team combines an extensive network of relationships, with deep institutional knowledge, and seasoned operational and transactional expertise to deliver a superior level of service for clients,” said Sepso. The new firm has also partnered up with seasoned HBO Sports and World Esports Association (WESA) Ken Hershman to redesigning how esports and media relate to each other. ESG marries some top talent from both aisles of sports media, but it’s also partnering with Sports Media Advisors (SMA) who has been a leading player for global brands including the NFL, MLB, UFC and more. The firm is also working directly with Nielsen to provide insights on fan engagement that will help distinguish to clients which markets or sponsorship routes to promote. The group aims to bring out the “full economic potential” in esports that they believe is present, but untapped. “Esports commands a massive, global audience that’s well over 400 million strong, primarily 18-34…,” Sharma said. “Whether to better connect their core products with the esports community, or to find growth opportunities within the space, traditional sports stakeholders can no longer afford to wait on the sideline.” ESG will look to provide integral decision-making and planning for the esports scene as a whole to take the industry and its potential to new heights.

MLG founders launch new esports events company Esports pioneers Michael Sepso, Sundance DiGiovanni and Adam Apicella, the team behind the creation and much of the success of Major League Gaming (MLG) are at the helm of a new esport venture, Esports Engine. Announced alongside initial funding of $60 million, Esports Engine has been launched by esports infrastructure company Vindex, headed by Sepso and Giovanni, and the company has also acquired Next Generation Esports (NGE). Vindex describes itself as the “preeminent esports infrastructure platform”, and Esports Engine, headed by Apicella, will provide a solution for esports event organizing, live broadcasts and tournament design and management. While leading MLG, Apicella was highly regarded as one of the great event organizers in esports, but left the company in August after 16 years and hundreds of live events. “We are the experts on esports ecosystem design, live event production, broadcast technology and competition operations,” Esports Engine states on its new website. Excited to announce the launch of Esports Engine! Our mission is to deliver industry-leading turnkey esports operations and legendary experiences for the fans. Learn more at https://t.co/ekh5NwMr6h — Esports Engine (@EsportsEng) October 30, 2019 Michael Sepso is also an investor and advisor to the Andbox group, parent of the New York Call of Duty franchise, Subliners, which Esports Engine will be working with for their Call of Duty League events. We’re excited to announce that @EsportsEng and @MrAdamAp will be overseeing our events. We’re excited to bring the best @CODLeague games to NYC. Sign up to be the first to know when tickets go on salehttps://t.co/ef7Y3ZlOFz pic.twitter.com/s5agURQsq4 — New York Subliners (@subliners) October 30, 2019 Investors Bryan Binder and Jason Garmise, fintech entrepreneurs, join Sepso and Giovanni at Vindex, as the company aims to advance esports infrastructure in a big way. Also on the Vindex board is the former CEO of ESPN Steve Bornstein. Sepso left MLG following its acquisition by Activision Blizzard in 2015, but has remained focused on various esports-related ventures since. In their press release, Vindex states that “esports is ready for primetime”, and that they provide “instant momentum in streamlining the business of esports, infrastructure, operations, logistics and events to meet the demands of fans and participants.”

Misfits Gaming Group receive $35m investment led by broadcasting giants Michal Konkol/Riot GamesNorth American esports parent company Misfits Gaming Group have received $35m in investment in a round led by legacy media group The E.W. Scripps Company. Owners of Misfits Gaming, Call of Duty franchise Florida Mutineers, and Overwatch franchise Florida Mayhem, Misfits Gaming Group (MGG) will receive $10m directly from Scripps as part of the overall $35m funding round. Scripps will appoint a member of their company to Misfits’ board of directors and work with the group’s brands to distribute content through their linear television platforms in Florida and across the United States. The goal is to “increase Florida advertisers’ access” to MGG’s esports and gaming audiences. According to MGG, the funding will be used to work towards their goal of creating “the largest organization of esports and gaming ventures globally”. While they haven’t disclosed what exactly the $35m will be channeled towards, they have ongoing franchise fees to pay in Riot Games’ LEC and in Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty League and Overwatch League. The ownership group added to their portfolio in May 2021 when they launched The Misfits Agency, a media company crafted to help brands access audiences in gaming and esports. Misfits Gaming Group expanded their partnership with NBA franchise teams Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in July 2020 with hopes to deepen commercial opportunities across the Florida-based properties. “Scripps is thrilled to partner with Misfits Gaming Group to help build energy and interest around these highly-skilled and high energy video-game competitions,” said Scripps local media president Brian Lawlor. “We are perfectly positioned, with our large Florida footprint, to leverage our linear stream and over-the-top distribution to carry all kinds of Misfits Gaming content, from player profiles and interviews to team and league news – all aimed at connecting our advertisers with their young audiences.”

MKLeo’s Smash Ultimate tournament win streak ends in dramatic fashion at Shine Twitter/Shine_SeriesSmash Ultimate legend Leonardo ‘MKLeo’ Lopez Perez was finally bested at the Grand Finals at Shine on August 25 when Ezra ‘Samsora’ Morris’ Peach took the 18-year-old prodigy to the limit. Despite the event garnering a lot of controversy over the state of its set-up, it ended in dramatic fashion. Leo, who was sent to the losers bracket earlier in the winners final by Samsora climbed back with a 3-0 over Nairoby ‘Nairo’ Quezada in the losers final. Leo had just won majors Evo and Super Smash Con earlier in the summer – both times coming from behind after being sent to losers. In the latter, Leo took five straight games against Samsora. In the Shine Grand Finals, Leo was able to once more pull off the bracket reset by downing Samsora 3-2. However, the Peach main kept his composure and played brilliantly against his opponent, in particular when the Mexican’s Joker had Arsene active. The final exchange of the series was the stuff of legends with the game seemingly being self-aware as to the implications of what a Leo’s loss would mean. Twice the game tricked the commentators into thinking the streak was over on Perez’s last stock only for the 18-year-old to stay in the game. Eventually, the third time was the charm and Samsora took the grand finals after the reset by a score of 3-1. Samsora has had his tournament runs ended by Leo for most of 2019 beginning at early as January 6 at Smash Conference United back when he was still using Ike. And while his nemesis still has plenty of wins against him, it must feel good to finally get that weight lifted. Leo has been on a very impressive run since switching to Joker as his main. He won Mono Con 2019, Smash ‘N’ Splash, CEO, EVO and Super Smash Con. His own defeat up until this point was at Smash Factor 8 when he came second. The next “super major” will be The Big House 9 in Detroit. It will run from October 4-6. You guys I finally won a major I won Shine 2019, can’t believe it — eU Samsora (@Samsora_) August 26, 2019 With how dominant Samsora and Leo are looking, it will be fun to see if anyone can step up and match these two Smash icons. In any case, the rivalry between the Peach and Joker mains is making for some of the best Smash available.

Exclusive: Misfits CEO plans to stay in CDL, OWL, Valorant despite selling LEC spot & content pivot Misfits Gaming/CDL/OWLBen Spoont, the CEO and Founder of Florida Mutineers and Florida Mayhem parent company Misfits Gaming, has confirmed to Dexerto the organization’s intent to stay in the Call of Duty League, Overwatch League, and Valorant, despite their planned pivot to content instead of esports. Misfits Gaming was a long-term European League of Legends mainstay, before they sold their LEC spot to Team Heretics for over $40m in July 2022. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Spoont said that “They certainly pitched us that the growth of these leagues would be meteoric, and we all drank the Kool-Aid … What has happened is that growth has not materialized as fast as we had hoped.” He also said that he was pivoting Misfits to focus on content creation, partly because it ‘could be another decade before competitive esports reach their potential.’ This led to some speculation that Misfits may be looking to sell up and move out of esports entirely, particularly in the other franchised leagues they own spots in: the Call of Duty League and the Overwatch League. In a statement made to Dexerto, Spoont said: “We’re still keeping some of our other esports teams including CDL/OWL, Valorant, and Rocket League, but we wanted to diversify our organization to include a focus on creators. “We recently announced our $20M creator fund, which aims to provide creators and influencers with the resources and infrastructure to bring their ideas to life. The first big example of this is the launch of the brand new Minecraft server TubNet, which took place over the weekend.” While Misfits’ shift towards content will feel bitter for their fans in the League of Legends space, Spoont’s reassurance that they’ll continue to compete across their other key esports is positive news, especially for the franchise teams in Call of Duty and Overwatch, where their franchise costs are estimated to be around $20m. The fourth season of the Call of Duty League is due to get going on Friday, December 2, with Florida Mutineers bringing in two rookies to the squad in the hopes of seeing more success in Modern Warfare II. On the other side of the Activision Blizzard esports spectrum, Florida Mayhem came 7-8th at the OWL 2022 Playoffs, falling at the hands of Hangzhou Spark to bring their season to a close. A date has not yet been set for the launch of the 2023 season.

Misfits bring Ellesse into esports with apparel partnership MisfitsSportswear brand Ellesse have entered esports through a new apparel partnership with Florida-based organization Misfits, becoming their official sports and lifestyle apparel provider in Europe and North America. While Ellesse are traditionally an Italian sportswear brand, their far-reaching collaboration with Misfits Gaming will span Europe and North America. They’re launching the partnership with a custom-designed ‘pro kit’ for esports athletes. The deal will also see the partner launch a lifestyle collection that aims to capture the “mischievous energy” and “underdog identity” of the esports org. Teams who will wear Ellesse’s new pro kit include Misfits’ rosters in European League of Legends competition LEC, French LoL academy league LFL, and Rocket League. Content creators in Minecraft and their signed influencers are also involved in the activation. Ellesse aim to make their mark on the esports industry with Misfits through social media campaigns, international competitions, features on the org’s YouTube channel, and advertisement at events through pro players wearing their apparel. Read More: OpTic Gaming & Envy announce merger – Misfits Gaming Group, the parent company behind Misfits, raised $35m in investment in September 2021. Led by legacy media group The E.W. Scripps Company, the investment will also see the org’s content distributed on linear television channels across the United States. “When searching for esports partners, we were committed to finding an organization that reflected our values and introduced us to a global community,” said Jennie Bianco, head of marketing for Focus Brands, the agency of record for Ellesse. ”We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Misfits, and we’re delighted to be working with such a young but impressive group of gamers that can redefine the competitive gaming landscape.”

Minnesota RØKKR owners Version1 exploring potential merger Call of Duty LeagueNorth American esports organization Version1, whose properties include CDL franchise Minnesota RØKKR, is exploring different options for the future, including a merger with another gaming or esports company. Brett Diamond, Chief Operating Officer at Version1, told FOX 9 that the company has had “productive conversations with a number of different esports organizations” as it explores options for its future amid growing uncertainty about the sustainability of the esports industry during a period of rising inflation and interest rate hikes. According to Diamond, those conversations did not involve other organizations with CDL franchise slots. Per the league’s rules, a company cannot hold more than one franchise slot. In the event that an acquisition results in a scenario where a company controls more than one slot, a grace period is afforded for a buyer to be found. Version1 are co-owned by the Wilf family and entrepreneur and investor Gary Vaynerchuk. In addition to the Minnesota RØKKR Call of Duty team, the organization operates a women’s Valorant roster, currently competing in VCT: Game Changers NA, and a men’s Rocket League squad that finished 5th-8th at last year’s World Championship. The news of Version1’s interest in a merger with another company comes just days after historical esports organization CLG was acquired by NRG. As a result of the deal, Madison Square Garden, CLG’s parent company, became “a significant minority shareholder” in NRG, who will re-enter the LCS, North America’s top League of Legends competition. According to Diamond, the Wilf family could remain involved in Version1 even in the event of a sale or merger. “We’re starting a sales process for the team,” Diamond said. “The ideal scenario is that the Wilfs stay involved in some capacity and continue to have a role in the organization and the esports industry more broadly.” In an interview with Digiday, the Version1 chief praised the company’s financial health, noting that its financial projections have been met every year. But at the same time, Version1 felt “now was the right time to pursue this path” as the industry is going through a period of consolidation. “This is not about 2023 or 2024,” he said. “This is about what the industry looks like in 2030 and 2035 and beyond, and what that path looks like for an organization of the size and scale that we’re at currently.”

Microsoft Excel is now an esport – yes, you read that right Microsoft’s humble spreadsheet software Excel is now an esport. No, this isn’t an out of season April Fool’s joke, either. When you think of “esports” Microsoft Excel probably isn’t the first program that comes to mind, hell, it probably wouldn’t be in the top 100 to come to mind if we’re being completely honest. But, that hasn’t stopped it one bit. Despite how odd it might sound, Excel is no longer just a program your parents use to keep track of expenses, as on June 8 we will all be able to witness the first annual Microsoft Excel Financial Modeling World Cup. Again, we know this sounds like a joke but we promise it is 100% legit, just check out this tweet! Financial modeling as an e-sport. Watch eight top financial modelers around the world work their mad #Excel skills on June 8 at 12 PM UTC. Find out more (and check out the merch): https://t.co/GqkmWjSFOo — Microsoft Excel (@msexcel) June 4, 2021 Now, you may be wondering, “Dexerto, how the heck can Excel be an esport?” Well, dear reader, there are actually quite a few ways people have found to make the spreadsheet competitive. A quick search on YouTube or Google for “Excel Speedrun” yields thousands of results to look at, but that’s not what the June 8 event will focus on. Instead, eight of the top financial modelers from eight different countries will be competing against each other to make the financial model to rule them all, and take home bragging rights in the process. The participants, including the UK’s Andrew Ngai, Australia’s John Lim, Gabriela Stroj of Poland, and South Africa’s favorite son Jason Webber, might not be household names just yet, but rest assured you’ll be hearing about these spreadsheet sensations before too long. All of the participants can be found below, but it remains to be seen which one will take home the glory come June 8. How to watch the Microsoft Excel Financial Modeling World Cup Since we’re hyping up this event so much, it only makes sense to tell you how to tune in as well, doesn’t it? The Excel Financial Modeling World Cup will kick off on June 8 on the Financial Modeling World Cup’s YouTube page. If you don’t want to go looking around for it, you can find the official stream below right here: Like we said, it’s a complete tossup for who will walk away victorious here, we don’t have as large a sample size of previous matchups as say, professional CSGO. But it’s not everyday you see a brand new esport be born, especially one based on a simple, Microsoft Office program.

Mindblowing MSG Sphere photos show how amazing esports in Vegas can be The Madison Square Garden CompanyThe Madison Square Garden’s new ‘Sphere’ venue in Las Vegas is deep into construction, and new photographs give us a glimpse into the future of esports events. As esports continues to grow in revenue, more companies are looking to get involved with the growing sport. In 2018, the Luxor Resort’s HyperX Arena was the first esports dedicated arena to open on the Vegas Strip. Now the Venetian Resort is looking to go all in on entertainment events, including esports, as they put millions into building the new MSG ‘Sphere’ which is set to open in 2021. The new arena looks phenomenal. The venue will be super high-tech The high-tech venue, will be in the shape of a sphere, will seat anywhere from 17,000 to 20,000 people and will be 366-feet tall and 516-feet wide. In a recent Billboard article, the venue is said to have “dynamically adaptive acoustics system that will deliver crystal clear audio to every guest with the ability to be directed to specific locations”. It will also have an “infrasound haptic system” which “will convey bass so the audience can “feel” the experience and content will be delivered at 25 megabits per second” which would make every gun shot and grenade blast be felt. The venue is set to house the biggest resolution screen on Earth. On top of having audio that is adaptive to the environment, the new venues centerpiece is what is being called the biggest screen in the world. It will be a “160,000 square foot interior LED display plane, which will be the largest and highest resolution LED screen on Earth” according to Billboard. The future of esports events While the main focus for the venue is currently on concerts, Rolling Stone reported that the company talked about using the venue for esports too. “In addition to musical residencies, MSG is pondering other, more radical uses for their Sphere. Ideas range from esports to “mass gaming” on the big screen.” The MSG Sphere is set to open in 2021. The Vegas Sphere promises to focus on all the senses and be the most immersive venue in the world. With the adaptive audio and insane visuals, watching your favorite teams would be taken to a whole new level. Hopefully we see more action to get esports into the new venue the closer it gets to opening in 2021. We will keep you updated when new information comes out.

Michael B. Jordan invests in NYC Call of Duty and Overwatch franchises The renowned actor is the latest celebrity to dip his toes into the growing world of esports. Jordan has invested in AndBox – a multi-team esports organization in New York that owns the local Call of Duty team Subliners, as well as the Overwatch team NYXL. Big names are helping big brands in the world of esports. The latest is actor Michael B. Jordan, who broke through into mainstream Hollywood fame this decade with his performances in Black Panther, Creed, and the Fantastic Four movie. For Jordan, his involvement with competitive gaming comes in the form of investment in AndBox – the organization that owns and operates the New York Excelsior team in the Overwatch League, and the New York Subliners team in the upcoming Call of Duty League. https://twitter.com/andbox_official/status/1208394377409773570 For Jordan, a native of New York and a fan of Call of Duty, the decision was easy, considering AndBox’s approach to bringing esports to the area. “[Andbox] cared about the New York culture, they wanted to make sure they got it right,” Jordan said. “I felt like they really cared about New Yorkers and being authentic to the city.” “I’m never the guy who just wants to be involved to put my name on it,” he continued, explaining why he invests only in things he cares about. “I have to have some passion for it. Call of Duty, if anybody knows me, they know that’s my s**t.” https://twitter.com/andbox_official/status/1207083349753372674 For a company like AndBox, more investment is always good news, especially considering the buy-in prices they’ve had to pay just to get franchised spots in both the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League, with price tags ranging into tens of millions. The direction of both of these leagues is indicative of a move across esports as a whole to build up regional and local fanbases. For the past two seasons, OWL was based almost entirely in Los Angeles. Now they move into a homestand format for season 3, and the Call of Duty League is beginning with a similar format. New York is our home & 2020 is our year. Don’t miss the Homestand action. #EverUpward #OWL2020 pic.twitter.com/OAA9mMQXTx — NY Excelsior (@NYExcelsior) December 18, 2019 Andbox’s dedication to New York esports is much bigger and deeper than just promoting and running their two biggest franchises. They work with a plethora of other organizations and organizers to run weekly events around the city and the metropolitan area, like Tekken, Call of Duty, and Fortnite tournaments. With big names like Jordan getting involved in the organizations, the potential for companies like AndBox to change the landscape of esports fandom is limitless.

