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G2 reportedly parting ways with Rekkles after failing to make Worlds 2021 G2 EsportsG2 Esports are reportedly in the process of selling Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson’s contract and have informed staff and players on the League of Legends team that he’ll be leaving soon. According to a DOT esports report, the relationship between the 25-year-old Swede and G2 isn’t going well after the storied esports org failed to qualify for Worlds 2021 for the first time since becoming a part of the LEC. Rekkles contract doesn’t expire for another two years on November 2023, since the bot laner only joined G2 back in November of 2020. This means his tenure on G2 will have lasted just short of a year. The Swedish pro was supposed to go to the 2021 World Championship group draw show on September 22 as G2’s representative, but due to the breakdown in relations between the two Jungler Marcin ‘Jankos’ Jankowski went in his place. While there’s been plenty of interest in Rekkles’ contract from other teams, according to DOT, G2 has been “restrictive” in which teams it chooses to negotiate with. Team Vitality is one org that’s reportedly interested in Rekkles, but according to their unnamed sources, G2 isn’t interested in entertaining their offer at this time. So, where could the Swedish LoL star end up? Right now it’s really up in the air, with NA, EU, and even Chinese teams being touted as a potential future home. Rekkles isn’t the only player G2 is shopping out either. On September 21 it was reported that the team is looking to sell the contracts of head coach Fabian ‘GrabbZ’ Lohmann, Slovenian support Mihael ‘Mikyx’ Mehle, and Danish top lane star Martin ‘Wunder’ Hansen as well.

G2’s LEC finals loss to Rogue won’t slow them down as they prepare for Worlds 2022 Kirill Bashkirov/Riot GamesIn an unprecedented 0-3 defeat, G2 Esports were denied their tenth LEC title by first-time champions Rogue — but they’re looking for redemption at the 2022 World Championship. In one of the biggest upsets in competitive League of Legends this year, G2 Esports have lost 3-0 in the LEC finals to Rogue. With LEC analyst predictions going in the favor of G2 Esports, the crowd at the Malmö arena felt fully on their side. But the tides quickly turned as Rogue took hold of the series and never let go, leaving G2 in the dust with a 3-0 and dealing mid laner Rasmus ‘caPs’ Winther his first-ever finals loss. In the post-game press conference, G2’s post-loss despondency was tempered by a look ahead to Worlds 2022, where they’ll attend as the LEC’s second seed and qualify straight into the group stage. Disappointment for rookies and veterans alike G2’s roster is the perfect mix of rookie talent and veteran level-headedness. But loss stings just as badly no matter how long you’ve been playing. Mid laner caPs took his first-ever finals loss hard, explaining that “it feels weird that we have to play so soon after a bad performance”. “I just feel a bit out of place, I guess. And I’m just hoping that a few days of resetting will help, and that we can get back to the grind and figure out what to do show up at Worlds and be back to our usual selves.” Rookie AD Carry Viktor ‘Flakked’ Lirola also took the loss hard — but despite the 3-0, the “hype” of the arena and the G2 fan chants wasn’t lost on him. “I’ve never played in a big arena before, and I don’t think I was particularly nervous. I actually felt pretty comfortable. And a lot of the crowd was supporting us as well, but even though I felt really comfortable we just didn’t perform as a team.” The comeback begins now Immediately after the finals loss, coach Dylan Falco’s game plan for the team’s Worlds bootcamp was clear. “When we go to Worlds, it’s a completely new patch,” he explained. “We’ll time travel like three patches, and I know Riot always like to greatly change the meta ahead of Worlds.” “So our focus and effort now is going to go into research for the new patch. When we come into our Worlds prep, we want to have a very good idea of what we think might be strong, and what sort of draft patterns and meta we want to play.” But that’s only stage one of the process. After those patterns and meta are established, it’s a lengthy process of iteration and practise to get the draft down to a science.

G2 Esports expand Streamcoi partnership to grow their content creator business Streamcoi, Twitter: OrbEuropean organization G2 Esports have extended and expanded their partnership with streamer management platform Streamcoi. As part of the continued deal, Streamcoi will help to bolster the esports org’s creator and streamer business by allowing them to manage sponsorship content and track performance on their platform. G2 are continuing to invest in “high-quality streaming content” from both its professional players and content creators, and Streamcoi will play a part in those efforts. According to a press release, G2 already generate over 10m hours of watch-time each month through their streamers. They’ll be hoping to keep that number growing through this renewed deal. Streamcoi and G2 will work together to measure accurate statistics and monitor results in real-time, and make it easy for relevant personnel to access team assets, design files, and partner content. The organization will also utilize their partner to promote their merchandise, a recurring meme for those familiar with CEO Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodríguez Santiago. G2 Esports are home to some of the industry’s most well-known partnerships to date. They actively hold deals with major brands such as BMW, adidas, Red Bull, and Domino’s Pizza. Communicating with streamers in the middle of a tournament is challenging 👀 Find out how @G2esports: ✔️displayed content across multiple streams ✔️changed the content displays ✔️send chat messages …all during the international VALORANT tournament 🔥 👉https://t.co/DBjGapdSbo👈 pic.twitter.com/QirvyFru7U— Streamcoi (@streamcoi_com) April 7, 2021 “G2 has been with us almost from the beginning and the official partnership is definitely one of the highlights in Streamcoi’s history,” said Streamcoi brand manager Jakub Janaszek. “Supporting such a large organisation, its partnerships and dozens of the most popular streamers are not only a pleasure but also a great challenge. “Nothing gives you more satisfaction than when what you create works. We have many great projects behind us, but even more ahead of us. Teams that don’t bet on automation now will have a big problem in the future to bear it.” G2’s biggest creators They’re a big presence in major titles like League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Rocket League, and plenty of their pro players stream when they’re not competing or practicing. The likes of Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson, Oscar ‘mixwell’ Cañellas Colocho, and Rasmus ‘Caps’ Borregaard Winther are all big draws when they go live on Twitch. On the creator side, G2 Esports are home to popular creators and streamers such as Heelmike, Deansocool, Orb, RyyFyy, former professional Hearthstone player Lothar, and former LEC referee Yul.

G2 Carlos roasts Cloud9, NIP and others in Twitter frenzy Twitter: @CarlosRG2 Esports CEO Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodríguez Santiago has flooded Twitter with short videos of himself playfully roasting anyone who requested a video message from him. His team may not be at the League of Legends World Championship this year, but Carlos is finding ways to have fun regardless. After tweeting that he would be creating short, personalized videos for anyone who asked, the founder and CEO of G2 spent the morning of October 12 responding to some of the biggest names in esports with playful roasts. Carlos roasts everyone from Cloud9 to G2 Arctic Carlos is known to be a colorful figure in the esports community, fiercely passionate and defensive about his team, and always willing to speak his mind. After the bombshell announcement that G2 was looking to rebuild around Caps and Jankos for the 2022 season, Carlos returned to Twitter a few hours later, in the mood to have some fun. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447654883088375810 The response from the esports community was overwhelming, with the tweet receiving over 500 requests. Among the random Twitter users, several esports organizations and well-known industry personalities took the opportunity to request a video. Read More: Bwipo unfollows Fnatic on Twitter – Carlos leaped at the opportunity to take a light-hearted shot at some of the industry’s biggest names. When Cloud9 came calling, asking Carlos to roast C9 CEO Jack Etienne, the Spaniard didn’t disappoint. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447887174515449856 Keeping his targets in North America, Carlos responded to a request from Team Liquid. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447885973258477583 Carlos also took aim at the logo of Swedish org Ninjas in Pyjamas. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447888122814021636 Nobody was safe, not even G2 teams, as Carlos roasted G2’s academy team, G2 Arctic. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447881284253007880 However, some of Carlos’ best responses came against prominent esports personalities. He roasted Fnatic Valorant player Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett at the request of popular host and interviewer Yinsu Collins, never missing an opportunity to take aim at Fnatic. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447883970167836673 Carlos also responded to journalist Pablo Suárez, better known as Bloop, who had previously earned his ire after misreporting rumors surrounding the Rekkles situation. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1447860937554268163 The moment of levity is a welcome one for G2, who have undergone significant turbulence and upheaval in recent weeks.

G2 Esports releases music video ‘Detonate’ featuring NiKo, JKnaps, mimi G2 EsportsG2 Esports released its second single “Detonate” with an accompanying music video featuring Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, Jacob ‘JKnaps’ Knapman and Michaela ‘mimi’ Lintrup along with its other esports stars, content creators, and industry figures. G2 launched its own music label in 2022 in partnership with Warner Music group and released its debut single “Our Way.” The organization continued its venture into the music industry with “Detonate,” which dropped on January 12. The new single features many faces from the G2 organization in its music video, in a similar fashion to “Our Way.” The song features vocals from Jeris Johnson of TikTok fame and Theresa Jarvis from the English rock band Yonaka. In the song and video description, G2 Esports said “Detonate” represents the organization’s “ambitions for the 2023 competitive season, blowing up preconceived notions of the brand while celebrating the diversity and unity of the faces behind G2.” The video and statement around it come months after the organization’s controversy around its former CEO Carlos Rodríguez associating with controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his departure from the company. G2 highlights esports players in music video The music video features many representatives from G2’s various esports teams. NiKo, Nemanja ‘huNter-‘ Kovač, and Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov from the organization’s CS:GO team are proudly displayed in the video alongside G2 Gozen players mimi and Petra ‘Petra’ Stoker. Players from the League of Legends team also make an appearance, alongside League of Legends European Championship desk host Eefje ‘Sjokz’ Depoortere and interviewer Laure ‘Bulii’ Valée. The new single coincides with G2’s new 2023 jersey launch and features most of its new apparel for the upcoming season. G2 is not the only esports organization dipping its toes into the music industry. Fnatic, Evil Geniuses, and other esports brands have released or worked with artists to create original music and videos for announcements or various activations. Fnatic also has its own music label.

G2 Esports CEO doubles down amid backlash for partying with Andrew Tate YouTube: The FellasUpdate September 18, 10:00am EST / 3:00pm BST: Carlos’ account has removed all mention of G2 and he has released an apologetic statement, acknowledging that his actions have “created confusion about what I stand for”. He went on: “It has always been my consistent target to stand for absolute equality of opportunity regardless of who you are or where you come from, which is what gaming is all about. Make no mistake, my life was full of learnings and I had my fair share of situations I got into in the past. I failed to read this room right, feel terrible about the discussions it created and will stand up and accept the consequences in full.” The original article follows. G2 Esports’ CEO Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Santiago has doubled down amid backlash for partying with Andrew Tate, saying that he is entitled to hang out with “whoever the f**k I want”. G2 are one of the esports community’s biggest names, fielding teams in some of competitive gaming’s biggest titles. Among other games, they currently have players competing in League of Legends, Valorant, CS:GO and Rainbow Six Siege. The org’s size and reputation was one of the reasons for the condemnation of its CEO, Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Santiago, when footage was shared of him partying with Andrew Tate on September 17. Tate is a controversial internet figure, recently banned from YouTube, Facebook and other platforms as a result of his ‘misogynistic’ views. Ocelote was pictured celebrating G2’s recent success with Tate, lighting cigars with sparklers amid a sea of smiles. G2’s Ocelote doubles down on friendship with Andrew Tate despite backlash However, in spite of the backlash he and the org received, Ocelote has now doubled down on his friendship with Tate, hitting out at those criticizing him. In a late September 17 tweet, he said: “nobody will ever be able to police my friendships. I draw my line here. I party with whoever the fuck I want”. Responses to the tweet were generally negative, with many disappointed at the lack of contrition on display from an incredibly senior figure in the world of esports. Among the critics was Medic, a LEC caster. He said: “There’s no way you didn’t predict this reaction. You posted a video partying with a known misogynist who calls women property. It’s misguided at best and engagement bait most likely. This is f**king low man, party with who you want but expect people to judge you for it.” Others accused Ocelote of hypocrisy for partying with a figure accused of misogynism, just days after announcing an all-female League of Legends roster. Another esports figure, Mitch Leslie of the Overwatch League, said: “I mean no one is policing you brother – I thank that most ppl feel like your choice of friends gives at least a rough indication of your values and they’re just sharing their unsolicited opinions about it.” Despite the growing response, Ocelote appears to be firm in his rejection of the criticism.

G2 Esports confirm CEO Carlos will take 8 weeks’ unpaid leave following Andrew Tate backlash LEC | TwitchG2 Esports CEO Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Santiago posted a video of himself partying with Andrew Tate. Now, a short time after doubling down on his decision, he’s since apologized and is taking 8 weeks’ unpaid leave. A video posted on Carlos‘ personal Twitter account showed him partying with brothers Tristan and Andrew Tate, and the video resulted in immediate backlash from the esports community. Carlos then doubled down, saying that “nobody will ever be able to police my friendships” in a tweet. This was followed by an apology tweet the next day, and confirmation of his 8 weeks of unpaid leave from his CEO position. G2 Esports separate itself from CEO Carlos’ actions The G2 Esports official Twitter account made a statement separating themselves from the CEO’s actions. The beginning of the announcement reads, “Last night we failed you. The actions of our CEO spoke a language in stark contrast with the values and the culture G2 lives by and strives for.” The statement goes on to talk about building a “safe and inclusive environment” in esports, concluding with the announcement that, after “internal discussion”, G2 CEO Carlos would be taking an unpaid leave, as well as thanks for “holding us accountable.” Current members of G2 have also spoken out against Carlos’ actions, with Caltys, a member of G2’s newly signed all-female League of Legends roster, making a statement of her own. While she said that, “recent events are very disappointing”, she also wanted to make sure that people know there’s more to G2 than just Carlos. She speaks about G2’s “amazing staff”, and says that “I want to believe Carlos does not share the beliefs of A. T”. Carlos made his own apology on his personal twitter account. Additionally, he followed up this statement with a tweet stating that, “G2 is above Carlos and always has been”, and that he’ll, “do anything to protect this company and my colleagues in it as it is my unconditional duty to them”. These statements certainly haven’t put the backlash to rest. Longtime esports journalist and industry veteran Jacob Wolf claims that the statement on Carlos’ personal account wasn’t written by him. “I’ve known Carlos for eight years. He doesn’t talk or type this way. PR person looking out.” At the time of writing, the original video of Tate and the tweet from Carlos defending his actions have yet to be deleted by the CEO.

G2 Esports finally confirm two-year apparel deal with adidas G2 EsportsBerlin-based esports organization G2 Esports have finally confirmed their partnership with major sportswear brand adidas after months of speculation. The deal sees adidas named as the org’s sports apparel provider and will span two years. The sportswear giants will provide “technical merchandise” for players and also release a lifestyle apparel collection for fans to purchase. The partners will unveil their new collaborative jersey for the 2021 season during an online press conference on January 14. The item is said to “contain a number of unique features” like technology that makes the fabric breathable and a subtle hologram image of the face of G2’s CEO, Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez. adidas are no strangers to esports, having already worked with French organization Team Vitality, German FIFA team FOKUS CLAN, Danish org North, and Spanish brand Team Heretics. G2 Esports are no strangers to establishing working relationships with brands that are well-known out of esports. They currently hold well-respect alliances with the likes of BMW, Mastercard, Pringles, Red Bull, and Domino’s. Read More: Ninja partners with Adidas – The popular organization, which is perhaps best known for their playful banter and self-deprecation on social media, has also been granted access to adidas’ office block —World of Sports — in Herzogenaurach, Germany, which has been designed to look like a sports arena. Team Vitality have released multiple team-branded trainers through their collaboration with adidas. While there’s no word on whether G2 will get the same treatment just yet, they have thousands of fans who relentlessly rush to their merch store whenever a new line of apparel is released. “Today is a landmark day in G2 history,” said ocelote. “To announce a partnership with a global sports brand like adidas is a truly special moment for all of us. To join the adidas family as one of their partners, alongside global brands such as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich is a real game-changer for us and the wider esports industry. “Esports has been booming for a while, and 2020 was yet another superb year for its growth. As a lifelong gamer and now proud team owner, this partnership is truly a watershed moment and a childhood dream of mine. I could not be more stoked about the potential of this partnership between adidas and G2 throughout the next years.”

G2 Esports CEO Carlos steps down following Andrew Tate controversy IG: CarlosFollowing the controversy caused after being spotted with Andrew Tate, G2 Esports founder and CEO Carlos Rodríguez has announced that he’s officially leaving the organization. Carlos has been with G2 Esports from the beginning, when the organization was still Gamers2. During his time as CEO, G2 has turned into one of the largest organizations in esports. After his controversial appearance with Andrew Tate, Carlos was initially hit with eight weeks of unpaid leave. Carlos’ association with Tate led to outcry from fans of the organization, esports personalities, and even members of G2, resulting in Carlos’ suspension and, now, his departure from the company. Carlos announces he is stepping down from G2 Carlos has revealed that he’ll be leaving G2, the organization he founded, in a video posted to his personal twitter account. Carlos reflected on his time with G2 Esports over the years. “This is a very hard ending to what has been otherwise been a very meaningful, joyful experience.” He followed that by saying that he was taking “full responsibility over everything that went on in the last few days.” G2 Esports have issued a statement of their own as well. In the statement, G2 clarified that they “do not support any form of misogyny” and that they are “fully committed to continuing the legacy of G2.” Carlos’ departure from the organization comes just days after he said he would do “anything to protect this company and my colleagues” in a tweet made in response to the eight weeks of unpaid leave. This news comes after G2 was reportedly denied a Valorant partnership spot as a result of their CEO’s controversy with Tate.

FURIA reportedly end Nike partnership to take control of apparel FURIABrazilian esports organization FURIA have announced that they are taking control of their apparel production going forward, having reportedly terminated their partnership with sportswear giants Nike. Nike made their mark in the esports industry in 2019 and early 2020 when they established a host of partnerships across several regions, enabling access to their production expertise and globally known branding to their new partners. They entered deals with League of Legends competition LPL, Korean org T1, Spanish team Vodafone Giants, and German brand SK Gaming, but their very first partnership with an organization was with FURIA — one of the most prominent team brands in South America. Now, just two years into their ‘multi-year’ collaboration with Nike, FURIA have revealed that they’re taking matters into their own hands once again when it comes to apparel. Following a report from SBJ which claimed the deal was ending, the Brazilian org have confirmed that they’re taking back the reins moving forward. While avoiding discussing whether the official agreement is over, FURIA’s announcement explains that they will work with Nike on “special collaborations” in the future as they launch their own apparel line. The report from SBJ states that the org have hired Rafael Gimenes Pereira, Nike’s former sports marketing manager, to lead the charge on this new venture as their product director. It’s also reported that the partnership has been closed due to FURIA encountering issues when attempting to make jerseys available for their fans to purchase because Nike “prioritizes large-scale wholesale production runs” over projects that are smaller in size. The team’s official announcement also confirms that they will be launching an e-commerce platform that will directly host their future products.

G2 Carlos criticizes FaZe after Dr Disrespect says esports orgs “don’t make money” Twitter: CarlosRFollowing a comment from Dr Disrespect that esports orgs “don’t make money” unless it’s FaZe Clan, G2 Esports’ CEO, Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodríguez claimed that FaZe’s business is a “hole.” In esports, it’s not exactly uncommon to see sparks fly between organizations – especially when resident trash-talker Carlos is involved. Known for not holding back, the G2 CEO has happily roasted some of esports’ biggest stars, with esports and lifestyle brand FaZe Clan being no different. And FaZe is looking down the barrel of ocelote’s trash talk gun yet again, as a Tweet from Dr Disrespect sparked debate over the profitability of esports orgs. Carlos calls FaZe’s business “a hole” Retweeting a tweet regarding the departure of several major names from TSM (including longtime streamer, Myth,) YouTube titan Dr Disrespect pointed out that most orgs are not making money. “What do you mean [what] is happening?” Doc asked, noting that “unless you’re FaZe, esport orgs don’t make money. Period.” Carlos was quick to fire back, however, stating FaZe’s financial results of “-17M in EBITDA with just above $50M in revenue. G2 and [a] couple others’ actual business looks miles ahead of theirs and it’s not even close. Their revenue is pumped up by acting like a bank through individual sponsorship deals for their talent.” Concluding that FaZe’s “business is a literal hole,” the G2 CEO has made his thoughts on Doc’s take abundantly clear. https://twitter.com/CarlosR/status/1475772183217594377 EXCEL esports’ social media manager and LoL insider, Fosty, was quick to echo Carlos’ statements, writing “FaZe represents a king that was the best and the richest, but he never knew how to use his power and riches, so by the time that power and riches started getting weaker and weaker until he became a pale shadow of the past.” Calling FaZe “an org with wasted potential and no wish to improve,” he claims that “the only thing holding them from certain death is their CS team and [that] their name that gets financial support.” They have an insane fanbase and the following, but I can’t help but see how badly their socials are being run and the content they produce. The only thing holding them from certain death is their CS team and their name that gets financial support. It is so sad to see. — Fosty (@FostyLoL) December 28, 2021 100 Thieves founder Nadeshot also took issue with the Doc’s claim that esports orgs don’t make money, telling him to stay off the Gin & Tonics. However, 100 Thieves’ COO admitted that the company is not yet profitable, and may not be for some time. Rather, as with most esports orgs, their goals are continued growth, supported by outside investment.

Full List of Finalists for the 2018 Esports Awards – Group One The Group One finalists for the 2018 Esports Awards have been solidified following a massive amount of nominations from across the scene. With the word of esports growing on what seems like a daily basis, community members decided that it would be in the best interest of the industry to host an annual award show in order to commemorate the best of the best. First held in 2016, the Esports Awards show aims to recognize ‘top class performance and innovation’ from those around the scene, such as players, developers, media members, hardware providers, and a collection of other categories. On July 11th, a collection of finalists for the 2018 Esports Awards were announced for Group One, spanning twelve separate categories. Fans and community members will have the chance to vote and decide the winners with 25% of the overall vote coming from the community, while the remaining 75% is dictated by the EIA panel. A full list of the Group One finalists is available below, with Group Two finalists set to be announced in the future. Voting for the 2018 Esports Awards can be found right here, with the show taking place on Monday, November 12th. Esports Breakthrough Game of the Year Battalion 1944 – Call of Duty: WWII – Fortnite: Battle Royale – Arena of Valor – Clash Royale – Dragon Ball Fighterz – NBA 2K18 – FIFA 18 – Partner of the Year Rocket Mortgage – Gillette – Intel – Omen By HP – Betway – Turtle Wax – HyperX – Toyota – Alienware – GFUEL – HTC T-Mobile – Dr Pepper – Esports Coverage Website of the Year Blitz Esports – HLTV – Liquipedia – Dot Esports – The Score – CharlieINTEL – ESPN Esports – Dexerto – DBLTAP – Inven Global – Esports Game of the Year League of Legends – Call of Duty: WWII – Fortnite: Battle Royale – Overwatch – Dragon Ball Fighterz – Super Smash Bros Melee – Rainbow Six: Siege – PUBG – DOTA 2 – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – Esports Hardware Provider of the Year Turtle Beach – Nvidia – ASUS – Scuf Gaming – Omen By HP – Intel – Corsair – Logitech – Zowie – Razer – GT Omega – HyperX – Esports Journalist of the Year Emily Rand – Tyler ‘Fionnonfire’ Erzberger – Laure Valee – Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau – Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields – Travis Gafford – Jacob Wolf – Richard Lewis – Jarek ‘DeKay’ Lewis – Mike Kent – Esports Photographer of the Year Stephanie Lindgren – Robert Paul – Joe Brady – Kyle Miller – Helena Kristiansson – Rich Lock – João Ferreira – Chris Betancourt – Esports Publisher of the Year EA – Capcom – Valve – Psyonix – Epic Games – Blizzard – Ubisoft – Riot Games – Activision – Bluehole – Esports Supporting Agency of the Year Code Red – Anna B. Baumann – Evolved Talent Agency – Level 99 – ESG Law – Stark Esports – Freaks 4U Gaming – National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) – Esports Videographer of the Year John ‘The Narwhal’ Farrar – Davis ‘Hitch’ Edwards – Philipp ‘Philian’ Neubauer – Max Olivo – Rhys Rasmussen – Damian Estrada – Gabriel Ruiz – Robert ‘OhhRogerr’ Rogers – Streamer of the Year Ali ‘Myth’ Kabbani – Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar – Dr Disrespect – Stone Mountain 64 – Tyler ‘Tyler1’ Steinkamp – Félix ‘XQC’ Lengyel – Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins – Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop – Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek – Pokimane – Streaming Platform of the Year Twitch – YouTube – Znipe.TV – Mixer –

France’s Macron backpedals on video game criticism & vows to host more esports events WikimediaFrance President Emmanuel Macron has backtracked on his criticism of the impact of video games, stating that they are “an integral part” of the country. In a June 30 press conference, Macron blamed social media for demonstrations in the country but also said that video games played a role in the violence and vandalism by “intoxicating” youngsters. His comments came as France was experiencing a wave of riots and protests following the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk. Macron’s remarks sparked outrage in the gaming community, with Tekken director Kastuhiro Harada among those who criticized the French President’s negative stance. “Blaming something is a great way to escape the burden of responsibility,” Harada wrote on X/Twitter at the time. In a lengthy post on X/Twitter over the weekend, Macron sought to clarify his views on the impact of video games and had nothing but praise for the industry. “Video games are an integral part of France,” he wrote. “I have always believed that video games are an opportunity for France, for our young people and their future, for our jobs and our economy. “I expressed my concerns at the end of June because delinquents had used video game habits to trivialize the violence on social networks. It is this violence that I condemn, not video games.” Macron went on to describe video games as a “field for artistic experimentation” and a “fascinating learning space, blending all the arts.” Macron backs esports again The French President also spoke about esports and how the “competitive practice of videogames is a sport, an ecosystem, with true professionals, high-level gatherings, and international tournaments that make history and forge generations with powerful values.” “In June 2022, I brought together a large number of esports and industry stakeholders to the Élysée Palace,” he added. “My words were sincere. I promised a new era; it’s beginning. “I remain fully mobilized to continue supporting the organization of major events in France, to act in support of the sector, and to help it grow.” In April 2022, Macron said that esports and gaming were an “important component of French soft cultural power” and promised that France would host large-scale events if he was re-elected that year. He won the presidential election in the second round with 58.5% of the votes. In May 2023, Paris hosted the last Major in CS:GO history. The announcement of the event was made by Macron himself on social media, a clear sign of the role he played in bringing the event to France. Macron finished his post over the weekend by making a pledge to gamers. “You can count on me.”

