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Disgraced Smash Ultimate pro CaptainZack barred from competing at multiple events Phoenix 1Zack ‘Captain Zack’ Lauth will not be competing at this year’s Super Smash Con major and all 2GG events after admitting to blackmailing and fixing matches with former pro, Elliot ‘Ally’ Carroza-Oyarce. “I was informed that I will not be allowed to compete at this year’s Smash Con. I completely agree with the decision and I will gladly take responsibility for my actions,” the 17-year-old Bayonetta and Daisy main tweeted. “I will still attend the event, but I’ll simply be there as a spectator. Thank you for reading this,” Zack added. I was informed that I will not be allowed to compete at this year’s Smash Con. I completely agree with the decision and I will gladly take responsibility for my actions. I will still attend the event, but I’ll simply be there as a spectator. Thank you for reading this. — CaptainZack (@CaptainZack_) August 4, 2019 Additionally, on August 5, 2GG tweeted that CaptainZack would be banned at their events going forward. “Effective immediately, CaptainZack will be banned from competing at all 2GG events due to match fixing at Prime Saga and MomoCon 2019. Both events ran by us,” they said. “Match fixing is wrong and hurts the integrity and spirit of competition. Don’t do it.” While Zack did compete at Evo, his attendance was overshadowed by his former org, Polar Ace Esports, dropping him once he admitted to match-fixing and blackmailing Ally following a relationship scandal. Lauth revealed he had blackmailed Ally into throwing matches and he felt Ally “didn’t deserve to compete anymore.” Effective immediately, CaptainZack will be banned from competing at all 2GG events due to match fixing at Prime Saga and MomoCon 2019. Both events ran by us. Match fixing is wrong and hurts the integrity and spirit of competition. Don’t do it. — 2GG (@2GGaming) August 5, 2019 “I apologize to Nairo and Zackray for ruining the integrity of competition and to the entire community for letting my personal relationship affect an entire result,” the Canadian Snake player said on August 2. Ally had retired in July after admitting to being in a relationship with then 16-year-old CaptainZack. The former pro said he was “really scared” to be open about the relationship and had previously denied it. It will be interesting to see what other tournaments decide to bar CaptainZack from competing. Super Smash Con is set to be the first major tournament in which the game’s latest fighter, Hero, will be legal. Additionally, in Melee, the tournament will feature a new rule regarding ledge camping/trapping. Should one player or team reach 60 ledge grabs, they will forfeit the match. However, if both players in a singles match – or one from each team – break the 60 limit, the rule will be disregarded. Super Smash Con begins August 8, 2019.

dephh says new-look Sentinels have a different approach Colin Young-Wolff/Riot GamesIn an interview with Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik about his arrival at Sentinels, Rory ‘dephh’ Jackson talked about his connection to his new, and old, teammates, the coaching staff, and the new approach the organization is taking for the 2023 season. Sentinels signed the former XSET IGL on October 18 and introduced the new player to its fans a day later through an interview with Valorant streamer tarik. The two talked about how dephh got into esports, his expectations for the roster, and how things will change in 2023. dephh specifically went into how the organization has changed its stance on how much the players are involved in the roster and decision-making at a high level. “I think Sentinels learned their lesson last year,” dephh told tarik. “Player-run rosters and [big] personalities, sometimes they clash, and I think they realized from last year that the structure that me and [head coach] Don brought and even [strategic coach] kaplan having success on a team like Ghost Gaming. I think they just realized, ‘Hey we’re going to have a new approach this year,’ and I think that’s why I’m so excited to play for Sentinels.” tarik, who has criticized Sentinels in the past over their lack of a coaching structure, said he agreed with dephh and that he is looking forward to seeing what the new team can do in a more structured environment. dephh on the new-look Sentinels dephh is one of the four players signed by Sentinels for VCT 2023, along with Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone, Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi, and Bryan ‘pANcada’ Luna. Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo is the only player from Sentinels’ 2022 roster that remains in the starting lineup, with Hunter ‘SicK’ Mims filling the role of backup member. The British IGL described how the new team will work under the coaching staff. dephh explained that as the leader of the team, he has meetings with the coaches to talk through new strategies before introducing them to the group as a whole. He and tarik also talked about zekken and how he will contribute to the team. dephh praised the teenage star, whom he knows from their time together on XSET, saying that he is not just a top-tier aimer but also a hard-working player. “He’s a really good kid,” dephh said. “His work ethic, the way that he applies himself, the way that he thinks about the game, the way that he is involved in strategy, that’s the reason he is going to be a top player. It’s not just because of his aim.” Sentinels fans will be able to see the new roster at the VCT Kickoff tournament in Brazil in February.