Michael Jordan invests in esports, joining Team Liquid ownership group Legendary NBA player Michael Jordan has officially entered the world of esports, becoming of the main investors in aXiomatic, parent company of Team Liquid, as part of their Series C funding round. Announced on Thursday, October 25, Jordan is one of two primary investors, the other being David Rubenstein’s Declaration Capital. It is the second big name celebrity to make a serious commitment to esports in the space of a week, after 100 Thieves announced that Drake and Scooter Braun had joined as co-owners. Current NBA star Stephen Curry is also an investor in Team SoloMid in July 2018. Jordan is also the owner of NBA franchise Charlotte Hornets, making him yet another investor in esports coming from traditional sports background, largely down to aXiomatic. Golden State Warriors owner Peter Gruber, and Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis are both involved directly in esports through aXiomatic, while Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert invested in 100 Thieves in 2017. aXiomatic is co-chaired by Jeff Vinik, owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and now holds a controlling stake in Team Liquid. Jordan joins as a co-owner of aXiomatic, alongside fellow NBA legend Magic Johnson. Team Liquid even sent a shot at their NA LCS rivals 100 Thieves in announcing their big name investor. Welcome Michael Jordan, David Rubenstein & Declaration Capital to the @aXiomaticGaming team!https://t.co/ZtghDFkg2i — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) October 25, 2018 Under aXiomatics control since 2016, Team Liquid has risen up the ranks of esports organizations, capturing Dota2’s ‘The International’ title in 2017 – taking home $11 million – plus their NA LCS championship in Spring 2018. Liquid were ranked as the third most valuable esports organization by Forbes recently, and will look to expand with this new funding, improving training facilities and bringing in new talented players. Team Liquid currently field teams in Starcraft II, Dota2, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Smash, Street Fighter, Quake, Rainbow 6 Siege, Fortnite, PUBG and Clash of Clans.

MIBR name Roberta Coelho as first-ever CEO amid IGC restructuring MIBRBrazilian esports team brand MIBR have appointed Roberta Coelho as their first-ever full-time CEO amid sweeping corporate changes at Immortals Gaming Club. Immortals Gaming Club — the parent company of Immortals, MIBR, Los Angeles Valiant, and Gamers Club — have gone through major structural changes as they look toward the future, including who leads each of the brands. The only new hire amongst the changing of ranks and responsibilities is entrepreneur Roberta Coelho, who will serve as the first full-time CEO of major Brazilian brand MIBR. While fresh in her new role, she’s devised an advisory board to help steer MIBR in the right direction, which includes the brand’s founder Paulo Velloso and Gamers Club CEO Yuri Uchiyama. Coelho previously served as the CEO of Game XP, described as the “world’s first game park”. Her company was responsible for producing the ‘Grrrls League’; the first women-focused Counter-Strike league in Brazil. While it seems further changes are on the horizon for MIBR, they currently have men’s and women’s teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and also compete in Rainbow Six Siege. “I am elated to take a lead in helping the brand grow and reach its potential by expanding further into esports and creating meaningful experiences for our fans and followers,” said Coelho of her new challenge. “MIBR is and will continue to be a high-performance team.” Immortals Gaming Club are said to have gone through a “comprehensive corporate reorganization” in an attempt to fuel the company’s overall growth and efficiency across each of the businesses. Each of the four businesses are “cash-flow positive” according to a release, meaning they’re individually able to cover costs, pay expenses, and reinvest in themselves. Other changes in the personnel department at IGC include the company’s CEO Ari Segal shifting to become co-managing director alongside Tomi Kovanen (who will also serve as executive vice chair of Immortals, MIBR, and Gamers Club) and Immortals president Jordan Sherman taking on the title of CEO at the team brand.

Mew2King shocks Smash world in Melee return with win over #1 ranked Hungrybox Beyond the SummitSmash Melee God Jason ‘Mew2King’ Zimmerman stunned the world with his return to singles competition at The Big House 9 on Sunday October 6 with a victory over number one ranked Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma. In his grand return to singles, Mew2King silenced all of his critics by knocking off Jigglypuff main and world number one Hungrybox in a thrilling five game set that came down to the last stock. After spot dodging a couple of grab attempts by Hbox and continuing to rack up percent on his opponent, the legendary Smash pro was able to secure a grab into up air for the kill confirm, sending the crowd into a frenzy. “This is the comeback story that we all wanted to see,” the casters cried. “The mad lad has done it. The King has returned!” Mew2King had taken a break from singles competition with his last event being Genesis 6 back in February 2019 where he placed 33-48. “”Up air! Up Air! After a 9 month hiatus, @MVG_Mew2King takes down Hungrybox and advances to Winners Semis at The Big House! The king has returned!#TBH9 pic.twitter.com/P9b5u0LGUu — WSOE (@WSOE) October 6, 2019 While the God of Melee had still competed in doubles with his partner Justin ‘Plup’ McGrath throughout 2019, Zimmerman shied away from 1v1s. Eventually, Mew2King implemented a sub goal on his Twitch stream, promising that if he got 600 subscribers he would enter a singles Melee major. After it was announced he would be returning at The Big House 9, Mew2King told his fans not to expect too much, reminding them that he “barely played at all since [Ultimate’s] release” and they shouldn’t expect to see him in his old form. Judging by his recent win against the best player in the world, it would seem like the Mew2King of old is still very much kicking. 600Unfortunately, Mew2King’s tournament run came to an end in losers quarters with a 3-1 loss to fiction after being 3-0’d by Zain on the winners’ side. Still, it was a fantastic showing by one of the greatest players of all time. The Big House 9 concludes October 6 with the finals for both Melee and Ultimate tournaments.

MiBR to extend past CS:GO with brand-new team MiBR / UbisoftMade in Brazil (Rainbow Six: Siege esports team. A part of the larger Immortals Gaming Club, MiBR already fields a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team that boasts the talents of legendary players like Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo, and Fernando ‘fer’ Alvarenga. With thousands of fans tuning in to watch the CS:GO squad when they play, MiBR is hoping their new team will provide the same level of hype and allure for their incredibly passionate fan base. In an August 3 announcement, the MiBR top brass along with their CS:GO representative in FalleN and Epitácio ‘TACO’ de Melo had the honor of introducing a new lineup that will soon play under the MiBR banner. “Welcome to the MiBR family ‘MIBR R6’” the announcement said. MiBR welcomes the R6 team from sister-org Immortals to their brand which consists of Jaime ‘Cyb3r’ Ramos, Daniel ‘Novys’ Novy, José ‘Bullet1’ Victor, Lucca ‘MKing’ Coser, and Matheus ‘pX’ Freire. O verdadeiro @FalleNCS e o @TACOCS introduzindo nossa nova line @MIBRr6!@FalleNCS and @TACOCS introducing our lineup!#SomosMIBR #EncontroDasLendas pic.twitter.com/LBtUxWeAZS — MIBR (@mibr) August 3, 2019 The team was announced and presented at the Encontro das Lendas community event hosted by MiBR, with all R6 members present wearing the black and white sweatshirts repping the MiBR tag. This will be only the second team that is currently signed under the popular Brazilian org, which could be a signal that MiBR will be looking for more promising rosters to add. Speaking of what the signing means to him, MKing had high praises for MiBR as he and his longtime teammates will boast the iconic name from here on out. “I am very happy and very optimistic to start representing a legendary name like MiBR within Rainbow 6: Siege,” Mking told ESPN Brazil. “It will be a great experience. A team worshiped by all communities joining the growing Rainbow Six every day. I look forward to representing this team, I hope to bring good results and happiness to our fans.” The MiBR R6 squad will make their debut in the year’s second biggest event for the esport during the Six Major Raleigh 2019 event on August 12.

Methodz announces CDL retirement following Major 2 loss Call of Duty LeagueAnthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni has officially retired from the CDL and professional Call of Duty after 11 years of competition. Methodz has been a mainstay of competitive Call of Duty since the early days of the scene. He made his name as a pro back in the Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 2 era, and has sustained success right up until his surprise retirement. The Boston star announced his retirement live at Major 2 just after the conclusion of the Atlanta FaZe v. Toronto Ultra Winners Final match. “Before I walk off I want to thank the Boston Breach for giving me an opportunity. when no one really believed in me… these guys here are family and I will always be a part of the Boston Breach, at least in spirit,” he revealed. Methodz got his CDL start with the Toronto Ultra back in Modern Warfare 2019 and claimed the organization’s first event win. He then moved on to join Breach in the pre-Vanguard offseason where he reigned as the Main AR for a season and a half. In the closing minutes of his announcement, he made it clear that he’s not going too far and that he’ll still be involved as he pursues full-time content creation. In his time as a pro, Zinni represented many of the biggest brands in all of Call of Duty. From several stints across different FaZe Clan rosters to an ultimately heartbreaking run with OpTic Gaming in WWII, he built a fanbase rivaled by very few others.

Methodz on Better Days Ahead: “I’m definitely inspired by Nadeshot and what he’s created” Call of Duty LeagueWhen you think of people competing in video games, you’d be forgiven for not immediately picturing budding entrepreneurs and internet personalities who can command large audiences and monetize them effectively. There are a few exceptions though: Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodríguez with 100 Thieves and G2 Esports, for example. While Call of Duty pro Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni isn’t ready to lay down the controller just yet, he’s subtly building a brand that he not only hopes becomes bigger than himself, but supports a cause near and dear to his heart. Building clothing brand Better Days Ahead with his co-owners Brandon Cansler and Will Donovan is not only a means of producing a streetwear line that anybody — not just gamers — would love to wear, a healthy portion of revenues generated are donated to charities that support mental health awareness. It’s typical, especially in the Call of Duty esports ecosystem, for professional players to take advantage of their in-game name, which can be seen as a brand they’ve been building for years, to sell self-branded merchandise to their fans. That’s not the case with Methodz, though. Dexerto spoke to the Toronto Ultra player to delve into the decision, why he’s so supportive of mental health causes, and whether he may follow in the footsteps of other players-turned-entrepreneurs in the future. Better Days Ahead “I never really wanted to do Methodz merchandise but I always wanted to be involved in clothing in some aspect,” he told Dexerto. “I wasn’t just going to make a shirt that says ‘Methodz’ and sell it and make money from people, that’s not what I was looking for. Better Days Ahead was started by my friend, Brandon, that I met back in Call of Duty: Ghosts. They did two drops before I came on board but I was always watching from a distance. The mental health aspect resonated with me and ‘Better Days Ahead’ are three words that my dad has always said to me whenever something’s going wrong. I just love what it stands for so I called them up and I said ‘I have to get involved, I want to become an owner. What can we do?’ And now, as you can see, we’re making some headway. “I joined in October of 2020 and I wanted to take it to the next level. I think mental health and gaming is this unspoken thing that has a huge stigma around it and, especially as a player, it’s pretty scary because people who don’t really understand it could see you as a liability if you were to come out and say ‘I suffer from anxiety or depression.’ This is my way to subtly support mental health and also give back to the mental health community. We give 10% of our profits to a mental health charity for every single drop we do and, importantly, we create dope sh*t!” Discussions around mental health struggles and just how widespread and varied they are have multiplied drastically in recent years, with seemingly everybody being more relaxed in their willingness to discuss their experiences. While there may still be some people who believe expressing such difficulties and illnesses is a sign of weakness, Methodz and his co-owners have seen support from prominent players and other members of the Call of Duty community grow alongside their efforts with the Better Days Ahead brand. “I’ve had a few players come out and admit that they struggle with certain things as well,” he said. “Even though a lot of my friends don’t struggle with mental health, they still support us and promote the brand. They’ve bought the stuff and that’s super special to me. With my peers, the fans, the organization owners, the managers, the players, there has been an outpouring of love and support which we’re super grateful for. I just can’t wait to keep growing because we’re truly just getting started and I think there’s a lot to be done and a lot to teach.” Entreprenuerial spirit As established earlier, some gamers exit the server for good in favor of trying some new. While creating content and streaming seems to be the natural path for many to follow, some aspire to build something that just may end up being bigger than themselves and help to grow the very industry that helped them establish themselves in the first place. While, as Methodz told Dexerto, he’s not ready to call it a day in terms of competing just yet, that doesn’t mean he’s not been closely watching those that have gone on to do great things in their next chapter. “I’ve always had this dream of owning businesses,” he explained. “I’m definitely inspired by Nadeshot and what he’s created with 100 Thieves, he went from being a full-time player and content creator to becoming a full-blown CEO. I come from a place where I’m — at least I like to think — pretty good on social media and I’m decent at marketing, I’m always anxious before every drop, but excitement is probably the overwhelming feeling I get. My co-owners and I all put a lot of time into the company. “Better Days Ahead is not a gaming apparel brand, we think of it as streetwear. My involvement makes it relevant in esports but it’s not necessarily built specifically for the industry. We just partnered with Anxiety and Depression Association of America so that’s super dope for us to be able to be recognized; we want to eventually be seen as a big global brand supporting mental health and, obviously, the gaming space is our main market right now because of my involvement but we’re doing our best to grow it organically. “If somebody in the scene talks about mental health I’ll always try reaching out and offer our clothing, like Mitch Marner [an investor in Toronto Ultra parent company OverActive Media] was rocking a Better Days Ahead shirt in an interview. It’s awesome having good friends and supporters who are willing to represent such a good cause.” Methodz is known for his aptitude to entertain others outside of facing off against his fellow competitors so, as fans of his may well expect, they can expect that to be an avenue he explores once he’s ready to move on. With his goal of building and owning multiple businesses, and the valuable experiences he’s already accruing while working on Better Days Ahead, the sky may well be his limit. “I’m a big food guy, so I definitely see myself being involved in some adventure there a while down the road but, for right now, I’m still focused on competing,” he assured us. “As soon as I’m done competing, that’s when you’ll see me do a deep dive into full-time content, working behind the scenes, and figuring it out from there. We’ll see where it goes. At Better Days Ahead we’re still pretty new to this, we’re not sitting there having meetings pitching to venture capitalists just yet!” Better Days Ahead’s latest drop is poised to be released in the coming days, with 10% of the proceeds — as per usual — being donated. Methodz and his colleagues are working with new manufacturers and distributors to further improve the entire experience for those who choose to support the brand and, subsequently, mental health initiatives.

Method win 12-day WoW race for world first Mythic Queen Azshara kill L: Method, R: Blizzard EntertainmentLegendary World of Warcraft guild Method claimed the world first kill of Queen Azshara on Mythic difficulty after nearly two weeks of non-stop raiding. Method proved once again why they’re the best raiding team in World of Warcraft by claiming the world first clear of Azshara’s Eternal Palace on Sunday July 29, twelve days after they began the race on Wednesday July 17. For much of the race, Method had been neck-and-neck with US guild Limit, with the two teams trading world first kills on their way to Azshara herself. The Queen proved worthy of being a final boss, requiring eight days and over 350 attempts before Method ultimately secured the kill. Limit ultimately claimed the world second kill and US first later that day, once again maintaining their status as a legitimate challenger to the European world-beaters but falling heartbreakingly short of actually claiming the title in the final hours. With their latest world first achievement, Method have claimed Battle for Azeroth as theirs, having scored the world first on three out of the four raid tiers so far, with only one remaining during this expansion. Over the course of the race, Method also collected donations for Save the Children from their viewers on Twitch, and have managed to raise more than $66,000 for the charity. What is the Race to World First? Every time Blizzard release a new raid tier in World of Warcraft, the game’s top PvE players prepare to race to claim the world first kill on the raid’s final boss. Each raid team consists of 20 players at any one time, with more on the bench and each having multiple characters ready to play at a moment’s notice should the strategy call for it. The Mythic difficulty – the hardest – releases last, and once it does it’s a non-stop race to see who can clear the raid first. In the current WoW expansion, Battle for Azeroth, the race has gone public for the first time, with top guilds around the world streaming their progress. The latest raid is Azshara’s Eternal Palace. The raid features eight different bosses, but the one that really matters is the last – Azshara herself. Many of Method’s players congregated at the TakeTV studio in Germany for the duration of the Eternal Palace, while Limit and European guild Pieces travelled to the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London to stream their progress. Other guilds around the world broadcast from home or, in the case of some of the Asian guilds, from PC bangs and LAN cafes. There’s no prize for the achievement beyond the glory of victory, but players nevertheless dedicate insane hours, both during the race itself and in preparation, to chase the title.

Merk & Maven to make CDL 2022 debut after fan backlash Call of Duty LeagueLegendary Call of Duty casters Merk and Maven are finally making their return to the CDL in 2022 after months of fan backlash and contract negotiations. The news was announced in a March 2 Community Update. The Call of Duty League’s March 2 Community Update brought a number of interesting news to the CoD community, but one piece stood out for the fans: casting partners Joe ‘Merk’ DeLuca and Clint ‘Maven’ Evans are back. In January 2022, it was revealed that Merk and Maven would not be present at the CDL Kickoff Classic. This news wasn’t particularly alarming, as fans expected their contracts would be resolved after the preseason event and before the season’s official start. Then, all of Major 1’s qualifiers went by without Merk and Maven’s presence. Fans never got used to their absence, though, as an uproar of “W” and “let’s f**king go” comments have followed the March 2 Community Update. CDL announce Merk and Maven’s return for Major 1 Control changes? Broadcast announcements? 🤔 Watch the full Community Update here ➡️ https://t.co/haCtVt5C04 pic.twitter.com/HrZDMB2TLa — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) March 2, 2022 As CDL General Manager Daniel Tsay explained during the Community Update, there was “obviously a lot of community discourse about two noticeable missing faces from the CDL so far.” In response to said discourse, he confirmed the good news: “I am excited to announce that they are back for the CDL season.” CDL just announced that @JoeDeLuca and @Maven are finally returning 🙌 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) March 2, 2022 As Tsay elaborated, the league apparently always intended for Merk and Maven to be on the 2022 broadcast. However, contract negotiations were still ongoing so official discussion had to be kept under wraps. Now, though, the duo of passionate CoD casters is back for the year. They’ll be making their debut at a significant time as well, as the Major 1 tournament begins on Thursday, March 3.