French organization Team LDLC is leaving esports DreamHackLegacy French esports organization Team LDLC is leaving esports in July, according to an announcement from its ownership group, LDLC Group, and will end its partnership with OL Group, the ownership group of the Ligue 1 team Olympique Lyonnais. Team LDLC is a French esports organization that has been around since 2010 and had legendary rosters and tournament runs in Counter-Strike. The organization has fielded teams in other esports titles like League of Legends, FIFA and NBA 2K. The organization announced on May 16 that it is ceasing operations in esports in July through its parent company LDLC Group. The company is a France-based tech-focused online retailer. “If the teams benefit from a wide reputation and recognition among passionate gamers, they have not – despite the efforts made – managed to find a sufficient place with the general public. Thus, the LDLC Group and OL Groupe have decided in advance to end their LDLC OL partnership from the end of July 2023. The end of this partnership will also mark for LDLC Event its withdrawal from the esports scene and its operational activities in this sector,” the company said. In 2020, the organization partnered with the French football club Olympique Lyonnais, via its ownership group OL Group, and renamed to LDLC OL. It also has a partnership with French former NBA player Tony Parker’s academy program, which ran esports academy teams through the program. Team LDLC leaves esports as the industry winter continues At its competitive esports height, Team LDLC won the 2014 DreamHack Winter Counter-Strike Major and placed in the top eight at ESL One: Cologne and ESL Major Series One Katowice in the same year. The organization is known for launching the career of multiple French Counter-Strike legends like Richard ‘shox’ Papillon, Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub and Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire. In League of Legends, the organization appeared at the European Master tournament multiple times, qualifying from the French regional league. The French organization is another in a line of esports organizations that have gone under or ceased operations in the industry in recent months. The wider industry is also facing a reduction in terms of spending as organizations pull back on team investment, lay off employees or look to merge with other companies.

Four Gears of War pros banned after sexually harassing female streamer Gears Pro CircuitFour Gears of War 5 professional players have been banned indefinitely from the game, and by extension competing in its Pro League, after “multiple instances of sexual harassment” were recorded on stream. On April 20, the official Gears of War Esports account announced on Twitter that they had to postpone some of the matches for the week due to “an incident concerning some of our players, which needs to be investigated.” A day later, they came out with a press release stating that pro players Sam ‘Vital‘ Salmani, Noah ‘Noey‘ White, Alec ‘ShocK‘ Collins and ‘Reptilian‘ had all been banned indefinitely for “multiple instances of sexual harassment” of a smaller streamer. Competitive Ruling – Code of Conduct Violations Read: https://t.co/bxKNuGMzpK — Gears Esports (@GearsEsports) April 23, 2021 “On the evening of April 19, 2021, several active Pro League players joined the live broadcast of a female Gears 5 streamer and proceeded to inundate the chat with offensive language directed at the streamer for over 90 minutes,” the ruling from Gears Esports read. “Eventually leading to the streamer ending her broadcast early.” The streamer in question is named ThatLadyTho, a smaller Twitch streamer with roughly 570 followers at the time of writing. Looking at the chat logs, it’s not hard to see why some of the stuff said by the players could cause this type of reaction from Gears Esports. The streamer did abruptly end the broadcast just as the report said, and since then, it happened she doesn’t seem to have streamed on Twitch at all. After the new of the bans broke on the 21st, Vital and Shock both put out tweets about the incident, while Noey and Reptillian’s known Twitter accounts seem to have been deleted. Esports org Elevate, who Shock played for before his suspension, said they would be placing the pro on the bench to “dispute” the ruling, even with the pro banned for the foreseeable future. I didn’t expect my gears career to end like this. I’m glad for all the memories and the fact I was able to get one 🏆. Not sure where to go from here but thanks for supporting the journey 💔 — S (@VitalTheOne) April 23, 2021 https://twitter.com/ShockSZN/status/1385688557243801600?s=20 Finally, Vanquish, Hive, Noble and Elevate — the four Gears Pro League teams who lost players to this ruling — will be allowed to promote their substitute player and/or pick up one Challenger player to complete their rosters going forward. Despite this, losing these four players out of the blue like this does seem to have the potential to shake up some of the top teams in Gears esports going forward.

FPX team up with Marvel in superhero-focused partnership Weibo: FPXChinese esports organization FPX, owned by game developers FunPlus, have partnered with entertainment giants Marvel. FPX have been riding high ever since their notable victory at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, and now they’ve joined forces with the company behind some of the most popular superhero characters in existence. After taking down G2 Esports in the finals of Worlds in 2019, they’ve gone to cement their place among the top teams in Chinese League of Legends, undergone a rebrand, and established major partnerships. They will now have their own branded merchandise, accessories, and gaming peripherals through their new deal with Marvel Entertainment, allowing fans more ways to show their support. We the Phoenix are ready💥 Here we come, Worlds 2021🔥#LPL #FPXWIN pic.twitter.com/PTND0I34An — FPX (@FPX_Esports) September 5, 2021 The deal covers all of FPX’s esports teams, according to the Sports Business Journal, including Valorant, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Wilf Rift. Read More: Xbox Game Pass adds Marvel’s Avengers – This isn’t Marvel’s first rodeo in the esports industry, however. They entered the industry in 2019 by a strategic partnership with Netherlands-based organization Team Liquid, producing co-branded merchandise where the designs were inspired by numerous Marvel characters. The deal was renewed in 2020 and now lasts until 2022. The comic book giants expanded their footprint in the industry in February 2020, when they partnered with Australian org Chiefs Esports Club in a two-year agreement. Marvel’s biggest rivals, DC Comics, recently collaborated with FaZe Clan to produce a limited-edition comic book and co-branded merchandise. The deal was made to promote and celebrate Batman month.

Fortress Esports announce plans for largest esports venue in the southern hemisphere Fortress EsportsAustralian venue company Fortress Esports has confirmed plans for a “flagship” gaming and esports entertainment area in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, with aims to host League of Legends, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike events in the new development. The venue is set to be located at the Emporium Melbourne shopping complex, with the space planned to take up more than 2,700 square meters across two floors. There are also plans to include 160 gaming PCs, streaming areas, and RPG spaces. The 200-seat custom-built esports arena, complete with production facilities for any and all tournaments to be hosted in the southern city, stands as the jewel of the plans. The Victorian capital has found success in hosting gaming events like the Melbourne Esports Open in recent years, and Fortress Melbourne is set to double-down on that rising popularity. “Melbourne has become the epicenter for video gaming and esports culture, with major events like MEO and PAX Australia,” said Fortress Esports chief executive John Satterley. Read more: Rainbow Six Siege, as well as a host of new titles like Borderlands 3 and Fifa 20. The finals for Riot Games’ Oceanic Pro League and Blizzard’s Overwatch Contenders Australia were played out at the historic Rod Laver Arena, while Melbourne Arena was turned into a convention hall full of gaming consoles and first-look stalls. It’s shots like this from inside the @MelbEsportsOpen this afternoon that has people so excited about the future of esports in Australia. #MEO2019 pic.twitter.com/xf1WiYT08D — Melbourne, Australia (@Melbourne) September 1, 2019 The news also comes soon after a statement from media company HT&E, which branded Australia as an “unsustainable market” for competitive gaming following its esports division Gfinity failing to find a foothold in Oceania. Read more: Sean Gares dubs Berlin Major “excellent” – The Gfinity esports division first launched in 2017 in Australia, and was the first company to construct a purpose-built esports arena alongside cinema chain Hoyts. The operation was closed earlier this year after posting a $5.3 million loss as of June 30, 2019. While Gfinity’s recent closure put a damper on the growth of Australian esports, the booming popularity of this year’s Melbourne Esports Open and confirmation of Fortress Melbourne opening in 2020 have both provided new life to the esports and gaming scene Down Under. Confirmation on what events will be hosted at the new custom-built gaming arena are expected by early 2020 as construction on the Melbourne venue continues. –

Fortnite BR pro player accused of cheating after qualifying for World Cup [UPDATED] Escape KingsA bombshell accusation has quaked the competitive Fortnite Battle Royale community as a well-known pro player has been accused of cheating to qualify for the World Cup. April 27-28 marked the third of ten weekends of qualifiers for the World Cup, as many around the world tried to add their names to the list of 100 players who will be stamping their ticket to the massive Solos tournament in July. One of the players who did qualify from the North American East region was Damion ‘XXiF’ C., a pro player who represents the Rise Nation esports organization. XXiF accused of cheating On April 29, a Fortnite BR pro ‘HighSky’ posted a video on Twitter in which he accused XXiF of teaming with other players during the qualifier to gain easy elimination points. The video, which was a replay of one of the NA East qualifier matches, showed XXiF eliminating two players right at the start of the match, which many are questioning the legitimacy of. Gonna leave this here @FortniteGame @EpicGames pic.twitter.com/4rfJAaBW0N — RBK HighSky (@ItsHighsky) April 29, 2019 Essentially, what has many within the community suspicious, is the easy manner with which XXiF eliminated the other two players, one of which is reportedly known to be a friend of his. Read More: Fortnite’s highest earner Bizzle threatens to quit the game completely after explosive rant – As the video shows, the two appear to not have put much of a fight against XXiF, and their decision-making in the sequence was questionable at best, despite the fact that their qualification point totals suggest that they themselves are decent players. Fortnite BR community reacts to accusation As expected, the video accusing XXiF if cheating has gone viral on social media, with some of the biggest names of the competitive community sharing their reactions to what they had seen. We have compiled some of the best Twitter reactions below, including from NICKMERCS, Ceice, Vivid, Bizzle, and others. Theres blatant proof of them feeding him kills now, & there has been proof of all them doing this in the share the love event too.. If these guys don’t get perm-banned ima be hella dissapointed @FortniteGame person that barely missed out on WC invite deserves this 100%.— Svennoss (@Svenosss) April 29, 2019 What happens next? Now that the accusation has formally and publicly been made, it’s up to Epic Games to analyze XXiF’s gameplay from the qualifier and decide whether there is enough evidence to determine that he had indeed been cheating. Epic have already revealed that they have their own algorithm that helps catch players who are teaming, so that should definitely play a role in this decision. If XXiF is found to have been cheating, then his Fortnite BR account will be banned and he will be forced to give both the $4,000 prize money he won and the qualification to the World Cup. In that scenario, competitive player ‘Clix’ will be next in line for qualification. Although Clix finished eight in the tournament, the seventh place player ‘DubsFN’ had already qualified during another weekend. UPDATE – XXiF responds to accusations A day after all of the accusations had been publicly leveled against him, XXiF posted an official response in his Twitter page, denying all of the claims that he had been teaming with players to earn points. He did go as far as acknowledge that he was familiar with the two players he was accused to have been teaming with, but called the allegations false. This is my response to the false allegations of me cheating during World Cup. Yes I know who Bad and Wuji is, but I also know half the people playing in the qualifiers. I’m bound to run into people that I know or have played against before. I had no idea he was going to land there and have no control over where he chooses to land, but in 1 out of the 10 games I played he chose to land in the same spot as me. “According to the video provided by HighSky, Wuji didn’t see the pump, went for the dualies and got into my LOS. He then tries for the pump but due to a looting/pickup bug, he probably failed to grab the gun and I was able to finish the kill. I can’t speak for the second guy, as I would never land on two people fighting – it’s something I can’t comprehend or put reason/meaning to”. And for people saying Gestyy is my friend or that I’m good friends with him, I’m not. Whatever Gestyy did during the world cup qualifiers and his actions have nothing to do with me. He is a 14 year old who has seen me play at Toronto lans. I’m 22 years old. Gestyy landing on me is as good as any fan landing on their favorite streamer or pro player.I’m innocent and will leave it up to Epic Games to review the situation As of now, Rise Nation have not yet released any comment about the situation, and XXiF continues to remain a member of the org. We will continue updating this story with any more information as it becomes available. Updated: April 30, 2019 – 1:30 PM EST

Fortnite sport shooting to be featured in Olympic Esports Series Fortnite will be joining the roster for the inaugural Olympic Esports Series 2023 thanks to the International Shooting Sport Federation. Fortnite has been taking the gaming community by storm ever since its release back in 2017. From younger kids looking to have some fun after school to more competitive adult players, the fandom is massive and its diversity unmatched. When it comes to the more competitive side of Fortnite’s community, its players have been taking part in various competitions across the years. From groups as big as FaZe Clan to smaller professional teams, the shooter has seen it all. In what may be Fortnite’s biggest dive into esports yet, the popular game is going to be showcased at the inaugural Olympic Esports Series 2023. The International Shooting Sport Federation will feature the game as a part of its roster. Fortnite will be at the Olympic Esports Series 2023 The International Olympic Committee has come together with the Singapore National Olympic Council to announce details about the event. It will be invitational, involving just 12 players selected from the Fortnite Champion series. The event will feature a unique island created in Fortnite for the International Shooting Sport Federation. There, players will trial their aim accuracy, similarly to how other professional sport shooters do while competing. The Olympic Esports Series 2023 itself is going to be a global virtual competition, running in collaboration with game publishers. The world’s best players will compete in-person for the finals, set this summer between the 22 to 25 June. Fortnite’s professional shooting event will be joining other esports such as archery, baseball, chess, dance, martial arts, motorsport, sailing, and tennis. The Olympic Esports events will be streamed globally on the official website and other social media channels. Tune in to watch Fortnite pros in action!

Former Guild Esports director boards Galaxy Racer as chief content officer Galaxy RacerDubai-based esports organization Galaxy Racer have announced the appointment of Danny Lopez, the former director of brand and content at UK org Guild. After his recent departure from David Beckham’s Guild Esports, based in London, UK, Lopez has found a new role as a chief content officer. Galaxy Racer compete in both the Middle East and Southeast Asia and have tapped Lopez to lead their entire content strategy for the foreseeable future. His new organization already place some emphasis on content creation, having signed over 20 creators to their ranks and, so they claim, cumulatively raking in over 1 billion views on a monthly basis. Galaxy Racer’s new chief content officer was recently named as a finalist for Esports Creative of the Year at this year’s iteration of the Esports Awards. “After meeting with Paul [Roy, CEO], I was bought in immediately, his global aspirations for Galaxy Racer were something I wanted to be a part of,” said Lopez of his new employer. “The creators that Galaxy Racer work with have unrivalled scale and this is a great opportunity for me to help drive that growth by creating best-in-class content. I’m excited to lead the brand vision and continue to create groundbreaking content on a global platform – so watch this space!” The org currently competes in League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, and Garena’s Free Fire. They claim to have over 60 players representing them competitively.

Former StarCraft pro gets internship because of his esports background A former professional StarCraft II player has gone viral after being offered a major internship thanks to his background and success in esports. Ryoo “SeleCT” Kyung Hyun is a former Terran player from South Korea who played his entire career, from 2010 to 2017, under Team Dignitas. This doesn’t include a brief stint in 2012 where SeleCT attempted to pursue a career in Dota 2, although failure to qualify for The International 3 cut that dream short. Clearly having put the esports dream behind him, SeleCT is currently enrolled at the University of Washington as a Computer Science major and tweeted out that he was looking for a Software Engineer internship in Summer 2020. Only a day later, the CEO of e-commerce platform Shopify, Tobi Lütke, responded to SeleCT’s tweet saying: “Hey select. Happy to hire you into the Shopify intern program. Your Starcraft accomplishments are enough of a CV. Place is yours if you want it.” Hey select. Happy to hire you into the Shopify intern program. Your Starcraft accomplishments are enough of a CV. Place is yours if you want it. — Tobi Lütke (@tobi) October 14, 2019 The tweet immediately gained traction and started blowing up on Reddit, where Lütke opted to go more in-depth with why he made this decision. He said: “Hey everyone, Tobi here. Long term Reddit and Starcraft fan. I actually won a brood war tournament in the late 90s! (Yes, yes, weird flex) “It’s insanely hard to become a pro in Starcraft, significantly harder than it is to get a degree. So I feel like this should be highly valuable on a CV. My offer to bring in ex-pro players is more general than my offer to select for an internship. “Shopify has a history of bringing in people in by alternative proofs of doing something difficult. We’ve got some chess GMs, Olympians, etc. It’s a huge privilege to work with dedicated and driven people like that.” There has been no update yet on whether Tobi and SeleCT have been in contact with each other since this initial interaction, but it seems a great opportunity for the former pro to further advance in his desired field. His career highlights include a win at North American Battle.net Invitational 2011 and third place at 2011 MLG Pro Circuit Dallas, but securing a good internship and job may rank quite highly in his list. Shopify helps brands create their e-commerce platform, with major corporations such as Budweiser, Tesla Motors and Penguin Books all using the software to enhance their online presence. It’s great to see an estimated multi-billionaire not only show an interest in esports but respect for the skills and attributes needed to succeed. Hopefully SeleCT makes the most of the opportunity afforded to him and can make a name in the field he’s chosen – and with those brands on the Shopify roster, it may be the best place to start.

Former G2 star Perkz defends Carlos after Andrew Tate controversy CarlosR | TwitterCarlos stepping down as G2 CEO has made waves in the esports community, and Perkz, a player that helped make G2 what it is today, has defended the org’s ex-CEO in the aftermath of the Andrew Tate controversy. Less than a week after Carlos posted a video of himself partying with Andrew Tate, he stepped down as G2 Esports CEO. Carlos was the founder of the organization, as well as the face of it. After Carlos’ announcement that he’d be stepping down, former G2 superstar Luka ‘Perkz’ Perković took to twitter and called the day Carlos stepped down a “sad day for esports”. PerkZ had a long history with G2 and Carlos To say Perkz helped build G2 Esports’ League of Legends presence into what it is today would be an understatement. He was on the team as both an ADC and Mid laner from 2015 to 2020, swapping roles when needed to give his team the best chance of winning. When Carlos stepped down, PerkZ had a lot to say about the situation, describing it as “stupid as f**k and unfair”. Reactions to this initial tweet were mixed, but Perkz stuck to his initial statement and defended it afterwards. In the replies, Perkz called some of those who disagreed with him “basement dwellers”. He continued in another tweet by calling his detractors “glizzy gobblers on twitter whose part time job is praying for other’s downfall”. Perkz also reflected on his time with G2 and the progress the organization made during his time there. Carlos had a massive presence in G2 Esports and was a big part of their public image. G2 is the only Western team to ever take an international title (MSI 2019) and, in their heyday, came closest to taking a World title as a Western team before getting 3-0ed by FunPlus Phoenix in the Grand Finals. Perkz was on the roster during this infamous 2019 run. Even critics of Carlos’ actions expressed that, despite the way things ended, he had a massive impact on esports and that his leaving the scene will be a big loss. It has yet to be announced who will be stepping into the CEO position after Carlos’ departure.

Former G2 CEO Carlos slams Sentinels for overspending Robert Paul/Riot GamesMultiple esports industry leaders, and former executives, have called out Sentinels for overspending as the company’s financials have been revealed in an offering memorandum on its StartEngine crowdfunding page. Sentinels revealed some of their financial issues in an offering memo on their crowdfunding investing page on StartEngine. The memo outlined the company’s executive pay, and how long the minimum and maximum funding expectation from the campaign will keep the company afloat. The memo was first shared on social media by Hunter Grooms. Since its initial posting, multiple esports industry leaders have commented and slammed their company for its reckless spending. Even the former CEO of G2 Esports Carlos Rodríguez, who left the company following backlash for his association with controversial influencer Andrew Tate, chimed in on the news. “A lot of work goes into building something like this and your marketing’s been spectacular,” Carlos said. “However, you pay too much and you should fire everyone in charge of approving compensation packages. Not only have you f***ed everyone else, but also yourselves.” Hope you secure the funding — ⭕️ CarlosR ocelote 👌🏼 (@CarlosR) August 8, 2023 A lot of work goes into building something like this and your marketing’s been spectacular However you pay too much and you should fire everyone in charge of approving compensation packages Not only have you fucked everyone else, but also yourselves Esports industry calls out Sentinels’ overspending habits The current head of G2 Esports in North America, Rob Stamey, put out a lengthy statement about the Sentinels news. “Let’s not act surprised when things start to go to s*** because “egos” have ran people’s livelihoods into the ground based on the business decisions they’ve made which most of the time benefit themselves rather than the heart of the company, the staff & players,” he said. Adam Apicella, the founder of Esports Engine and MLG, called into question executive pay at the company and praised his own past ventures. “How do pro esports orgs justify paying executives hundreds of thousands of dollars to run at a massive loss? Running a healthy, profitable business in this space is achievable, we did it from bell to bell,” he said. According to the offering memo, every executive at Sentinels makes over $200,000 a year with the company’s CEO, Rob Moore, making over $360,000 a year. Erin Ashley Simon, a media personality and COO of XSET, said the inflated cost of esports companies is currently not justified for their return for investors. “A financial correction is needed to increase financial stability in the industry,” she said. M80 founder CEO, Marco Mereu, in opposition to the many doomsayers, said that people shouldn’t take the offering memo too seriously. He explained that the section many are referencing about the minimum and maximum raised through the campaign is similar to the quarterly reports FaZe Clan files with the SEC outlining the worst-case scenario for the company. “Nothing here says SEN can’t get access to as much capital as it needs to continue to operate if they choose to pull those levers. They could and probably do have numerous sources to access to continue to operate,” he said. “Not much to see here IMO.”

Former G2 CEO Carlos suspended by Riot Games for breaking code of conduct Michal Konkol/Riot GamesRiot Games announced on October 11 that it has suspended former G2 Esports CEO Carlos Rodríguez for breaking rules under their code of conduct section in the LEC rulebook. The founder of the organization stepped down from his role in September. The Riot ruling outlined how Carlos was “celebrating” with Andrew Tate, who has been kicked off of most prominent social media platforms. Riot cites how the “public press” has called Tate’s views “extremely misogynistic” in its ruling. Under the suspension, the former G2 CEO can not hold “any managerial or operational position with a team or organization in a Riot-sanctioned competition,” for eight weeks. The suspension, however, begins when G2 Esports put Carlos on unpaid leave back on September 18 and ends on November 13. Carlos also will be required to take sensitivity and executive training by an independent third party within 120 days of the ruling according to the suspension. Carlos was suspended for breaking rule 9.2.5 The rule Riot cites as the reason for the suspension is under “Code of Conduct” in the LEC rulebook, specifically in the “Responsibility under Code” section. Riot Games began its investigation into Carlos on September 19. The announcement says that Carlos presented Riot Games with his statement about his social media posts with Tate, and his ensuing defending of them, on September 27, the day he announced his departure from G2 Esports. The suspension announcement has over 3,000 responses under it at the time of publishing. The decision by G2 Esports, and now Riot Games, has been controversial online with many defending Carlos or pointing out the situation’s apparent hypocrisy in the esports space. The former G2 boss also reportedly cost his organization a spot in the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour circuit because of the video and ensuing fallout. Carlos has yet to respond to the ruling publically.

Former Evil Geniuses CEO Alex Garfield slams new owners after brand revamp There has been a lot of outrage from the esports community aimed at Evil Geniuses following their major brand revamp, and now former CEO Alex Garfield has joined in on the backlash. Evil Geniuses shook the world of esports on December 12 by announcing a huge revamp of their brand going into 2020 and the new decade. Part of that overhaul was the creation of a brand new logo that replaced their old one, which was one of the most recognizable and iconic insignia in the history of esports. However, in the court of public opinion, the organization has been crucified for that decision, as heavy criticism has rained down from fans, pro players, and other organizations alike. Read More: Esports community outraged at EG’s new logo – On December 13, their ex-CEO Alex Garfield, who sold EG back in 2014, tweeted out his reaction to the new logo, and it pretty much mirrored what everyone else has been saying up to that point. Alex Garfield offers “history lesson” about EG That post ended up being the first of several tweets in which Garfield expressed his resentments about the direction that the EG owners were taking the company. “Clearly, some people have forgotten how and why Evil Geniuses came to be in the first place,” he wrote. “And ever more clearly, the story of how and why it came to be where it is now has gone silent for too long.” In this “history lesson,” as Garfield called it, he went into his regret about who he sold the organization to and how they’re not properly “safeguarding the brand and its legacy.” “It’s on me for being foolish enough in 2014 to sell my company to somebody who told me that an exit would mean empowerment and not negotiation, but that doesn’t excuse any of the things that happened subsequently.” “It certainly doesn’t excuse people having selective memories about those things and even trying to sweep them under the rug,” he went on. “Especially those who are currently tasked with safeguarding the brand and its legacy.” Evil Geniuses are currently owned by parent group PEAK6 Investments LLC, and their CEO is Nicole LaPointe Jameson. Neither she nor the organization have offered a direct response to Garfield’s comments, but their official Twitter page did tweet out a parody mocking the logo they had released the day prior to very negative feedback. We heard your concerns. Introducing our new new logo. #LiVEevIL pic.twitter.com/3lmSuGjCV4 — Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) December 13, 2019 Dexerto has reached to Jameson about Alex Garfield’s comments and are currently awaiting a response.