Dignitas launch Raidiant platform for women in gaming and esports RaidiantNew Meta Entertainment, the parent company of Dignitas, have launched a media platform for women in gaming and esports: Raidiant. As a means of “celebrating and championing” opportunities for women in gaming, the Raidiant platform is described as an educational, social, and competitive resource. Compiling educational material, directories for tournaments, teams, and players, and entertainment into a single place is the ultimate goal for NME’s new initiative. The naming of the platform is a combination of ‘radiant’ and ‘raid,’ with the former referencing their aim to bring light to women gamers and the latter taking inspiration from live stream raids where streamers are boosted by others. It’s all happening! Big things coming from @sapphiReGG and our presenting partners at @NYXCosmetics and @VIRUSintl 💎 … and many special guests! 📺 10AM PT at https://t.co/ohWarWnHzu 🎙️ 2PM PT on Twitter Spaces pic.twitter.com/RGuwF2cXlb— Raidiant (@RaidiantGG) November 17, 2021 A large element of Raidiant includes an events directory, bringing together professional tournaments, conference panels, and both virtual and in-person networking occasions. The new entity also has the “Galaxy Partners Program” that will see them work with other organizations that share their goal. Initial partnered companies include Twitter, analytics firm Zoomph, infrastructure company Nerd Street Gamers, and NYX Professional Makeup. “Raidiant comes from the combination of ‘radiant’ and ‘raid,’” said Heather “sapphiRe” Garrozo, an executive producer at New Meta Entertainment. “Radiants bring light, which is what the site is doing for women gamers who are not regularly covered by the media. “We were also inspired by live stream raids where raids are meant to champion others by raising their profiles and expanding reach. Our goal is that Raidiant melds these meanings together and ultimately, we build a stronger community, together.”

Denial Esports rumored to be folding again with players still owed thousands DenialRumors are circulating that Denial Esports are set told for a second time, while still owing money to a number of players currently contracted to the organization. Denial Esports have a long reputation of failing to pay players and staff, eventually disbanding in late 2018 following months of accusations. The organization returned in 2019 under new management, but according to new rumors circulating on May 31, it appears that their return to the esports scene will be short lived, and leave more professional players out of pocket at the hands of Denial. Revealed on Twitter by Scott ‘SirScoots’ Smith, the rumor suggests that Denial is once again set to shut down operations, leaving behind a number of players who are owed money by the organization. “Word on the street is that Denial are folding up their circus tent and leaving town again,” wrote SirScoots. “Owing current players money as they run for the hills… again.” SirScoots also mentioned a claim that states Patrick ‘BlackBeardAP’ Smith was not in fact CEO of Denial, with the rumor stating that he was “fake.” Whether this means that he was never officially installed to the position is unknown. Word on the street is that @DenialEsports is folding up their circus tent and leaving town…again. Owing current players money as they run for the hills…again. @BlackBeardAP was apparently a fake CEO too, wonder if the courts will see it that way. — Scott Smith (@SirScoots) May 31, 2019 According to SirScoots, Denial owes a number of current players large sums of money, and stated that Eduardo ‘Link’ Osuna and the rest of the current CS:GO team are owed $1,500 each. Hey @BlackBeardAP meet @Denial_Link he plays CS:GO for you, you owe him and his teammates $1500 each. Learn how to DM and contact him to make this right before you close shop. Release them freely with no binding paperwork. Do the right thing please. — Scott Smith (@SirScoots) May 30, 2019 The news that Denial could be shutting up shop once again comes just days after a number of former Denial players revealed that goodwill payments made by the organization back in January had been charged back. Co-owner Zach Smith told Dexerto that this happened because the payments had been flagged by his credit card company as suspicious, and stated that he would be repaying the money. Dexerto has approached Denial Esports for comment on this story and will update this post with any new information.