Messi joins Aguero’s KRÜ Esports as co-owner KRÜ EsportsKRÜ Esports has announced that world-famous soccer player Lionel Messi has joined the organization as a co-owner. KRÜ Esports now has another decorated soccer player in ownership as the organization announced that Sergio Agüero will now co-own the company alongside Lionel Messi. Agüero founded the organization a year before he retired from professional play. The esports organization is involved in Valorant and Rocket League and has a handful of creators signed to its brand. The Argentinian organization has a partnership slot in VCT Americas and qualified for the Rocket League and Valorant World Championship in 2023. Agüero was in attendance at both events, supporting the teams. He’s additionally streamed and been involved in many activations for the company. “I am happy to share a club with Leo, of course now in a new stage and with other challenges. It is an honor that he is part of KRÜ. He is the best footballer in history, and also a great friend. His presence is relevant because he projects values such as perseverance, humility, and resilience. He is a figure that inspires everyone and will be a great contribution to the scene in general,” Agüero said in a press release. Messi joins with Sergio Agüero in KRÜ Esports ownership Much like Agüero in 2021, Messi is nearing the end of his illustrious soccer career. The Argentinian international player signed with MLS side Miami FC in July 2023 on a two-year contract. Many expect the player to retire from the game after his multi-million dollar contract expires. Since his arrival at the club, Messi has been a big draw for MLS fans and onlookers as his name has caused ticket sales for Miami to sore. KRÜ Esports hopes to capitalize on his brand in a similar fashion, as the addition of another legendary, world-renowned owner should give the company’s brand a significant bump. Messi now joins the likes of Gerard Piqué, Virgil Van Dijk, Jesse Lingard, and David Beckham as soccer stars with esports organizations as a part of their portfolios.

meL thinks Iso could be left with a “0%” pickrate Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesValorant pro meL has called out Riot Games for pushing “nuanced” agents by agreeing that Iso is worse than the base agents. Iso is the latest agent to be added to Valorant and releases alongside Episode 7 Act 3 on October 31. As a duelist, Iso takes a new approach to entering sites and taking isolated gunfights, pun intended. Iso is notable for his ultimate, a gigantic bubble that forces the players to fight one-on-one to decide who walks out alive. This is accompanied by his ability to block off routes with his wall and take on enemies with ‘one bullet’ as demonstrated in the trailer. While Iso may seem like the hottest new duelist since Neon was released, professional players in the scene are not impressed. Among them was meL, who thinks Iso may not be picked at all in VCT. Valorant pros debate the validity of Iso The current Game Changers star responded to the head coach of Sentinels who poked holes in Iso’s ability to dive out of chokes like other agents currently in the meta. “I’m open to discussion but with the nuanced agents Riot has been releasing, I feel like Iso is going to be left out similar to Deadlock,” said meL.”It’s just hard to justify having him in a comp over anyone else. Jett/Raze alone are better duelists with raw entry power with their dive, I wouldn’t run him over any initiator, obvs he’s not a Viper replacement in double controller comps, and KJ is king in the senti meta outside of Cypher/Chamber on select maps. So what room exists for Iso to be played?” Though meL did admit that Iso could be viable on certain maps, she was not the only one who took shots at the new agent after he was released. Another former pro King also gave his opinion, stating that Iso is worse than the base agents already in Valorant. “Somehow Riot is perfecting the craft of “this looks like power creep but is somehow worse than the base agents,” said King. meL agreed with this sentiment, stating that agents that are currently meta can already “do the big things without much effort.” This is not the case for Iso who requires a lot of thought to properly execute his abilities. Like King, meL believes that Iso could be “left with 0% pickrate deadlock style.” Iso has not officially hit the live servers and still has room to be adjusted by Riot before the upcoming VCT season. Whether or not Iso will beat out current meta duelists like Jett and Raze is yet to be determined.

Smash Melee God Hungrybox explains why he mains Jigglypuff In part three of Dexerto’s documentary series about Smash Bros Melee God Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma, the pro goes into detail about why he mains Jigglypuff, the adrenaline rush he gets competing and what he feels he needs to do to cement his legacy. Hungrybox made a name for himself by maining a fighter that some new players may find suboptimal – Jigglypuff. But with help from one very strong all-or-nothing move in her kit, Hungrybox has managed to become one of if not the best Melee player in the world today. But all that could have changed if he never saw his brother playing her one fateful day. “People that don’t like any sports players or sports teams take very safe approaches. It’s low-risk. You’re not fast-paced. People like action. They like speed. They like risk. They like being entertained. And she’s [Jigglypuff] is not as entertaining as other characters,” the Team Liquid pro admitted. “I saw my brother playing her one day in his room using this move called Rest where the character explodes off the screen and I’m like ‘that’s amazing!’” Debiedma reminisced “And then I used it on one of my friends and they all started laughing and that’s where it all started. This whole mess.” For noobs, Rest is a bit of a joke. “Jigglypuff falls asleep for four seconds and she can’t move,” Hungrybox explained. “So when I first used it, I thought this was the worst move in the entire game. But what I didn’t realize is that it’s possibly the best move in the whole game after Shine because if you land it on someone it’s basically a one-hit KO on any character above like 15%.” That doesn’t mean it’s an instant win, though. Landing a Rest takes skill and timing. “It’s an all-or-nothing move, a game-winner, a comeback factor and a hilarious animation all put into one move. It kinda encompasses what I’ve always strived for. With all this pressure on the line, can I get the one move that needs to come out with everything else against me and sneak the win out? And I think that’s why it appeals to be so much.” For Hungrybox, it’s this combination that speaks to him in particular and Puff may even have been designed with him in mind. “Anyone can be Puff. Anyone can be good at Smash. But to look at Smash as the way I do, and to play Puff the way I do, those things are very coincidental. Given my approach with spacing and my approach with platforming and my way of looking at the game, it was just a good union for me.” What if Jigglypuff wasn’t in Melee? While Hungrybox has lived and died by Puff, what would the pro have done if the balloon Pokemon wasn’t included in the game? “I think if Puff wasn’t in Melee I would have picked up a different character way long ago. I would have probably played… maybe Ness?” Debiedma pondered. “I would have stuck with Ness and never been a top player just like ‘oh, it’s that one good Ness player’,” he laughed. “I don’t think I would have been someone,” he confessed before comparing himself to NBA star Lebron James picking up his first basketball. “I picked up the exact character that I had to pick up at the right time. I was lucky enough to find it is kinda the way I see it.” How can Hungrybox cement his legacy? Throughout his career, Debiedma has faced adversity and has overcome odds. But the one thing he wants now is something most other Smash players couldn’t even dream of: To win everything. “It would be an accomplishment for me to finally have one of every single title under my belt for the majors. I think that cements my status. Obviously I’ve done a lot for my legacy in Melee, but the idea of who’s the greatest of all time comes up and people always say Armada because it is, but I’m hoping I can do something no one else has done. Which is longevity. Just staying at the top or at least right next to the top for longer than anyone has.” “I just really want to do something no one has ever done,” Hungrybox added, alluding to finally pulling off the elusive victory at Super Smash Con. How did Hungrybox breakthrough? For most players, early they have one thing keeping them from reaching the next level. Figuring out what it is and dealing with it can be a challenge, but it has to happen for the player to evolve. For Hungrybox, it was the shakes. “My knee would shake uncontrollably every time whenever I would play,” the Puff main explained. “And then one day, when it stopped, that’s when I started beating people. I think it was shaky because it was a rush from wanting to compete and I was so nervous always. But then you do something so often it becomes your new normal and so then the rush became normal.” “I think when you harness that, it’s like nothing ever phases you anymore,” he added and pondered that his early nervousness resulted in the birth of the ‘Clutchbox’. “What would make other people seem really nervous and shaky to me, that’s where I actually play the best is right there. I need that pressure and everything just locks in.” Whatever it is, it’s worked as Hungrybox has become a candidate for one the best Melee players of all time and if he continues down this path, there’s a good chance he will surpass Armada in the minds of many. Keep it locked to Dexerto as our series on Hungrybox’s Smash career continues.

Meet Caltys: The female pro looking to make her mark on League esports Twitter: @CaltyssMaya ‘Caltys’ Henckel isn’t the first woman to play in the European Regional Leagues (ERL) system. But she wants to be the best. The ERLs have been praised across the globe for their ability to help young aspiring pros find their footing in the world of League of Legends. It’s considered by many to be the proving grounds for those looking to secure starting spots in the LEC, Europe’s showpiece League competition. It’s also, much like the rest of the League of Legends ecosystem, a male-dominated field. There have been a few female competitors in the regional leagues – most notably Adina ‘Shafu’ Hiner, who competed in the Esports Balkan League (EBL) as the starting support for Team Neurotec. But even when taking those examples into consideration, the track record of female players isn’t the best. Caltys is looking to change that. The path to the ERLs The Swedish AD Carry has been around in the scene since 2019, when she started her competitive career in the Women’s Esports League with Out of the Blue, off-roling as a jungler. The team ended up winning the league’s inaugural season. That same year, she also competed in La Ligue Féminine’s second split with Out Of the Blue, but this time in her primary role as AD Carry. The team placed second in the split, and went on to win the league in summer. They also attended the 2019 GIRLGAMER Esports festival in Dubai, claiming a quick 3-0 victory in the final against Grow uP Girls EU. She’s played on both women’s and mixed-gender teams during her time in the scene, and she’s played in promotional tournaments for both the LVP and the Prime League. Both times, her team failed to qualify for the main tournament. At the start of 2022, she finally got one step closer to achieving that goal, joining EBL team Valiance as their starting AD Carry for the Spring Split. This is her first experience in a tournament with direct qualification to EU Masters, and she’s more than ready for the challenges she’ll face. “My ultimate goal has always been to play with the best,” she told Dexerto, “and my eyes are of course set on the LEC but I know that even if I achieved that goal I’d still want to go for more.” https://twitter.com/RealValiance/status/1482761466793144320 Rising through the ranks in Europe’s competitive scene Her competitive drive is something that her coach, Josef Kolisang, picked up on almost instantly when he first started working with Caltys through the Esports Player Foundation (EPF). The EPF is a German non-profit that helps develop esports talent to compete at the highest level and provides support programs to young players balancing school, university, and work with a pathway to an esports career. In his role as coach, Josef provides one-to-one support to prospective pros like Caltys. He was also the official coach for SK Gaming’s Project Avarosa, a program to help high-level female and non-binary League players experience a competitive environment and provide them with the tools needed to find success in esports. Today we had the pleasure of hosting @LaureBuliiV as she joined our #ProjectAvarosa bootcamp for the day! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us, we hope to see you again soon! 💕#RUNSKG #EqualEsports pic.twitter.com/LyNOkazuLN — SK Gaming (@SKGaming) November 19, 2021 “She was one of the first three applicants for the EPF’s mentorship program” he explained. “What I saw in her was that she’s a very eager person who really, really wants to improve.” She picked up League when she was 12 years old on a recommendation from her older sister, and her love of the game began while playing socially with classmates. However, she dreamt of going pro from very early on in her playing career, and a trip to the 2015 EU LCS finals in Stockholm solidified that dream. “I knew that was what I wanted to do one day,” she told Dexerto. “My only regret is that I didn’t start working towards it sooner.” She found success in Europe’s women’s scene, but unfortunately, she explained, “mixed teams don’t consider experience with female-only teams valuable.” The next goal was, of course, to start playing on mixed teams, but finding those starting spots presented its own challenge. https://twitter.com/Caltyss/status/1473628442088419332?s=20 Josef explained that he “went to 12 managers and coaches and begged them to give her a tryout, not even a starting spot. And so many of them just refused.” The debate over the value of women’s-only teams came to a head earlier this year after the announcement of a women’s-only CS:GO circuit run by ESL. It’s a hotly debated subject in esports as to whether these events help or hinder the participation of women in gaming. And unfortunately, it’s a topic that doesn’t yet have a clear answer. Caltys explains that her time on female-only teams at the start of her career helped to “develop her as a player and as a person”, but that ultimately it “didn’t help me get any offers” when looking to try out for mixed teams. Joining Valiance and the road to EU Masters Joining Valiance in the EBL is her first opportunity to qualify for Europe’s premier League of Legends tournament, and she’s not taking it for granted. She found out about the team through coach Louis ‘Smeag’ Green, whom she had met while attempting to qualify for the LVP under a team not supported by an official esports organization. Although she failed to qualify with that roster, Smeag saw promise in her after multiple vouches and VOD reviews, and offered her a spot on the Valiance roster. https://twitter.com/RealValiance/status/1483153852950061059?s=20 Valiance currently have a 1-1 record in the EBL after beating Nexus KTRL and losing to Crvena zvezda Esports. Although Caltys believes in the individual performance of her teammates, she’s quick to assert that “League of Legends is a team game, and we definitely have a lot to work on.” The ultimate goal is to qualify for EU Masters, but in her work with the EPF she’s found the importance of setting shorter-term goals too. “I set up goals for myself every season, mainly around solo queue rank,” she explained. “I think it’s especially important that I maintain a high rank since it’s the easiest way to ‘prove’ I’m good enough.” She’s got a lot more to prove than some of her male counterparts, simply because so much of her past experience has come from a background that isn’t respected or appreciated by teams in League’s ecosystem. The burden of proof And it will be a hard road to prove herself. As one of only a handful of female players to ever compete at Europe’s highest levels, she will have to overcome significantly different barriers to the majority of ERL players. Josef told Dexerto that the EPF offers psychological coaching and support alongside in-game coaching, and that they are working to prepare Caltys for the adversities she may face. She herself explained that “once you get into a team, the biggest concern is harassment,” and she has spoken out on Twitter about the abuse she’s faced in the competitive scene. I’ve had to deal with a lot of shit but enemy players throwing slurs at me during official matches is something new and it’s just sad. — G2 Caltys (@Caltyss) December 4, 2021 But it would be reductive to boil her experience as a player down to the hardships she may come up against. The experience of a female pro cannot be simplified down to only the harassment and institutional sexism that they will potentially face. She has proven time and time again that she is ready for whatever the world of esports can throw at her, in-game and out. “I’m happy as long as I’m able to compete,” she said. Coach Josef also highlighted how damaging this tokenism and reductive attitude can be in esports, especially for female pros. “I don’t want her to be the token player for people to go ‘See! If you work hard enough you can do it!’ because that is bulls**t.” “It’s not the case that there aren’t enough female players who are willing to try, it’s that the organizations need to be more welcoming and more willing to change their infrastructure to allow women to compete.” It’s impossible to say whether this is the start of a radical shift in esports, and it’s unfair to put the burden of proof of women’s value as competitors on one player who is just trying to achieve a lifelong goal. Caltys is not every woman in esports: she is herself, and right now, she’s looking to make her mark on the EBL with Valiance.

McDonald’s launch esports league through Gen.G partnership Gen.G/McDonald’sMcDonald’s and international esports organization Gen.G have expanded their partnership to cover more areas in North America, resulting in a new esports league being devised for their employees. Gen.G cooked up a deal with McDonald’s in January 2021 that was focused on franchise stores in Southern California, including a tournament for employees. Then, they expanded the partnership in August to cover stores in Virginia, Maryland, and the Eastern Shore. Over 200 employees took part in another event as the fast-food franchise looking to better engage with their staff. Now, the esports org and McDonald’s have developed their relationship further by expanding into Western Oklahoma, Central and West Kansas, and North Texas. Together, they will create a new esports league, with the playoffs being broadcast live on Twitch on January 8-9, 2022. The SoCal #McDonalds All-Star Match is here! Tune in to see the top Super Smash players battling it out to show who is the All-Star!https://t.co/lg60OLpjG0#SoCalAllStars pic.twitter.com/KSMP6Pcs3x — Gen.G Esports (@GenG) September 19, 2021 Prior to this expansion, it was stated that they were connecting “hundreds of employees” across the select regions through their esports events. The McDonald’s Crew League begins on October 12 and lasts for six weeks before heading into the playoffs. Employees will vote on the game in which they’ll be competing for a chance to win over $2,000 in cash prizes and also a celebratory belt and plaque for their franchise store. “We know many of our crew members are avid gamers, so we wanted to offer new ways for them to connect, have fun and show off their talents by tapping into their passions,” said a Wichita McDonald’s owner, Alyssa Moten. “We’re committed to enhancing the employee experience for our people and couldn’t be more excited to partner with Gen.G on this exciting esports initiative.”

Meek Mill is recruiting players for his own esports organization YouTube / Meek MillRapper Meek Mill has revealed that he is starting his own esports organization, and is on the lookout for talent already. The Philadelphia rapper, who just released his latest album ‘Championships’ in November 2018, looks to be on the hunt for some championships of another kind – in the world of esports. On February 26, Meek responded to a fan on Twitter, confirming his ambitions in esports were real and that he needed the “best of the best”. I’m starting my own esports team I need the best of the best and you get a dc chain at signing!! :trophy: https://t.co/HBBrLKcKnV — Meek Mill (@MeekMill) February 26, 2019 In January, during a Twitter Q&A, Meek Mill responded to a fan asking if was going to start a ‘sports agency’, saying “coming soon.” Coming soon :trophy::trophy::trophy: https://t.co/qpcDsdsd4P — Meek Mill (@MeekMill) January 26, 2019 Although this is first interest in esports, Meek Mill has been a longtime gamer, and even mentions some of favorite games in his lyrics. In September, he was spotted playing FIFA against a professional soccer player for Philadelphia Union, while attending the Made in America festival – esports organization Gen.G shared the clip online. Hold up, wait a minute… did that just happen?! Clip from our Instagram live feed: @PhilaUnion’s @doolsta VS Philadelphia’s own @MeekMill for a #PhillyPhilly battle @MIAFestival :video_game:⚡️:guitar:#GenG #MeekMill #Meek #Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/WXAgvbPT5a— Gen.G esports (@GenG) September 1, 2018 Meek hasn’t revealed what games he’s interested in feilding teams for specifically, but a number of professional Call of Duty players have already shown interest, including FaZe Clan’s Dillon ‘Attach’ Price. Aye I’m going to your show in Hollywood in a couple days. Let’s talk Esports— FaZe Attach (@Attach) February 26, 2019 Soon to be former Red Reserve players Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris and Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall were also quickly in Meek Mill’s replies, as their previous organization are said to have ran into financial issues. He isn’t the first hip-hop artist to show interest in competitive gaming either, as Soulja Boy recently claimed that he too was starting an esports team. From sports games like FIFA and Madden, to first person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, and even MOBA’s like League of Legends and DotA2, there’s a lot of choice for Meek Mill to get his journey in esports started.