Former Fnatic mid laner Nisqy joins MAD Lions for LEC 2022 Summer MAD LionsAfter failing to find a team in the 2021 postseason, mid laner Yasin ‘Nisqy’ Dinçer has been signed to the MAD Lions. He’ll replace rookie mid laner Stever ‘Reeker’ Chen, who will now play for Team BDS Academy in the LFL. On May 4, MAD Lions announced that they would be parting ways with LEC mid laner Reeker after a disappointing split that saw them fail to qualify for playoffs. Today we say goodbye to @ReekerKaizen. We want to thank you for your work done and wish you the best of luck in your future steps!! #goMAD pic.twitter.com/bJvgVyFkoh — MAD Lions KOI English (@MADLionsKOI_en) May 4, 2022 Reeker was a rookie, brought in from Prime League team BIG to replace former mid laner Marek ‘Humanoid’ Brázda after the latter joined Fnatic at the start of 2022. His performance throughout the spring split, while by no means the worst in the LEC, was lackluster. He’ll now return to his ERL roots to join Team BDS Academy in the LFL. A delayed return for Nisqy MAD were quick to announce his replacement, confirming on May 5 that their new mid laner would be none other than Nisqy, formerly of Fnatic. Nisqy was one of multiple high-caliber players who failed to find a home in the 2021 post-season, and were left teamless at the start of 2022. Is it too late for breakfast? ☕️ pic.twitter.com/zCgCYSt2KH — MAD Lions KOI English (@MADLionsKOI_en) May 6, 2022 He’ll join the MAD Lions for the duration of the LEC Summer split, with his contract length not currently specified by MAD. The team, who won two consecutive domestic titles in 2021, will look to bounce back from their disappointing spring split, with Worlds qualification being the ultimate goal of summer. Nisqy is a two-time worlds attendee. He qualified to the tournament once in 2019 with the LCS’s Cloud9, and once in 2021 with Fnatic in the LEC. That Fnatic run, famously marred with controversy after AD Carry Elias ‘Upset’ Lipp was forced to depart early due to a personal tragedy, was Nisqy’s last appearance on the international stage. After returning from the World Championship, he was unable to find a starting spot in time for the Spring roster lock deadline and was left teamless before being picked up by MAD Lions for the summer split.

Former Denial Esports CEO breaks silence following change of ownership Former Denial Esports CEO Robby Ringnalda broke his long silence over the controversial management of the team in 2017 that led the organization to ultimately fall in shambles. Ringnalda was the center of a lot of attention during the midst of complaints revolving around player grievances, lack of communication regarding payments and mismanagement across multiple teams across the esports space, but has now offered final words on the matter. Ringnalda gave what seems to be his final address on Denial Esports now that CEO of MoneyMatches Zach Smith and Patrick ‘BlackBeardAP’ E. Smith Sr. have paid out the debts of previous management and taken over the team. Made a lot of mistakes leading up to 2017. I’m sorry to anyone that I negatively affected with my mismanagement. @ZachtehCEO has righted all of my wrongs and is turning the Denial brand into what it once was in exchange for my ownership share. Now time to be a fan #wolfpack — Robby Ringnalda (@DenialCEO) January 4, 2019 The former CEO was emphatic in his apology about the misgivings surrounding his tenure as the head of Denial Esports and will look to be a silent supporter from here on. “Made a lot of mistakes leading up to 2017,” Ringnalda said. “I’m sorry to anyone that I negatively affected with my mismanagement. [Smith] has righted all of my wrongs and is turning the Denial brand into what it once was in exchange for my ownership share. Now time to be a fan.” At the time of the controversy Denial Esports touted extremely competitive teams in numerous titles, but lack of proper direction saw an end to a once thriving brand. Smith even responded to Ringnalda’s comment, empathizing with the former CEO and wishes the esports community to take a similar stance to the ousted executive. I’m not bulletproof. I’ve mad many mistakes in business and have paid for it. It takes a man to apologize for his wrongs. Hopefully the community can acknowledged that. Cheers https://t.co/5ZrPRmNRhf — Xac (@ZachtehCEO) January 4, 2019 In the months since Smith’s involvement with the organization, he and BlackBeardAp have worked to not only rectify the mistakes of the previous ownership but create a “positive vibe” atmosphere around every facet of the team. Early public reaction to Ringnalda’s apology is that of understanding to the former CEO’s mistakes, as well as echo the kind of positivity that the new ownership is keen on promoting.

Former Clash Royale esports pro Flobby dies at 22 Facebook FlobbyJustus ‘Flobby’ von Eitzen, a former professional Clash Royale player, has died by suicide at the age of 22, his former team has revealed. SK Gaming announced the news of Flobby’s death on Twitter, revealing that the player was involved in a car accident after leaving a farewell letter to his family. “We are shocked, in disbelief, lost for words,” said SK Gaming, the organization Flobby represented for most of his career. “We have to say goodbye to our teammate and colleague and, most of all, a dear friend to all of us. We will always remember him for the light and joy he brought into our lives and into the hearts of so many.” Flobby was one of the first members of SK Gaming’s Clash Royale esports division, created in April 2018. He played for the team in 2018 and 2019, notably helping it to a second-place finish at CRL Europe 2018 Fall in Los Angeles. His last tournament was QLASH League 2, after which he remained with the German organization as a content creator. Community pays tribute to Flobby On Twitter, there has been a massive outpouring of grief and tributes in memory of Flobby. SK Gaming Chief Gaming Officer Martin Marquardt said: “Justus was a truly wonderful person who always radiated warmth and brightened up every encounter. My heart goes out to his family at this unimaginably difficult hour. May his memory be a source of inspiration for all who knew him, like a stone that stands the test of time. RIP.” Samuel ‘xopxsam’ Klotz, who plays for SK Gaming, wrote: “Farewell, my friend, we will miss you. You were such a good-hearted person and we shared so many great memories. Rest in Peace, Justus” The official Clash Royale Esports account tweeted the following: “We are shocked and saddened to hear this news. Rest in peace, Flobby, you will be missed.” If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, information and support are available from the Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255 (USA) or the Samaritans 116-123 (UK).

Former CoD Pro Player and Activision Coordinator ‘Muddawg’ Joins 100 Thieves 100 ThievesLongtime CoD community stalwart Eric ‘Muddawg’ Sanders has joined 100 Thieves as their new Head of Esports Operations. The news was announced via a post on the 100 Thieves official Twitter page. The announcement included an image of Muddawg holding his new 100 Thieves jersey accompanied by the org’s founder and CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and President and COO John Robinson. We’re excited to welcome Eric @Muddawg Sanders to 100 Thieves as our Head of Esports Operations. He joins us from Activision Blizzard and will be working closely with all of our competitive teams and players. #HonorAmongThieves One of the highest regarded names in esports, Muddawg has been around the competitive CoD community for a very long time as a player, coordinator, and analyst. Prior to joining 100 Thieves, he had been working at Activision Blizzard for the past two years, his last position being an Esports Product Management Coordinator. He would also appear on the analyst desk from time to time at various CoD World League events. Muddawg had announced his resignation from Activision on August 24 via a post on his Twitter page, in which he hinted that he had an “exciting opportunity” ahead of him. Now that his move is official, Muddawg will look to apply his valuable expertise in helping manage 100 Thieves, and he will likely play an active role with the org’s brand new Call of Duty roster, which many are labeling as one of the best ever.

Forbes reveal surprising list of 13 most valuable esports orgs Esports is a rapidly-growing industry, and Forbes has revealed the 13 richest organizations in the professional gaming scene, including fan-favorite teams like TSM, Cloud9, and FaZe Clan. With esports events like the 2019 League of Legends’ World Championships bringing in almost four million concurrent viewers across Twitch and YouTube, it’s no surprise that competitive gaming is now a multi-million dollar industry, and shows no signs of slowing down. In 2020, 12 organizations who stumped up $25 million dollars will compete in the first season of the franchised Call of Duty League, while many have already paid millions in buy-ins to other franchised competitions like the Overwatch League and the LCS. With sponsorship booming, prize money larger than ever, and more and more eyes watching esports, here are 13 teams who, according to a report from Forbes, are now worth over $100 million, and bring in millions in revenue every year. 12. (Joint) OverActive Media Overactive Media are the parent company of Splyce, who currently compete in Europe’s LEC LoL franchised league, and also own the Toronto Defiant OWL team and Toronto Ultra CDL team. They also operate in games like Fortnite, Smite, and StarCraft 2, and according to Forbes, their estimated revenue sits at $5 million, with a total valuation of $120 million. 12. (Joint) Misfits Gaming Misfits also compete in all three of the major franchised leagues, owning the Florida Mayhem in Overwatch, and acquiring the Florida franchise spot for their Mutineers team ahead of the 2020 Call of Duty League season. While Misfits Gaming are also valued at $120 million, it’s estimated that they bring in $8 million in revenue. 11. NRG Esports NRG Esports already owned the San Francisco Shock OWL team, but it’s their acquisition of former OpTic Gaming chief Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez that really turned heads among the gaming community. Since the pick up, NRG have locked down the Chicago Call of Duty spot, and continue to operate in many of the world’s biggest esports, such as Fortnite, Smash, Apex Legends, and more, valued at $150 million with $20 million in estimated revenue. 10. 100 Thieves Valued at $160 million, 100 Thieves, founded by former CoD pro Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, are more than just an esports organization, operating a hugely successful streetwear and apparel business, while also snapping up some of the most popular streamers in the world. The team decided not to spend the reported $20 million required to own a Call of Duty League franchise, but compete in the LCS, CS:GO and Fortnite, with their revenue believed to sit around $10 million. 9. G2 Esports G2 Esports’ sole franchise team competes in League of Legends, and have become one of the biggest names in the game in 2019, winning the Mid-Season Invitational, and landing themselves in the 2019 Worlds Finals. According to Forbes, G2’s value has grown by $60 million in 2019, up to $165 million, with an estimated revenue of $22 million per year. 8. Team Envy Team Envy are one of the most legendary Call of Duty teams ever but have branched out to become a true powerhouse in esports, valued at $170 million. The team operates the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League, and will compete in the Call of Duty League in 2020 as Dallas Empire. 7. Fnatic Fnatic operate in the European LEC franchised league for League of Legends, and made it all the way to the World Championship finals in 2018 in a losing effort against Invictus Gaming. The team also compete in CS:GO, Dota 2, Fortnite, and more, and are worth $175 million according to Forbes, with $16 million in estimated revenue. 6. Gen.G Gen.G is a Korean-based organization but have spread their wings over the last few years and entered the American market with huge success throughout 2018 and 2019. The team own an LCK LoL franchise spot in their native South Korea but also compete in Overwatch and NBA 2K League. The team makes an estimated $9 million per year and is valued at $185 million. 5. Immortals Gaming Club Worth an estimated $210 million, Immortals Gaming Club made headline news in June 2018 when it was announced that they had acquired OpTic Gaming, who will compete for IGC in the 2020 Call of Duty League. The deal also saw them snap up OpTic’s LCS spot, which will be rebranded to Immortals, and operate the Los Angeles Valiant OWL team and the MiBR CS:GO squad. 4. FaZe Clan Another team steeped in esports history, FaZe Clan started life as a Call of Duty sniper team, but now operate teams in the franchise CoD League and CS:GO, and are home to some of the biggest Fortnite streamers and professional players in the world. According to Forbes, the team brings in $35 million in estimated revenue, and are currently worth an eye-watering $240 million. 3. Team Liquid Dutch-founded organization and North American based Team Liquid take third place in the rankings, with a $320 million valuation. The organization have dominated League of Legends in the United States, winning three consecutive splits, and secured three top 4 finishes at the last three Dota 2 The International tournaments. 1. (Joint) Cloud9 Cloud 9 sit top of the tree with an estimated value of $400 million, and $29 million in revenue. The American organization own LCS and Overwatch League spots, and also compete in CS:GO, Fortnite, Rocket League and more. Cloud9 recently announced a major apparel partnership with Puma, releasing their first collection in October 2019. 1. (Joint) Team SoloMid Regarded by many as a team synonymous with League of Legends, TSM also boast a mindblowing $400 million valuation, and it comes as no surprise that they operate one of the 12 LCS teams in North America. Their reach spreads far and wide in esports, including teams in PUBG, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and even a League of Legends Academy squad. Top 13 richest esports organizations 13. (Joint) Overactive Media (Valued $120 million) 13. (Joint) Misfits Gaming (Valued $120 million) 11. NRG Esports (Valued $150 million) 10. 100 Thieves (Valued $160 million) 9. G2 Esports (Valued $165 million) 8. Team Envy (Valued $170 million) 7. Fnatic (Valued $175 million) 6. Gen.G Esports (Valued $185 million) 5. Immortals Gaming Club (Valued $210 million) 4. FaZe Clan (Valued $240 million) 3. Team Liquid (Valued $320 million) 1. (Joint) Cloud9 (Valued $400 million) 1. (Joint) Team SoloMid (Valued $400 million)

FormaL hits huge earnings milestone after Halo World Championship win YT: OpTic GamingMultiple FPS World Champion Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper has hit a major earnings milestone following his victory with OpTic Gaming at the 2022 Halo Infinite World Championships. In any title’s esport, the World Championships are the pinnacle of competition and the one tournament that competitors want to win above all others. While very few gamers will ever have the privilege of being able to call themselves a World Champion in their chosen esport, even fewer get the chance to become a World Champion in multiple. For OpTic Gaming’s FormaL, that dream became a reality when the Greenwall toppled the competition to win the Halo Infinite 2022 World Championships, taking down Cloud9 in the Grand Final. In doing so, he cemented his place in the FPS hall of fame, becoming only the second player ever (after Shotzzy) to win World Championships in more than one esport. FormaL hits massive earnings milestone after Halo World Championship win However, it has also seen the former CoD pro pushed past a remarkable earnings milestone, another that most esports competitors can only dream of. According to esportsearnings, the Halo World Championship victory pushed the 27-year-old past $1m in total career earnings. The tournament had a $400,000 prize for first place, meaning that each player took home approximately $100,000 (not factoring in org cuts or tax). While it’s an eye-watering figure, it doesn’t even put him in the top 100 highest-earnings esports pros of all time, with the majority of the top twenty occupied exclusively by Dota 2 players. The ongoing Dota 2 The International, for example, gives the winning team an incredible $8.1m in prize money. FormaL remains eighth on the list of highest-earning CoD pros of all time. With a successful career in Halo and Call of Duty already in the books, maybe we’ll see FormaL transition into a third esport. Stranger things have happened.

Forbes’ most valuable esports orgs: TSM, 100 Thieves, Team Liquid & more Forbes/Riot GamesBusiness magazine Forbes has released its list of the most valuable esports organizations of 2022, with some familiar names and new entries popping up on the annual list. Each year, there is a lot of discussion over Forbes’ esports team ranking, with debate surrounding around how accurate the figures are and how certain teams can build so much value more than some of their biggest competitors. In 2021, the list was topped by TSM, with Cloud9 coming in at second place and Team Liquid in third. While all of these organizations are still cropping up in the top 10, the list has changed quite a lot. At the top of Forbes’ 2022 evaluations are TSM, who have retained the number one spot ever since they first reached it in 2019. Here’s Forbes’ full list of 2022’s most valuable esports teams in the world: TSM ($540m) – 100 Thieves ($460m) – Team Liquid ($440m) – FaZe Clan ($400m) – Cloud9 ($380m) – G2 Esports ($340m) – Fnatic ($260m) – Gen. G ($250m) – NRG ($240m) – T1 ($220m) – The most notable jump belongs to 100 Thieves, who have leapfrogged some of their fiercest competition to move into second place, knocking rival North American organizations Liquid, FaZe Clan, and Cloud 9 down the pecking order. If these figures are accurate, that would mean that the ten most valuable esports companies are worth a combined $3.5 billion, up 46% from the last edition of the list, in December 2020. At this rate, the question becomes whether any organization can topple TSM at the top of the list — 100 Thieves’ rate of growth might just put them there in 2023.

FNATIC’s Twitter account banned for a bizarre reason – UPDATED FNATIC/TwitterUK-based esports organization Fnatic have had their Twitter page suspended on August 13 after apparently being mistaken as too young to hold an account. On August 13, fans began to notice that they couldn’t find the organization’s page on Twitter, leading to speculation that their handle had been changed. It was then discovered that the account had been banned from the social media platform, initially causing confusion. Fans’ concerns proved accurate when, on August 13, FNATIC founder and CEO Sam Mathews tweeted to ask for the account to be restored. “Help @Twitter Can we have @fnatic account back?!” Mathews asked. “Can assure you I was 19 when I started it!” The FNATIC CEO then includes part of Twitter’s terms of service, seemingly to explain why the account was removed: “Our Terms of Service require everyone who uses Twitter to be 13 or older, and we have determined that you did not meet the minimum age requirement at the time this account was created.” Halp @Twitter Can we have @fnatic account back?! Can assure you I was 19 when I started it! “”Our Terms of Service require everyone who uses Twitter to be 13 or older, and we have determined that you did not meet the minimum age requirement at the time this account was created.”” — Sam Mathews (@sammathews) August 13, 2019 It’s unclear if the age of the account was mistakenly altered by someone with access, which could have caused the error, or if Twitter simply accidentally took down the account. Furthermore, the organization is over 15 years old – so even if it had Twitter’s age restrictions imposed on it – it would still be old enough. Rival organization Splyce tweeted Twitter to encourage them to restore the Fnatic account, even taking a jab at the games Fnatic are playing. … in all seriousness, we hope @Fnatic’s account comes back soon. It’s gonna be a lonely week of buildup to our game for 2nd place otherwise :sob: #LEC pic.twitter.com/lnZRuRrE3R — Splyce (@Splyce) August 13, 2019 Fnatic are one of the best known esports organizations in the world. They were founded in July of 2004, and have teams competing in a number of esports, including Counter Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six Siege. UPDATE – 08:15 PST August 13 2019 It looks like the incident has been resolved already, with the FNATIC Twitter page being restored. However, where it previously had over 1 million followers, it currently displays much lower numbers. It’s not clear whether this is a display glitch or the page really has lost all its followers. We will continue to update this story where necessary.

Fnatic star Rekkles reduced to tears after Worlds 2019 triumph In a life-or-death, playoffs-or-elimination match at the League of Legends World Championships, Fnatic and Royal Never Give Up delivered a performance that left players on both sides emotional when it ended. There’s nothing in the world like Worlds. The 2019 iteration of the annual World Championships is the ninth in the history of competitive League of Legends, and has produced moment after moment already. Both Group A and Group B required tiebreakers to determine playoff seeding, but Group C was the first to feature a win-or-go-home match to close out play. Fnatic and Royal Never Give Up both entered the final Group C match with 3-2 records. RNG had won the previous head-to-head match, but while they lost both matches to Korean juggernauts SK Telecom T1, Fnatic had split their series against SKT. Despite losing that first head-to-head, Fnatic dominated across half an hour of play, beating RNG in gold earned and kills. Fnatic’s ADC journeyman Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson had a standout performance on Xayah, with five of Fnatic’s 11 kills, while assisting on four others. After claiming the victory and bowing to the crowd, the Swedish veteran let the emotions pour out of him. For Rekkles, this win represents a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders, as he finally gets his win over RNG’s AD Carry Jian ‘Uzi’ Zi-Hao. In their previous international meetings, Rekkles fell twice to the legend from China, losing 3-1 at Worlds 2017, and a heartbreaking 3-0 at MSI 2018. At MSI it was tears of defeat from Rekkles, but now it’s tears of joy. The same can’t be said for Uzi and RNG, who for the first time won’t make it to playoffs of Worlds, having made it to the quarterfinals all three of the last three years. A heartbreaking day for the Royal Never Give Up team, but a delightful day for Fnatic fans and for European fans as well. With the Fnatic win, all three LEC teams in Fnatic, G2 Esports, and Splyce will all advance to the knockout stage, and compete in playoffs on the home stage. For the remaining regions, it comes down to Group D taking place on October 20th, with three teams sitting at 2-1. North America’s last remaining hopes of qualifying for playoffs lie with Team Liquid, led by Yiliang “Peter” ‘Doublelift’ Peng, who looks to end his Worlds curse and make playoffs for the first time. Korea is looking to go 3/3 on playoff teams, as DAMWON seeks to join SKT and Griffin in the knockout stage. Invictus Gaming will look to avenge RNG and join FunPlus Phoenix in the quarterfinals. Make sure to follow along with Dexerto’s Worlds 2019 hub for updates on all the action.

Fnatic raise $17m to further expansion into Asia ONE Esports/FnaticUK-based esports organisation Fnatic have raised $17m in investment from a Japanese conglomerate to aid their expansion into Asia. The financial raise comes from trading and investment conglomerate Marubeni, who will also work with Fnatic in a “strategic partnership” aimed at establishing the org in the Asia-Pacific market. The UK team claim that they have increased their revenues by 80% in the past year and hope to continue the trend with this extra support. They will utilize the funds by expanding their base of operations in Japan, relocating their team in Rainbow Six Siege to the facility when possible. As well as Siege, Fnatic compete in League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and FIFA. They also field a team in Dota 2 that’s made up of players from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. Last year the organization made headlines with their crowdfunding initiative. Alongside a $10m raise from private investors, they amassed a total of £1.78m from 3,450 fans and supporters to put towards facilities, academies, products, and performance. “We’re so excited to have the strategic know-how of Marubeni leading this funding round,” said Fnatic CEO Sam Mathews. “Marubeni’s knowledge of Japan’s business landscape will be a huge asset to Fnatic as we expand our commitment to APAC.”

Fnatic reportedly suffering financial woes with operating cost doomsday imminent Michal Konkol/Riot GamesFnatic is in financial hot water according to reports, with the organization possibly having only 3.46 million euros left, enough to cover two more months of operation, before hitting the bottom of the well. Fnatic is one of the longest-standing and most well-known esports organizations in the world. The company was founded in 2004, making it one of the oldest in the industry as well. Throughout that time, the team has won numerous international titles for League of Legends, CSGO and Valorant. The European powerhouse is not solely based on the success of their esports, however. Fnatic has a number of different gaming peripherals that they sell including mice, keyboards and headsets. These are accompanied by an extensive clothing line that covers everything from jerseys to sweatpants, giving the esports giant a wide variety of revenue streams. With 2024 on the horizon, a number of esports teams are re-evaluating their financial situations and acting accordingly. Valorant Champions winners Evil Geniuses are allegedly cutting players’ pay by 50% while teams like 100 Thieves have had to cut high-paid players and leave esports titles like Apex Legends. According to reports, Fnatic may have to do the same. And sooner than you may think. Fnatic struggles despite having multiple outlets for its income Back in September, a Twitter user by the name of Express LoL raised awareness of the current financial status of Fnatic. The Commercial Registry UK report showed that Fnatic had over 20 million euros in accumulated losses with over 2 million lost in 2022 alone. Founder and CEO of Fnatic Sam Mathews responded to the claims that Fnatic was losing money by explaining that the organization has more ventures than just what the public has access to. “You need to understand that Fnatic exists across many entities, Fnatic Gear, Deathbrush etc,” said Mathews. “We have a holding company the reason for this is because we have franchise assets per game held separately, for various reasons. So you can look at one entity and get only 1/6th of a picture, not the whole picture.” The auditor for Fnatic explained that the organization had measures in place to continue operating in the instance of a downturn in the economy and profits. This includes one or several rounds of fundraising, delaying the hiring of staff, the sale of certain assets and contributions by existing shareholders. As of now, it is reported that the esports organization has only 3.46 million euros left for the remaining months of 2023 according to a report from Sheep Esports, which equates to just under two months of operating costs. Mathews has not made any additional statements regarding Fnatic’s financial situation a the time of writing this article.