Denver Broncos star Justin Simmons joins XSET XSETNorth American esports organization XSET have furthered their ties to the world of sports by welcoming American football star Justin Simmons to their ranks. From sports clubs owning and investing in esports organizations to professional athletes joining teams, the worlds of traditional sports and competitive gaming have never been more intertwined. One of the companies in esports looking to further bridge that gap is XSET, an org launched back in July 2020 by former FaZe Clan execs like their former president Greg Selkoe. Their latest move promises to keep this trend alive and well, welcoming Justin Simmons to their org. The 28-year-old NFL pro currently competes for the Denver Broncos. Welcome @jsimms1119 to XSET! The @Broncos star is going to #RepTheSet❌ and we can’t be more excited. Welcome to the fam! https://t.co/4rrrDsL4uj pic.twitter.com/4leG2nhGLt — XSET (@XSET) November 24, 2021 Other athletes who XSET count as teammates include Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy, NFL free agent Adrian Colbert, pro BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester, skateboarder Minna Stess, and NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo. XSET are interesting in blurring the lines across all entertainment sectors, however. They received an unspecified investment from American record label Quality Control in February 2021, meaning the company behind artists like Migos, Cardi B, and Lil Yachty have a say in the org’s activities. “Once I began looking at XSET as an Esports organization, I was really impressed with how much ground they cover,” Simmons said in an interview with Mile High Sports. “It sets them apart from every other Esports organization. They’ve built a wonderful platform for themselves. They cover a multitude of areas, and they really give back to the community that’s been supporting them. “They’ve always supported us streamers and content creators. That’s the biggest thing to me. Anybody that knows me and has followed my football career, I love giving back to my community. XSET is in my opinion the best at doing that. That was the icing on the cake for me.”

Denial Esports player debt set to be paid as organization looks to return Denial EsportsAfter a long saga for former Denial Esports members and staff, the end to a frustrating, unnerving ordeal may finally come to pass as new figures have seemingly taken the reigns to usher in a new chapter for the controversial organization. Denial Esports was once a thriving club that fielded teams in many titles such as Counter-Strike, H1Z1, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and more, but all of the success was left marred by unpaid players and fees, consistent stonewalling by upper-management, and legal action against the org. Now it looks like a new era may be coming to the once chastised team, as potential new owners look to have tied loose ends on December 18 and are preparing to take Denial Esports into a new age of prosperity. You all are going to be in DENIAL when you see what we are up to — Patrick S (@BlackBeardAP) December 18, 2018 CEO of MoneyMatches Zach Smith and the always positive team owner of the Anaheim Pirates Patrick ‘BlackBeardAP’ E. Smith Sr., shared numerous Twitter posts which strongly indicate the two have paired up to take on the Denial Esports banner. Smith announced on Twitter the debt for Denial had been agreed upon and players were happy, while announcing that they “will issue in a new age of the org and it’s legacy. ” The debt has been agreed upon for Denial. The players are happy. We will issue in a new age of the org and it’s legacy. Someone tag Stephan Crystal and tell him we need to do our monthly board minutes. He says he’s an attorney. He should know this. — Xac (@ZachtehCEO) December 19, 2018 After an apparent fallout from the Anaheim Pirates name, BlackbeardAP and his Halo team have left the SoCal branded org on December 16 and have since teased the entire roster will soon be under a new name. Denial Esports had previously been world champions in Call of Duty, Rainbow 6, Gears of War, and are looking to once again find a footing in a new age.

Man Utd’s David de Gea unveils Rebels Gaming esports org Rebels GamingSpanish footballer David de Gea, a goalkeeper for Manchester United, has launched his very own esports organization in Rebels Gaming. Described as “one of the great dreams” that de Gea has had, Rebels Gaming has been announced with the ambitions of being “one of the global reference clubs.” The org is said to have hired staff with expertise in sports strategy, marketing, content creation, and business development and has key values of digital innovation and social impact. Rebels Gaming will start out with teams in Riot Games titles League of Legends and Valorant, as well as the goalkeeper’s favorite esport Rainbow Six Siege. • Create • Explore • Rebel • Compete • Rebels Gaming by @D_DeGea #BeRebels ♦️https://t.co/wJqWKI1eV0 — Rebels Gaming CS2 ♦️ (@RebelsGamingCS2) November 30, 2021 As well as competing at the national level, the org will have an emphasis on entertainment by creating content and signing streamers and personalities. They launched with one creator in their arsenal, namely former Rainbow Six pro Yeray “DriD” González. They will also have a gaming center in Valdebebas, an urban development in Madrid. It’ll serve as a training center for their pro players, but also be open to the public for events. The Manchester United goalkeeper has teammates with their own efforts in the esports industry, too. Jesse Lingard owns JLINGZ esports and Harry Maguire is an ambassador for UK org Semper Fortis Esports. “The launch of Rebels Gaming within esports is another dream come true,” said de Gea. “It is a project that aims to instill in new generations of young people the main values that have accompanied me since my beginnings in professional football, within a framework of innovation and technological development.” “The digital age and the latest technologies create a new playing field in which to develop new capabilities and new dreams. Let’s take advantage of this great opportunity and develop a better society.”