Massive Entertainment Park With Esports Arena Coming to Ohio Planet Oasis, a 2 billion dollar amusement park twice the size of Disneyland, is coming to Columbus, Ohio. Although it will feature the traditional attractions like food, rides and shopping, Planet Oasis will have a massive esports arena on site. The Call of Duty World League is currently taking place at the MLG Arena, a 14,000 square foot complex in Columbus. That may soon change as the Planet Oasis Esports Arena will be 30,000 square feet. The esports plans for this park do not stop at a building however, as Planet Oasis plans to have their own team and even their own esports league. Read More: All New Drum Gun Weapon Officially Coming to Fortnite Battle Royale Soon At this time, information is not known about what games their team will compete in or how the Planet Oasis league will be set up. The owners of Planet Oasis may not know what direction their esports plans will go either, as it was a very small portion of their launch video. At one point, the video humorously cuts from esports to a butterfly exhibit. Also of interest to gamers will be an area to experience VR and AR games. The complete list of planned attractions is below. Rollercoasters and rides – Skate and BMX park – Wave pool for surfing – Climbing walls – Indoor Skydiving – Medieval Times – VR and AR games – 30,000 sq ft. esports arena with team and league – A butterfly museum – 25-story skywheel – electric gokarts – Bowling – Laser Tag – Virtual Golf – 20-acre saltwater lake with beaches – The developers chose Ohio for the location of Planet Oasis for a the same reason Activison is holding the Call of Duty Championships there, over 100 million people live within a 6 hour drive and there are numerous college campuses nearby.

Mastercard becomes exclusive credit card partner for LCS, announces content deal Riot Games/PixabayRiot Games and Mastercard are expanding their existing partnership to include a sponsored League of Legends “Player of the Week” award, a new documentary series and co-branded merch. On August 21 Mastercard announced it is expanding upon its global partnership with League of Legends esports into financial services category exclusivity for the LCS. As part of the announcement, Mastercard is introducing a League of Legends community content-driven series called “Together Start Something Priceless” to showcase the stories of LoL players across the globe. Cheryl Guerin, executive vice president of North America Marketing & Communications at Mastercard is excited for the expansion. “This expanded relationship represents the continued growth in popularity of esports as well as the success of the global partnership between Mastercard and Riot Games,” she said. “We are also excited through the ‘Together Start Something Priceless’ content series to not only demonstrate our support for this community, but also share some of the great stories and inspiring individuals we have encountered during our partnership.” Mastercard has also partnered with MOFILM, a leader in social content development, for the “Together Start Something Priceless” series. Over 6 months, the two will deliver five films from the markets in the United States, Germany, China, France and Brazil with each story focusing on League of Legends players and their backstories. The first film chronicles the rise of Stephen ‘Snoopeh’ Ellis and how he is helping others advance in the world of esports. “Mastercard has already proven themselves to be true stewards of the League of Legends community. After launching our partnership last year, including global events and the curation of truly priceless moments at Worlds, we’re thrilled to be expanding the relationship and partnering with Mastercard to deliver additional unique experiences directly to LCS fans in North America,” Matthew Archambault, Head of Esports Partnerships and Business Development for North America at Riot Games said.

Marketing expert explains Nadeshot’s secrets to 100 Thieves’ success 100 ThievesIn his latest video, N3RDFUSION CMO and former CLG CEO Devin Nash reveals the true genius behind the new 100 Thieves compound, and discusses how brands like them are miles ahead of others in esports. Devin Nash, a marketing expert with an extensive history in the esports industry, broke down each of the ways that the brand founded by Call of Duty legend Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag is widening the gap between the best organizations and the rest. Starting with the 100 Thieves CashApp Compound, Nash estimates that they paid “next to nothing for it,” between the sponsorships from CashApp, Rocket Mortgage, Redbull, and more. The “clean, professional space” adds more value to 100T, as it can attract celebrities looking in at esports, and also maximize the value of all their resources. But it’s not limited to just sponsorships. From their merchandise drops to the way they host events, Nash says that “everything is sponsored, supported, or carefully crafted to add value in some way.” Another reason the brand does well is the same reason Nash claims rivals like Team Liquid and FaZe Clan are doing well too: they’re not solely focused on winning in esports. Winning is obviously important, but he argues that building a brand and content creation is more vital. He cites Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez during his time with OpTic as one of “the best content creators to ever exist.” A lot of teams are solely focused on winning, Nash says, and he admits that during his time as CEO at Counter Logic Gaming, and during his time as a Regional Manager at Dignitas, that he “didn’t understand how important building a brand was and exactly how to do it.” Nash says 100 Thieves “understood that from the very get-go, and that all of their people are creators that can stand alone as brands.” With names like Nadeshot, CouRage, Valkyrae, BrookeAB, The Mob, and others leading the way for content, they can add huge value to the organization while their LoL and CSGO divisions can afford to focus more on competition. The speed at which 100 Thieves has grown into a massive esports brand has been remarkable. With some of the biggest content creators under their banner, some of the hottest merch in the scene, and now an impressive LA-based compound to house their operations, 100T are in the driver’s seat to define esports for 2020 and beyond. The clear focus on building a brand provides more context to 100 Thieves’ decision to not participate in Call of Duty League. Nadeshot specifically said in that announcement that he didn’t want franchising to take away from the brand that they spent two years building.

Marved’s Valorant settings: Keybinds, crosshair, mouse settings & more Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesSentinels Valorant pro Jimmy ‘Marved’ Nguyen is considered to be one of the best players in the world. Here’s everything you need to know about Marved’s Valorant settings, including his keybinds, mouse settings, crosshair, and more. Following his outstanding performance at the VCT 2022 Masters: Reykjavik, dropping 35 kills in one map against ZETA DIVISION, one of Valorant’s star players Jimmy ‘Marved’ Nguyen has made his mark as one of the best in the game. After taking some time off in 2023, the ice-cold Controller player has returned to pro play on Sentinels after gaining notoriety on OpTic Gaming. Now those looking to improve at Valorant are wondering what Marved’s Valorant settings are. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered with a full breakdown of how he likes to play. Contents Marved’s mouse settings The Sentinels pro plays on a relatively low sensitivity compared to others at his skill – playing at a normal 800 DPI with a low sensitivity of 0.306 while opting to use the Razer Deathadder V2 Pro mouse. Marved’s Valorant crosshair When it comes to Marved’s Valorant crosshair, he opts for a casual, yet smaller than regular green crosshair. You can copy the pro by manually choosing his settings, or you can import his crosshair with his unique code listed below. 0;P;c;1;h;0;f;0;0l;3;0o;2;0a;1;0f;0;1b;0 – Primary Inner Lines Outer Lines Marved’s Valorant keybinds Marved’s monitor and resolution Marved currently uses the BENQ ZOWIE XL2540 gaming monitor. And unlike other professional FPS players, he plays in the native 16:9 aspect ratio. Below are his full monitor settings. Like many other professional players, Marved chooses to play on all of the lowest settings possible.

Mark Cuban explains why owning esports teams in America is “awful business” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has revealed his thoughts on owning esports teams in America, claiming investing in the scene is “awful business” and suggested those who bought into competitions like the Overwatch League had made a bad mistake. Cuban first invested in the Dallas basketball team in 2000, and has been at the helm of the Mavericks for the past 19 years. In 2011, he was court-side when his team defeated Miami to claim the organization’s first-ever championship. His initial investment in the NBA team cost him $285 million, more than ten times the rumored market buy-in prices of franchise slots in competitions like Overwatch, and the upcoming Call of Duty League, but Cuban believes esports is still a bad investment. According to the NBA owner, who also plies his trade as an investment advisor on ABC’s reality show Shark Tank, a lack of stability in the meta for games like League of Legends and Overwatch, as well as poor viewership in the States, are all reasons to avoid esports leagues. “I absolutely wouldn’t (invest),” he told Kristine Leahy on Fair Game this week. “You know what the meta is? They change things all the time, whether its Overwatch, League of Legends, or Fortnite for that matter, although it’s not really an esport.” The volatility of the game’s competitive environment, including regular patches “every 90-120 days” from developers to tweak characters, leaves the esports scene fully dependent on the game’s creators, he said, and suggested that’s a major problem for the leagues. Mark Cuban thinks owning an esports team in the U.S. is an “”awful business”” :speaking_head_in_silhouette:️:video_game:@mcuban talks sports business, investing, and more on an all new FAIR GAME w/ @KristineLeahy today at 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT on @FS1 :dollar: pic.twitter.com/aIWBD7Fhny — Fair Game (@FairGameonFS1) October 23, 2019 The unknown nature of the game, which seems ever-changing compared to sports like basketball or football, which have kept their same core rulesets since their foundation decades ago, is only one aspect of esports’ poor long-term financial future, he said. Cuban said he’s watched fellow sports investors and personalities buy into newly founded gaming leagues, like the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors with Riot’s LCS, and the New England Patriots owners in the OWL, and believes they’ve made major mistakes. “I think a lot of people who bought into teams, not the esports themselves, had no idea how bad a business it was, no idea,” he said. “Is it growing? Yes, but domestically here in the United States it’s an awful business, owning an esports team. I think you’re seeing a lot of consolidation, as people get out and try to sell. A lot of people are trying to raise more money, and valuations are going down. “(The problem is) a lot of people who bought in didn’t recognize the difference between a stream and a viewer in Europe or Asia, against a stream here. You see all the Twitch numbers, and even Overwatch League only have 300,000 or so maximum viewers. That’s not a huge number.” That’s not to say Cuban thought esports was a poor investment the world over. Europe’s flourishing scenes are drawing in more and more viewers every day — Riot Games’ LEC grand final between Fnatic and G2 Esports nearly hit a million concurrent watchers according to EsportsCharts — and Asia’s leagues are bigger and better than ever. “Being in Asia, there’s money there. If you’re in Korea, there’s tons of money there, it’s real,” he said. “If you’re in China, there’s money there. If you’re here, no so much. Look at what streamers go through. Ninja kills it, but he went to Mixer to make money (with the deal).” Twitch viewership seems to be only part of the puzzle, however, with game developers beginning to clue in to Cuban’s ideas regarding misrepresentation of popularity through pure view-counts. Blizzard especially has begun to move away from peak concurrent viewing numbers, and has begun tracking other metrics like Average Minute Audience. In the 2019 OWL season, Blizzard reported a 16% increase in AMA, with a season average of 313,000. The final reportedly had an 182,000 AMA for the 18-34 demographic, with the title fight streamed across Twitch, YouTube, Zhanqi, CC, Huya, Bilibili, and live on television via the ABC. It seems Cuban may have hit the nail on head in some aspects, with legacy North American esports organization Counter-Strike roster as well. Not everyone seems to be eyeing an exodus from esports, however, with former NBA superstar Rick Fox set to stay in the scene with new organization Twin Galaxies International despite his recent messy departure from Echo Fox.

Man City stars show off new FaZe Clan merch collab Instagram: Man City / Twitter: FaZe ClanPremier League football club Manchester City have teamed up with FaZe Clan once again for another collaboration, and some of the teams top players have shown off the new gear. FaZe Clan’s rise from a Call of Duty sniping clan on YouTube to one of the most recognizable brands in esports, and gaming has secured them a number of opportunities outside of the endemic gaming space. Man City, on the other hand, have been trying to move more into the esports & gaming area themselves, backing a FIFA esports team and previous collaborations with FaZe. Some of their biggest stars are also big gamers – Sergio Aguero is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch, in addition to being the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. The two teams first announced their surprise partnership in September 2019. At the time, Man City said “Esports is the world’s fastest growing spectator sport and this collaboration with FaZe Clan marks the start of an exciting new chapter in Manchester City’s esports journey.” Read More: How do you join FaZe Clan? – On December 12, the same day as they will face their city-rivals Man United in the Premier League, Man City and FaZe Clan’s latest collaboration will go on sale. The new ‘FaZeCity’ collection went on sale on December 10, and includes a variety of clothing and accessories with FaZe branding. To promote the collection, City stars Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Joao Cancelo all showed off the lineup on Instagram. View this post on Instagram Equally, FaZe Clan’s content creators have been modelling the merch, including streamer and Man City fan Nate Hill. Last time out, Man City actually wore training tops with FaZe logos for a Premier League game. Whether that happens again for their derby match against United remains to be seen. Their partnership with FaZe Clan was extended for a year back in June, so fans of either organization can expect more collaborations in the future.

Manchester United star Jesse Lingard explains why he made JLINGZ esports team Twitter: JLINGZesportsAt the end of August 2021, Manchester United and England star Jesse Lingard revealed that he had started his own esports organization called JLINGZ, starting off with a team in Ubisoft’s hit FPS Rainbow Six Siege. Lingard has made it no secret that he’s a gamer at heart. We’ve frequently seen him speak about video games in the past, playing Fortnite with his England teammates at the 2018 World Cup as well as posting his Warzone wins to his Instagram story. That said, the announcement that he was building his own esports team definitely came as a surprise to fans. He joins a long list of footballers former and current that have invested in the scene. This includes Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire with Semper Fortis, Gareth Bale’s ‘EllevensEsports’, and sporting icon David Beckham’s involvement with ever-growing Guild Esports. Welcome to the squad TEAM JLINGZ esports @JLINGZesports! #RainbowSixSiege #R6UKI #JLINGZ @ubisoft_uk @epicglobalgg 🎮👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/OQzZVzrzJU — Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) August 30, 2021 Lingard recruited Siege player and team captain Sam Williams to help him announce JLINGZ Esports and, a few days after letting the hype die down, the Manchester United man has explained why he made the move, and why it was the right time to do so. “Esports is fast-paced, it’s fast-growing and it’s global as well,” Jesse explained. “To be a part of something so big, it’s going to be something different.” But why the move into Siege specifically? Lingard detailed his desire to move into the space: “It’s fast-paced, it’s got a strong community, and to be working with Ubisoft, it goes hand-in-hand.” https://twitter.com/JLINGZesports/status/1432993728906551297?s=20 Adding that “the JLINGZ esports team can go to the moon,” Lingard is clearly delighted with his new venture and has high hopes and expectations for the team. It’s still early days, and there’s not even a full JLINGZ Rainbow Six team set in stone yet, but it will be interesting to see where the organization can go in the future.