Fnatic launch music label and release lo-fi album FnaticFnatic have ventured into the world of music with the launch of its new label, Fnatic Music, and the release of its first album “Fnatic Island Vol. 1”. The man behind the esports organisation’s jump into the music industry, Fnatic’s Head of Marketing Joshua Brill, sat down with Dexerto to explain how the project came together. Fnatic have jumped into the music industry with the launch of a lo-fi hip-hop album with over 40 artists attached. “Fnatic Island Vol. 1” will feature the typical cozy aesthetic of a traditional lo-fi playlist but with allusions to Fnatic itself with song titles referencing Fnatic esports players, moments and creators. Fnatic’s Head of Marketing Joshua Brill, a veteran of the music industry, told Dexerto how the album will be available for the company’s content creator network and how he hopes to see it grow from their fan base and Fnatic’s own brand. “We have a whole rollout strategy to hit their fan base. Basically, they’ll be proud of a track named after them, like Nikita ‘Derke’ Sirmitev and Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett with “Bald Buff Activated,” and that will reach an audience. Because to be honest, some of these esports fans are not just esports fans, depending on where how they kind of gravitate towards certain things and we also have our creator roster that is featured in the lo-fi animation,” Brill said. The album launch will also feature a short looping animation with other fan references and Fnatic content creators on a live stream on the esports organization’s YouTube Channel. Brill hopes the album, or just individual tracks, will get picked up on music streaming playlists across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and others. The album will not, however, be available royalty free for any streamer to play on launch, though this could change in the future. “I think at this stage, we want to first focus on our Fnatic network and kind of give an additional bonus when you get onboarded into the Fnatic network,” Brill said. “I think what we’ll do is, depending on how well this performs, maybe in like five months or something, we’ll say ‘Okay, let’s open up to everyone because we do want to empower creators generally everywhere.’” Lo-fi music and esports crossover Brill said he started this venture into the lo-fi world in March, almost right as he joined the company, and was surprised to find how much the genre features collaboration and fans of Fnatic. “They were talking about Worlds, they were referencing some of the older Fnatic players from years gone back. So there was like an immediate crossover from that side where they were like, so excited to work with Fnatic,” Bril said. The project ballooned to its current state of over 40 artists because of word of mouth about Fnatic’s involvement, and the company’s generous streaming revenue split with the creators. The arrangement was 60% in the favour of the individual artists with a small cut from DashGo, the album’s online distributor. “I didn’t really care about the revenue at all. This was much more of a brand play, so I didn’t mind giving them what is the best deal that most of these artists get,” Brill said. Thanks to the artists’ request for a healthy revenue split instead of an upfront check for commissioning the work, Fnatic spent under $3,000 on the project, according to Brill. The future of Fnatic Music Brill first helped Fnatic dip its toes into the music industry with a commissioned anthem song back in April 2022 from UK artist Che Lingo. Now, with a full-length album, Brill said he will listen to what the fans want to see from the new label moving forward. While we could see a “Fnatic Island Vol. 2,” the executive isn’t afraid to hop genres to hit another audience. “I’m bullish on going into places that no one else has been,” Brill said. “For instance, if everyone’s going to jump on lo-fi, let’s do classical music… It’s early days, but we’re planning to be different, alongside knowing what our fans want us to do. So I think what we’ll do off the back of this is we needed to give our fan base a shape of what we could do, and I think the next step is actually asking them, ‘What would you like us to do next? What is the genre that you’re listening to or that you think we should move into?’”

Fnatic Partners with Esports Betting Website Rivalry.gg One of the world’s biggest esports organizations has partnered up with esports-centric betting website, Rivalry.gg. Launched in 2004, London-based Fnatic is home to some of the biggest esports teams in the world, fielding competitors on titles including League of Legends, CS:GO and Dota 2. Rivalry was established in early 2018, with the goal of providing a safe betting environment for consumers away from the unregulated skin trading market that has dominated the esports eco-system. Wouter Sleijffers, CEO, Fnatic said “We’re excited to have found a partner in Rivalry.gg, who are passionate about esports and competition as we are. Watching and following your favourite teams and players can be enjoyed in different ways and Rivarly.gg is adding to that experience. And for the eligible Fnatic fans it just provides another opportunity to benefit from our winning teams!”. This isn’t Rivalry’s first big sponsorship either, with a number of brand ambassadors in the competitive gaming space, including award-winning esports journalist, Richard Lewis. “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with an esports pioneer like Fnatic, and look forward to working with Wouter and the team to elevate the experience of esports matches for fans.” commented Rivalry.gg Co-Founder, Kevin Wimer. “Esports continues to grow rapidly, and as such the demands of fans are changing. Rivalry.gg has been designed to adapt to this change by creating a platform that adds to the excitement of gameday, while doing so in a responsible and regulated fashion. Betting is here to stay, and at Rivalry our goal is to meet the demand with an incredible product while staying true to our roots and supporting the community along the way.” As part of the deal, the Rivalry logo will appear on Fnatic jerseys and on editorials across the Fnatic website. The Rivalry sponsorship is the second Fnatic announcement of the week, after it was revealed they would be partnering up with Dream Team to work on training development. Disclaimer: Rivalry.gg is Dexerto.com’s esports betting partner.

Fnatic hand new deals to Valorant duo Boaster and Derke Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesFnatic have announced that Valorant duo Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett and Nikita ‘Derke’ Sirmitev have penned new contracts with the organization. Boaster has signed a new contract that will keep him with Fnatic until 2025, while Derke has committed his future to the organization until 2026. The announcement comes as a timely boost for Fnatic, who will face 100 Thieves on September 2 in their first match in the Valorant Champions Group D, which also includes DRX and FURIA. Boaster has been Fnatic since the organization entered Valorant in February 2021 with the signing of the SUMN FC lineup. Derke was signed just two months later as the team underwent their first roster changes, and has since developed into one of the best players in the world. Fnatic head into Valorant Champions as one of the favorites to win the prestigious event. They are one of the most experienced teams in the scene, only missing one international event to date (VCT 2021 Stage 3 Masters Berlin), but they have only been to one final, which they lost to Sentinels. “I’m feeling like it’s time to win a trophy under Fnatic,” Boaster said. “I’ve got to get you your money’s worth.”

Fnatic enter “multi-million” three-year deal with ASOS FnaticLondon-based esports organization Fnatic have established a “multi-million-pound” three-year partnership with online fashion retailers ASOS. Fnatic are among the most prominent brands in the UK esports ecosystem and they have now joined forces with one of the nation’s biggest online fashion retailers. The agreement has been made for an initial three-year period and it’s claimed to be worth millions of pounds, though a specific value was not disclosed in the release. Fnatic and ASOS will work together to bring the “gaming and fashion worlds together” by hosting activations — both online and offline — over the next three years. The fashion company will also serve as a jersey sponsor for Fnatic. The partnership activations include Fnatic’s players and creators featuring multiple content series and ASOS campaigns, as well as “VR experiences and AR filters.” An alternative, third kit will be produced for the org, and it’s stated that the brands will also work together to produce “in-game experiences and digital products.” Fnatic officially entered the world of fashion when they collaborated with Italian luxury brand Gucci in June 2020. They produced a watch inspired by the org’s League of Legends team that cost £1,150 ($1,574.38). The British org recently made headlines when they signed a $15m deal with cryptocurrency exchange platform Crypto.com in a five-year deal. https://twitter.com/FNATIC/status/1441356845050785797 “Gaming and fashion are both passions for young adults and as esports continue to boom, we’re incredibly excited about this partnership,” said ASOS chief growth officer Robert Birge. “GenZ-ers increasingly express their style in both the physical and digital worlds and this is something we’re excited to fuel. We’re also looking forward to seeing some of the world’s greatest esports athletes wear our name on their Fnatic jerseys at the Worlds in Iceland.”

Fnatic files report claiming Gaimin Gladiators could hear production during TI match ValveFnatic were eliminated from TI 11 in the lower bracket of the main event on October 20. A day later, the organization’s CGO Patrik ‘cArn’ Sättermon revealed that their opponents Gaimin Gladiators were able to hear the broadcast during the match. The International 11 is ongoing as teams battle for first place in the biggest tournament in Dota 2. Fnatic were one of those team after leaving the Group Stage and earning a lower bracket seed. But on October 20, Fnatic were eliminated from TI 11 in a best-of-one match against European side Gaimin Gladiators. A day later, Fnatic’s CGO, cArn, revealed on Twitter that Gaimin players were able to hear the broadcast production during the game and used it to their advantage to win the match. According to cArn, Gaimin players admitted that they used information that they heard from production in their decision-making to ultimately win the match. cArn continued in a follow-up post saying that he just wants to bring awareness to the incident. “As a former player, I am very frustrated that such integrity issues are still not prevented, especially on the absolute biggest stage of the sport. Our intention is solely to raise awareness about something that can be as game-breaking as dream-crushing for the athletes,” the Fnatic CGO said. The incident became known after the match concluded. A player from Gaimin, Anton ‘dyrachyo’ Shkredov, gave an interview with a local Russian caster in which he said that his team could hear everything the casters were saying and took fights based on the information they gleaned from the cast. No punishments or changes in the broadcast or a rematch have been announced at the time of publishing. Gaimin is set to take on OG on October 21 in a lower-bracket matchup as the tournament continues.

FlyQuest expand esports program with women’s Valorant & CSGO teams FlyQuestFlyQuest has announced its acquisition of the former CLG Red Valorant and CS:GO teams, now called FlyQuest Red, in an expansion of its esports program. FlyQuest has a relatively small esports roster. The organization has a team in the LCS and some Super Smash Bros. players signed to its brand, but nothing much outside of that. On June 1, FlyQuest announced an expansion of its esports department as it signed a women’s roster in Valorant and another in CS:GO. The green esports organization picked up the former CLG Red squads in both tactical shooters after CLG, a legacy esports brand and company, was shut down and acquired by NRG Esports. NRG declined to pick up any teams or players from CLG after the acquisition, except for the League of Legends roster and LCS spot, which left the two CLG Red rosters without a home. Now with FlyQuest at the helm, the former CLG Red Twitter account and teams have been rebranded as FLY RED. FlyQuest sign former CLG Red Valorant and CS:GO rosters CLG Red was brought to life in 2015 as the women’s CS:GO team took to the competitive circuit with a roster of players that are still active in the esports industry to this day. The brand entered into Valorant in 2021 and tried its hand at the Riot Games ran Game Changers circuit. After the demise of CLG, the CS:GO team continued on without an organization under the name Red Ded Redemption while the Valorant squad was signed by Moist Moguls for the duration of the first Game Changers event of 2023. Now, both squads have found a new, permanent, home with FlyQuest. The former director of marketing at CLG said the move to FlyQuest happened thanks to the help of Stephanie ‘missharvey’ Harvey, one of the original members of CLG Red and now director of FLY RED, and Greg Kim, the former head of CLG. The announcement has been received well by fans of the CLG Red brand and the wider esports ecosystem. Fans will be able to see the Valorant team debut under its new esports organization at Game Changers Series II.

Fnatic enter $15m partnership with Crypto.com through 2026 FnaticLondon-based esports organization Fnatic have entered a five-year partnership with cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com, worth a total of $15m. The convergence of esports and cryptocurrency has accelerated drastically in 2021, spearheaded by a $210m, 10-year deal between North American esports org TSM and crypto exchange platform FTX in June. Fnatic are the latest major brand in the esports industry to secure themselves a major sponsor worth millions of dollars, entering a $15m deal with crypto platform Crypto.com for an initial five-year term. The partnership includes a jersey sponsorship and will see the British org offer “numerous rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences” for their fans, including digital products such as NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Fnatic x @cryptocom. Time to make history.#CryptoGG pic.twitter.com/HB7DOJHznb — FNATIC (@FNATIC) September 16, 2021 This is the first foray into esports for the crypto platform as they’ve typically concentrated on sports in the past. They’re currently in deals with the likes of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, the UFC, Formula 1, and Italian football league Series A. Fnatic’s new partner have an exchange that allows people to buy and sell numerous cryptocurrencies, an NFT marketplace, and services such as “crypto credit” that lends crypto to users. Read More: Are cryptocurrency sponsors bad for esports? – In recent months, crypto platforms such as Coinbase, Bybit, and FTX have all invested heavily in promoting their services through partnerships with companies in esports. “This partnership sees global leaders in esports and cryptocurrency join forces for a ground-breaking, long-term partnership,” said Fnatic CEO Sam Mathews. “Fnatic boasts one of the most connected, involved and supportive fan bases in the world and this landmark deal with Crypto.com allows us to further cater to their everyday needs. As cryptocurrency becomes a mainstream payment method, there’s never been a better time to help our fans make smarter, healthier and future-proof cryptocurrency decisions.”

Florida Mutineers part ways with MajorManiak & bench Vikul as Brack returns to main lineup Florida MutineersFlorida Mutineers starters MajorManiak and Vikul have been removed from the starting lineup as Brack makes his return following an early exit from CDL Major 2. Michael ‘MajorManiak’ Szymaniak was a late addition to the Mutineers’ squad in Vanguard. He stepped into the role after the team (which was captained by Skyz and Owakening) decided to replace Vivd and Davpadie in the starting squad. Rookie Javier ‘Vikul’ Milagro arrived as part of a new-look version of the team in the off-season and will be staying on the organization’s bench as he competes in Challengers. Florida Mutineers move on from MajorManiak & Vikul ahead of CDL Major 3 The move to release MajorManiak was announced on February 6 with Vikul’s benching following it up the next day. The split hasn’t been a clean one either, as Szymaniak revealed that he’s none too pleased with how things went down with Mutineers or his previous CDL squads. “It takes a toll dealing with what I have in the last 2 years, I take responsibility for my poor performances but the backstabbing and pure selfishness I’ve put up with makes me sick,” he said. “That kind of character alone doesn’t create a winning culture and is not how I would craft any team.” Milagro also acknowledged his benching on Twitter but hasn’t made any statement about the situation beyond that. For Szymaniak, his CDL career began with Atlanta FaZe in Modern Warfare before he joined the Minnesota RØKKR prior to Black Ops Cold War. His stay there was a rocky one, spending two stretches on the bench before finally joining Florida. Brack returns to starting role in Florida Mutineers While there’s no official word on a fourth player just yet, we do know for certain Brack will be returning to the starting lineup. This shakeup was confirmed on February 7 as the previously benched player made his way back to the spotlight. We’ll be sure to update you here as further details emerge on the Mutineers’ fourth and final starting player heading into the Major 3 qualifiers.

First Asian Games with esports as medal event officially postponed Visual China Group/VCGThe first Asian Games with esports as a medal event has been postponed until 2023. The Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 were set to be held in September. Eight titles were listed, up from the six at 2018’s demonstration event. The Olympic Council of Asia has made the call to postpone the Asian Games, due to take place in September 2022 in Hangzhou, China. “The OCA today decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from 10 to 25 September 2022,” it stated in a May 6 press release. “HAGOC [The Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee] has been very well prepared to deliver the Games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games.” The OCA has not confirmed a new date for the games to be held, with analysts expecting a date later in 2023. The postponement came as little surprise to most, given even within esports China’s representative for MSI 2022 Royal Never Give Up will be competing remotely from Shanghai instead of in Busan, South Korea. However, esports’ introduction for the 2022 Games came with plenty of logistical issues. In League of Legends, China’s domestic league was going to be scheduled to fit in the Summer Split before the games. In Korea, there was criticism about KESPA rushing the selection process to be locked in before MSI 2022, with coach Kim ‘kkOma’ Jeong-gyun floating the idea of stepping down. The Asian Games is set to host eight esports medal events. This includes PC titles League of Legends, Dota 2, and Hearthstone. Mobile giants Arena of Valor, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, and PUBG Mobile are listed, along with FIFA and Street Fighter V. It comes after esports originally debuted as a demonstration event in 2018 with six titles. China took two gold medals, while Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan took home one each.

Flamengo counselor calls their League of Legends team “autistic nerds” – brTT and Rakin respond Riot GamesA counselor at Brazilian sports club CR Flamengo, has labelled the club’s esports division, specifically their globally renowned League of Legends team, “autistic nerds”, apparently angered that they receive more promotion than the women’s soccer team. Marion Kaplan, who works at CR Flamengo, one of Brazil’s top sports clubs, responded to a promotional Tweet about the League of Legends team, considered one of the best teams in the world. In now deleted Tweets (translated from Portuguese), Kaplan wrote: “Who would of thought, huh? Flamengo promoting a nerd from the worst kind, symbol of anti-sports, anti-physical activity, and NOTHING about women’s soccer! Not even a line…” After being called a “moron” for her first Tweet, Kaplan doubled down, stating: “I will fix it: a nerd that spends hours in front of a screen, practicing something that isn’t an physical activity nor cultural, that isn’t outdoors, and doesn’t worth nothing. In other words “autistic nerd of the worst kind”. Is that better?” “Hi Marion All right? I have seen your remarks that I consider to be very aggressive and of closed mind, but instead of attacking you I would like to ask you to talk and open your mind a little to try to free yourself from this ignorance. I await your reply.” “It’s too late. I’ll do everything to end LoL. My first goal was to report the neglect of almost every sport on CRF (Flamengo), while LoL is promoted. But since the violent attacks and mass threats (nothing close to what I said) I see how badly LoL needs to be extirpated.” After deleting her Twitter account, Kaplan later made another account, on which she apologized to autistic people and their parents, for her use of the disorder as an insult. “I need to apologize to the autistic and autistic parents who were super kind and polite to me, contrary to the nerds they were violent and rude.” Thanks to u/gustavoviza for the translation. você tem que se tratar isso sim — Felipe Gonçalves (@brttOficial) February 25, 2019 CR Flamengo currently sit in first place in the top level of professional League of Legends in Brazil, CBLOL, with a 13-1 record. They were ranked as the eighth best team in the world on February 25 by GosuGamers.

Fighting game pro injures himself in crazy celebration after tournament win TwitterA Rivals of Aether pro’s celebration after winning a tournament was so intense, he ended up actually suffering an injury in the process. Fighting game player Alex ‘CakeAssault’ Strobel took celebrations to the next level after coming first place in the Riptide Major, beating out Penguin to take home the crown. What followed was an unbelievable sight with the fighting prodigy literally leaping out of his seat, dancing, and jumping like Gollum in Return of the King after finally holding onto The Ring again. Unlike Lord of the Rings, however, the floor wasn’t lava and CakeAssault found himself rolling on the ground and lying on his back just soaking in his achievement. True gamers dislocate their shoulders when celebrating a victorypic.twitter.com/YX1Juwx025 — Dexerto (@Dexerto) September 14, 2021 As it turns out, the celebration wasn’t intended to go to the ground. Taking to Twitter, the Rivals of Aether star revealed he suffered an injury during the celebration and that’s why he hit the floor. “I fell on the ground during that popoff because I dislocated my shoulder,” he wrote, but remained in good spirits, tacking on a “lmao” to the message. also i fell on the ground during that popoff cuz i dislocated my shoulder lmao — CakeAssault (@CakeAssault) September 12, 2021 Luckily, he seems to be doing well, writing that he was “mostly” okay when fans inquired about his condition. Hopefully, he’ll be good to go by the time the next major tournament rolls around and this time there won’t be any injuries after a popoff.

Finest shut down pro esports operations months after $10 million investment Team FinestIsraeli esports organization Team Finest has announced that it is pulling the plug on its professional esports operations, citing the current economic climate. In a Twitlonger post, Team Finest said that the decision was made after “key investors backed out of making further investments into the company.” The Israeli organization was acquired in 2020 by media company RadarZero and had since struck partnerships with a number of prestigious non-endemic companies, including Logitech, Tezos, Samsung and Pizza Hut. In March 2022, Team Finest acquired Monaco Esports in a deal worth $10 million as part of their expansion plans. The move came six months after appointing Rotem Kamer, the former CEO of the Israel Football Association, as the company’s new CEO. Mr. Kamer stepped down from the role in August, according to his LinkedIn profile. “It is with a heavy heart, but after nearly two years of successful esports operations and building up of the Finest brand and community, we are shutting down our professional esports operations,” the Israeli organization said in a statement. “This was all due to macro-economic situations the world is presently facing and the fact that owning an esports team is still a very speculative investment.” Finest added that it is “looking to continue operating within the gaming and esport industries”, although it will “pivot into technologies, products, and services.” In the wake of the news, Finest’s Valorant team has announced that it will continue to compete under the temporary name ‘Bonk’ until it finds a new organization. Finest’s CS:GO team, which had recently picked up Polish AWPer Aleksander ‘hades’ Miskiewicz from ENCE on loan, will finish out the tournaments it has left, with its future beyond that looking uncertain.

Female Tekken pro fired by team over “unacceptable” comments about short men YouTube/BANDAI NAMCOA female Tekken pro has been fired after she made a controversial statement about short men during a live broadcast. Japanese Tekken star Kana ‘Tanukana’ Tani has risen in the fighting game scene, notably placing first in the WESG 2019 Chongqing Tekken 7 Invitational. However, her place as one of Tekken’s prominent female fighting game forces as a member of Cyclops Athlete Gaming will no longer be continuing after controversy erupted over her on-stream remarks. As reported by Kotaku, during a February 15 broadcast, Tanukana said: “Men who are under 5 ft 7 don’t have human rights.” She further added that they should consider getting surgery to deal with their shortcomings. Interestingly, the Japanese word for human rights is ‘jinken,’ but in regards to video games, the term means an item or character that players need to have. This has resulted in a bit of debate over her true intentions. Tekken pro fired for saying short men “don’t have human rights” Regardless, the damage has resulted in her org, Cyclops Athlete Gaming, firing the 29-year-old. In a statement, the org apologized for their star’s comments: “We here at Cyclops Athlete Gaming apologize deeply for the inappropriate statements from our sponsored player Tanukana and the pain her words have caused people, as well as all the distress and trouble caused to the fans who support our team and the sponsors involved.” “Miss Tanukana’s inappropriate statements in her live stream on February 15th of 2022 were not approved by us and have led to us terminating her contract,” they added. 私の配信中における発言は、決して許されないものであり、自分の認識の甘さが招いたことであると重く受け止めております。 この件により皆様を失望させてしまったことについては、弁解の余地もございません。— たぬかな (@kana_xiao) February 16, 2022 For her part, the pro also apologized on Twitter, calling her remarks “unacceptable” and took full responsibility for her actions. “There is no excuse for disappointing you in this matter,” she wrote. It’s not clear what the future will hold for the fighting game pro, or if she has any plans on returning to streaming following this controversy.

FGC organizers ban female Street Fighter pro for “unwanted physical contact” Red Bull Media HouseStreet Fighter pro Leah ‘Gllty’ Hayes will not be attending various events after a wave of FGC tournament organizers have taken action against her for “unwarranted and unwanted physical contact.” There’s been a lot of focus in the FGC to keep both competitors and tournament attendees safe from anyone that could present harm. Now, FGC event hosts are taking a similar stance toward Gllty for her “unwanted, inappropriate physical contact” with past event attendees, as more information is coming to light. Gllty is also a current participant in the Street Fighter League’s second season. “Due to recently collected information regarding unwarranted and unwanted physical contact between event attendees,” Combo Breaker said in a tweet. “Leah ‘Gllty’ Hayes will be barred from attending Combo Breaker LLC events until further notice.” The announcement seems to have created a domino-effect around FGC organizers as even more notices released that will effectively prohibit Gllty from competing at or attending their venues. “As a result of recent accusations towards, and personal admission of, past instances of unauthorized sexual contact at FGC events, Leah ‘Gllty’ Hayes will not be permitted to attend Frosty Faustings until further notice,” the official Frosty Faustings Twitter account said. Gllty took “ownership” of the allegations levied against her, and was open about how she “contributed to the toxic environment” within the FGC. “I’ve flirted with a lot of women, and in more than once instance I’ve made them feel uncomfortable…” Gllty said. “It’s my obligation to take responsibility. I’m not sure what to do next, but taking ownership of my own actions is the first step.” As a transgender woman, Gllty wanted to “separate [her] negative choices from the rest of the LGBT and trans community,” while also detract anyone who is looking to defend her: “If you are defending me, I would recommend you question yourself as to why.” The FGC has been working toward providing a safer environment for all to create a space where everyone can feel welcomed. On August 11, esports photographer Chris Bahn was similarly ousted from future events in the fighting game community. Bahn gave Dexerto an exclusive statement on his bans, as repercussions for the photographer saw him lose his finalist nomination for Esports Photographer of the Year at the 2019 Esports Awards. Dexerto has reached out to Capcom to find out about Gllty’s participation in the second season of the Street Fighter League.

Federal Ruling Gives States the Right to Legalize Online Sports Betting, Which Includes Esports The United States Supreme Court has decided that the ban on federal sports betting is unconstitutional which can open the door for esports gambling in the future. First enacted in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed by the United States Supreme Court to strike down on state-authorized sports gambling nationwide. Nevada was the only state in the country that allowed authorized sports betting, with a collection of other states attempting to fight the ban ever since it was passed in the early 90’s. This made it difficult for Americans to wager on sporting events, with Las Vegas becoming a hub throughout the country for individuals to legally place bets on a number of different sports. On Monday, May 14th, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 in to overturn PASPA, which will now allow states to decide whether or not to allow sports gambling in the future. The historic decision will also impact the esports community in the future, including the chance for betting websites and other avenues to offer lines for esports events across different titles. BREAKING: Supreme Court strikes down federal anti sports gambling law, gives states go-ahead to allow betting on sports. — The Associated Press (@AP) May 14, 2018 It should be noted that even though the Supreme Court has voted against PASPA, it will likely take multiple years before authorized sports and esports gambling are fully up-and-running in certain states As of writing, it is unknown how the decision will impact ‘skin betting’ websites for games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and others in the future.

FaZe president explains how esports players could earn “NFL salaries” FaZe Clan president Greg Selkoe opened up about why he believes esports players could eventually earn pay as high as NFL athletes in an interview with celebrity news website TMZ. TMZ Sports caught up with FaZe Selkoe for an interview on December 28, where he dived into a variety of topics, such as the future of esports eventually eating into the market share of traditional sports. However, the organization president explained how explosion in viewership numbers with games could eventually lead to esports players earning as much as NFL athletes. The future of esports players’ salaries When asked about his thoughts on traditional sports leagues feeling threatened by esports taking a chunk of their market share, the 44-year-old expressed that he’s not surprised that there’s a cause for concern. “They must be somewhat concerned because a number of them investing in these closed leagues teams like in Overwatch and Call of Duty are actually sports franchises, so they must be seeing that as the future,” he said. He then explained that the “number of time spent by 14-20 year old males watching video games is getting close to surpassing regular sports,” before he added that “the world is virtual.” When asked if salaries in esports have surpassed the NFL, the FaZe president stated, “Not yet. But there is different ways to make money. You get paid a salary in the NFL, and get endorsement deals. As an organization we go out and do a lot of that stuff for them.” He explained how streamers also get paid when they practice unlike traditional sports: “We will have someone streaming on Twitch playing Fortnite for 14 hours straight, and that’s them practicing.” Selkoe then finished by saying that unlike other sports, fans get to interact with players. “We have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people watching them play and interact. It’s almost entertainment. It’s pop culture and actual sports.” (Timestamp 00:11 for mobile users.) Time will tell if his predictions come true, but the FaZe president made an interesting point about esports athletes constantly making money as their practice sessions are watched by viewers at home. 2019 alone has been a great year for streamers getting paid, as Tyler ‘Ninja‘ Blevins and Michael ‘shroud‘ Grzesiek were reportedly paid millions by Microsoft to stream exclusively with Mixer.

FaZe Rain claims org loses six figures a month on esports FaZe Rain YouTubeIn a barrage of Instagram story posts calling out FaZe Clan, Nordan ‘Rain’ Shat claimed that the organization loses hundreds of thousands of dollars on esports every month. FaZe Clan stalwart Rain has been in an ongoing public battle with the company’s higher-ups. He has made his opinions on the direction of the now-public company known and has even threatened to leave FaZe if those in charge did not remove Sebastian ‘Cbass’ Diamond, one of FaZe’s founding members and its director of social media, from the company. On May 21, Rain again hit out against FaZe Clan on his Instagram story. This time, he called out the company for recruiting Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff as “damage control” during its legal battle with former member Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney, along with claiming that FaZe loses hundreds of thousands of dollars on esports each month. Rain says FaZe loses six figures on esports a month On his Instagram story, Rain wrote that FaZe losses $700,000 a month on esports and said that the guy who makes “these terrible decisions” is the President of FaZe. In the company’s 2022 fourth-quarter financial results, Faze made $70 million in revenue but closed its first financial year as a public company with $53.2 million in losses. The company’s SEC filings do not lay out specifically how much of those losses come from esports spending. However, FaZe does have many teams under its umbrella that would demand a lot of cash to run. FaZe has teams in Rocket League, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, CS:GO and two squads in Valorant. The organization also has Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, FIFA and Fortnite players signed with them. The company also owns a slot in the Call of Duty League as the Atlanta FaZe. In a follow-up video to respond to NICKMERCS, Rain laid out FaZe’s alleged esports expenses and revenue. He claimed the organization loses $756,000 a month in total on its esports teams. He broke down the alleged costs and revenue some teams have generated, with PUBG Mobile as the only division that allegedly brought in more money than the organization spent. In the company’s letter to its shareholders, FaZe said it does not plan to slow down spending on esports anytime soon. “Esports will continue to be a critical driver of the FaZe brand and a central point of engagement for many of our fans. As we expand other revenue streams, we expect esports will continue to grow but contribute less of the pie. This is healthy and expected, and you’ll see us continue to invest in keeping FaZe teams at the top of the leagues in which they compete,” the company said.

FaZe Clan’s OG founders to return as GameSquare purchases org with Banks as CEO GameSquare / FaZe ClanFaZe Clan’s founding members Banks, Temperrr and Apex are to return and lead the org, as GameSquare holdings has agreed an acquisition of the famed esports organization. On October 20, GameSquare announced they had entered into a “definitive agreement” that will see the company acquire FaZe Clan in “an arm’s length all-stock transaction.” FaZe Clan went public in 2022, but their short time on the Nasdaq was far from smooth sailing, eventually failing to maintain a share price above $1 – the requisite amount to remain listed on the exchange. Crucially, GameSquare’s takeover will return founding members of FaZe to leadership positions, namely: Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson to be CEO of FaZe Clan, which will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary and independent division of GameSquare – Thomas “FaZe Temperrr” Oliveira to be President of FaZe Clan – Yousef “FaZe Apex” Abdelfattah to be COO of FaZe Clan – “Joining forces with GameSquare creates greater scale and exciting opportunities in the emerging market for gaming and youth culture,” stated Christoph Pachler, Interim CEO of FaZe Clan. “The strength of the FaZe brand and GameSquare’s infrastructure are a powerful combination that will enable FaZe shareholders to benefit from the combined company’s long-term value creation potential.” FaZe Clan’s longtime CEO Lee Trink was relieved of his position in September, which was reportedly a component of the deal going through. The value of the FaZe Clan’s stock, if the deal were to close today, is around $16 million, per DigiDay. GameSquare purchases FaZe Clan GameSquare is also the owner of rival esports brand Complexity Gaming, as well as Code Red Esports, a talent agency. “The gaming community represents one of the largest and most engaged segments of the attention economy,” stated Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare. “The acquisition of one of the biggest names in gaming serves as a perfect illustration of how we have built a powerful infrastructure with expansive scale that we can use to leverage the full spectrum of resources within the GameSquare ecosystem. We are also thrilled to welcome back the founders of FaZe Clan and their fans, one of the most deeply engaged communities born on the internet.” Speaking of the founders, one of the chief criticisms of FaZe’s direction in recent years was the lack of involvement from the original founding members and previous owners. Banks will return back in a leadership position, as CEO. “I’m confident that with Tommy, Apex and me back in charge of the brand, FaZe Clan will get back to where it was in its peak years,” “We grew up on the internet and understand this brand better than anyone ever could. We are grateful to have found a partner in GameSquare who sees that value in us and can help execute our vision. We’re going to produce first, talk later.” In the announcement, GameSquare states that management expects to save around $18 million of current expenditure, through “reduced corporate costs and focus on driving efficiencies across the organization.” It’s also boasted that, combined, FaZe Clan and GameSquare generated annual revenue of approximately $138 million in 2022. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, as while the deal as been approved by the boards of both FaZe Clan and GameSquare, it is still subject to shareholder approval. Current GameSquare shareholders will own approximately 55% of the new merged company, with FaZe Clan shareholders owning approximately 45%.

FaZe Kaysan set to become minority owner of Atlanta FaZe FaZe ClanDJ and music producer FaZe Kaysan is set to become a minority owner of the Atlanta FaZe, sources have told Dexerto. The creator and streamer, who signed onto FaZe Clan in 2021, is getting more involved in the Call of Duty League after almost two years with the organization. The move would give Kaysan greater input on the direction of the team and its content. Since joining FaZe Clan, Kaysan has frequently streamed both GTA RP and competitive COD. Earlier this month, he announced that he had officially signed a contract with Rumble to create content for the alternative platform. Fans reacted to the move with cautious optimism, with one viewer on the CoDCompetitive subreddit saying: “Hopefully he can help to guide faze’s content in the right direction, but at the very least we should expect a decent intro song.” For more news and updates on what FaZe Clan is up to, check out all the latest stories here.

FaZe Clan’s “longest-serving employee” leaves after 12 years and fans are devastated CbassFaZe Clan’s Sebastian ‘CBass’ Diamond, who served as the organization’s “longest-serving employee” has left after 12 years. On October 20, 2023, FaZe Clan was finally put back in the hands of its founding members Temperrr, Banks, and Apex after being acquired by GameSquare. The Complexity Gaming and Code Red Esports owners announced they had entered into a “definitive agreement” to purchase the esports and gaming entertainment organization. After the termination of former CEO Lee Trink, the FaZe Clan acquisition put the ones who started it all back in charge, with Banks taking the mantle as CEO, Temperrr being named as President and Apex becoming COO. FaZe CBass leaves after 12 years at organization In a December 4 post on Twitter/X, CBass announced that he would be leaving FaZe Clan after 12 years. The 29-year-old first joined FaZe as a content creator back in its Call of Duty trickshotting days, before becoming the organization’s first employee. “It’s hard to summarize what it’s like to make a group of friends playing video games at 16 years old, and spend the rest of your life turning that hobby into a globally recognized company,” CBass wrote. “When I first came across FaZe Clan in 2010 it wasn’t a business, it wasn’t a brand, it was a YouTube channel with 500 subscribers – and more importantly, nobody other than us thought it was cool.” “There was no pathway at that time to doing anything other than staying in your room & not telling anyone else about it,” he explained. “When the YouTube partnership program opened up and we were one of the only gaming channels accepted, something clicked. We stuck to a formula that worked for us, we worked hard at it, we loved it, and it wasn’t long before we were the fastest growing gaming brand on the internet.” CBass continued: “Managing the content & our roster wasn’t a “job” for me then, it was simply what I loved to do, and I’ll be thankful for those early memories and the friendships that have carried with them for the rest of my life.” In his statement, CBass provided clarity to fans, claiming that when the money first started coming in so did people who weren’t focused on the FaZe’s true passions or interests — something which several other members have voiced their frustrations about over the years. “I spent years sitting across the table from executives who effectively told us, ‘thanks kids, we’ll take it from here!’,” he claimed. “Every day FaZe Clan lives on is a testament to the fact that you can do it too.” CBass added: “We would be nothing without the people who’ve represented us over the years, and hopefully there will be many more to come.” In the replies, FaZe fans and associates showed a ton of support and appreciation for all that he has done for the organization over the years. “Forever a legend in this space. Wishing you all the best,” said former FaZe member Spratt. “Appreciate all the time, work and energy you have put in to help make this scene something it is today,” one fan wrote. “Forever an absolute legend man,” another added. It’s clear that despite having disputes with members such as Rain towards the end of his time at FaZe, CBass will be greatly missed.

FaZe Clan welcome DraftKings as sports betting partner FaZe Clan/DraftKingsFantasy sports and betting company DraftKings have been named the official sports betting partner of North American organization FaZe Clan. As DraftKings look to access a younger demographic, they’ve tapped FaZe Clan to advertise their brand across an array of content and on social media. The partnership will see DraftKings integrate into FaZe’s content, featuring prominently across videos, live streams, original series, and an unannounced podcast. The betting giants will be given access to FaZe talent at upcoming events and plan to provide “unique experiences and offerings” such as contests and merchandise for their customers and the org’s fans. Another facet of the partnership — which sees DraftKings named as the esports org’s official sports betting, iGaming, daily fantasy, and free-to-play partner — is a jersey sponsorship specifically for FaZe’s team in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. FaZe Clan have had a solid past few weeks. Besides being valued at $1 billion following their announcement of a public listing on the Nasdaq, they’ve been performing well at the beginning of Call of Duty: Vanguard, ZooMaa and his CoD show, ‘The Flank’ have been brought under the FaZe banner, and they just emerged victorious at the latest Rainbow Six Major. https://twitter.com/FaZeClan/status/1460970781073190925 “We are committed to delivering content we know our fans are passionate about,” said FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink. “The DraftKings deal is a natural move for FaZe Clan as our members and fans are avid followers of traditional sports, and this gives us the opportunity to further propel our talent and brand into the mainstream. “Both brands also share an important vision of being at the forefront of internet culture and we believe this partnership marks an important cultural crossover moment for the future of sports and entertainment.”

FaZe Clan welcome investment from Atlanta FaZe co-owners Cox Enterprises Atlanta FaZeNorth American esports organization and media company FaZe Clan have strengthened their relationship with Cox Enterprises, the co-owners of their Atlanta FaZe franchise. Fans of Call of Duty esports were surprised in 2019 when Atlanta FaZe were announced, bringing the FaZe Clan brand into the new Call of Duty League alongside 11 new franchises. It was revealed that the popular gaming collective had come together with Atlanta Esports Ventures — a joint venture between Cox Enterprises and Province, Inc. — to buy into the $25m-per-team competition. Now, two years on, Cox Enterprises have decided to further their ties to FaZe by investing in them directly. The exact amount invested has not been disclosed at the time of publication. Atlanta FaZe have since proven to be the most dominant team in the Call of Duty League, becoming the ultimate victors of the 2020 season and winning the majors in Stages 1, 3, and 4 of the 2021 season. FaZe Clan have perhaps the most star-studded roster of investors in the entirety of esports. Their backers include musicians Ray J, Offset, and Pitbull, athletes Josh Hart, Ben Simmons, Nyjah Huston, and Gregory van der Wiel, and prominent entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine. The popular gaming entity also obtained a $22.7m investment loan from Canadian financial company Canaccord Genuity in January 2020. $1.2 Million for @CODLeague Champions Who will bring it home?#EZAF | #ATLUp | #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/5Yra7qhiNJ— Atlanta FaZe (@ATLFaZe) August 19, 2021 “This is a huge leap in the evolution of our partnership with Cox Enterprises and Atlanta Esports Ventures that will lead to greater opportunities for all of us,” said FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink. “This investment comes at an ideal time as our brand has transcended esports, becoming a powerful platform for gaming and youth culture.”

FaZe Clan unveil Call of Duty inspired 2019 Team Jersey NissanFaZe Clan has revealed their 2019 Team Jersey that will be worn by all of their esports squads moving forward. The North-American based organization has experimented with a number of different team jerseys designs over the years – recently donning black t-shirts and hoodies with a white logo instead of a traditional sports-like jersey. Now, they have made the switch back to a normal jersey by taking some inspiration from an iconic Call of Duty weapon skin. The jersey is labeled as the FaZe Clan Tiger Camo and was unveiled shortly after the organization announced their newest sponsorship deal – linking up with Japanese car manufacturer Nissan. Nissan’s logo gets a healthy spot on the team’s newest jersey – sitting on the right-hand side. The sponsor is across from the flag of the country a certain player is representing, which varies from team to team, and sits just above the GFUEL logo that gets pride of place in the middle. However, unlike some other team jerseys, the FaZe logo isn’t hidden away in a corner. Instead, the well-known emblem is plastered across the front of the shirt – blending in with the Red Tiger detail. The jersey is currently for sale on the FaZe Clan website, accompanied by plenty of promotional photos showing off all the key details of the new shirt – including how it looks from behind and smaller, eye-catching details including a variation of the FaZe logo. Fans may not have to wait long to see the jersey in action in a competitive setting. FaZe Clan’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster takes part in the Blast Pro Series event in São Paulo, Brazil on March 22 – and could debut the jersey there.

FaZe Clan was undone by exec screaming matches & overspending on celebs, per report FaZe ClanFaZe Clan reportedly had a lot of internal tension, along with high-level incompetence, before its recent acquisition, according to a report. Before the esports and gaming company’s acquisition by GamesSquare Inc., tensions were publically high. Original members of the FaZe Clan brand like FaZe Banks and FaZe Rain, trashed the company on social media and leaked internal expenses like esports team salaryies. Behind the scenes, things were even worse, according to a report from Digiday. The report outlines how the animosity between talent and upper management went both ways and that executives at the company were content with raising their voices around lower-level employees. Now under the GamesSquare brand, which also owns the esports organization Complexity Gaming, FaZe is reinstating Banks as CEO and is rumored to be downsizing some of its more expensive teams across its various titles. Tensions were high behind the scenes at FaZe Clan The report detailed how FaZe Clan salespeople would secure partnerships with brands and had to deal with talent, streamers, or other members, who would not fulfill the promised deliverables for the deal. At one point, the report claims a manager submitted a doctored social media post to FaZe with the wrong date attached to make it look like the creator fulfilled a partnership’s deliverable on time. FaZe also reportedly had issues with misspending money, spending millions on renting Los Angeles mansions, or just spending money due to unforced errors. The report additionally details how FaZe’s sponsorship deal with Totino’s cost the company millions, thanks to executives moving the date of a planned video shoot with rapper Lil Yachty up for no discernible reason. With millions of dollars moving out the door, and FaZe’s finances now available to the public thanks to its SPAC merger, it created somewhat of a hostile environment at times in the company’s offices. The report claims that executives would often yell at each other during meetings, even with lower-ranking staffers in the vicinity. How GamerSquare plans to resuscitate the FaZe Clan brand is anyone’s guess, but at least for right now, it seems to be in competent hands for the first time in years.

FaZe Clan terminates CEO Lee Trink as stock price continues to plummet Instagram: LeeTrinkFaZe Clan’s Board of Directors has terminated the contract of CEO Lee Trink, effective immediately, as the company nears potential Nasdaq delisting in light of its dwindling stock price. There’s no two ways about it, 2023 has been a rough year for FaZe Clan. From public scuffles with founding members to mass layoffs and the ever-declining stock price, the company has certainly seen better days. Now, the longstanding esports and gaming entertainment brand has been hit with another shakeup. As announced on September 10, the Board of Directors has removed Lee Trink from his position as Chief Executive Officer of the company. Trink had been involved with FaZe Clan since 2016 and served as CEO for five of those seven years. CEO Lee Trink terminated from FaZe Clan Trink’s termination from FaZe Clan is effective immediately. The now-former CEO is also required to submit his resignation as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. As the company seemingly looks for a suitable replacement, current Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Christoph Pachler will serve as interim CEO. Pachler has been with FaZe for 13 months, having previously worked for Sony and Playboy. An exact reason for the sudden executive shakeup has not been provided. FaZe Clan itself is yet to address the departure of its CEO in a public matter on social media at the time of writing. This shift comes months after the company dropped a reported 20% of its workforce, totaling up to 120 employees. The company also sits with its lowest stock price to date, facing potential delisting just one year removed from its $1 billion valuation.

FaZe Clan stock drops to all-time low following layoffs of staff FaZe ClanFaZe Clan, one of the most popular esports organizations in the world, has seen its stock price hit a new all-time low following news of layoffs at the company. On February 17, it was reported by Business Insider that FaZe was laying off around 20% of its staff, with an internal memo from CEO Lee Trink citing “uncertainty in the overall economy”. The decision was made despite the company experiencing “incredible growth,” according to Trink, who stressed that “financial discipline” will be a greater focus of the organization moving forward. The news hit the stock price of FaZe Holdings, which is listed on the NASDAQ exchange. The price of shares had already been tumbling since mid-2022. FaZe stock hits new all-time low At the close of trading on Thursday, February 16, FaZe Holdings sat at $0.68 per share. This is a far cry from the stock’s all-time high of over $20 – only six months ago. FaZe stock had been trading below $1 in late January, although it did make a slight recovery at the beginning of February – staving off possible delisting risks by bouncing back over the $1 mark. However, the latest hits with layoffs have seen the price tumble again, dropping below $0.70 for the first time at trading close. The drop marks a 95% decline in the past six months. But, while the outlook remains mired in uncertainty, FaZe will hope that the layoffs, plus whatever “financial discipline” is planned, will, eventually, put them on a path to profitability. They still command an audience of millions of fans, many of whom would consider themselves loyal to the FaZe brand. But, the problem for FaZe, like most esports orgs, is monetizing these fans. From FaZe’s YouTube channels, the average revenue per subscriber is only $0.36, according to Forbes, and much of this will be retained by the creators, rather than the organization. Of course, FaZe is not alone in making layoffs in gaming and esports. OpTic Gaming, 100 Thieves, and TSM have all cut staff, in addition to many game devs and publishers.

FaZe Clan stock price plummets to all-time low FaZe ClanFaZe Clan’s shares on the NASDAQ have fallen to their lowest point yet, following the company’s latest SEC filing, and turbulent times in the wider market. Going public in July, FaZe become the first esports organization to be listed on the NASDAQ. Things got off to a rocky start immediately, with the share price dropping from $13.02 to $9.58 in a matter of days. However, the stock rallied after, reaching a peak of just over $20 in early August. Since that peak, however, it has been two months of volatility, and following the company’s S1 filing on September 26, the stock price has dropped to $9.12 — the lowest since the SPAC merger in July. Why has FaZe Clan stock dropped? This decline marks a 30% drop in a matter of days, so clearly, something has caused this rapid revalue of FaZe shares. On September 26, FaZe Holdings filed an S1 form to the SEC, outlining their intent to issue new shares, as well as conduct a period of insider sales. In total, FaZe plans to issue 5.9 million new shares, as well as insider sales of up to 64 million. Put simply, all these new shares in the market is likely to reduce the cost of each share, as there are more available. VentureBeat also analyzed the filing, explaining that “$71.4 million of its $100 million backstop commitments defaulted on their obligations.” A backstop is essentially an insurance policy that if a company’s new shares are not sold, they will then be purchased by the guarantor, typically an investment bank. With $71.4m of FaZe’s $100m backstop now unaccounted for, B. Riley Financial, who were behind the SPAC merger with FaZe originally, will now invest a further $53.4 million into FaZe to make up the difference. All of this, as well as the NASDAQ composite index itself falling almost 10% this month, means FaZe stock has reached a new low. But it’s still early days for the esports organization on the public market.

FaZe Clan sign Cented to Fortnite roster FaZe ClanOn March 11, FaZe Clan announced that they have officially signed “the Lowground King,” Canadian Fortnite pro Evan ‘Cented’ Barron to their roster for the Epic Games battle royale. The new signing comes a few months after FaZe made Thiago ‘k1ng’ Lapp their latest Fortnite signee, as they brought the Brazilian pro on during the FaZe 5 contest. Now, the organization moves closer to home by acquiring a Canadian pro, Cented. With over $150,000 in career earnings, Cented has established himself as a serious presence in the Fortnite community. Additionally, with nearly 200,000 followers on Twitter and over 75,000 on Twitch, the pro player has a considerable social following — fitting directly into the FaZe Clan ethos. First we signed K1ng… now we’ve signed the Lowground King. Please join us in welcoming one of North America’s greatest competitive Fortnite players to our FaZe Pro Roster: @Cented7!#FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/ql2Uu7bxCP — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) March 11, 2021 In their announcement, FaZe dubbed Cented “one of North America’s greatest competitive Fortnite players” and clarified that he would be joining their pro roster. With guys like Daniel ‘Dubs’ Walsh and Kyle ‘Mongraal’ Jackson still rostered by the prestigious organization, Cented is joining a stacked lineup. As an added bonus, the white and red of Canada’s flag should mesh well with FaZe’s black and red.

FaZe Clan set to become first $1b esports org with public listing FaZe ClanNorth American esports organization and media company FaZe Clan have announced plans to go public on the Nasdaq exchange, allowing some of their fans to invest in the company. With a reported combined social media reach of over 350m fans, FaZe Clan are among the biggest network of personalities, content creators, and esports athletes in the world. To capitalize on their fan base and positioning as one of the largest brands in gaming and esports, they’ve entered a merger agreement that will see them go public on the Nasdaq. The deal is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2022. The merger that’s been agreed upon will see the org reach an “equity value of approximately $1 billion” and they will roughly receive $291m through the deal to fund their “multi-platform growth strategy.” For you, the fans. Our biggest announcement to date: FaZe Clan is going to become a publicly traded company. https://t.co/HaHJtFIglW pic.twitter.com/YNYLpvVIRo — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) October 25, 2021 Moving into their next phase, FaZe Clan will be looking to bolster their revenue streams through improved fan monetization, expanding their presence in other regions, and acquiring new companies. Read More: Every public esports company & organization – They have entered a definitive agreement with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp., an entity with the sole intent of acquiring companies, that’s already live on the public market. In their new investor presentation, FaZe Clan have revealed plenty of interesting hints regarding their moves in the next few years. Their estimated revenue for 2021 is $50m, with sponsorships serving as their largest revenue stream, and by 2025 they’re aiming to boost their annual revenue up to $651m. In line with their expansion plans, they’ve identified Halo, League of Legends, Wild Rift, Free Fire, and Apex Legends as titles they may compete in down the line. Brazil, China, and the Middle East are markets they will be targeting in the future. “We are thrilled to announce this important milestone of FaZe Clan’s plans to enter the public market,” said FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink. “In our short history, we have evolved from a disruptive content generator to one of the world’s most decorated and successful esports franchises, and now into one of the younger generations’ most recognized and followed brands globally. “This transaction will provide us capital and access to the public markets, which will help us accelerate the expansion of our multi-platform and monetization strategy.”