Making Fighting Game History: How EVO evolves with the FGC Stephanie Lindgren, EVOThe world’s largest fighting game tournament is getting even bigger — but it’s no small feat maintaining the FGC’s authenticity alongside a massive convention experience. We spoke with EVO GM Rick Thiher about his goals for the event and how the tournament is evolving with its community. The Evolution Championship Series is the largest fighting game tournament in the world, drawing thousands of players to Las Vegas every summer for the last 27 years. The historic event has grown bigger every year, and saw record-breaking attendance numbers in 2023 after 9,182 players registered to compete in games ranging from modern titles like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 7 to old-school fighters like Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. This year, EVO has moved from the Mandalay Bay to the Las Vegas Convention Center, spreading its wings with a massive, all-inclusive venue in the West Hall. EVO 2024 promises to be a bigger, more streamlined experience than previous years, featuring cosplay contests, the largest free play Arcade in EVO history, and a special museum featuring fighting game artwork from throughout history. As EVO gets bigger and better, it’s garnered the attention of some major names in the gaming space — including the likes of streaming stars Pokimane and Esfand, who graced the tournament floor to face off in a Project L exhibition match in 2023. In fact, Pokimane is now a co-owner of EVO thanks to her position as Chief Creative Officer of RTS, which runs the tournament alongside Sony. With more attendees and more attention, EVO faces the unique challenge of balancing its status as a gaming convention with its position as one of the most important tournaments of the year. We spoke with EVO’s General Manager, Rick Thiher, about this unique conundrum and the future he sees for the tournament in the years ahead. EVO wants to be more than just a tournament For Thiher, EVO’s goal isn’t merely existing as a massive tournament. Over time, EVO has become the cultural ‘Mecca’ of fighting games. It’s the fighting game tournament. You can bet most fighting game players will show up to meet with old friends, get in some casual matches, and witness some of the world’s greatest players throw down on the big stage… Or try to fight for some of that glory themselves. “As a tournament, we just wanna grow and support that player base, help create new sustainability, create new fandom, create excuses to stay engaged, to practice, to be someone who, for generations, is actively involved with either competing or training new players, or just engaging with the culture,” Thiher told us. “EVO as a whole, though? I really want tradition. To be something that is talking about that generational fandom, that’s engaging with it in more than just the tournament.” To help work toward that goal, EVO will be starting a third tournament in an all-new location outside of Vegas and Japan, giving fighting game fans in different areas of the world a chance to enjoy the awesome atmosphere that EVO creates. Ultimately, Thiher hopes EVO can be a bullhorn to advertise the fighting game community and its vibrant culture year-round, and has begun implementing this strategy in a YouTube channel dedicated to FGC culture. “We soft-launched a new culture YouTube channel this past month, where we can tell ‘The Life and Times of Tasty Steve’ and we can show you a Rivals React Video of JDCR and Saint where you can watch that and go, ‘Oh, the best players in the world are just like me,’ and the homie on the couch going, ‘Why do you jab so much? Why? That’s cheap!’” Thiher laughed. “There aren’t a lot of places I think for those conversations to happen, for that awareness to be celebrated. It’s not that EVO is unique in that market, in the capacity to tell some of those stories, but it has such a bullhorn for fighting games specifically and has spent a lot of years not leaving it on year round. That’s the ambition for EVO right now. How do we take that bullhorn and enjoyably leave it on year round?” Balancing EVO as a convention and competition Last year’s EVO saw more registered players than ever, on top of a huge number of cosplayers and fan activations like Capcom’s special Street Fighter 6 booth, complete with a Rashid-themed ‘Tornado Booth’ full of ‘Cammy Cash.’ More and more, EVO is incorporating a convention experience for fighting game fans alongside its focus as a time-honored tournament — but it’s not always an easy harmony to achieve. “I think it’s a balance,” Thiher mused. “If you take the player base that the fandom roots itself in, and you celebrate them, you invariably create enough appreciation for them and for the games that the convention or the community elements that go around them become important to maintaining that scale. “As EVO continues to invest into museums and cosplay contests…Those pieces help people who have found fandom around the players. Celebrate that fandom which creates resources that we can spend on the tournament. “That symbiotic relationship, I think, is what makes EVO. It’s part of why EVO is special to me, and minding that balance is honestly probably the coolest part of the job. The tournament matters to me, but the celebration of the genre also matters to me, and I actually really enjoy the push-pull of where to focus, when, how much, and why.” Going through growing pains As EVO grows and changes, Thiher says the need to adapt feels good and daunting at the same time, recognizing that this growth has resulted in some unique challenges for the tournament over the years. “As we engage ideas and opportunities and challenges, we create new challenges rooted in new ideas and new opportunities,” he told us.”Minding that balance and maintaining both the aspiration and the hope against the sheer scale of the day-to-day efforts necessary to do what we’re doing just today in market, versus what we hope we can do later, is impactful because it offers new opportunities for me to grow along with the culture that I’m trying to help get to wherever it can go.” The FGC is an oft-used blanket term for fighting game fans and competitors, but the reality is that every part of it is very different. Though Thiher wants to make sure EVO is an event that can meet the needs and expectations of every community within the FGC, there’s a lot of this evolution that happens organically within these individual fanbases. The FGC has been built off the backs of passionate fans; Thiher and his team see no reason to try and take that control away from the community for the sake of achieving some sort of grand vision they have for EVO. “To me, it’s not about getting to an objective destination. I’m not gonna pretend that I know what is right for fighting games on a community level, much less a cultural level. I have ideas and experiments that I am currently blessed with the chance to explore, and in those explorations, I am hopeful that what we discover is beneficial for the fandom as a whole.” It’s a good time to be a fighting game fan In this so-called ‘Golden Age’ of fighting games, new releases for mainline titles like Street Fighter and Tekken have witnessed an enormous surge of interest, and more and more new players are jumping into the scene. Thiher is more than happy to welcome new faces into the fold and is ecstatic to see the community grow bigger than it’s ever been. “It’s incredibly cool to see new player bases come up and see them thrive,” he said. “To see that happen on the back of the tools, the resources, and the efforts of all the players and the organizers and the community members that come before them because they help either push everything forward or stabilize new ideas or just pick up the baton like — it’s really, really stellar.” Even amongst the highest level players, the FGC is still growing. Though many fighting games have their fair share of legacy players like Daigo or Knee who have dominated their game for years, there are also new talents that are making waves in tournament play. The next EVO winner could be someone just getting their start at a local, and being able to participate in those small locals is an absolute joy for Thiher. Taking that cozy vibe and bringing it to the biggest stage in the fighting game world is something he strives to achieve, so that players young and old can feel welcome. “To me, the fact that on a Wednesday night, I can go to a fighting game local that I have absolutely no part of, that I can show up and just play — I don’t run a bracket, there’s no expectation that I run a bracket. I’m not part of the venue. I’m not part of the stream, I’m not on air, and a huge chunk of the players don’t know who I am — I can’t tell you how dope that is. “‘Cause then you get to be part of this experience as they become educated about the games they’re playing in the communities that they’re joining and the culture that they’re now part of, and seeing that carry forward just validates all the time that we’ve spent trying to make sure that that’s possible, because I don’t know where that goes. It could be the greatest thing in the world. It could be exactly what it is right now, and either way, part of why that’s there is the time invested and the aspirations invested prior to today.” What’s next for EVO? EVO is an unquestionable cornerstone of the fighting game community. As it grows ever larger, it’s able to implement more and more community-focused elements that elevate it from a tournament to a must-attend experience that celebrates the most beloved aspect of the FGC; the players. The future of EVO is bright, as the tournament continues to outgrow itself and introduce exciting new experiences for fighting game players of all levels. For now, Thiher still has big ambitions for the year’s most highly-anticipated fighting game event. The sky’s the limit for EVO, and, under Thiher’s direction, there’s no shortage of ideas that will elevate the tournament to even further heights. And, while there is some mild concern about what’ll happen if the tournament becomes even bigger than it already is, Thiher feels like that’s a good problem to have. “I am sure there is a scale limitation that we can achieve,” he says. “The cool thing about a scale limitation is that, to even reach it is an achievement. It’s like sailing for the horizon. If you get there, that’s a problem for then, and the fact that it became a problem at all is a testament to how far you’ve come. So, that’s how I’m still approaching EVO. I would like to have that problem. I wanna get to that problem.” EVO 2024 is kicking off from July 19-21 in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. Be there or be square — and try not to drown in pools, while you’re at it.

Man City target esports domination with FaZe Clan after Premier League success EA SPORTSManchester City became the first-ever team to win both the Premier League and FIFA Esports ePremier League title during the 2020-21 season. In fact, they won a ‘hat-trick’ of Premier League titles on the pitch, also securing the PL2 and U18s league. The scary thing is, they’re only getting started. One thing you could never accuse Manchester City of is complacency. Since Sheikh Mansour took over majority ownership of the football club in 2008, a transformation has taken place on the pitch and even in the local area of East Manchester. Just look at the Etihad Stadium or Etihad Campus. They both represent the best-in-class sports facilities – an absolute dream for a young player looking to come and develop. From Roberto Mancini to Pep Guardiola, there’s been a constant improvement in standards. The scarf-wearing former manager brought in a lot of talented players from other countries, with Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, just to name a few. The style of football changed in correspondence with a hike in expectations, and that started with the club’s leadership. The team running the business side of Manchester City is determined to raise the bar, compete, and as we’ve seen since Guardiola arrived in the English top-flight, they are determined to align their ambitions to grow Man City as a brand with the routine success of lifting silverware. Even with a global health crisis and congested schedule, they were crowned Premier League champions on May 11 – their third title victory in four years and 10th trophy since their Spanish manager took charge. Many supporters up and down the country argue that their football teams do not take the smaller competitions seriously, but that is not how this trophy-winning machine operates. One thing that has been held against all of the big signings and title wins, though, was their inability to use the new youth training facilities to create a home-grown star. Fast-forward five years of Pep at the helm, and everybody is talking about a very talented boy in their team. The ‘Stockport Iniesta’, Phil Foden. Man City on “long-term” ambitions in esports Now, in 2021, they are surely a few pieces of the puzzle away from claiming a European Cup, and those ambitions are very much translating in esports. There’s a strong commitment to improving players. A hunger to regularly pick up trophies as a measuring stick for their success. And, as Man City Group Media Director, Gavin Johnson, told us in an exclusive interview – the club is not innovating for innovating’s sake. There is a long-term plan being worked towards. He said: “In everything we do, we want to win, and obviously with it being an esports environment we’ve got the chance to win. “We also know that we’re going to have losses. You go back to the mentality of the club, when you hear Pep talk [after the Champions League loss], he will be surrounded by support, help, and advice from right across the organization and it’s exactly the same in esports. We’re not going to win every time. Shellzz won the ePremier League but it’s been an up and down journey to get there. Will he win next year, who knows? “It’s about having a long-term strategy of investing, learning as we go as well, not being afraid to stop doing certain things and start doing others. But having a long-term focus on showing up authentically and credibly in the esports space. Along the way, making sure we have a structure in place to help the likes of Ryan [Pessoa] and Shellzz. If we win, brilliant. If we don’t, we will learn and go again.” As a Liverpool fan, it’s been difficult to watch such a big rival become stronger and stronger each season. But, let’s be frank, the fact that it took Jurgen Klopp’s men two full years of exceptional football, possibly like nothing we’ve ever seen in front of the KOP, just to take one domestic title away from them in this last four years is frightening. The levels of excellence that run through this club, in recruitment, training, style of play, management of their talents, and innovation are second to none. Many football operations around the world have had monumental amounts of money thrown at them in grand projects – think of Malaga, Arsenal, AC Milan, Tottenham to name a few in recent years – but not all of them have led to sustained onfield success. Manchester City, meanwhile, has become a standard-bearer. A winning structure Their approach to esports is quite collaborative. They are part of a wider group under the City Football Group umbrella, which incorporates the teams of New York City FC and Melbourne City. The players work in tandem, improving each other’s game, and the support from their clubs is really starting to bear fruit. In March earlier this year, Didychrislito completed an eMLS grand slam victory after winning eMLS Series One, eMLS Series Two, and rounding it off with an eMLS Cup victory over defending champ – and rival – New York Red Bulls player George Adamou. Three trophies from one region represent the sort of domination Manchester City have enjoyed on the pitch, and this season in the ePremier League, their player Shaun ‘Shellzz’ Springette finally got over the line by winning the title in March. After two grueling 4-2 legs in the final, he faced off against Leeds United’s Olle ‘Ollelito’ Arbin in a penalty shootout and kept his cool to deliver Man City’s first-ever major trophy in esports. Speaking to Dexerto, Shellzz said: “I first got into FIFA esports in FIFA 17. I was in my second year of sixth form at the time, so I had to sacrifice my education for it because it was something I wanted to do. So to finally be able to call myself a champion is something we all aim for as FIFA pros. “I’ve been working for it for a lot of years and to finally get it, it was dramatic! You know, the ins and outs of my career are like a movie – you lose, you’re down – but it was a cinderella ending.” While there has been a long-term stigma around mental health and mental conditioning in sports for some time, Shellzz and his teammate Ryan Pessoa have lauded the support network offered by their club. In 2020, City’s German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan opened up about the challenges of working remotely, and mental fatigue suffered. Pursuit of success can be tiring, particularly given the global health crisis of the last 18 months, and the integration of a mental coach to support the esports team has been massively beneficial. Esports athletes and gamers in general also have a stigma around them in relation to sleeping patterns, their health, and routine. However, with a successful training schedule and support from a mental coach, Man City have instilled a winning mentality in their team that aligns exactly with the football team’s core principles. Shellzz told us: “People from my previous team, they used to say ‘Shellzz is so good, I don’t know what it is, but sometimes he shows up, and sometimes he doesn’t. I’ve always had that in my head, where I’ve got the ability but it’s trying to find a way to break through mentally.” The pro admitted he used to go into tournaments doubting himself against other top stars, but he’s since found a way to get over the line. Mental coaching has played a big part in that success, showing similarities between the club’s support on the football pitch and the virtual field. He added: “When I heard about City getting a mental coach I knew this is something that could help me a lot. I was eager to get started. We’ve been working on it for two years now and it’s kind of nice to see it working, and paying off. It’s one of those things you don’t realize is affecting you.” Fellow Man City pro player, Ryan Pessoa, didn’t manage to pick up a trophy this season. However, he too has felt the benefit of having a mental coach work on his game. Can finally announce that I’ve signed for @ManCity! Looking forward to the season ahead 🎮👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/ZK5SBmtpIq — Ryan Pessoa (@RyanPessoa) November 19, 2019 He told us: “I used to struggle against players that I personally found them to be worse than me, not in a disrespectful way. But players where I think I’m better than them in the game, and the players that perform better than me I tend to play better against them. It’s trying to find that balance – boost my morale, confidence, concentration, consistency. “Those types of things are keys to success because I always say 50% is the ability and 50% is the mental side. You could be a great player and fall short numerous times, or be like some players where they are not the best player gameplay-wise, but their mentality sets them above others that are struggling.” Most ePremier League teams now have access to a mental coach and the success of it draws easy parallels with even the stars on the Man City team. There is another strategic feature of the club’s operations, though, that sets them apart – collaborations. Man City x FaZe Clan For die-heard esports fans, goals, victories, and big performances in-game will be the most important thing to watch out for. However, growing the audience of FIFA esports competitions is much harder in comparison to Call of Duty League, CS:GO Majors, or League of Legends’ Championships. Taking on a domestic and international competition format that replicates the real sport means it is unoriginal to a degree, and then there’s a huge responsibility for the clubs to promote what’s essentially a spinoff sub-team of their organizations. For many, this is not the priority, but Manchester City has carved out a sensational success story that’s very much audience-driven. Their partnership with FaZe Clan and its content creators, for example, has allowed the club to blur the lines between football and gaming in a way no other Premier League club has before – with a strong focus on collaborations. Speaking about how that partnership works both ways, Gavin Johnson told us: “What you’ll see is that a lot of our players love collaborating with them [FaZe Clan members] as well. Like Kevin De Bruyne – huge gamer – Sergio Aguero – leaving us now, but huge gamer – Aymeric Laporte, Kyle Walker. They love that they’re playing with what they see as absolute superstars in the FaZe lineup and the FaZe guys obviously buzz off the fact that they’re playing Fortnite with Kevin De Bruyne. “It’s just authenticity. They have shown in the space that they are an incredible, phenomenal organization at FaZe, and we’re very lucky to be working with them but hopefully, we bring something to the table with our success on the pitch. “Authenticity is a big reason as to why that partnership works with FaZe, and we’ve had some big successes over the last 18 months since the partnership, but we’ve got some really cool stuff coming up as well which we’ll be able to tell you about in due course.” That laser focus they have placed on not just building up their esports stars, but creating esports content with massive collaborations, shows they have the right people in the right places. Having their own exclusive skins in the Fortnite FaZe City Cup this January was just the start, and so too was Shellzz’s ePremier League triumph. In 2021, the blue moon is rising for Man City in esports. By fusing together the ambition to have success on the virtual pitch and the goal to establish themselves as a credible content creator partner, the Manchester club are looking much longer-term than just winning trophies – because the structure they’re putting in place almost guarantees that.

Madden and Pizza Hut enter first-ever virtual stadium deal in esports EA SPORTSThe Madden NFL 20 Championship series will be taking place at the newly unveiled Pizza Hut Stadium. A move intended to further blur the lines between traditional sports and esports. Pizza Hut Stadium is the first-ever virtual stadium rights deal in history and all MCS live tournaments will be taking place at the new stadium. “Pizza and sports go hand in hand, and esports is no exception. Pizza Hut has always been a trailblazer in the gaming space, from the days of tabletop Pac-Man in our restaurants, to now, becoming the first-ever brand to have an official virtual stadium rights deal in esports,” Pizza Hut CMO Marianne Radley said. He continued: “The goal of all our partnerships is to create 360 fan engagement and we are thrilled to join forces with EA Sports to create memorable experiences that connect fans to their favorite sports like never before.” While the stadium is plastered with the Pizza Hut branding, that doesn’t mean jerseys will be. Alex Nuñez, the esports Sponsorship Lead at EA Sports told Dexerto: “The idea behind virtual stadium rights is to develop an opportunity that’s in the image and in the essence of what you would see in the actual NFL. So we wouldn’t want to stray from a traditional NFL experience. “We wanted to mirror what you had experienced if you were to go to an actual NFL stadium where the concept of stadium rights already exists and you’re used to seeing brands within the stadium. We’re trying to create an extension of that in our world.” Dexerto asked Vida Mylson, the Sr. Director of Global Brand Partnerships at EA Sports if there are plans for any other virtual stadiums. “I think there’s always a possibility, I think from a bigger picture perspective and overall for esports,” she said. “I’m not going to say yes, I’m not going to say no, but obviously we’re definitely thinking a little bit bigger as far as how we can innovate these offerings and really lean into creating an experience for these brands within the sports environment.” Mylson added that the partnership “validates the future of the Madden Championship Series as an NFL partner and property. “I think from a Pizza Hut perspective, as well as ours, it kind of goes back to the idea of blurring the lines between the real world and then the world of gaming and really creating that mirrored sponsorship opportunity that they’re getting in the world of the NFL into a whole new area of gaming.” Nuñez added: “This is such a great example of how a sponsor program can bring value to the Madden competitive community, especially at the professional tier. “Now our professional players are playing in a virtual stadium rights deal, Pizza Hut stadium. This was created for them and then a belief in them that they are stars and eventually we become superstars of this sport. And that’s just how we try to approach our sponsorship business is not only bringing value to the brand but to the Madden community as well.” The MCS kickoff and debut of Pizza Hut Stadium is August 30 at the Madden NFL 20 Classic. The tournament is taking place at North America’s largest esports facility – Esports Stadium Arlington. $190,000 is on the line along with first and second place earning a spot in the Madden NFL 20 Bowl.

M5 World Championship: Dates, schedule, teams, prize & wildcard qualifier MoontoonThe M5 World Championship will bring the curtain down on Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s 2023 esports season. Here’s all you need to know about the showpiece event. Excitement is building in the Philippines for the M5 World Championship, the biggest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports competition on the planet. This year, Moonton is upping the stakes, increasing the prize pool to a record $900,000 and introducing a wildcard qualifier. The event will be held in the country of last year’s champion, ECHO, who won the title after beating Blacklist International in an all-Filipino final. Moonton is looking to build on the success of the M4 World Championship, which became one of the most popular tournaments in esports history with a peak of over 4.2 million viewers. Expectations will be much higher for this year’s event, but the recent Southeast Asia Cup (MSC), a less prestigious tournament, proved that this mobile esport shows no signs of slowing down, peaking at 3.65 million viewers. Below is everything you need to know about the fifth iteration of MLBB’s World Championship, including the schedule and the countries/regions that will be competing in the tournament. M5 World Championship: Dates and Schedule Moonton announced in January that the M5 World Championship will take place in the Philippines. It is the first time that this country will play host to Mobile Legends’ biggest competition. Before the main tournament kicks off, there will be a wildcard qualifier, featuring eight teams from all over the world. This qualifier will take place in November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. M5 Wildcard Qualifier: November 2023 (Kuala Lumpur) – M5 World Championship: December 2023 (Philippines) – M5 World Championship: Teams Group Stage: Wildcard Qualifier: M5 World Championship: Prize The tournament will feature a record prize pool of $900,000 — up from the $800,000 purse that was on the line at the M3 and M4 World Championships.