FaZe Clan secures major C$30 million investment loan FaZe ClanFaZe Clan has secured a $30 million CAD loan agreement heading into 2020, the esports and entertainment giant announced this week, after entering a convertible loan facility with one of Canada’s leading credit providers. As one of the biggest names in esports, and entertainment, FaZe has certainly risen high since its inception in 2010. Once a simple gaming clan sharing highlight reels on YouTube, the company has grown into a multi-title esports empire. Now, with the help of financial advisor Canaccord Genuity, the gaming clan has secured a whopping C$30 million loan — an estimated US$22.7m, or £17.3m — to help them continue to expand their gaming empire well into the new decade. While some may expect to see FaZe turn their new investment pool into a dedicated esports facility in a similar vein to the new 100 Thieves Cash App Compound, dubbed “the biggest esports headquarters in North America,” or Team SoloMid’s $13 million, 25,000 sq. ft home base in Playa Vista, the org has other plans. According to Head of Esports Erik Anderson, anything on a grand scale like that are “a bit further off” for the gaming empire that started as FaZe Sniping a decade ago, especially considering the global reach of their rosters. “I get why some of the teams are putting those facilities in place. [However], there’s ample boot camp space out there for our teams to use [while] traveling the world.” Anderson told the Esports Observer in late 2019. FaZe had to consider its “many players around the world,” Anderson explained, and added “until [the clan] consolidates everybody in one place,” the org would steer clear of building developments: “We don’t think it’s fully necessary.” Those stars around the world come in all shapes and sizes for FaZe. As well as competing in titles like Fortnite and FIFA, the clan competes on multiple fronts in Rainbow Six, on the CSGO circuit, and in the newly-franchised Call of Duty League. The org’s CDL team kick-started their new life as Atlanta FaZe just over a week ago, edging the New York Subliners 3–1 after dismantling preseason contenders Dallas Empire 3–0 to take the top spot alongside the Chicago Huntsmen. FaZe’s Counter-Strike is also poised to walk a new road in 2020, with the BLAST Premier Spring season opener chalked for Friday evening. The European roster, helmed by Nikola ‘Niko’ Kovač, will face Ninjas in Pyjamas first up. It’s not been all smooth sailing, however, with two major controversies flaring up in 2019. Fortnite star Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney’s high-profile legal battle to leave the org, and Ricky Banks’ “hotel rampage” both marred an otherwise strong year. It doesn’t hurt that they also signed superstar streamer Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff in May, a move that CEO Lee Trink called “the most important player signing in the history of esports, period.” 2019 has been an unforgettable time for FaZe Clan, with countless new memories made across the world to celebrate forever… and none of it would be possible without the new faces who joined us this year. THANK YOU, to everybody who’s become a part of our family! ❤️#FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/xUIOlfmUQZ — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) December 31, 2019 Despite any success and disappointment in and out of the gaming world, there can be no denying FaZe is thriving as one of the biggest esports and entertainment orgs in the world, especially considering this recent cash injection. The clan currently boasts 4.26 million followers on Twitter—the most of any gaming team around the world—and doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon. Keep your eyes peeled for what’s next from FaZe and their new loan.

FaZe Clan set to become public company as merger approved FaZe ClanFaZe Clan has announced that they are set to go public on the NASDAQ exchange, after their SPAC merger was “declared effective” by the Securities and Exchange Commission. With a combined social media reach of almost 400 million fans, FaZe Clan is one of the biggest networks of personalities, content creators, and esports players in the entire world. In October 2021, FaZe announced the merger agreement with SPAC ‘B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp.’ that set them up for the ability to go public on the NASDAQ exchange that will allow fans, or anyone, to invest in the organization. They have now confirmed that the proposed merger was approved by the Security and Exchange Commission, which brings FaZe closer to being a publicly-traded company. FaZe is on the verge of going public On June 22, FaZe posted the announcement on their Twitter page. “B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of B. Riley Financial, Inc, and Faze Clan Inc, today announced that the registration statement on Form S-4 with respect to the proposed business combination between BRPM and FaZe Clan was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission.” SEC declares FaZe Clan S-4 effective. #FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/pmux8d6Q9w — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 22, 2022 “FaZe is on the verge of becoming a publicly-traded company. The capital from the Business Combination will help us to continue to grow our brand as a leader in esports and the creator economy, and embrace the advent of new digital goods and platforms,” FaZe CEO Lee Trink added. “We look forward to closing the Business Combination and continuing to partner with the B. Riley team in our journey to the public market.” Read More: EA CEO cuts salary in half – to $20 million – FaZe will be among the first content-creation organizations to become a publicly-traded company, and fans will be able to find it rather easily as their ticker on the exchange is set to be simply: FAZE. The next step is for shareholders of BRPM to attend a Special Meeting on July 15, where they will be “asked to consider and vote upon proposals to approve the Business Combination and related matters.”

FaZe Clan risks being delisted as stock price continues to fall below $1 FaZe ClanFaZe Clan now has to deal with concerns about a deficiency notice from the Nasdaq stock exchange as the org’s share price remains below $1, with potential delisting on the horizon if things don’t turn around. FaZe went public on the Nasdaq in 2022 through a SPAC merger, kicking off with a $1 billion valuation. Their start to life as a public company was promising, reaching a peak of $20 per share in August, but since then the value has plummeted, sitting at $0.89 per share at the time of writing. There are myriad reasons for this sharp decline, including promised investment defaulting and concerns about cash-on-hand to cover expenses beyond the current financial year, as reported by Forbes. But as the stock continues to trade below $1, there is an even greater concern. Nasdaq compliance requires listings to trade at a value greater than $1 per share, and any company below this for 30 consecutive days risks a deficiency notice. As Nasdaq outlines, “If a company trades for 30 consecutive business days below the $1.00 minimum closing bid price requirement, Nasdaq will send a deficiency notice to the company, advising that it has been afforded a ‘compliance period’ of 180 calendar days to regain compliance with the applicable requirements. In order to regain compliance, the listing would need to maintain “a closing bid price of $1.00 or more for 10 consecutive business days.” FaZe stock ($FAZE) fell below $1 at close on January 20. It has done so again on January 23 and 24. “If a company is unable to resolve its bid price deficiency during the applicable compliance period, Nasdaq Staff will issue a delisting letter,” Nasdaq stipulates. At this point, the company can request a hearing, which will pause the delisting, in order to make an appeal to the exchange. FaZe will want to avoid any such compliance issues in the first place, though, which requires the stock price to make a quick turnaround. But this coincides with the end of the six-month ‘lock-up’ on FaZe staff and creators holding shares, agreed as part of the SPAC deal, meaning they can now choose to divest, which could impact the stock price further. As tech and gaming companies elsewhere continue layoffs, and investment into esports orgs dries up, there are many headwinds to face, even for one the biggest brands in the business, valued in 2022 at $400 million by Forbes.

FaZe Clan reports $53 million loss despite increased revenue FaZe Clan / NasdaqEsports and gaming lifestyle organization FaZe Clan has released its 2022 Q4 financial results, recording a total of $70 million in revenue, but closes its first financial year as a public company with a $53.2 million net loss. FaZe’s total net loss was actually as high as $168.5 million, but this figure includes a one-off debt extinguishment charge related to going public, with ‘Legacy FaZe’ debt converted into common stock. The organization boasts that their topline revenue figure was “near the top of our guidance,” with a 32% year-over-year boost to $70 million. The growth, FaZe says, was “driven by a nearly 70% increase in brand sponsorship revenue,” as well as growth in their esports operations. The easing of the global pandemic, tournament wins and “higher player transfer fees and league participation” are cited for the boost to esports revenue. However, there was a decline in revenue from “consumer products” and content, but FaZe says it is “placing less strategic emphasis” on these parts of their business, in the short term. FaZe net loss exceeds $50 million Despite strong revenue, FaZe operating costs resulted in a total net loss of $168.5 million, or $53.2 million when excluding the debt extinguishment. FaZe list a number of increasing costs “in compensation and benefits due to increased headcount, stock compensation expense, and professional services fees as a result of the growth of the business and of becoming a public company. “ Some of these costs the company addressed by laying off staff in February. On their earnings call, FaZe said they estimate that these measures will save approximately 17% in annual headcount expenses. In the last quarter alone, FaZe’s net loss was $19.1 million – up from $13.6 million in Q4 2021. Despite these losses, FaZe’s $37.8 million in cash and cash equivalents, it says, “will be adequate to fund our operations and support our investment plans for 2023.” FaZe Clan’s stock woes It’s yet to be seen how the market will react to FaZe’s Q4 financial results, but the picture of the stock’s short time on the public market so far has not been a pretty one. It hit a new all-time low of $0.40 per share on March 20, an alarming decline from the all-time high of over $20 in August 2021. The share price has remained depressed below $1 for more than 30 business days, prompting a deficiency notice from Nasdaq. FaZe has 180 days from the date of the notice to regain compliance – by maintaining a share price over $1 for 10 consecutive business days – or will be subject to delisting. FaZe CEO Lee Trink, in his letter to shareholders, said, “We are optimistic as ever about the future of FaZe Clan. We believe we have a gifted roster of esports athletes and content creators, a talented and dedicated team committed to our mission, and a loyal fan base that continues to grow and engage with our brand.” However, he also admitted that their start to life as a public company wasn’t the strongest: “to be candid, we’ve gotten off to a slower start on this journey than we would have liked.”

FaZe Clan reveals collab with Xbox to celebrate 11th anniversary FaZe Clan, MicrosoftJust in time for May 30, or FaZe Day to fans of the iconic esports org, the squad have teamed up with Microsoft to release an exclusive Xbox 360 themed merch collection to mark their 11th anniversary. FaZe Clan’s roots as an organization began with Call of Duty sniping, back when the Xbox 360 was the king of consoles. They’ve since expanded into all areas of esports, and content creation, but for their 11th anniversary, they’re taking it back to where it all began. The iconic band are ready to celebrate in style with a new merch collab with Microsoft, inspired by the Xbox 360. FaZe x Xbox 11th Anniversary Merch Described as being “especially nostalgic and meaningful for the original members of FaZe Clan who met back in 2010 while playing on Xbox Live,” the collab will feature an “extremely limited-edition collection of “t-shirts, hoodie, [a] varsity jacket and more.” FaZe co-owner Banks describes the venture as “a dream come true,” noting that “this collaboration is extremely special to us because it brings us back to our roots and celebrates how far we’ve come from just being kids who love playing video games to a massive global organization.” “We are stoked to share this with our incredible fans who have been with us since the beginning. Happy 11th birthday to FaZe fam!!” The drop will be accompanied by some fun YouTube content, as well as an “animated content piece featuring a digital rendering of FaZe Clan’s first New York house and paying tribute to the role Xbox 360 had in the organization’s formative years.” Where to buy FaZe X Xbox merch It’s important to note that the FaZe merch is very limited, so if you’re looking to snag some new gear you’ll need to be quick. All of the merch can be found on the official FaZe website, with prices ranging from $36-$160. When does the merch drop? The FaZe x Xbox merch will drop on May 30 – the 11th anniversary of the org and the day fans affectionately dub ‘FaZe Day.’ In terms of how early you need to get up or how long you need to stay awake for, the merch drops at 12PM PST/3PM EST/8PM BST/9PM CET.

FaZe Clan reportedly listening to two acquisition offers Stephanie Lindgren/BLASTLA-based esports and lifestyle organization FaZe Clan have reportedly received acquisition offers from GameSquare and Enthusiast Gaming. According to a report from the Sports Business Journal’s Kevin Hitt, who cites sources close to the process, FaZe remain in discussions with GameSquare and Enthusiast Gaming, and a deal with either company would likely include “some form of an equity swap and a possible cash infusion.” FaZe’s financial issues are well documented, with the company recently reporting a net loss of $53.2 million for 2022 — up from 2021’s $36.9m loss —, despite a record $70 million in revenue. This came just months after FaZe revealed that its cash assets would be enough to fund the company’s operations only until November 2023. One of the biggest esports organizations in the world, FaZe went public on the Nasdaq exchange at approximately $13 per share following a SPAC-merger deal valued at $725 million. The company’s stock has since plunged, forcing Nasdaq to issue a deficiency notice after FaZe failed to close trading below the $1 minimum for over 30 consecutive days. Earlier this year, the Sports Business Journal reported that FaZe were considering a restructuring that would take the company private. The report added that “between $40 million and $60 million” would be needed for FaZe to restructure the group. In May, FaZe reportedly slashed about 40 percent of its workforce in a second round of layoffs, just months after firing approximately 40 percent of its staff. GameSquare owns esports organization Complexity, which competes in games like CS:GO, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Valorant and Rocket League. It also supports a number of content creators, most notably Tim ‘TimTheTatman’ Betar. In February, Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins joined GameSquare as the company’s Chief Innovation Officer, launching Ninja Labs. Enthusiast Gaming controls Luminosity Gaming and operates the Vancouver Titans and Seattle Surge franchises in the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League. FaZe Clan are also represented in the CDL through a partnership with Atlanta Esports Ventures, which owns and operates the Atlanta FaZe team.

FaZe Clan reportedly looking to go private less than a year after Nasdaq listing Stephanie Lindgren/BLASTLess than a year after debuting on the Nasdaq exchange, esports and lifestyle company FaZe Clan is reportedly weighing up the option of going private. According to a report by Sports Business Journal, FaZe is “considering a restructure that would take it private”, just eight months after going public on the Nasdaq exchange via a special purpose acquisition company, more commonly referred to as a SPAC. The deal valued FaZe Clan at $725 million (which was lower than the $1 billion valuation when the SPAC merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp was announced), but the esports giant has nosedived since debuting on the exchange at approximately $13 per share. It is currently trading at $0.53 a share after hitting a low of $0.37 on March 20. Companies on the Nasdaq exchange risk a deficiency notice if they close below $1 for 30 consecutive business days. FaZe Clan has been trading below that minimum closing bid price requirement for 32 consecutive business days. According to the report, FaZe “would need between $40 million and $60 million” to restructure the company and shift it back into private ownership. FaZe is “struggling in such efforts,” the report added. The news comes at a tumultuous period in the esports industry, which is facing what has been called the “esports winter”, with many companies, from team organizations to media outlets and event organizers, laying off staff or even ceasing operations. FaZe Clan’s dire financial situation In its latest quarterly filing, FaZe Clan reported having only $43.9 million in cash assets, which would be enough to fund the company’s operations until November 2023. FaZe will release its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2022 and the full year on March 30. These financials will provide a more detailed picture of the company’s financial health as it considers ways to go private. Only recently, FaZe slashed 20 percent of its workforce in a massive round of layoffs that began in December and concluded in February. In an internal memo, FaZe CEO Lee Trink said that he was “optimistic” about the future of the company but noted that it was operating “in a very different economic environment” than it was when it went public. On March 19, 100 Thieves CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag shared his thoughts on FaZe’s declining stock price. “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 said on his stream. In recent months, FaZe have also had to deal with intense criticism from some of its members, including Nordan ‘Rain’ Shat and Jakob ‘Teeqo’ Swaerden, forcing the company to break a week-long silence on Twitter. “We know that for too long we haven’t been the FaZe we need to be, but we’re working hard towards fixing that,” FaZe said on March 22. “We hope to have all the OGs sit down together soon, and we don’t want to do that without everyone. We’ll do everything in our power to work this out & not let you down.” Note: A previous version of the story misstated FaZe’s valuation in the SPAC deal as $1 million. The deal was initially valued at $1 billion when the merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp was first announced. However, when the deal was finalized, it was valued at $725 million.

FaZe Clan reportedly lays off 40% of staff amid financial woes FaZe ClanFaZe Clan is laying off 40% of its staff in yet another round of staff reductions for the public company, according to a report from Digiday. FaZe has been criticized from all corners of the gaming and esports communities, including former members of the company, for its decision to go public. The company went public in 2022 at a $725 million valuation, and its current stock price is stuck below $1. With its financials public, fans and investors have been able to peek behind the curtain and see how much money the organization has spent and, crucially, how much they are making. With their books now open for the world to see, FaZe is seen in the esports scene as an illustration of the current economic downturn in the industry. Over the course of 2022, FaZe reported $53 million in losses despite some increases in revenue. FaZe Clan’s downward spiral continues As a result of this downturn, FaZe Clan is cutting 40% of its remaining staff, according to a report from Digiday. The company’s staff was notified at 10:01 a.m. on May 19 of the layoffs, according to the report. This is FaZe’s second wave of layoffs in 2023, as the company let go of about 20% of its staff in February of this year. FaZe released its 2023 first-quarter SEC filings recently, and it showed another quarter of losses for the company. The net loss for FaZe at that time was $14.04 million as its revenue declined about 20% from its 2022 fourth-quarter filing. The company also lost one of its high-profile heads, Snoop Dogg, in March. The famous rapper and entrepreneur left the company “effective immediately” on March 29, as was revealed in FaZe’s 2022 fourth-quarter fillings. FaZe has not responded to Dexerto’s request for comment on the report at this time. The company has addressed the report on Twitter, saying the reduction in its workforce will be revealed in an SEC filing later today. “This plan shows the latest progress from our efforts to align our cost structure with our focused near-term priorities around brand sponsorship and esports growth, as discussed in our shareholder letters. In the last several months we have executed on material cost reductions to protect capital and we will continue to work toward putting FaZe in the best possible position to drive towards future profitability,” FaZe said.

FaZe Clan ownership clarify concerns that they are selling their shares FaZe ClanFollowing an SEC filing that sparked concern that the owners of FaZe Clan were selling their majority stake, the CEO and other members have clarified that this is not the case. On May 5, FaZe Clan published an SEC filing, labeled “prospectus reflecting facts events constituting substantive change from last form,” which outlined the issuance of new shares of common stock, and “the resale by certain selling securityholders.” First reported by The Esports Advocate as the founders and owners “preparing to jump ship”, this characterization was challenged by the FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink. “I’ve never sold a share and have no plans to sell,” Trink said. “Friday’s filing is a routine and required update of the original S1 registration statement.” FaZe Banks, who was mentioned as one of the owners offering their shares up for sale, also addressed the concerns. “No we didn’t [put our shares up for sale]. Not a single one of us have ever sold or listed a single share,” he said on Twitter. FaZe Clan went public on the Nasdaq exchange in 2022, and their share price peaked at over $20 in August. At the time of writing, FaZe Clan’s share price is $0.51. This decline prompted a deficiency notice from Nasdaq. To regain compliance, FaZe stock must recover to over $1, and hold that higher price for at least 10 trading days, within 180 days of the warning. A previous article incorrectly stated that the majority owners of FaZe Clan had in fact put the stock up for sale. The prospectus only outlined that the shares could be sold, as the lock-in period had expired. This does not mean that the shares were in fact put up for sale.

FaZe Clan reportedly drops 20% of its workforce as stock price plummets FaZe ClanFaZe Clan has reportedly laid off 20% of its overall workforce as the gaming and online entertainment brand continues to see its stock price plummet in 2023. The new year has not been all too kind to the esports industry. Juggernauts like 100 Thieves, Team Liquid, and OpTic Gaming are just a few of the most prominent brands letting dozens of employees go in the first few weeks of 2023. Now, it appears FaZe Clan can be added to the list with perhaps the biggest reduction yet as the company has reportedly dropped “roughly 20% of its employees,” according to Business Insider. Staff members have allegedly been let go at a gradual pace since December, 2022, with the full round of layoffs only just concluded in February, 2023. Workers were seemingly notified at an all-hands meeting earlier this week. This significant drop appears to come as a result of FaZe Clan’s ongoing struggles as a publicly traded company. Since launching onto the stock market in July last year, the brand has seen a 93.10% reduction in value to date. With its stock price falling below $1, it now even risks being delisted. “We have to be aware we’re operating in a very different economic environment today than we were even at the time we went public,” FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink reportedly said in a company-wide statement obtained by Business Insider. Originally, when launching as a public company, the goal was to raise “significantly more capital,” he explained. That funding was intended to focus on new opportunities, so FaZe allegedly hired around those possibilities before deals were signed and agreements were made. However, given the sheer decline in stock market value, the team has now “re-examed the breadth of [its] growth strategy in light of [the] current balance sheet. “This re-focus, plus more uncertainty in the overall economy has led us to reducing our employee base.” Currently, an exact number of staff members laid off is unclear. However, both LinkedIn and RocketReach track more than 600 employees at the company, meaning up to 120 employees could have been impacted in the “roughly 20%” cuts reported by Business Insider. Despite this staggering reduction amid the stock market plummet, Trink is still confident moving forward that revenue will continue “growing” for FaZe Clan. “[We] expect to report revenue growth for 2022 will show an increase of over 25% from 2021.” “While changes like this are always difficult, I’m confident that this new structure, accompanied by much greater focus on financial discipline and the holistic strategy we described at the all-hands meeting will put the company in the best position for us to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead.”

FaZe Clan get warning of stock delisting from Nasdaq unless share price recovers FaZe ClanEsports organization FaZe Clan has officially been served a deficiency notice from the Nasdaq stock exchange, as their share price has remained below $1 for more than 30 consecutive business days. The company now has a 180-day period to regain compliance, which requires the share price to recover to over $1 and remain at that price for 10 consecutive trading days. As of March 24, FaZe stock had closed below the $1 minimum for 32 trading days, which exclude weekends and national holidays. In March 23, FaZe received a letter from Nasdaq informing them that their common stock “failed to comply with the $1 minimum bid price required for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market,” for 30 consecutive business days. “In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has been provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until September 19, 2023 (the “Compliance Date”), by which the Company has to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement,” a March 24 SEC filing reads. “To regain compliance, the closing bid price of the Common Stock must meet or exceed $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days.” As of close of trading on March 24, FaZe Clan’s stock price sits at $0.67. The all-time peak was in August 2022, at over $20 per share. Will FaZe be delisted from the stock market? If FaZe fails to recover the stock price within the 180-day period, they may qualify for a further 180-day period. If not, they will be subject to delisting, although can appeal to the Nasdaq hearing’s panel. The SEC filing states that FaZe “cannot provide assurance that these efforts [to regain compliance] will be successful.” It was reported on the same day that FaZe Clan is currently exploring options to take the company back private, less than a year after they began trading on the public market. FaZe, like many companies in the esports and gaming industry, has laid off staff and said the move was necessary for their aim of “financial discipline.” Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, founder of esports organization 100 Thieves, claimed that FaZe Clan’s performance on the stock market would have a negative impact on other organizations too. FaZe has also been facing an internal battle, as a handful of original members have spoken out against the organization’s treatment of them, allegations they’ve since responded to, “We know that for too long we haven’t been the FaZe we need to be, but we’re working hard towards fixing that.”

FaZe Clan embrace cryptocurrency and NFTs with MoonPay partnership Twitter: FaZe Clan/MoonPayNorth American esports organization and entertainment brand FaZe Clan have officially embraced the world of cryptocurrency and NFTs through a deal with MoonPay that will span multiple years. As companies like Facebook prepare themselves for the much-touted ‘metaverse’, FaZe Clan have named crypto payments provider MoonPay their official crypto and NFT partner under a multi-year deal. Kicking off in 2022, FaZe Clan and MoonPay’s alliance will include multiple content series and see the payment provider integrated into the org’s existing productions. FaZe are planning their own initiatives surrounding NFTs — technology designed to assign ownership to digital goods — and will lean on their new crypto partner to execute the plans. Art Basel, the FaZe way Shout out to @moonpay for helping us put on an unforgettable night in Miami pic.twitter.com/f0RMkXZdom — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) December 6, 2021 Named ‘FaZe Forever’, the org’s business surrounding crypto and digital goods has the aim of allowing their fans to “interact with the metaverse” and counts “Curating & Collecting”, “Creating & Collaborating”, and “Spotlighting & Elevating” as their core pillars. While exact terms of the deal have not been disclosed at the time of publication, a press release describes the agreement as “MoonPay’s biggest partnership to date.” FaZe recently entered the sports betting industry through a DraftKings partnership and announced their intention to be listed on the Nasdaq, a move that could see them valued as the first $1 billion organization in esports. “We’re focused on building a culture and community-led digital goods and NFT business that excites our fans and expresses the FaZe brand in new and innovative ways,” said FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink. “As a leading voice in youth culture, it’s vital that we also deliver on our responsibility to protect our community as the world starts to embrace Web3.” “Our partnership with MoonPay addresses both of these objectives by creating a strong foundation and secure pathway for our journey into the metaverse.”

FaZe Clan announces Burger King partnership to launch new burger Burger King/FaZe ClanWorld leading esports organization FaZe Clan have joined up with fast food giants Burger King, as they come together to launch a new burger. FaZe Clan are veterans of the esports scene, and high profile collaborations with other world leading brands are nothing new. In March of this year FaZe – alongside rival organization OpTic Gaming – announced sponsorship from Japanese car manufacturers Nissan. The Los Angeles based organization confirmed they will be partnering with Burger King in a move that was announced via Twitter on August 7. The collaboration was also confirmed to feature a number of FaZe Clan stars, including Temperrr, Cizzorz, Dubs and Jarvis. However, the tweet is not the end of the announcement, with more being revealed about the collaboration on a later livestream. Read More: Censor explains why he’s “hurt” by FaZe Clan – The FaZe Clan stars will be streaming “with the King himself” from 1pm PT (4pm ET, 9pm BST, 6am AEST). This is to “help launch their Impossible Whopper”, a brand new burger coming to Burger King’s menu. We partnered up with @BurgerKing to help launch their Impossible Whopper :hamburger: Watch @Temperrr, @cizzorz, @liljarviss, & @Dubsfn stream with the King this Thursday at 1pm. Surprise coming for you guys too! pic.twitter.com/Wt8cwwFXz5 — FaZe Clan :love_you_gesture: (@FaZeClan) August 8, 2019 It is not the first time Burger King have dipped into esports, previously partnering with Jack ‘CouRage‘ Dunlop and Seth ‘Scump‘ Abner to promote Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode. 11/15 @ noon PST // 3pm EST we’ll bring the snacks via @DoorDash pic.twitter.com/ReptR8ijUd— Burger King (@BurgerKing) November 15, 2018 The “Whopper” has long been a staple item of Burger King’s menu, consisting of a “¼ lb* of savory flame-grilled beef topped with juicy tomatoes, fresh cut lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a soft sesame seed bun.” The Impossible Whopper has previously been confirmed as a vegetarian alternative of the original Whopper, but controversy has arisen after it was found to be prepared in the same broiler as the beef and chicken patties. The Impossible Whopper has not been referred to as ‘vegetarian’ by Burger King, instead simply being described as “0% beef”.