MAD Lions enter partnership with Warner Music in Spain MAD LionsSpanish esports brand MAD Lions have signed a first-of-its-kind deal in their home nation of Spain, entering a partnership with the Spanish arm of the Warner Music label. Competing in two of the biggest esports titles, MAD Lions have continued to add commercial partners to their roster as they look to become the most prominent esports property in Spain. The brand — which competes in League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive — have teamed up with Warner Music Spain in an attempt to further their emphasis on being a “lifestyle” organization. The partnership allows MAD Lions’ players and personalities to use music owned by Warner Music Spain in their content, seemingly avoiding any issues caused by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). ESTRENO EXCLUSIVO 🔴 🎶@Flakked_LoL y @FlexZCoD – “”FEKTS”” — MAD Lions KOI (@MADLionsKOI) July 26, 2021 The label is home to artists like Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Green Day, Lizzo, Pink Floyd, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Read More: 100 Thieves partner with Lexus – MAD Lions are one of the more successful esports organizations when it comes to acquiring commercial partners and sponsors. At the time of publication, they hold deals with sports brand Kappa, automotive giants SEAT, gaming hardware company Razer, and financial company imagin. “For Warner Music Spain, joining MAD Lions means our entry into the territory of esports and gaming, where music is a dynamic element and will be an added value for our artists, players and fans of both worlds,” said Warner Music Spain’s head of artist services, Sergio Méndez. “We are delighted to do it hand in hand with a professional team like MAD Lions, which is achieving an impeccable esports career.” In the past few months, MAD Lions owners OverActive Media have raised $40 million from NHL team Montreal Canadiens & athletes and listed themselves publicly on the TSX Venture Exchange.

M4 World Championship on course to break all-time esports viewership record MoontonThe M4 World Championship is the first time that the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament is hosting a live crowd, and needless to say, it is well on its way to becoming the most popular event in esports history. The fourth iteration of the global Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament, the M4 World Championship, marks the return of teams from Vietnam and Myanmar after their absence at the M3 World Championship. Additionally, with the tournament featuring a live audience, many in the community had expected records to be broken. We’re only halfway through the playoffs, with four days still left to play, and the tournament is already ranked third for highest peak viewership across esports. There is a strong chance that the tournament could go on to become the most popular esports event of all time. M4 World Championship becomes the third most-watched esports event Featuring 16 teams from across the globe, the M4 World Championship is the ultimate annual esports event for the title. The knockout stages of the tournament are being held at the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the grand final scheduled for January 15. On January 11, during the upper-bracket semi-final between defending champions Blacklist International and RRQ Hoshi, over 4.2 million viewers were watching the match at one point, according to statistics website Esports Charts. Mobile Legends’ previous viewership record, set during the M3 World Championship, was just shy of 3.2 million viewers. With this stunning viewership figure, the M4 World Championship leapfrogged the 2021 LoL World Championship for third place on the list of events with the highest peak viewership. Below you can find the top five most-viewed esports events in history:

M4 World Championship: ECHO win after sweeping Blacklist Int. MoontonThe M4 World Championship crowned a new champion as ECHO made light work of Black International in the final. Here you can find our recap of the the Mobile Legends tournament, organized by Moonton. Sixteen of the world’s best Mobile Legends teams traveled to Jakarta for the M4 World Championship, the final event of the 2022 competitive season. Just like last year, 16 teams qualified for the event via a series of regional or national qualifiers, with $800,000 on the line. The M3 world champions, Blacklist International, were the first team to reach the grand final after coming through the upper bracket, beating RRQ Hoshi in a nail-biting five-game series that shattered Mobile Legends’ viewership record. However, they were no match for their Filipino rival ECHO, who ran out 4-0 winners in a one-sided final. With this victory, ECHO jungler Karl ‘KarlTzy’ Nepomuceno adds another world title to his CV, having previously won the M2 World Championship with Bren Esports. The M4 World Championship was a resounding success and highlighted the growing popularity of mobile esports. The tournament had an average viewership of over 800,000 people, up from the M3 World Championship’s average viewership of 602,000 people, according to Esports Charts. Below you can find all the information the M4 World Championship, including results and final standings. Missed a match? You can watch all the VODs of the event on MLBB’s YouTube channel. Contents M4 World Championship: Final standings Below you can find the prize pool distribution and the final standings. M4 World Championship: Format and results The M4 World Championship began with a round-robin group stage with four groups of four teams. Every match was played in a best-of-one format, with the top two advancing to the upper bracket and the bottom two to the lower bracket. The first two rounds of the lower bracket featured a best-of-three format. All the other matches were best-of-five clashes, with the exception of the grand final, which was played in a best-of-seven format. Local fans were able to watch the matches at the Bali United Studio during the group stage and at the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan during the knockout stages. Knockout stage (January 7-15) Note: WIB stands for Western Indonesian Time (GMT +7) Day 9: January 15 Day 1: January 7 Day 2: January 8 Day 3: January 9 Day 4: January 10 Day 5: January 11 Day 6: January 12 Day 7: January 13 Day 8: January 14 Group Stage (January 1-4) Group A Group B Group C Group D Day 1: January 1 Day 2: January 2 Day 3: January 3 Day 4: January 4 M4 World Championship: All qualified teams The M4 World Championship will feature 16 teams from different regions. The CIS will not have any representatives at the event, while Myanmar and Mekong make an appearance after missing last year’s tournament.

Luminosity Gaming Updates Their Logo for 2018 Luminosity Gaming has redesigned their logo, updating to a more modern version of the recognizable LG eye. Luminosity has successful teams in CS:GO, Call of Duty, Hearthstone, Fortnite and PUBG. They are also the current representation for the popular Fortnite streamer, Ninja. Unlike many esports organizations that change logos frequently, Luminosity has had the same logo since their founding. Since they are an established brand in the esports world, they were understandably hesitant to shake things up entirely for the first logo change in their history. The updated logo does not change the basic outline, instead it flattens the logo for a more modern look. The gradients of the old logo are gone, replaced by a cleaner color scheme featuring the famous light blue. The new logo is also entirely contained in a circle, where the old one had a stray eyelash. Take a look at the new and old comparison below. The logo was designed to have an “L” like structure in the middle, representing the team name ‘Luminosity’. It’s enclosed in a circle representing the principles of the circle of life. Which to us means that everyone contributes, no one member is anymore or less important than the other, and we all progress together as a team. The blue backing representing ‘Luminosity’ meaning to be luminous; illuminate which to us represents hope, inspiration and positive energy. Strangely enough, there is no mention of who that eye belongs to. Luminosity and their new logo will return to the CWL Stage 2 Pro League when Group B resumes play on July 10th.

Ludwig partners with MoistCr1TiKal as co-owner of Moist Esports Moist Esports/ Mogul moves/ Off BrandMoist Esports has announced that popular content creator Ludwig Ahgren has joined the organization as a co-owner. Moist Esports has another content creator joining its ownership circle, the organization announced on Twitter through a video featuring Ludwig and Charles ‘MoistCr1TiKal’ White. The organization was founded in 2021 by MoistCr1TiKal and has a strong presence in the Apex Legends, Rocket League, Guilty Gear Strive and Super Smash Bros. scenes. Ludwig will join an ownership group consisting of MoistCr1TiKal and Matt ‘SuperSpicyMatt‘ Phillips. Ludwig announced as co-owner of Moist Esports In the announcement video, Ludwig is seen talking about how esports organizations struggle to make money and rely on venture capital funding and crypto sponsorships to survive. Then MoistCr1TiKal arrives to show off the various trophies his esports team has won in Rocket League and Smash. Ludwig points out that Moist Esports must be burning a lot of money to win that many trophies, to which MoistCr1TiKal says that Ludwig has some money to burn since signing an exclusivity contract with YouTube in 2021. MoistCr1TiKal confirmed in 2022 that he loses roughly six figures a month on Moist Esports as the organization was still no longer near profitability. MoistCr1TiKal and Ludwig have collaborated on content in the past, and Ludwig has been a part of the Super Smash Bros. Esports scene since his early days as a content creator, competitor and occasional caster. Moist Esports launched initially with Super Smash Bros. as its flagship esport, signing Kolawole ‘Kola’ Aideyan as its first pro player. Ludwig has also stepped into event hosting in esports, organizing in October the Ludwig Smash Invitational: Ultimate and earlier this month the Ludwig x Tarik Valorant Invitational. This move by MoistCr1TiKal and Ludwig seems to be a part of a trend of content creators creating their own esports teams with funds from their content creation efforts. Jeremy ‘Disguised Toast’ Wang, another content creator and member of the creator group OfflineTV, recently signed his own Valorant team, which has qualified for the North American Challengers League.

Luminosity beats FaZe, TSM & NRG as most-watched ‘team’ on Twitch Twitch/TSM FTX/Luminosity/NRGAccording to new stats, Luminosity Gaming were the most watched team on Twitch in June 2021, with a huge drop-off between them and NRG in second place. Twitch stars have become some of the hottest commodities in esports & gaming, with organizations clamoring to lock down the top names and bring more eyes to their team. We’ve seen Luminosity bring in Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, FaZe Clan get NICKMERCS on board as a co-owner and orgs like TSM branch out by recruiting the likes of top chess streamer Hikaru Nakamura. But how do the numbers actually compare? Streamscharts compiled the data to look at the top 10 teams in June, based on hours watched. Top 10 esports teams on Twitch Luminosity top the charts by a long way, thanks largely to xQc, who makes up 74% of the organization’s hours watched on Twitch, despite his hours watched falling by around 42%. Meanwhile, NRG take TSM’s spot in second place, with Chance ‘Sodapoppin’ Morris earning almost 6m hours watched of their total 18.1m. TSM streamer ImperialHal remains the org’s most viewed star, having bypassed GMHikaru in May after the chess grandmaster’s reign of dominance. Here’s the full list of the top 10: Luminosity Gaming: 29.4m hours watched – NRG: 18.1m – TSM: 17m – FaZe Clan: 12.5m – Cloud9: 12.2m – T1: 12.1m – Team Liquid: 9.5m – LOUD: 9.4m – DeToNator: 9.2m – G2 Esports: 8.2m – Many teams, such as Luminosity, FaZe and TSM saw dropoffs in their total hours watched, while C9’s stayed pretty much the same month-on-month. It’s unclear why exactly so many teams saw drops in their numbers. It’s looking great for LG and xQc, and it’ll definitely be interesting to see whether another team could overtake them any time soon. Unfortunately for those teams, it’s not looking likely.

How LOUD became the biggest esports org you’ve never heard of LOUDLOUD is an esports organization and media giant that, for the most part, is missing from the conversation when success in esports is discussed — at least in the west. This makes sense considering they’re all-in on Brazil and the many underground cultures in the nation, but considering it serves an emerging market, just how did it manage to rack up one billion views on YouTube before any other team (even FaZe Clan) having only launched in 2019? In 2021, it’s fair to say that esports organizations stand for more than simply competing against one another. That’s not where the money is, and capital is what every company needs to stay afloat and thrive. Instead, there’s a reliance and emphasis on partnerships, content, and building infrastructure which helps keep competition feasible and companies bringing in much-needed funds. FaZe Clan and 100 Thieves are two great examples of the esports-media hybrid that most esports organizations are moving towards, but there’s another organization that is seldom in that conversation despite perhaps being the definitive proof that this formula can work: LOUD. Dexerto spoke with Matthew Ho, a co-founder of the popular Brazilian brand, to find out the story about LOUD’s inception, rapid ascension, and ambitious moves — including signing Olympic athletes and rap artists. In Brazil, mobile battle royale game Free Fire is king. It’s becoming part of the culture there like some sports that have been around for decades, partly because of developers Garena’s ability to integrate stars from other industries, and partly because it’s free and a well-made entry in the recent explosion of the battle royale genre. LOUD saw this and positioned themselves firmly in the center of the game’s ecosystem, benefiting tremendously. Read More: What is Garena Free Fire? – The co-founders foresaw the opportunities that were presented by the game’s rise to popularity because they were already all-too-familiar with mobile esports and had worked closely with many of the industry’s biggest organizations at the time. The origins of LOUD “Two of our co-founders we were previously at Super Evil Megacorp working on Vainglory, building out the esports program and working with influencers, streamers on Twitch, and creators on YouTube,” Ho told Dexerto. “At the time I really saw the ability for creators and influencers to drive a lot of conversions around user acquisition and overall awareness. “The reality was that every team functions differently and we really saw esports as a marketing tool. We wanted to figure out what the ultimate team would look like for us to bring in as a franchise for the league we were running. We saw huge opportunities in mobile gaming, but not necessarily in the west — they were in emerging markets where there’s a lack of esports infrastructure, server infrastructure, community programs, and whatnot.” While profitability is a pipedream for many esports organizations, Ho and his colleagues identified some elements of what would become their competition when recruiting teams for Vainglory’s competitive scene. “There were tonnes of success cases out there for us to look at and the big ones were definitely TSM at the time,” explained Ho. “They were, and are, huge in League of Legends and we saw that ‘zero to hero’ storyline. “Then we saw the content creation and narratives coming out of FaZe Clan who were really getting the viewers to understand more about their creators, their personalities, and their brand. Merging those two together made us think about how to create a ‘zero to hero’ storyline through esports, making sure that we are telling a story and following through post-event, win or lose.” As well as competing in two of Brazil’s biggest leagues in Free Fire and League of Legends, LOUD has signed a legion of content creators and influencers. It doesn’t stop there though. In 2021 they’ve expanded into music and sports, signing trap artist GUXTA in April 2021 and Olympic skateboarders Pedro Quintas and Luiz Francisco leading into this year’s games in Tokyo. While initially, these signings may seem random, they’re strategically entering into other cultural cornerstones and integrating them into their activities in a way that seems natural. If they were to enter ballet or table tennis, for example, it would make much less sense than the aforementioned activities. “In Brazil specifically there’s Free Fire, football, CS:GO, skateboarding, and trap music — these are all things that our audience really resonates with right now and they all make sense with our strategy of storytelling and creating narratives,” Ho explained. “Whether it be going into music or skateboarding, these are things we feel confident in bringing additional value to. “We want to adapt the music towards what we’re doing at LOUD and create more cool experiences for our fans, while learning the ins and outs of music production, how fast we’re able to turn around music videos, and the financial and the monetization part of it as well. These are things that we’re still learning to date.” The line between sports and esports has been blurring over the past few years, whether that’s through major sports ownership groups investing millions into the Overwatch League or promising athletes like Bronny James joining the collective of FaZe Clan. LOUD tapping into skateboarding makes a lot of sense within the context of Brazil, as both gaming and skating are ‘underground’ sports, fighting to be taken seriously in the wider sports arena. “To be transparent, we signed them up for five years,” Ho said of Quintas and Francisco. “The big opportunity here is that you have skateboarding, which has been an underground sporting community or for the longest time, becoming an official sport now. Imagine if you were one of the main brands positioned in football, the NFL, or the NB. When we’re looking at the opportunity for skateboarding in Brazil, we’re foreseeing how big can it be in five years and what the opportunities there are — whether it be on a grassroots level or on a professional level. Things like building a bunch of skate parks across the country. “We are gaming arenas inside malls. We think those are great places for us to really connect with the community and build experiences for them. What we see for skateboarding is very similar, we can build skate parks around Brazil. we can leverage the real estate within these skate parks for partners and sponsors, and then just work on making the most out of that traffic. We think that’s a win for us and advertising and partnerships will make it a sustainable route so that we’re not burning too much money.” Esports is a business, after all While competitive excellence and crafting a supportive community are vital components of esports, esports organizations are businesses at the end of the day. It’s hard to make money on fielding the best roster, flying them across the globe and only taking 10% of prize winnings. Orgs need to make money or they’ll simply cease to exist. Profitability is hard to come by for most, but not for LOUD. “We were profitable since month one,” Ho told Dexerto. “We came into this with a bunch of partnerships already in hand, working with the likes of Discord from pretty much week one were blessings that we had early on. It helped us grow and sustain the business and extend it to what it is today. “When you’re starting a team, the first thing that you do is build a community, whether you are winning championships or creating content people will gravitate to your team. The first opportunities that you see there is mostly advertising, working with sponsors and partners to leverage your power of distribution. Where we see it moving towards is commerce, I think that’s where the real opportunity really starts to come for a lot of organizations. It then comes down to how loyal and engaged fans are and what the potential commercial value is that they can gain from each user.” While some entrepreneurs are banking on competing and content to make money, others are betting on operating on the peripheries of the industry by offering support and building infrastructure. There’s OpTic Gaming on one hand, and Vindex (who are investing $300M over five years to build gaming arenas across the United States) on the other. Purposefully operating in an emerging market with little infrastructure, LOUD want to be the best of both approaches and reap the rewards of such an effort. “When you’re in the west, you are dealing with the big brands, the massive agencies, and companies like Vindex and PlayVS that are building up the infrastructure,” the LOUD co-founder said. “In emerging markets, there’s no infrastructure at all so there’s just so much more opportunity. “We are essentially looking at different markets seeing opportunities to build from the ground up while knowing the issues and concerns of models that we see in the west. That’s essentially how we started out with our content strategy; we looked at what works, how we could adapt it based on our learnings from the publisher side and the content side. We’re doing the same thing across the board, approaching these things from scratch and applying our learnings.” We asked Ho if he had any grand proclamations about where LOUD will be in the coming years — perhaps as big as the main sporting teams in the country? — but instead were met with a humble answer meshed with a forward-thinking but adaptive approach to an industry with very few ‘best practices.’ This may be one aspect of why LOUD has been so successful so early on: they know better than to try and foresee the status quo of an industry that’s prone to new titles emerging out of nowhere and existing esports dying a quick death. They want to remain nimble, on their toes, scoping out the next big opportunities before they’ve blossomed.