FaZe Clan announces newest addition to CS2 roster João Ferreira/DexertoFaZe Clan has announced its newest CS2 member after the departure of Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken. FaZe Clan is coming off an impressive 2023 season in which the team won four S-tier tournaments and a top-eight placement at the Paris Major. The team ended the season with three back-to-back trophies at IEM Sydney, the Thunderpick World Championships, and the CS Asia Championships. FaZe also placed second in the Blast Premier Fall Final, losing to Team Vitality in the Grand Final The organization parted ways with Twistzz on December 1 as the Canadian has been linked to a move back to Team Liquid. Now, FaZe have announced his replacement. FaZe Clan announces new player to its CS2 roster FaZe revealed that David ‘frozen’ Čerňanský, who was a member of MOUZ, has joined the CS2 squad. The Slovak player is 21 years old and has been a part of MOUZ, previously mousesports, since 2019. One of his biggest achievements so far as a player has been winning Flashpoint Season three in 2021 and earning the MVP title of that league. frozen’s recent accomplishments include a second-place finish at the CS Asia Championship and winning ESL Pro League Season 18. He was also named the 17th-best player of 2022 by HLTV. With the addition of frozen, FaZe Clan is now an all-European lineup. The team has gone through a slight shuffle in terms of staff behind the scenes, with Filip ‘NEO’ Kubski joining on as an interim head coach before earning full-time status in November. Unlike other squads that are revamping their rosters thanks to the changes brought on by the transition from CS:GO to CS2, FaZe seems content to only make one roster move so far. FaZe Clan’s roster is now as follows: frozen – Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard – Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants – Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen – Robin ‘ropz’ Kool – NEO (coach) –

FaZe Banks outlines new plans as CEO of FaZe Clan Instagram: BanksFaZe Clan’s Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson has revealed his plans for the organization as newly appointed CEO. It’s fair to say it’s been a turbulent year for FaZe Clan, with internal disputes between founding members, mass layoffs coming into the public eye, and the continuous decline of the company’s stock price — potentially facing a delisting from the Nasdaq stock exchange — a lot has gone on under the hood in 2023 for the longstanding esports and gaming entertainment brand. On October 20, FaZe Clan was put back in the hands of its founding members Temperrr, Banks, and Apex as GameSquare, the owner of Complexity Gaming and Code Red Esports, announced they had entered into a “definitive agreement” to acquire the organization. Now with the ones that started it ready to be back at the helm of it all, with Banks taking charge as CEO, Temperrr being named as President, and Apex becoming COO, the future of FaZe looks to be promising. Banks reveals plans for FaZe as new CEO In a recent Adin Ross live stream, Banks opened up about his plans for the organization once he’s in control. “90 days and then this sh*t is f**king mine,” said the FaZe Clan star, before going on to reveal what his plans are once he holds the reigns. According to Banks, the first thing he plans to do is “chop” and clear out FaZe Clan. “The first thing I’m doing is chopping everyone’s f**king heads off,” he said. “They’re all gone. See you later.” He added: “Enough is enough. You guys are all going to see, you’re all going to see.” The merger deal between the two companies is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, where FaZe will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary and independent division of GameSquare.

Farming Simulator League exists and it actually looks pretty epic Giants SoftwareWhile Farming Simulator might be the last game you’d expect to be given its own League, it’s actually more interesting and fleshed out than you might think. Move over, Overwatch – there’s a new esport in town. The farming simulation game series first started in 2008, and it allows players to live their rural dreams by breeding livestock, tending to crops, and more. Although it sounds like a relaxing way to calm down after a hectic day, it’s actually been turned into a competitive esport – Animal Crossing League next, maybe? Farming Simulator League The event has been going on since July 2019 and consists of 10 events spread across Europe, concluding in Summer 2020 at FarmCon, according to The Verge. On January 25, esports photographer Stephanie Lindgren shared a post to Twitter where she voiced her surprise at a competitive farming sim event existing at DreamHack Leipzig. “Farming Simulator League is a thing and I feel truly blessed to have witnessed this in person,” she tweeted, alongside a photoset of the event where a massive crowd could be seen watching the matches, as well as a giant tractor. Farming Simulator League is a thing and I feel truly blessed to have witnessed this in person. pic.twitter.com/6ccOhEbxKC — Steph 📸 (@Vexanie) January 25, 2020 In another post, the Esports Awards 2019 Photographer of the Year winner shared some more pictures, this time of players competing against each other at the event, and they looked just as intense as pros do at other Leagues. “Some more stuff from #DHDE20 because it is legit af. Hope I have time to swing by for the finals tomorrow,” it read. Some more @FSLeSports stuff from #DHDE20 because it is legit af. Hope I have time to swing by for the finals tomorrow. Yes those are little cows on the table. pic.twitter.com/a3F9AVYX3s — Steph 📸 (@Vexanie) January 25, 2020 Even infamous FGC commentator and WinnerStaysOn owner Logan Sama got involved with a tweet joining in on the fun. “This is what peak esports looks like. You may not agree but it is,” he said. “Keep your V Triggers and your Leroys…. What pesticides are you going to be using on that maize crop to meet government quotas for subsidies? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE MATCH UP!” This is what peak esports looks like. You may not agree but it is. Keep your V Triggers and your Leroys…. what pesticides are you going to be using on that maize crop to meet government quotas for subsidies? YOU DONT EVEN KNOW THE MATCH UP! https://t.co/kWNR9HQjKU — WSO Logan (@WSOLogan) January 25, 2020 The developer, Giants Software, has pulled together a €250,000 ($275,000) prize pool for the entire League, with each event having a share of the cash up for grabs for the winner. DreamHack Leipzig has a €12,000 ($13,200) reward for the victorious team, which might seem like a lot for Farming Simulator, but it just goes to show how seriously it’s taken.

FaZe announces multi-year partnership with Porsche FaZe ClanFaZe Clan have announced that they have entered into a multi-year partnership with luxury sports car manufacturer Porsche. The partnership will kick off with a content series highlighting the “unique stories of success” of a number of FaZe Clan members, who will also “engage in new experiences through the world of Porsche”, according to a press release. As part of the agreement, Porsche will sponsor all of FaZe Clan’s esports teams, and the two parties will collaborate on the release of “digital goods and new offerings in the Web3 space.” More information about these plans will be announced in the near future. “FaZe’s leadership at the intersection of gaming and youth culture, combined with our deep understanding of today’s creators, presents an ideal opportunity for Porsche to reach the next generation and connect with our worldwide fan network,” FaZe CEO Lee Trink said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with a modern luxury brand like Porsche, who, like FaZe Clan, pushes boundaries to expand its audience, while also consistently placing the importance of community and innovation first.” The announcement of the partnership comes at a time when another German car manufacturer, BMW, “has decided to end its esports engagement.” a representative for the company recently told Digiday. According to the article, BMW partnered with 11 esports organizations between 2020 and 2023, including G2 Esports, Cloud9, and OG. Another representative told Digiday that BMW is not leaving gaming altogether as it will focus on other areas of the space, “including in-home casual gaming and the metaverse.” The partnership with Porsche will be seen as a much-needed financial boon for FaZe Clan after a difficult few months for the North American organization. In December, Forbes painted a dark picture of FaZe’s finances after the company went public in July 2022 at around $13 a share. Earlier on January 19, FaZe Clan was trading at $1.10 a share, an all-time low. In its quarterly regulatory filing, FaZe said that the company’s financial woes had raised “substantial doubt about our ability to continue.” At the end of September, FaZe reported having $43.9 million in cash on hand, which would be enough to fund its operations“ for a period of at least twelve months through November 2023.”

FaZe Clan and Manchester City reveal surprise partnership FaZe Clan / Man CityNorth American esports organization FaZe Clan have linked up with Premier League champions Manchester City for a content creation partnership. This newly revealed alliance will see both parties create videos and exclusive content for fans to enjoy, but there will also be a coming together of both brands in merchandising as well. Manchester City players will be wearing jackets featuring the FaZe Clan logo in the future, starting with their Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The innovative collaboration was announced by the football club on September 25 via their official website, making FaZe Clan just their latest partner in the gaming world. The club have previously secured deals with Turtle Beach as their official esports headset sponsor, back in August 2018, and will be hoping this new partnership will present even more opportunities for fans to engage with the blue half of Manchester. Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing Officer at City Football Group, 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. “We recognize that fans want to celebrate their love for football across many aspects of their lives, including fashion, music and gaming, to create a culture that goes beyond what happens on the pitch.” This isn’t the first time that these two have linked up, as FaZe and Manchester City have previously come together to produce content during their 2017 tour in the United States. “This alliance with Manchester City creates a powerful opportunity to join our collective fan base and cultures on and off the field,” Lee Trink, FaZe Clan’s CEO said. “FaZe Clan will continue to push the boundaries of gaming and esports by engaging our fans with experiences that are meaningful, memorable and surprising.” The deal will see a greater intertwining of expertise in gaming between both the club and the esports org, with a shared training facility being created by both FaZe Tass and Manchester City FIFA player Shellzz. Aside from that, fans have also been told to expect further limited-edition co-branded products and content featuring pro players from both FaZe and Man City. This will include fan meet-up sessions in Los Angeles in the future, meaning that there’s a lot to look forward to.

Faker to design gaming products through T1’s new partnership with Razer T1Famed League of Legends player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is getting his own line of gaming peripherals through a deal between his organization T1 and hardware company Razer. While it’s common for major sports stars to launch their own products — think of Michael Jordan’s gigantic Air Jordan brand with Nike — that’s seen much less in esports. One professional player in esports that can be compared to Michael Jordan in terms of his relative stature and popularity is Faker, and now he’s designing and developing his own mice and phone cases. He’s front and center of a new partnership between Razer and T1 Entertainment & Sports, the esports organization he competes for and owns a minor stake in. Another facet of the new deal will see Faker and T1’s academy students equipped with Razer products, including laptops, headsets, mice, and keyboards. Razer will be kicking off the collaboration with T1 and Faker by giving away products from their co-branded collection in “exciting future offline and online events.” The LEGEND returns! Welcome back @faker! #TeamRazerhttps://t.co/qzMq1H2ncP pic.twitter.com/crAfro4pUj — Team RΛZΞR (@TeamRazer) August 26, 2021 “It is great to work with Razer again who has maintained its high standards for gaming hardware,” Faker said of the partnership. “I look forward to collaborating with their team; developing my first-ever gaming mouse and designing gaming peripherals. And it feels great to know that it was something that I had a hand in creating and bringing to life.”

F1 esports driver becomes first to switch game for real-life racing in Formula 2 Formula 1Turkish driver Cem Bölükbaşı is the first Formula 1 Esports driver to graduate from virtual racing to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, having signed with Charouz Racing System. Bölükbaşı placed fifth under Toro Rosso in the 2017 Formula 1 Esports Series and joined G2 Esports in late 2017 as a professional sim racer, competing in several virtual races throughout the 2018 season. He failed to improve upon his performance in the competitive gaming tournament’s 2018 season, placing 12th after only taking part in four out of the 10 races. 2019 was even worse for the racer, claiming 21st place. Fast-forward to 2022 however, and after a solid stint in the F3 Asian Championship the year prior, Bölükbaşı is now officially the first F1 Esports driver to graduate to the Formula 2 — the second-tier championship organized by the FIA. Cem becomes the first driver to graduate from F1 Esports to @Formula2 👏#F1Esports #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/o33XYwyi2g — Formula 1 (@F1) January 12, 2022 The Turkish racer has predominantly spent his time in sports cars in recent years, opting to make it in ‘real’ racing instead of virtual competitions. Read More: Lando Norris’ org Quadrant enter esports – The 2022 season of Formula 2 features 14 races, some of which in major cities such as Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, and Monte Carlo. Bölükbaşı will represent Charouz Racing System, a racing team from the Czech Republic, in the circuit. “I haven’t really had time to let it sink in,” said Bölükbaşı. “I think the realization is kicking in more and more every hour. It was a big dream that has actually happened, so it’s quite difficult to put into words, but it’s very exciting and I’m very happy. “If I was never in F1 Esports, I would never have had the chance to get into a real car – I would not be where I am now. I think it’s also very important to be the first gamer to do this, because it can give people hope. If people see that one person can do it, they will believe they can do it as well… If I can go from F1 Esports to FIA Formula 2, I think anyone can.”

Exclusive: New Virtus.pro CEO talks ESforce deal and tournament bans Virtus.proIn his first interview since taking over Virtus.pro, CEO Aram Karamanukyan shed some light on his background and confirmed that Valve green-lit the Dota 2 team’s attendance at TI 2022 under the organization’s banner. Very little is known about Aram Karamanukyan, though a quick Google search shows that he shares the name with a scholar and military man who became a Lieutenant General in the Syrian Army after he and his family were forced out of Armenia during the Armenian genocide over a hundred years ago. That curious fact has only added to the mystery surrounding Mr. Karamanukyan, who was on September 16 unveiled as the new CEO of Virtus.pro and an investor in the company. Esports is still a close-knit industry where everyone seems to know, or at least to have heard of, everyone else; so the sudden appearance of this rather mysterious figure with “experience in the construction business and hospitality industry” as the new face of the company has been met with skepticism in many quarters. The announcement came during a very challenging period for Virtus.pro, whose CS:GO and Dota 2 teams have had to play under a neutral name, Outsiders, since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because of the organization’s alleged ties to the Kremlin. Mr. Karamanukyan insists in an email interview with Dexerto that the claims this is all part of a ruse intended to deflect sanctions couldn’t be further from the truth. The transfer of the company to its new owners “was made on market terms”, he says, and the documents to prove it have been shared with game publishers and tournament organizers. As Dexerto reported on September 21, Valve has determined that Outsiders’ Dota 2 team will be allowed to compete as Virtus.pro at TI 2022, and Mr. Karamanukyan expects other tournament organizers to follow suit. The interview below has been edited. Ever since you were announced as the new CEO and an investor, there have been many questions about you and your background. Could you tell me a bit about yourself and how you got in touch with Virtus.pro? Aram Karamanukyan is a man, Armenian, a businessman, an investor, a father of a 10-year-old girl… This will be the shortest and most accurate description. In more detail, I have been involved in construction and finance all my life, and now, as a CEO of Virtus.pro, I am responsible for the strategic development of one of the most decorated esports clubs in the world. You probably realized by now that before buying Virtus.pro, I had nothing to do with esports. If you don’t count playing Call of Duty occasionally. But there are two things I should mention here. Firstly, I have always been interested in doing something that was in the early stages of development in the country. At first, the construction boom in Armenia attracted me, then I had my own company that developed the first mobile banking solutions in Yerevan. And esports for me has become another endeavor in a new, promising area for Armenia. Secondly, a close childhood friend of mine suggested that I invest in an esports club that was in a difficult situation. He suggested it because he has been working in this industry for a long time and knows it well. I became interested and studied the matter: I watched the matches, analytics, what kind of audience the tournaments gather and how much the largest American clubs cost … In particular, I consulted with consultants from the Big Three. And I realized that I was interested in investing and trying myself in this area, in this part of the entertainment industry. Right off the bat, we decided to split the responsibilities, with me being responsible for strategic development, global communications, relations with publishers, and my partner, as he understands esports, taking care of the sports part – possible transfers, communication with players, selection of tournaments – and so on. I think it will be an effective management model. According to Virtus.pro, you now own the company’s trademark. Could you clarify what exactly that means? Have Virtus.pro’s esports assets (the players and staff) been transferred from ESforce [Virtus.pro’s former parent company]? There was a bit of miscommunication. The media asked us under what name we would play: Virtus.pro or Outsiders. And we wrote that we only have the rights to the Virtus.pro brand, meaning that Outsiders is a name invented by the players, and this tag, of course, was not a part of the deal. Therefore, we can and will only compete as Virtus.pro. And someone understood this as the fact that we have only a trademark – and nothing more. This is not true, of course. All the assets of Virtus.pro belong to us, including the contracts with players. Many believe that your appointment as CEO is merely a smokescreen to bypass the sanctions placed on organizations with alleged ties to the Russian government, with some suggesting that you are friends with ESforce CEO Nikolai Petrosyan, who has Armenian origins. What do you have to say about this? You know, such guesses… This is one of the stereotypes about the southern nations – Italians, Greeks, Armenians – that they are all relatives or know each other through one handshake. Before we started discussing the deal, I did not know Nikolai at all. As soon as I appeared on Twitter, the staff of the Ukrainian broadcasting studio Maincast literally started harassing both me and Virtus.pro. As a result, their audience began to write to me personally and publicly, wishing for my death, for neighboring countries to destroy my own… How is this normal, how does it correlate with any kind of ethics – business or human? Not the best start for cooperation. I would like to answer the questions about the transaction, once and for all: it was made on market terms. We have provided all the necessary documents to the largest publishers and tournament operators – that’s a fact, not a rumor. I am not going to succumb to any provocations and will demand respect for my club. Why hasn’t there been an announcement from the VK group [the Russian technology giant that acquired ESforce in 2018 and is a publicly traded company] about this matter? We have signed a rather complex NDA that affects many media aspects. Therefore, I cannot comment on the actions of our partners. Earlier this week, your Dota 2 team appeared as Virtus.pro on Dota 2’s official website and not as Outsiders anymore. But there are questions about whether Valve was aware of this as the name change was most likely done by the team in-game in their profile. Have you had talks with Valve about this matter? The renaming was the result of our negotiations with Valve and PGL, which approved our attendance under the Virtus.pro tag. Dexerto reported that ESL and BLAST are currently reviewing the new ownership before making a decision on whether Virtus.pro will be allowed in their tournaments. Are you confident in a positive outcome? I am encouraged by the positive decision from Valve. And I would be very surprised if the decision of the tournament operators contradicted it. However, in today’s complex world, anything is possible. Let me point out that we ourselves proactively contacted ESL to discuss the matter of performing under the name Virtus.pro. We have provided all supporting documents and are now awaiting a decision. But we have not contacted BLAST, so we don’t really understand what is being considered there. In a comment, Virtus.pro said that the organization’s teams “can and will compete exclusively under the Virtus.pro tag”. If tournament organizers decide that Virtus.pro should remain banned, will you consider boycotting these events? I don’t think it can be a unilateral decision. If this happens, we will continue to seek the right to play under our own name, because the tournament operators and publishers have no reason to ban us. Your CS:GO player YEKINDAR has been playing for Team Liquid in recent months but his situation remains unclear. What sort of agreement does Virtus.pro have with Team Liquid for the Latvian player? When can we expect a transfer to be finalized? At the moment, Virtus.pro and YEKINDAR are at the stage of finalizing the terms of parting. I can’t say more yet. Please be patient.

F1 23’s first pro league racing season halted due to game-breaking tire wear glitch CodemastersF1 23’s competitive racing scene has hit a screeching halt as a major glitch seems to have given some drivers an unfair advantage. Premier Sim Gaming Leagues (PGSL), the arena where the top F1 Esports drivers go head-to-head, is now grappling with a game-breaking F1 23 glitch. Ferrari Esports driver Bari Broumand was the first to raise the red flag. He noticed that, after racing in a different car using equal performance settings, the tires held up significantly better than in his usual Ferrari, despite using the same setup. In response to the game-breaking issue, PSGL has slammed the brakes on their season after running the first two races. The tire wear glitch raises questions about the competitive integrity of the entire F1 Esports scene, leaving drivers and fans wondering if this bug originated in the F1 22 game. Codemasters, the game’s creators, and EA Sports are now gearing up to tackle the issue. As per a recent update on the official game forums, the glitch is now listed in the “investigating” section. The F1 esports scene relies heavily on the fairness that the “equal performance” setting is supposed to provide. With this setting activated, all cars, whether a Red Bull or a Ferrari, should have identical performance. However, the unearthing of the tire wear glitch reveals that Ferrari drivers, among others, have been up against unfair odds, given that their tires have been degrading faster than those of almost every other car on the grid. Faster tire degradation leads to less grip, and subsequently less speed, throwing the esports racing scene into disarray. PSGL also revealed that the results of the first two races have been voided, stating, “The PC F1 results from R1 (Bahrain) and R2 (Texas) have been voided due to the tire wear glitch. The results will not contribute to the S34 standings.” PSGL has announced that a final decision will soon be made about whether Round 3 will proceed as planned. While it remains unclear when the season will resume, PSGL has committed to doing everything possible to ensure racing resumes ASAP. As the investigation continues, other F1 23 racing leagues are expected to put their seasons on hold until this glitch is addressed. Although EA Sports and Codemasters have announced that the next expected patch will be released on July 10, it’s still unclear whether this update will resolve the tire wear glitch. Whether this patch will fully repair the damage and restore fairness to the game remains to be seen. For now, all eyes are on EA Sports and Codemasters.

EXCEL Esports and Giants Gaming announce merger, forming GIANTX GIANTXEXCEL Esports and Giants Gaming have announced that the two companies are merging to form GIANTX. British esports organization EXCEL Esports and the Spanish esports company Giants Gaming announced on December 14 that they have merged. The new company will be called GIANTX. According to a press release about the move, the organization will “unify” its esports rosters, management, and resources to expand to a more global audience. The EXCEL Esports LEC team will rebrand to GIANTX, and the Giants VCT EMEA squad will do the same. The company will also extend its esports ventures to the Spanish LVP League of Legends competition and Game Changers. EXCEL Esports and Giants combine to form GIANTX The company’s 60 employees will continue to operate out of regional headquarters in London and Malaga, Spain. EXCEL and Giant’s existing partners will also remain post-merger. According to the press release, GIANTX is looking to enter into new esports titles in the future. The new company will be led by Co-CEOs Tim Reichert, CEO of EXCEL previously, and José Díaz, the CEO of Giants previously. The leadership team will be a mix of executives from both EXCEL and Giants. “Whilst EXCEL and Giants Gaming are leaders in different markets, together we have created a clear and unified vision that will offer new and diverse opportunities for our partners through broadening our global audience, along with optimizing our competitive strategies amongst our rosters. Drawing upon our combined 24 years of rich cultural heritage built in the UK and Spain, GIANTX aspires to emerge as a formidable new force in European esports,” Reichert said about the merger in a press release. JRJ Group, who acquired a majority stake in EXCEL in 2018 with TOMS Capital, will remain the controlling shareholder of the new company. This is the second big merger in the esports community as G2 Esports and Version1 announced their merger on December 5.

EXCEL Esports appoint Tim Reichert as new CEO Schalke 04/EXCELEXCEL Esports have announced that COO Tim Reichert will take over the role of CEO for the company, replacing Wouter Sleijffers, who is moving into an advisory role. The European organization is going through a leadership change as Reichert, an esports industry veteran, takes the reins of the company. Reichert joined EXCEL in 2021 as esports director after a two-year stint with FC Schalke 04 as its head of esports and Chief Gaming Officer. Before that, he co-founded SK Gaming and worked at ESL. EXCEL Esports is also adding Rosenbelle Ganan as its new Director of Operations & Legal Affairs. She will lead the company’s operational responsibilities across London and Germany. Reichert will focus on delivering on the organization’s goals of increased revenue, increased community growth, and competitive success, according to a press release provided by EXCEL. “We are an incredibly ambitious team that constantly looks for new approaches and ways to improve, and improvement can only happen with change… EXCEL is developing into one of the strongest European competitive esports organizations and I am proud to continue paving this path with my colleagues,” Reichert said in a press release. The press release highlights Reichert’s role in launching EXCEL teams in new esports and his talent acquisition for its League of Legends team, who in 2022 qualified for the LEC playoffs for the first time in the organization’s history. EXCEL placed sixth in both the spring and summer playoffs. EXCEL Esports shuffle leadership positions In a Tweet about the announcement, Reichert said that he doesn’t see an easy future for the company with the way the esports industry is trending, but he hopes to “identify the huge opportunities and come out even stronger.” EXCEL currently operates in three different esports, FIFA, League of Legends, and Valorant, and supports a number of content creators.

Ex-Overwatch League caster MonteCristo blasts OWL’s low viewership Robert Paul/Blizzard EntertainmentFormer Overwatch League Caster Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles threw a bit of shade at his former employer on April 12 when he took a shot at the League’s comparatively small audience on YouTube. Monte moved on from the OWL following the 2019 season, and has since joined on with the broadcast talent of Flashpoint Season 1 – the new Counter-Strike organization-owned league headed by Cloud9 and Immortals. The Overwatch League also made the move from broadcasting all of their matches on Twitch to showing them exclusively on YouTube for the 2020 season, which has potentially contributed to a drop in viewership. Unlike on Twitch, viewers who watch OWL matches on YouTube can no longer automatically earn Tokens, in-game currency that’s used to purchase skins, which could be a contributing factor to why they’re seeing less average viewers than they did on Twitch, a fact Monte couldn’t help but point out. “One of the best skills you can hone in your career,” Monte posted, along with images of both leagues viewer numbers. “Is knowing when to just get the f*ck out.” Sure enough, Overwatch League had roughly 28,000 viewers watching, while Flashpoint on Twitch was racking up close to 40,000 at the same time. To be fair though, Monte’s Flashpoint was struggling to break 1,500 viewers on YouTube, but that’s part of the advantage of being broadcast on multiple platforms, as Flashpoint is. Whether or not the Overwatch League’s viewership numbers have actually tanked as drastically over the last year as so many have claimed is up for some debate. Esports insider Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau countered that OWL and CDL as well sold to YouTube for $160 million over 3 years, while Flashpoint has yet to see such a lucrative offer. “While this sounds good,” Monte admitted. “It ignores the franchise fees, production costs, extensive personnel costs, and more.” While this sounds good, it ignores the franchise fees, production costs, extensive personnel costs, and more.@slasher is one of the worst people to listen to about esports business. He has zero experience on the business side of the industry. https://t.co/RBCn3Yybim — MonteCristo (@MonteCristo) April 12, 2020 Whether or not Flashpoint is in a better position than the Overwatch League is, or vice versa, remains to be seen, but Monte certainly seems to be relieved that he got away from his former gig when he did.

Ex-EG employee claims former CEO did “irreparable damage” to esports industry Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesAn ex-Evil Geniuses employee has alleged that the former CEO, Nicole LaPointe Jameson, did “irreparable damage” to the esports industry before her departure. On August 31, Evil Geniuses’ CEO, Nicole LaPointe Jameson, stepped down from her position at the NA org. Her time at the top was filled with controversies, from the Danny allegations to their failed 15-man CSGO roster, and a controversial partnership with Chevron. In addition, her departure also comes days after EG won Valorant Champions, however, even that victory was fraught with controversy over their merch designs and their players’ trash-talking. Mere hours after stepping down, a former EG employee has now alleged LaPointe left EG after having done “irreparable damage” to the industry after taking “advantage” of young professionals. In a tweet reacting to LaPointe’s departure, Retro, a former EG intern, talked about his previous experience with EG and the supposed long work hours he endured with the organization. “Just like every other fan, to start I wanted nothing more but for EG/Nicole to succeed and I was willing to do anything in my power to do so, even just being a little intern at the time,” he said. “I wish I was able to help tell the stories of players such as Jojopyun or Danny flourish into the future of the sport as they rightly deserved, help my fellow interns/peers succeed with their undeniable raw talent and passion for the scene. Yet I was let down and lied to just like many other young professionals in this scene and it needs to change.” He went on to criticize LaPointe’s management of EG, claiming “Nicole did irreparable damage to an entire generation of this beautiful sport and I feel like that’s all too common and I want to change that personally. “Esports just like many other industries, suffers from various taking advantage of young professionals’ passion and hunger to enter the scene and makes sure they take them for all their worth only to be tossed aside.” EG’s management has been a point of criticism for the NA org over the past year, as their massive 15-man CSGO project floundered and split up and their LCS team imploded in the middle of the 2023 season.

Ex-OpTic Gears and Halo teams join forces following Immortals buyout Gears Pro CircuitFollowing their departure from OpTic Gaming, the strongest roster in Gears of War esports has joined TOX Gaming for the upcoming ELEAGUE Summer Series Invitational. On July 9, TOX Gaming announced that they had brought on the former OpTic Gears team for the ELEAGUE Invitational that’s set to be held July 13-14 in Atlanta, Georgia. This news comes exactly a week after the roster was shockingly released by OpTic on July 2, as it had become expendable following the organization being bought out by Immortals Gaming Club. Nich ‘Ashes’ Ridgeway, the team coach, has confirmed to Dexerto that there will be no changes made to the roster that’s joining TOX Gaming from the one that was released by the Green Wall. TOX GAMING GEARS OF WAR ROSTER: Gilbert ‘Xplosive’ Rojo – Billy ‘MentaL’ Putnam Jr. – Alex ‘SuMuNs’ Ascencion – Brian ‘SoLuRs’ Valenzuela – Arody ‘Praized’ Dipre – Ashes also revealed that the new org will be a temporary home for the players, as the squad will look for a more long-term and permanent organizational solution following this weekend’s tournament. That’s right, the greatest Gears team of all time have joined forces with one of Halo’s legendary teams for the weekend! Support us at the @ELEAGUETV Invitational this Saturday and Sunday.#toxgaming #toxfam #gearsofwar #eleague #esports #gaming pic.twitter.com/KDkT96rqWr — TOX GAMING (@TOXGamingGG) July 9, 2019 This announcement has some extra significance to it because TOX Gaming, of course, is also the home of the superstar Halo roster that once also represented the Green Wall. The team was released in 2018 by Infinite Esports & Entertainment, OpTic’s parent company at the time, after deeming that the esport was not worth the time and investment, much to the chagrin of many fans and members within the organization. Read More: CoD pro Temp mocks Luminosity duo Brack and FormaL in heated exchange: “you f***ing shit can” – In fact, the Halo players are the main reason why their Gears counterparts will be representing TOX at the upcoming event, knowing that GoW team was experiencing what they themselves had gone through a year ago. “Couldn’t be happier to have our GoW brothers representing the TOX brand for the weekend!” tweeted Paul ‘SnakeBiteFPS’ Duarte. “Give them all your love and support.” This weekend’s ELEAGUE Summer Series Invitational will be the first competitive action for the ex-OpTic Gears team since they placed first at the 2019 GPC Boston Open back on April 28. Despite their long layoff, the squad will be one of the favorites to win this upcoming tournament, as they’re widely considered to be the strongest and most dominant roster in the esport.

Evo Online canceled after misconduct allegations against event co-founder EVO[jwplayer apa2cPQs]Evo Online has officially been canceled following sexual misconduct allegations leveled at event co-founder Joey ‘MrWizard’ Cuellar, organisers announced on July 2. The company also confirmed Evo’s former president “will no longer be involved with Evo in any capacity.” “Over the past 24 hours, in response to serious allegations recently made public on Twitter, we have made the first of a series of important decisions regarding the future of our company,” the event’s July 2 statement read. “Effective immediately, Joey Cuellar will no longer be involved with Evo in any capacity. We are currently working towards his complete separation from the company, and have relieved him of all his responsibilities.” Finally, the tournament organizers confirmed they would be canceling Evo Online. The TOs confirmed they would issue refunds to all players who purchased a badge, and will be donating the equivalent of the proceeds to Project HOPE. https://twitter.com/EVO/status/1278859734099963904 The event’s shock cancellation comes less than 24 hours after Evo’s now-former CEO Joey Cuellar was placed on administrative leave following sexual misconduct allegations publicly leveled against him earlier this week. On Thursday, Cuellar was accused of inappropriate behavior with multiple boys over the past 20 years, beginning in the 1990s. The allegations mainly related to Cueller’s interactions with underage boys at tournament events. One account alleged he handed out tokens at the local arcade to entice underage boys to jump into a pool in their underwear. The news was followed by a number of high-profile game devs, including Capcom, Bandai Namco, and NetherRealm, announcing their intentions to withdraw from the event to “stand in solidarity with those who have spoken out against abuse.” We stand in solidarity with those who have spoken out against abuse. We will be pulling MK11 from EVO Online. — NetherRealm (@NetherRealm) July 2, 2020 Five-time Evo champion Dominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean was also among the registered stars who declared they would no longer play in the online-only tournament following the news surrounding Cuellar. They told ESPN they “could not, in good conscience, participate in an event with the allegations of one of the primary hosts of said event… it doesn’t sit right with me.” Cuellar responded to the allegations with a short statement on Twitter on July 2. He said he was “young and reckless,” and had done “things [he was] not proud of.” He added he “never meant to hurt anyone.” “I’m sorry… I have been growing and maturing over the past 20 years, but that doesn’t excuse anything. All I have been trying to do is become a better person. Once again, I’m truly sorry,” he wrote in his public statement on Thursday. https://twitter.com/MrWiz/status/1278846403716866048 Evo has confirmed Tony Cannon would step in as acting CEO in the interim following Joey Cuellar being removed from the company’s leadership structure. They also stated Cannon would prioritize “greater accountability across Evo, both internally and at our events” as part of his new leadership role.

Ex-Arsenal football star Bendtner launches esports company UnisportFormer Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, also known as ‘Lord Bendtner’, has launched his own esports company, called Prosapia Esport ApS, to help develop young talent. Danish media outlet Finans reports that Bendtner’s personal holding company has recently founded a company called Prosapia Esport ApS, where the former Arsenal striker is registered as CEO. According to the company’s register, it aims to “develop young people for sports events in esport with a view to developing talent in the esports environment.” This is not the first time that Bendtner has been associated with esports and gaming. In his reality show ‘Bendtner & Philine’, which aired on Discovery+, the Dane spoke with reverence about esports’ potential as a form of competition and business opportunity. “I have no doubt that, within 10-20 years, esports will be one of the biggest sports in the world, if not the biggest,” Bendtner is quoted by Dust2.dk as saying. “It would be stupid of me not to go in and invest in it in a relatively early process where you can still be involved without having to spend really, really big money.” In 2018, Bendtner posted an Instagram story of him watching an IEM Katowice CS:GO match between FaZe Clan and Fnatic. “CS on DR3,” he wrote, referencing the Danish TV channel that was broadcasting the series. Bendtner began his professional career at the age of 16 at Arsenal, scoring 34 goals in 108 Premier League games for the club. After leaving the ‘Gunners’ in 2014, he played for Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Rosenborg and Copenhagen before retiring from football in 2019. While representing the Denmark national team, he scored 30 goals in 81 appearances.

EVO founders awarded key to the City of Las Vegas as EVO Day is born Twitch: EVOThe founders of EVO, the Cannon Brothers, were awarded with the key to the City of Las Vegas. That’s not all; EVO Day is now an official holiday as recognized by the Governor of Nevada. EVO 2023 is the biggest the famous fighting game tournament has ever been. This year’s event saw lines running out the door, and broke records with the most registered players ever, garnering a jaw-dropping total of 9,182 unique competitors. Out of every single event in the competitive season, EVO is the place to be. Every summer, fighting game players from around the world gather together in Las Vegas, Nevada, to celebrate their love for fighting games and gather together in the spirit of competition and community. This year, EVO’s founders – Tony and Tom Cannon – appeared on stage to accept some major accolades from Nevada’s governor and even saw EVO get its own official holiday: EVO Day. EVO given its own official holiday in Nevada On Finals Day, August 6, Tom and Tony Cannon were awarded the key to the City of Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the key’s presenter, “Evo is the most important sport we have” in Las Vegas. That’s not all; a proclamation was even read out on stage from the Governor of Nevada, which officially named August 6 as EVO Day in Nevada. After “exceeding 20,000 participants for this year, EVO 2023 has set the record for largest EVO, and EVO 2023 will be possibly the world record for most participants for a single esport competition,” the decree read. The Cannon brothers made sure to thank EVO attendees for their love and support; but that wasn’t the end of the excitement. EVO gets a third event in all-new location Other big EVO announcements were made. EVO Japan is coming to Tokyo in April, and next year’s EVO will happen in Las Vegas from July 26-28, a big shift from its usual August run. That’s not all; yet another EVO event will make its debut in a totally different location, which we have yet to hear any more details about at the time of writing. It’s been a huge year for fighting games, and there’s still many more months to go. Happy EVO, fighting game fans!

EVO GM explains how fighting game event found success in its biggest challenge EVO / Carlton BeenerWe got the chance to ask EVO’s General Manager, Rick Thiher, about his thoughts on the fighting game event becoming the largest esports tournament in the world and his biggest challenge moving the gathering to a new venue after years of making its home in the Mandalay Bay. EVO is the proverbial Mecca of fighting game culture. Thousands of players from across the globe flock to Las Vegas, Nevada every summer for a weekend of community and competition, making memories that will last a lifetime. In 2023, the event reached record-breaking attendance numbers with over 9,000 registered players. In 2024, they smashed that record, boasting over 10,000 registered players on top of additional spectators. It’s a good thing that EVO was moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center this year — but despite their best efforts, hundreds of players still couldn’t make it into the arena to watch the action on Sunday Finals, waiting in a long line outside the doors hoping for a chance to get in. In fact, EVO has officially become the biggest open-bracket esports event in the world as of 2024… something that astounded its General Manager, Rick Thiher. “It’s kind of dumbfounding, to be honest,” he told us. “It’s interesting getting into a position where really, the only open-bracket competitions in the world at this point that scale up beyond where we’re at are poker, and there are cities dedicated to the infrastructure around poker. “We’re in Las Vegas, and being without that infrastructure and still hitting that scale is almost a validation of the fandom. It’s a celebration of how far that fandom has come, how much more of it is present, and that they haven’t lost the spirit of competition that this show was originally rooted in.” With a new venue comes new challenges. Adjusting the event to fit inside a larger area without any columns separating individual booths, tournament spaces, and more was the biggest difficulty for Rick and the team when it came to envisioning EVO in the Convention Center. “One of the biggest challenges, ironically, was the absence of columns,” he explained. “The Mandalay Bay had a lot of columns in the space that we used. This has significantly fewer. We’d learned to compartmentalize parts of the show around the column spread, because you can only put a booth here. You can only put an exhibit here. You can only put the tournament here. “With the floor plan being more open, all of a sudden, it’s okay. We have removed that limitation, but we don’t know what that does to the vibe on the show floor. We don’t know whether when you’re walking in now, the compartmentalization of the artist alley versus the exhibitors area versus the publisher’s area versus the tournament area. “Are those going to feel appropriately sized? Too small, too big? You can see farther without any interruption. Does your brain go, ‘I want to go do that later. It’s too far to walk right now.’ Luckily, Rick believes that EVO will once again make its home in the Las Vegas Convention Center, allowing the team to improve upon this year’s experience with what they’ve learned. “The nice part is, I’m pretty confident we’re gonna get to do this again here. So, we’ll be able to iterate that, refine that, make sure that those sensations walking around the show floor aren’t negatively impactful. That’s been one of the most challenging pieces, just figuring out how and where everything’s supposed to go.” One major difference between the Mandalay Bay and the Convention Center is the absence of the Michelob ULTRA Arena. There was something special about witnessing fighting game history go down in that grandiose space that added a certain kind of magic to EVO, and players were worried that without this particular element, it just wouldn’t feel the same. We asked Thiher how he managed to recreate the feeling of the ULTRA Arena in the Convention Center, which was packed to the gills come Sunday night for Street Fighter 6’s Top 6. For Rick, finding a way to set up stadium seating to meet capacity and finding the right visual flourishes from the Michelob Arena were paramount to this year’s EVO Finals experience. “I don’t want to say it was more challenging than expected, but trying to maintain the visuals was more labor-intensive than we anticipated,” he admitted. “When you go to an arena, there’s usually an LED ribbon around the arena that has a display that’s usually partnerships and advertisements, but the value on camera is its color. It forces a sense of distance. You lose that in a convention center immediately. Figuring out whether or not we could come up with enough LED panels to replicate that look, whether we could rig it in the space and angle it in a way that still gets the same impact. “It was time-consuming. Fun, but time-consuming. And particularly great to be able to see it on camera, because the ribbon is doing what it’s supposed to do. It helps this feel a lot closer to what Michelob Ultra was.” At the end of the night, Thiher hopped onto the main stage to announce what’s next for EVO. As promised at last year’s event, it’s expanding from its status as two of the world’s biggest fighting game tournaments into a global brand, featuring iterations in France, Los Angeles, and even Singapore, with more on the horizon. With these new events, Rick hopes to expand upon what EVO started out as; a gathering of passionate fighting game players coming together in a single space to share what they love. “EVO has come to be what it is today in part because 24 years ago, World Warriors started to exist,” he said. “You had players coming from everywhere to have rally points, ‘this is where we’re going to get together to celebrate exactly one thing’. “EVO became an event in that regard. I’d like EVO to be a World Warrior II. I’d like us to commit to being part of how this all developed, where this developed from. It’s why being in Japan in general and engaging with the literal birthplace of the genre makes a ton of sense. “That’s not the only place in the world that has cultivated very, very large communities. And it’s not the only place in the world where those communities have generated their own chunk of the larger culture that the genre is part of.” There’s nothing quite like the fighting game community, and there’s no better example of this fiery passion, this pure, unadulterated love for a thing, than EVO. In Rick’s capable hands, fighting games are getting the shine they deserve — and he’s far from finished in his quest to bring the genre to the rest of the world.

EVO 2024 welcomes top streamers after co-owner Pokimane leads the way YouTube: Pokimane TooEVO 2024 is welcoming major streamers to the world’s biggest fighting game tournament after Pokimane and Esfand showed up to the event last year. The Evolution Championship Series is the world’s largest fighting game tournament, sending thousands of fighting game fans flocking to Las Vegas every summer since 1996. In 2023, the tournament reported a record-breaking number of registered players, racking up over 9,000 competitors in a record-breaking turnout for the already massive event. That’s not all; last year’s EVO also saw the appearances of a few major streamers, including Esfand and Pokimane, the latter of whom is actually a co-owner of EVO due to her position as CEO at RTS, which purchased EVO in March 2021 and runs the tournament with Sony. After her cameo at last year’s event, EVO is hoping more large streamers will attend this year’s tournament as it spreads its wings with a new home at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Streamers welcome at EVO 2024 as fighting game fever takes over We got the chance to speak with EVO’s General Manager, Rick Thiher, who says having streamers like Esfand and Pokimane put a spotlight on the event offers a “valuable” megaphone to advertise the fighting game community to the world. “I think EVO over the last couple of years has gotten really focused on, ‘How do we create and renew fighting game fandom? How do we take the community that birthed the event and really appreciate that it’s grown into a literal culture?’ Having someone like Poki or Esfand show up is cool because of the megaphone that they can use to say that these games, these people, this community, this room that I’m in is worth your time, worth your interest,” he told us. “I think that’s valuable. And because we’ve achieved that without having to build the show around their attendance, they’re coming of their own accord. Esfand was sitting in the arena last year, doing his livestream, just excited about fighting games.” “And when that’s not a paid activation, when you’ve created an experience where that enthusiasm is natural? That’s an incredible thing. To be able to say, we came together not as an achievement, or not as a big plus up, but as a validation that fighting games are worth time. Fighting games are worth passion. Fighting games are of value. So, that’s how I look at that. That’s why I’m really excited they came last year.” Fighting game viewership has grown massively on live streaming platforms as of late, with Tekken 8’s release seeing a huge boom in audiences for both endemic fighting game creators and mainstream broadcasters alike. For example, Maximilian Dood racked up nearly 450K total viewers on Twitch over the weekend of Tekken 8’s launch, with Aris (Avoiding the Puddle) also garnering 140K viewers. Not only are fighting games growing in popularity on Twitch, but the people who have built their careers around the FGC are heading right to the top alongside the genre. For Thiher, big creators attending fighting game tournaments like EVO is another welcome addition to the culture as fighting game fever rises ever higher. “That’s why I’m really hoping that they’re gonna come again this year,” he said. “We’re gonna see what happens.” EVO 2024 is set to take place from July 19-21 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and will feature a total of eight fighting games.

EVO 2024 makes history as world’s biggest esports event ever EVO / Robert PaulThe 2024 Evolution Championship Series has become the single largest esports event in history, boasting a record number of participating players for the famous fighting game event. EVO is the world’s largest fighting game tournament, drawing thousands of players from all across the world to Las Vegas, Nevada, to test their might in a weekend of community and competition. Hailed as the Mecca of fighting games, EVO has only grown bigger and better year over year… and now, after growing out of the Mandalay into the Las Vegas Convention Center, it has made history in a major way. As told in a press release on June 26, 2024, this year’s EVO has become the largest open-bracket esports event ever with 10,224 registered players hailing from 63 countries around the globe. That’s not all; EVO 2024 also features the largest tournament brackets ever for titles like TEKKEN 8, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. “We are seeing more and more of the community exercising their competitive spirit with us in Las Vegas each year,” EVO’s General Manager, Rick Thiher, said of the historic event. “The wonderful thing about fighting games is that while there are generations of players returning year after year, there is always a new generation greeting them at EVO and aspiring to make a name for themselves. What makes EVO special is not just watching who will cement their legacy across these generations, but seeing how these generations of players come together and connect as a community and culture.” This isn’t first time EVO has made esports history, by far. Just last year, EVO hit a record number of attendees (one it has now broken), with lines stretching out the door of the Mandalay Bay casino and into the lobby. That year, EVO also scored its very own holiday in Las Vegas known as ‘EVO Day,’ and the event’s founders — the Cannon brothers — were awarded the key to the city to honor their achivements. EVO continues to break barriers and draw members of the fighting game community together each year, and with its first foray in the Las Vegas Convention Center coming up on July 19-21, there’s more to look forward to than ever before. Featuring a gallery of fighting game artwork throughout history, a cosplay contest, special dioramas for photo ops, and much more, this year’s EVO promises to be an event that the FGC just can’t miss out on.

EVO 2024 reveals new arena experience for fighting game fans Robert Paul, EVOThe world’s biggest fighting game tournament is back with some major upgrades, including an all-new arena experience at EVO 2024. The Evolution Championship Series is the largest fighting game tournament in the entire world, kicking off in Las Vegas, Nevada every summer since 1996. EVO is known for bringing together fighting game fans and pro players from across the globe for a weekend of community and competition, creating unforgettable moments that have graced the halls of fighting game history over the course of nearly thirty years. Last year’s EVO saw the biggest number of registered players in the tournament’s entire lifespan, and even resulted in the Cannon brothers receiving the key to the city of Las Vegas — on top of getting its very own holiday, Evo Day, on August 6. Now, new details have emerged about this year’s EVO, which promises a bigger and better tournament experience for fans. EVO 2024 shakes up world’s biggest fighting game tournament This year, EVO will feature the Top 6 from every featured game in its lineup, which includes Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat 1, Guilty Gear -Strive-, The King of Fighters XV, Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes, and a throwback in Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Third Strike marks the second-ever throwback game to be featured at EVO following 2023’s record-breaking Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 tournament, which saw a“new franchise peak” at 1,346 registrations. In an exciting turn of events, fans can now purchase an all-inclusive ticket to attend both the arena finals matches and the show floor, which is now open for all three days of EVO weekend — not just two, as it was in previous years, traditionally omitting finals day. As told in a press release, attendees will have the opportunity to “craft their own Evo adventures” and hop between the arena and the show floor as many times as they’d like over the weekend. Marking a break from its usual early August dates, EVO 2024 will take place from July, 19-21. This will mark EVO’s first year at the Las Vegas Convention Center, moving away from the Mandalay Resort and Casino for a fresh start after a massive turnout last year. EVO 2024’s show floor has also seen some big changes, including expanded show floor days, a “premier” stage for panels and game reveals, and the largest free play Arcade in EVO history, on top of a cosplay contest with special guest judges. Special dioramas will also be available for photo opps on the show floor, as well as a gallery featuring artwork from titles throughout fighting game history. “After a record-setting Evo in 2023, we’re excited to bring an even bigger experience to the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center for Evo 2024,” EVO’s General Manager, Rick Thiher, said in a press release. “We’re in a blessed era with multiple new fighting games being released, and Evo is excited about building global destinations for players and fans to celebrate them.”

EVO 2023: All winners and results CAPCOMEVO 2023, the world’s premier fighting game tournament, came to an end on August 6. We’ve got everything you need to know to tune into this historic event, including all the tournament winners and results. EVO, aka the Evolution Championship Series, is the premier fighting game tournament for players and enthusiasts across the world. This is the tournament where legends are made, where historic moments like “EVO moment 37” happen, and a place where the greats are crowned. With EVO 2023 approaching and fighting games entering a new era with the likes of Street Fighter 6, the hype surrounding this event is at an all-time high. We’ve got all the details you need to know about EVO 2023, including match schedules, dates, results, and winners, covered in the following few sections. Contents EVO 2023 Total players – EVO 2023 Winners and Results – EVO 2023 Total Players for every game The total number of players who participated in EVO 2023 across every major title is provided below: Street Fighter 6: 7061 – Guilty Gear Strive: 2481 – Tekken 7: 1580 – Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: 1346 – Dragon Ball Fighter Z: 838 – King of Fighters XV: 666 – Melty Blood Type Lumina: 554 – Mortal Kombat 11: 449 – EVO 2023 Winners and Results Mortal Kombat 11 Top 6 Winner: 212NinjaKilla Top 6 Melty Blood: Type Lumina Top 6 Winner: Moai Top 6 King of Fighters XV Top 6 Winner: Xiaohai Top 6 Dragon Ball Fighter Z Top 6 Winner: HIKARI Top 6 Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 Top 6 Winner: Jibrill Top 6 Street Fighter 6 Top 6 Winner: Angry Bird Top 6 Tekken 7 Top 6 Winner: ArslanAsh Top 6 Guilty Gear Strive Top 6 Winner: Leffen Top 6 This concludes our coverage of EVO 2023. If you found it informative, check out some of our other games at Dexerto for guides and tips. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Assassin’s Creed Mirage | The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | | Wolverine | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | DokeV | Dragon Age 4 | Avatar Frontiers of Pandora | Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake | Counter-Strike 2 | Mortal Kombat 1 | AEW: Fight Forever | Starfield | EA Sports FC | Alan Wake 2