LS explains why he “feels bad” for T1’s MSI opponents after perfect LCK split Former Cloud9 Head Coach and Twitch streamer Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare has revealed he “feels bad” for T1’s MSI opponents and has predicted T1 to win Worlds 2022 following a record-breaking dominant 20-0 performance during the LCK Spring Split. The 2022 LCK Spring Split could’ve been considered a walk in the park for T1, as the three-time world champions had a record-breaking undefeated run. For the first time since 2019, T1 will be heading to Busan, Korea for their return to the MSI stage. However, with the team looking to be in its best form in years, many are looking ahead to Worlds 2022. Among those is Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare. Despite the international tournament still being over six months away, he’s already predicted T1 to take home the trophy for the fourth time. Following T1’s assertive win over Gen.G in the Spring Split finals, LS took to Twitter on April 2 to congratulate the team on their outstanding sweep. Furthermore, the former Cloud9 Head Coach revealed he believes T1 will take home the Worlds 2022 trophy. “Feel really happy for Joe Mar and Polt seeing this roster and run be as dominant as it was and ending on a perfect 20-0,” LS wrote. “I fully believe this is the year T1 wins worlds as well,” he noted. Feel really happy for @JoeMar and @Poltsc2 seeing this roster and run be as dominant as it was and ending on a perfect 20-0. I fully believe this is the year @T1LoL wins worlds as well. — H. Baker (@LSXYZ9) April 2, 2022 During his co-stream of the LCK finals, LS also added his thoughts on the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational. “I feel so bad for any NA or EU team that has to go up against T1,” said LS. “Holy sh*t dude. Absolutely insane performance by Faker. What an insane final.” The Mid-Season Invitational is set to kick off on May 10 till May 29 and will be held in T1’s backyard in Korea. This year’s international tournament will also feature a live audience for the first time since the Worlds 2020 finals. MSI will give fans a better idea of how regions are performing before the big show later in the year. However, we can only speculate if the T1 roster will stay in its current form.

LOUD and Karmine Corp top Twitter’s most popular esports orgs in 2022 so far Twitter @LOUDggTwitter Gaming have revealed the most talked-about esports organizations on the platform so far in 2022 – and fan favorites LOUD and Karmine Corp continue to lead the pack. If there’s one thing Twitter loves to do, it’s talk about esports. The platform has become one of the primary destinations for esports fans looking to engage with orgs and players, and to generate discussion within their communities. On July 12, Twitter released a report showing some key insights into the esports fans that populate their platform. The report outlined which organizations had received the most fan attention between January-July of 2022, with Brazilian org LOUD maintaining their status at the top of the standings after being the most talked-about esports org for the entirety of 2021. The top 10 most talked-about esports orgs on Twitter so far in 2022 are as follows: LOUD – Karmine Corp – Crazy Raccoon – FaZe Clan – paiN Gaming – G2 Esports – T1 – Los Grandes – Fnatic – Furia – LOUD still on top The pride of Brazil, LOUD remain the most talked-about esports org on Twitter. Their primary esport is Free Fire, a mobile title that’s shot to popularity in recent years and boasts some of the most-watched tournaments of any esport in the world. They also host teams in League of Legends, Valorant, and Fortnite – but their investment in influencers and stars from other industries such as music and sports have driven them to incredible levels of fan engagement. KCorp’s meteoric rise Joining them in second place is Karmine Corp – a new entrant on the list who didn’t manage to break into the top ten in 2021. Competing primarily in League of Legends in the LFL, with teams in Rocket League, Valorant, and Trackmania, the organization shot to global popularity in 2022 with the signing of League of Legends pro Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larssen. Their show match against Spanish League team KOI, owned by streamer Ibai Llanos and footballer Gerard Pique, attracted over 470,000 Twitch viewers and sold out the 17,960-seat Palau San Jordi in Barcelona. Rounding out the list There were a few returning faces amongst the most-talked-about esports orgs on Twitter. North American org FaZe Clan dropped down to third place after being the second most-discussed org of 2021, falling behind new arrival Crazy Racoon, a Japanese organization who host teams in Apex Legends and Valorant. European stalwarts Fnatic and G2 Esports also return to the list, dropping to sixth and ninth place from fourth and fifth respectively in 2021. T1 stand out as the only Korean organization on the list in seventh place.

LoL pro Mikeyeung joins new team following sudden Team Liquid exit ESPN Esports, Phoenix 1First making a splash in competitive League of Legends in 2017, pro player Mike “Mikeyeung” Yeung has made a number of roster moves over the ensuing years – and now, he’s joined forces with another esports giant in a sudden, major change of pace. Esports organization Echo Fox uploaded an announcement video on June 30, where they unveiled their newest player in a humorous skit: Mikeyeung, who was concealed in a box of “merchandise.” The video went on to officially announce Mikeyeung as a new LoL recruit on their squad – an opportunity that the player claims he’s “really excited about,” as it gives him the chance at competing in the League of Legends Championship Series. “Really excited to be playing back in LCS with Echo Fox,” the pro wrote in a Tweet shortly thereafter. “Gonna show NA watsup with my high tempo jungling that we need to beat EU, like in 2017 RR 🤣” That wasn’t Mike’s only reaction to the news: the player went on to give a heartfelt thanks to Team Liquid, who published a brief post on their short time with the pro. Really excited to be playing back in LCS with @echofoxgg gonna show NA watsup with my high tempo jungling that we need to beat EU like in 2017 RR :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing: — MikeYeung (@MikeYeunglol) June 30, 2019 “Really Grateful for the Team Liquid Org, and I cannot express it with words alone,” Mike said of his move. “I love you guys so much! …Shoutout to the TLA boys, It was so much fun playing together some really great memories, so awesome to play on a team with all your friends!” While fans across the board were surprised at the news, many wished Mikeyeung success with his new team, with some claiming that they would miss the pro’s performance with Team Liquid in wake of his departure. Shoutout to the TLA boys It was so much fun playing together some really great memories, so awesome to play on a team with all your friends! @Shoryulol @InsanityXXXlol @mattelento @BobjenkinsLoL @yaltz — MikeYeung (@MikeYeunglol) June 30, 2019 “Damn, really gonna miss him on TL, but EchoFox definitely needs a Jungler and I hope MikeYeung can be the permanent starter they need!” one user said of the switch. “Awww yay, he’s finally moving up,” another wrote. Damn, really gonna miss him on TL but EchoFox definitely needs a Jungler and I hope MikeYeung can be the permanent starter they need! — EinWaltz (@EinWaItz) June 30, 2019 As one player enters, another player leaves – former Echo Fox jungler Yoonjae Lee announced his departure from the org the same day, marking a tumultuous day for the esports giant that has since seen star fighting game player Dominique “Sonic Fox” McLean take the CEO Mortal Kombat 11 Championship belt just hours after Lee’s announcement. I am no longer contracted with Echo Fox, officially a free agent. I am open to all opportunities, Dms are open. More details might be revealed on stream later. Contact: pvman93@gmail.com— Yoonjae Lee (@Rush0406) June 30, 2019 HE DID IT! CONGRATULATION @SonicFox5000!! :trophy::clap: He fought his way through losers to become the #MortalKombat11 #CEO2019 CHAMPION! #FOXWIN We could not be more proud ~ pic.twitter.com/plHh23dLro — Echo Fox (@echofoxgg) June 30, 2019 It looks like fans and players alike are excited for Mikeyeung’s move, which will undoubtedly bear fruit as the LCS continues into the summer months.

Los Angeles Valiant announce LGE as new operators in OWL 2021 Los Angeles Valiant / LGE / Overwatch LeagueWith the Overwatch League’s 2021 season looming, the Los Angeles Valiant have finally announced their new operators, LGE, after Immortals Gaming dropped their entire OWL roster and staff. LA Valiant will be operated by LGE – Team will move to China and play in APAC – Zero players on roster for upcoming 2021 season – How LA Valiant got dismantled in offseason On January 14, 2021, the Valiant denied rumors that IMT had sold the team to a Chinese organization. On January 29, they announced that they had released their entire roster and staff — totaling 11 players and at least six members of the staff. Now, nearly a month later, the organization have revealed that they have a new “operating partner” for 2021: LGE, more formally known as LinGan e-Sports. As reported, we’re happy to confirm that the LA Valiant’s operating partner for the 2021 season is LGE, who won the 2019 Overwatch Contenders China title. We look forward to working with them this year, and to a great 2021 season. — Los Angeles Valiant (@LAValiant) February 20, 2021 What LGE’s involvement means for 2021 season LGE, a Chinese-based esports organization, formerly operated LGE.Huya, the academy team for the OWL’s Chengdu Hunters — who won numerous Contenders seasons in the China region. The team was also the source of numerous OWL pros, including the Shanghai Dragons’ He ‘Molly’ Chengzhi and Houston Outlaws’ Min-jun ‘PIGGY’ Shin. In 2020, the Valiant finished eighth in the league, offering strong encouragement for the team’s future — although apparently not to IMT. With the 2021 season starting on April 16, Los Angeles have yet to sign a single player. The situation will be an interesting one to monitor, as the team has played things very close to their chest thus far and denied numerous rumors (even those that were later confirmed).

LIVE: LoL 2021 off-season rostermania: all roster changes As the final of the 2020 League of Legends World Championships draws ever closer, it’s expected that going into 2021 there will be a reshuffle of rosters. Keep your eye on this page as we here at Dexerto compile all the important roster change news and rumors. [jwplayer dy1EAYho] The 2020 LoL World Championships has certainly seen a wealth of upsets. With behemoths such as Cloud9, T1, and last year’s champions FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) not even making it into the Championship this year, the LoL community has watched as titans were felled and underdogs have risen to the occasion. Some of the most notable moments include TSM’s record breaking 0 -6 streak, making them the first even major reason to lose every game on the Worlds stage. While NA colleagues and fans alike have expressed disappointment, the TSM situation has opened a wider debate on the place of North America in the League of Legends world. If TSM are to represent the best that America has to offer, some future adjustments were clearly necessary; veteran stars Yiliang ‘Doublelift’ Peng and Soren ‘Bjergsen’ Bjerg have retired to be replaced by rookie Lawrence ‘Lost’ Hui and FlyQuest’s Tristan ‘PowerOfEvil’ Schrage respectively. Further upsets included Top Esports’ reverse sweep against European powerhouse Fnatic. While most critics are unanimous that Fnatic’s Worlds performance was sound, questions regarding the performances of Mid Laner Tim ‘Nemesis’ Lipovšek and Support Zdravets ‘Hylissang’ Galabov throughout the regular LEC season have spurred on a lot of debate. While the latter proved his worth during Worlds with outstanding performances on Rakan, the former appeared to have a much more rocky run and has since been replaced by ex-Cloud9 mid Nisqy. With Rekkles’ shock departure to G2, Fnatic brought in Astralis’ Upset as his replacement in what has been a rollercoaster off-season for the seven-time European champions. 2020 certainly was a whirlwind, and if 2021 is in any way similar we expect to see some serious roster switches, especially with so many players ending 2021 as free agents.

Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk joins Tundra Esports as ambassador and shareholder Tundra EsportsLiverpool football star Virgil van Dijk has been unveiled as the new ambassador and shareholder of London-based esports organization Tundra Esports. The Netherlands international will aid in the development of the Tundra brand while “providing support and mentorship” to the organization’s esports talent, according to a press release. Van Dijk, widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, has been passionate about video games from a young age. According to Tundra, he is an “avid fan and player” of games like FIFA, Fortnite and Sim Racing titles, which makes him “a natural fit” for the organization. His unveiling as a Tundra Esports ambassador was revealed through ‘OUTPLAYED’, a song released by British grime artist P Money. It’s described as the “first official grime gaming song” and is already available to listen on all music streaming platforms. “I am extremely excited to be joining Tundra Esports,” Van Dijk said in a statement. “Tundra Esports is one of the fastest-growing esports organizations in the world and they are moving in a very exciting direction. “It was great to be able to collaborate with P Money and the idea behind OUTPLAYED further emphasised why I wanted to be involved to help grow the team. They have built up a tremendous reputation when it comes to player well-being within a winning culture which is something that really resonates with me. I’m excited for the future”. Created in 2019, Tundra Esports currently field teams in FIFA, Dota 2 and Fortnite. Their Dota 2 squad, which notably won ESL One Fall 2021, pocketing $175,000, will compete at PGL Arlington Major this month.

Literal Buddhist monks win esports tournament NKC/FacebookA group of monks, dressed in traditional garb, not only competed at an esports tournament in Thailand, they experienced victory. According to World of Buzz, the competition was held at Khon Kaen University’s Nong Khai and lasted from August 15-18. The Buddhists are seniors at Balee Sathit Suksa high school, which is known for educating monks. Kokkiad Chaisamchareonlap, the school’s academic coordinator and head monk said the students, “wanted to try entering the competition, so we gave them that opportunity. However, we didn’t expect them to actually win.” Despite studying Buddhism for 20 hours a week, the rest of the time the students have a fairly standard curriculum. They were exposed to esports through a computer class and they began training and practicing to get better. Their game of choice was Speed Drifters – a mobile racing game. Read More: WoW Classic surpasses 1 million Twitch viewers at launch When the monks, still in their saffron robes, got on stage to claim their prize, some people in attendance were stunned to see they had won. Some people online felt like they should have either disrobed to compete or not be allowed in the tournament. Kokkiad was spoke out in support of the students. “The novices are just children, like other people their age that need to grow, develop their skills and explore their interests,” he said. “We wanted to give the students an opportunity. A lot of them don’t have that coming from poor families or broken homes, The three want to compete, they asked to. So we gave them the opportunity.” While Balee Sathit Suksa was not the only religious school competing, they were the only one to win. What’s next? A group of nuns winning a CS:GO tournament at DreamHack?

Lil Nas X to headline LoL Worlds 2022 opening ceremony Riot GamesRiot Games has announced that Lil Nas X will headline with League of Legends World Championships opening ceremony on November 5 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Lil Nas X will perform the 2022 Worlds anthem, “Star Walking,” to the crowd alongside other musical acts. Lil Nas X created the 2022 Worlds anthem with Riot Games and has also served as the President of League of Legends in the company’s promotional circuit around the international tournament. Along with Lil Nas X, singer Jackson Wang, in partnership with label 88rising, will debut “Fire to the Fuse,” a Riot Games Music-created theme song for the new in-game skin line Empyrean. Other artists performing before the Worlds grand final include Louis Leibfried and Edda Hayes. Riot Games always puts on a show for fans before the competition comes to an end in the Worlds grand final and this year looks to be no exception. “From the two best LoL Esports teams in the world to the Opening Ceremony lineup, the World Final stage will be brimming with icons. We couldn’t be more excited to have these internationally-acclaimed artists bring their incomparable talent to Worlds, a spectacular celebration of the best of League,” Naz Aletaha, the Global Head of LoL Esports, said in a press release. Lil Nas X to perform before the tournament winner is crowned Worlds 2022 is almost over as there are only the semifinals and grand final left to play. JDG, T1, Gen.G and DRX are the final teams left out of the 24 that qualified for the tournament. JDG will take on T1 on October 29 and Gen.G will face DRX on October 30 for a chance to make the grand final. The two teams that make it through will fight for their right to lift the Summoners Cup on November 5.

Liquid rapha wins $150,000 Quake World Championship – Final placements ESL[jwplayer Dx2HDtD8]Team Liquid’s Shane ‘rapha’ Hendrixson once again proved he’s one of, if not the greatest Quake players of all time after claiming his sixth QuakeCon Championship, and the 2019/2020 Pro League MVP award. Rapha entered his first Quake tournament all the way back in 2002, finishing 65-128th at that year’s QuakeCon tournament, and since 2008 has been a feature at the top of the Quake scene, and been remarkably dominant in Quake Live with 21 first-place finishes since the game’s release in 2017. After coming through a year filled with personal tragedy after the passing of his fiancé in June, rapha dominated his opposition to take home the 2020 World Championship, and unsurprisingly found himself named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. After receiving a bye in the first round of the North American portion of the bracket, rapha swept past Australian ZenAku and American dooi without dropping a single game, and then quickly took down Estonian player cnz with a comfortable 3-0 win in the semi-finals. VengeurR proved to be the only player who could take a game away from the 31-year-old, but couldn’t stop the Team Liquid star from putting on another Quake clinic, before moving into the grand-finals to win four unanswered games against Adrián ‘RAISY’ Birgány to seal his place at the top of Quake esports once again. An emotional rapha spoke to Marcus ‘DjWheat’ Graham at the conclusion of his victory, admitting that his win was “bittersweet,” but wanted to thank Bethesda for giving him the opportunity to play “the best FPS game ever,” and for giving him the chance to compete, and succeed, at the game’s highest level. Despite his tragic loss in June, rapha showed no signs of considering retirement, thanking the Quake community, his family, and friends for all the support he has received over the past few months, and stated his intention to keep doing what he’s doing, and hopes to keep the success rolling, summing up his plan for the future with the phrase: “All gas, no brake.” While Bethesda didn’t reveal how the $150,000 prize pool would be split among the competitors, you can expect that rapha will be taking home a healthy chunk of the cash, alongside the title of being the world’s greatest Quake player once again. You can view the tournament’s final placements below. 2020 Quake World Championship Final Placements

Twitch legend Tyler1 joins T1 with hilarious welcome video T1In a move that just was always meant to be, iconic Twitch streamer Tyler ‘Tyler1’ Steinkamp has signed with esports organization T1 with an announcement that seemingly came out of nowhere. On October 17, T1 officially announced that Tyler 1 would be joining the org as a streamer and content creator with what might be one of the most hype signing videos we’ve ever seen. The esports org is one of the biggest names in gaming, especially League of Legends, so it makes sense that they signed Tyler – who, besides having a similar name, is also a massive figure in the world of LoL. This also means that fans can look forward to more of the streamer’s popular collaborations with Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, since both are now under the same banner. Tyler1’s T1 video Looking fully reformed, we can’t wait to see what Tyler1 and the org manage to come up with together, especially as we get close to the grand finale of Worlds 2020, even though T1 isn’t in attendance this year. The streaming star seemed pretty excited about the announcement himself, proudly proclaiming himself as the org’s new CEO after watching the video on stream with viewers. “LoL Tyler1 is joining T1. Officially. By the way, by joining, I mean, Joe Marsh (T1 CEO) is a little b***h, actually a little b***h, so I’m actually running T1,” the streamer joked. “I got full control over everything, I manage the players, manage the staff, pay my own salary. He tried to step up to me, but Joe is really short.” Esports orgs signing content creators and streamers is certainly nothing new, but Tyler1 is one of the biggest names on Twitch and has been for a while, so it’s easy to see why so many people are excited about the news. After what could definitely be considered a rough year for North American LoL, not even considering the current global situation preventing live events from happening, one of the most famous League streamers in the game signing with one of the scene’s most well-known teams is certainly a needed breath of fresh air.

LG’s Shiv drops insane Apex Legends game with 7K damage Luminosity/RespawnShivam ‘ShivFPS’ Patel, Apex Legends pro player for Luminosity Gaming, stunned viewers with one of his best ever games on Respawn’s battle royale, dropping 27 kills and almost 7,500 damage. ShivFPS, the British pro player who currently represents Luminosity, is one of the foremost names in Apex Legends content creation. The last 12 months have seen his Twitch following grow by over 200,000, as new viewers regularly tune in to see some top tier gameplay. This was the case yet again, as he wowed his audience with an incredible solo gameplay, dropping 27 kills and 7,500 damage. In a game of trios, and with skill-based matchmaking, it goes some way to show why Shiv is considered one of the very best players to ever pick up the title. Landing at Turbine on Apex’s new(ish) Olympus map, Shiv quickly found himself with an R-301, R99 and some seriously annoying enemies to deal with. As you’d expect, he used the first two to deal with the latter, racking up 6 eliminations within just a couple of minutes of landing. His remarkable aim was clear from the start, using the fairly high-recoil R99 at insanely long ranges, and with devastating results. What makes the game even crazier is that it appeared to start with just 55 players, meaning Shiv killed pretty much half the lobby while playing completely on his own. His incredible gaming IQ – jumping in and out of the action perfectly to stay alive but still take out multiple teams at once – was also constantly on display, maximizing the effectiveness of Bangalore’s smoke grenades to a level we’ve not previously seen. There’s little to no time in between fights for Shiv, spending as little time disposing of enemies as he does looting their dead bodies. Despite some issues around Supply Bins with a pesky shotgunner, Shiv managed to out-maneuver every enemy in the lobby, and come away with 27 kills. It’s one of the craziest games we’ve ever seen and Shiv knows it too – launching into hilariously explicit celebrations as soon as he sees off the final team.

Leffen, SonicFox and Justin Wong give early verdict on Project L: “Incredible” Riot GamesRiot Games let a few fighting game pros, like TSM’s William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte, and content creators play the in-development fight game, Project L, and give their thoughts on the title. Riot Games dropped a bunch of new information about its in-development fight game, Project L. The developer revealed it will have a playable demo of the game at EVO this year and also teased the introduction of a new character. Riot Games also brought in a bunch of fighting game pros like Leffen, Dominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean, and Justin Wong, as well as other content creators a few weeks ago to test out Project L and give their thoughts on the game. The consensus from most of those invited was that the game is in good shape and is “incredible” to play. “I got to try Project L last week and man the game is incredible,” SonicFox said in a tweet. “Legit can’t wait to see everyone else try it. Leffen and other fighting game pros weigh in on Project L Leffen and Justin Wong, both known for dominating multiple different fighting game titles, released their own YouTube videos about their time testing the game and their thoughts on its current state. Leffen was overwhelmingly positive about the Riot Games fighting title. He praised its depth of tactics and mechanics, while also comparing it to Marvel vs. Capcom 3. He said in his final thoughts that he is already trying to figure out ways to open up his competitive calendar for Project L tournaments in the future. “The fact that it’s this good already in this limited form and that it’s so complex and so interesting, I’m unbelievably excited,” Leffen said. Wong was also positive about the game in his video. He gave some mild gameplay criticisms, like how the super meter was a tad slot to power up, and said he communicated that to the developers. He also said there was a tournament between all the players invited and that he and SonicFox were in Grand Finals against each other. Wong claimed the tournament lasted for about an hour and that the developers were pleased by their performance, saying that the gameplay didn’t look stale or boring. “This is something I really want to play more of,” Justin Wong said.

League of Legends Worlds 2022 host cities announced Riot GamesLeague of Legends Worlds 2022 will be returning to North America, with Riot revealing the four host cities of the championship dotted across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. It’s the first North American continental tour at Worlds. The League of Legends World Championship is returning to North America in 2022 for the first time since 2016. The USA, Canada, and Mexico will play host to the best players in the world as they fight it out for the Summoner’s Cup. The four host cities were announced on November 21. Play-Ins: Mexico City, Mexico – Groups and Quarterfinals: Madison Square Garden in New York City, USA – Semifinals: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada – Finals: The Chase Center in San Francisco, California – The tour of Canada and Mexico marks the first time Riot has taken Worlds on a multi-country journey across North America. Previous editions have focused solely on the United States. “The momentum behind League of Legends Esports has only continued to grow since the last time we hosted Worlds in the U.S. in 2016. We’re thrilled to bring the full scale of our global sport back to North America,” Naz Aletaha, Riot’s Global Head of LoL Esports said. Read More: League of Legends 2022 rostermania – It also comes after Worlds 2021, hosted in Europe, broke viewing records during the five-game final between China’s EDward Gaming and Korea’s DWG KIA. It peaked at over 4 million non-Chinese viewers, according to Esports Charts. 24 teams will qualify for the major event from 12 regions across the world. The dates for League of Legends Worlds 2022 are yet to be announced.

Leaked ESL internal memo confirms global job cuts and restructuring A leaked internal memo from esports tournament organizer ESL suggests that some offices in Europe will soon be facing reductions to help achieve their international goals and “continuously raise the bar.” Dexerto received the memo on December 3, 2019, which highlights a number of changes coming to the organization during a global restructuring, putting many jobs and offices at risk, or otherwise already closing down. ESL has been one of the largest organizers in the world of esports competition, from ESL Pro Leagues to Majors and the countless championships, both local and global, in between. This downscaling of operation in certain territories will no doubt come as a blow to many. The memo starts by addressing the passion, diversity and size of the global ESL team, before addressing their International Strategy and goals they aim to achieve. It says that “to achieve our International goals, we need to make the right and at times, difficult business decisions to secure our success. As a result, we are announcing organizational changes to the international business. This change is crucial for our future and focus.” It goes on to say that “Spain and France will be affected immediately, whereas the UK office is currently under assessment and roles have been put at risk.” Elsewhere, the Poland and Germany hubs will get the full focus of European operations. It goes on to say that this decision is not one taken lightly, but offers somewhat of an explanation as to why this has happened. “Due to the change in our international entities, we all have to work together as a global team, to ensure a smooth transition, and above all meet the expectations of our players, fans and partners. What this also means, we need to continuously assess our areas of responsibility and ensure that we do not deviate from our focus and goals.” The implication is that the company’s goals are not being reached with the addition of the Spanish, French and UK offices, so instead will seek to focus the bulk operations on the hubs that help them achieve more – namely Poland and Germany, in this instance. While operations will be reducing in these regions, it does not mean that the offices are closing down entirely, instead using them to focus on local brand partnerships The memo does suggest that jobs will try to be retained as much as possible, to hold on to the talent they have and refocus their entities on local growth. Reports suggest that ESL Spain has already seen around 40 layoffs, while the UK office remains a question going forward, with no clear decision made. This article previously stated that operations will cease in France, Spain and the UK. This has since been clarified by ESL with the confirmation that these offices will focus on local brand partnerships, while moving a majority of operations instead to Germany and Poland. They will not be downscaling or reducing overall operations.

League of Legends fan rebrands all LCS teams and some are better than the originals 100 Thieves/Travis BeckAn artist and LCS fan has given a dramatic makeover to the League’s 10 teams and the two teams replacing Optic Gaming and Clutch gaming – and some of the designs might actually beat out the originals. Designer Kevin Beck shared his LCS rebrands on Behance, which include the 10 current teams and two organizations who will replace Optic and Clutch Gaming. Beck said he made the designs “to show how the new brands can be expanded across merchandise and incorporate with sponsors in complex ways (Jerseys and Hoodies) as well as more simplistic ways (Hats).” 100 Thieves Beck made 100 Thieves logo much more modern-looking and a lot cleaner in the rebrand while still keeping the trademark red, black and white. But 100 Thieves is one of the most recognizable and well-known esports brands out there, so it would probably take a lot for them to change their logo. The designs would make great alternate gear though, just a thought. Cloud9 Another one of the most well-known esports organizations out there, Cloud9’s new logo uses a roman numeral nine instead of the classic cloud. The downside to this, is that on first glance you might not know exactly what team’s jersey you’re looking at, so again, this would make a great alternate. Clutch Gaming may have gotten one of the best redesigns of the whole group – their logo still keeps the C and the star, but reversed, so now the letter is inside the star, instead of the other way around it is currently. Counter Logic Gaming Counter Logic Gaming’s rebrand is different than the other ones so far, instead of going for a more stylized version of the organizations logo, Beck went with a simpler design. CLG placed on a shield does give Counter Logic a different look, but it would be interesting to see how fans reacted to the updated logo if it were changed. Echo Fox Echo Fox currently wears blue jerseys, but thanks to Beck’s redesign we get to see what the team would look like in an orange worthy of a team with a fox as it’s logo. The new logo has a nice modern look to it and would be easily identifiable to fans, since it’s still a fox. Sadly, Echo Fox will be leaving the LCS after this year, but at least these awesome designs will live on. Dignitas There’s probably an unwritten rule somewhere that you’re not allowed to change the Dignitas logo, and Beck didn’t change it too much so hopefully he’s alright. Like the other redesigns, the Dignitas brand is still very recognizable, but just a little more modern. FlyQuest The FlyQuest redesign may be one of the best from the whole group, since it makes the organization’s logo look more like an esports team and less like an internet gambling site. Joke aside, FlyQuest’s green and gold go great with the new logo, which turns the “F” from FlyQuest into a pair of wings. Golden Guardians The Golden Guardians may be owned by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, but that doesn’t mean they should rely on the team’s marketing department for their branding. Beck’s redesign turns the logo into a shield, instead of a confusing lighting bolt thing and would look great on stage on the big screen. Immortals Immortals are another team that’s well known among the esports faithful, which is why it’s good to see the team get such a great new logo from Beck. Instead of the classic helmet, Immortals now have an infinity symbol, which fits with the undying theme of the team quite well. Team Liquid If Team Liquid ever do decide to rebrand, Beck has provided them with a brilliant, and simple, starting point. What better way to symbolize Team Liquid than with a drop of water? But be careful, the old logo might get jealous if we keep this up much longer. Team SoloMid If you’re going to do a logo redesign for Team SoloMid, you’re required by law to have the logos TSM in there somewhere, so it’s good to see Beck was following the proper codes and regulations. Beck also added color to the TSM brand, but whether or not they want to go with burnt orange is another story, for another day. OpTic Gaming Finally, we come to OpTic Gaming, who sold their LCS slot to Immortals after the buyout of OpTic earlier in the year. Even though the players will be coming back under a new banner, it will be sad to see the old GreenWall leave the LCS.

League of Legends: Why LCK legend PraY has turned down all offers for 2019 LoL Esports / Riot GamesAfter being linked with a whole host of American teams in recent weeks, LCK bot lane legend Jin ‘PraY’ Jong-In has cast some major doubt over his future in esports. The Korean – who has won League of Legends Champions Korea with three different teams – revealed that he has turned down several offers to compete in the 2019 season during an emotional stream on Afreeca TV, with his fans now uncertain about what his next step might be. “The offers [that I’ve received from teams] have been too good, but I turned them all down,” he said. “Maybe I had already closed my heart, for some time by now.” This was followed by several mentions of the word “retirement,” according to Korizon – a Korean esports website. The 24-year old reportedly went on to discuss the idea of retiring when the fans “were still clapping” and his potential regret of leaving now when they are not. Despite the fans in the chat pleading for him to stick around and speak to more teams again, PraY responded with: “That’s the end. I’m going now. Maybe I’ll turn the stream on again soon,” before ending the stream. Hello. This is PraY, Jong In KIM. My contract with KING-ZONE Dragon X has terminated today. I am looking into a lot of different teams in many countries. Please contact me through my email if you are interested. Thank you E-mail : arnc2704@naver.com— 김종인 (@LolPraY) November 20, 2018 What makes his words more shocking, is that they came just over a week after PraY opened himself up to offers publicly. He took to Twitter to seemingly promote his availability on November 20, as you can see in the tweet below. While his fans may be confused or saddened by the situation, it does not seem like a concrete announcement at this stage. There is still hope that he could return in the future, even if it’s not alongside GorillA.

League of Legends: OpTic Gaming sign former 100 Thieves jungler for upcoming season OpTic Gaming have acquired a new jungler for their League of Legends team, and he’s a familiar face, having played for their North American rivals 100 Thieves the season prior. William ‘Meteos’ Hartman has officially signed with OpTic on November 27, filling the final open spot in their main squad for the upcoming season.’ Their full active roster now features Meteos as the jungler, ‘Dhokla’ as the top laner, ‘Crown’ as the mid laner, ‘Arrow’ as the ADC, and ‘Big’ as the support. The announcement of this roster move was made via a post on OpTic’s official Twitter page, hours after their former jungler ‘Akaadian’ left the team for free agency. Jungle game on :lock:. Please welcome William “”@MeteosLoL” Hartman to our 2019 starting roster! #GREENWALL pic.twitter.com/TK2EiTVxli — OpTicLoL (@OpTicLoL) November 28, 2018 Meteos arrives after having spent the last few months playing for FlyQuests Academy. He was traded to FlyQuest from 100 Thieves in July, which ended up becoming a drawn-out roster saga because FlyQuest’s active roster was full and Meteos did not want to play for their academy team at the time. While with 100 Thieves, he played an integral role in their second place finish at the NA LCS Spring 2018 Playoffs, including having the best record in the Split’s regular season. Prior to joining 100T, he also had a successful spell with Cloud9, including a first-place finish at the IEM Season IX Major in San Jose, CA. OpTic Gaming will hope that Meteos’ experience and pedigree of success will translate over to their team, which has had a largely unsuccessful start since joining the NA LCS. Their squad finished ninth in the Spring Split and seventh in the Summer, prompting management to broker some high-level roster moves so far this offseason. In addition to letting go of Akaadian and acquiring Meteos, OpTic also signed Crown, a former World Champion with Gen.G (then known as Samsung Galaxy) in 2017. Crown arrived as a replacement for ‘PowerOfEvil,’ who left the org to join Counter Logic Gaming on November 24.

League of Legends Beats Out Traditional Sports to Win an Emmy Popular PC game League of Legends has achieved another major milestone in its illustrious history, continuing to build upon its highly successful foundation. Publisher Riot Games was awarded for Outstanding Live Graphic Design at the 39th annual Sports Emmys being held at the Lincoln Center in New York City. The Sports Emmys is an awards show in which the National Academy of Arts and Sciences honors sports broadcasters with Emmy Awards for their coverage of the 2017-2018 sports season. Sports Emmy awards are usually given for the coverage of traditional sports, however League of Legends won one as an esport. The award for Outstanding Live Graphic Design was given to Riot Games for the spectacular job they did with the opening ceremony at the 2017 League of Legends World Championship final. In addition to an extensive array of musical and dance performances, the broadcast of the ceremony featured an impressive, augmented reality dragon that flew around the stadium and onto the stage. Ariel Horn, Global Executive Producer at Riot Games, dedicated the Sports Emmy to the League of Legends esport’s massive fan-base. Thanks so much #lolesports fans. This Emmy is for you! https://t.co/VyWMF0uPve — Ariel Horn (@ArielHorn) May 9, 2018 The fact that an esport was able to claim a major award that is normally reserved for traditional sports is a telling sign that the two are becoming further integrated with each other. There have been rumors that esports can feature in the Olympics in the near future, and it should not be considered a coincidence that Horn formerly worked as an executive for NBC Sports in their coverage of the Olympics.

League of Legends: Fnatic replace star midlaner Caps with Slovenian rising star FNATICFnatic has taken another risk by appointing an unproven midlaner to replace Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther for the 2019 League of Legends European Championships (LEC), with the acquisition of Tim ‘Nemesis’ Lipovsek. Nemesis is very much an upcoming star in esports and was part of the MAD Lions team which won LVP Superliga in 2018 twice, as well as the EU Masters 2018. As we have seen in the past, however, Fnatic are very much capable of making these risks pay dividends. Just take a look at how Fnatic’s rookie top-laner Bwipo stood out as one of the best in his role as the team went to the World Championship final. With that in mind, the 19-year old Slovenian is now relishing his chance of improving with the Black and Orange. Having completed the move, Lipovsek said: “I’m delighted to represent Fnatic now; it feels unreal knowing I’ll be able to play for the Fnatic fans. Even before being announced, they’ve shown me an incredible amount of support already! “Now, I look forward to working with my new teammates who have shown huge success in the past years. I’m confident I can perform to the highest standards that were set by my midlane predecessors.” The incoming rising star will be stepping into some big shoes, though, replacing Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther who decided to swap Fnatic for G2 Esports just under a week ago. He was undoubtedly one of the best midlaners in the world and has left to the biggest domestic rival – riling up the pressure on the young replacement to deliver. Read More: Fnatic have since denied financial causes for the loss of their star player Fnatic have faith in their ability to develop future stars and now Nemesis is going to be a big part of their team. Speaking about their new man, Fnatic League of Legends Team Director Joey ‘YoungBuck’ Steltenpool said: “We’ve been following Nemesis for quite some time during his stay at Mad Lions and, from everything we’ve seen and heard, he ticks all the boxes. “Building up talent may take time and always comes with risk. But I believe Fnatic provides their players the perfect platform to become stars.” Even with a great track record of improving their teams and developing talent, the pressure is certainly on for Fnatic to deliver in the upcoming season.