Tottenham’s Dele Alli scores esports transfer as Excel ambassador EXCELDele Alli, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and the England national football team, has entered the world of esports. [jwplayer ElBaSB7r] The midfielder has entered a long-term arrangement with London-based organization EXCEL ESPORTS to serve as their first-ever global ambassador. In his new role, Alli will work with EXCEL’s players in League of Legends and Fortnite by giving them insights from his years as a top-tier athlete. This includes dealing with pressure, unlocking their highest level of performance, and overcoming obstacles. Conversely, he will build up his knowledge of how companies operate in esports and understand the unique aspects of competitive gaming through the arrangement. The professional footballer is no stranger to gaming, however, he has a well-documented history of playing games like Fortnite and Call of Duty on Twitch. “Everyone who knows me knows my biggest passion outside of football is gaming and after becoming increasingly involved in the industry over the past few years, it seemed like joining forces with an esports team was a natural step for me to take,” said Dele Alli. “What drew me to EXCEL was the fact it’s the biggest British esports brand in the country and competes at the top level of esports but as well as this, I love the fact the brand was born out of a passion for gaming and the values it upholds. “My knowledge of being a competitive athlete is something I believe can really benefit EXCEL’s roster of talent as they continue to strive to be better every single day but I’ll also be looking to further my own knowledge and understanding of this truly exciting industry,” he continued. Back on @Twitch tonight with @Alex_OxChambo, @chalobah and @KWPeters. Streaming @CallofDutyUK #BlackOpsColdWar, more giveaways on the stream. RT this tweet and tune in for the chance to win a gaming bundle #CODPartner pic.twitter.com/4QrBCov6lZ — Dele (@dele_official) November 16, 2020 This is the second development to come from EXCEL ESPORTS in November 2020 that has made headlines. Earlier in the month, the UK-based organization unveiled a new logo and direction. Dexerto spoke with their CEO, Wouter Sleijffers, to give an in-depth look behind the changes. The worlds of football and esports are converging more than ever before. In the past month alone, AC Milan launched teams in FIFA and Brawl Stars and Real Madrid player Casemiro launched his own organization.

David Beckham’s Guild Esports hit by two key staff departures GuildDavid Beckham’s esports organization Guild Esports are going through major changes with two key members of staff announcing their departure in less than a month of each other. Guild Esports exploded onto the scene in June 2020 when they officially launched, backed by former footballer and massive celebrity David Beckham. They’ve since signed plenty of content creators and entered prominent esports titles like Valorant, Rocket League, Fortnite, and FIFA. They’ve also launched an academy system, hoping to usher in a new wave of talented players. Now, just over a year on from getting started, they’ve been rocked by losing two major staff members that both had a strong influence within the organization. Executive chairman Carleton Curtis announced his departure from the esports organization on July 14, and director of brand and content Danny Lopez revealed he was leaving on August 2 — without having a new place of work lined up, no less. Guild Esports CEO Kal Hourd told Dexerto: “I am proud of what Guild has achieved since its launch and have enjoyed working with Danny and Carleton over the past year and wish them well. “Guild’s plans for growth remain unaffected. We have a strategy in place to ramp up the growth of our company and have a brilliant staff of 40 collaboratively working to achieve this.” While Guild have seen success in esports, including winning multiple events and launching their academy, profitability is still a pipe dream for the company. This is typical of a new start-up, however. In June 2021, they revealed that they had made a loss of £4.3m before taxes in the previous six months. The aforementioned signings make up for a lot of the expenses of the org, though they have managed to partially offset the damage by entering several lucrative sponsorship deals. 100K! That’s a lot of people following us 😳 We’re celebrating with a HUGE giveaway including a £100 GUILD apparel gift card & INSANE goodies from our lovely partners @SamsungUK and @HyperX 🎁👏 ENTER HERE 👉 https://t.co/y8w4CgSGsF pic.twitter.com/kcRwzMKOfL — GUILD (@guildesports) July 15, 2021 At the time of writing, they have secured a total of £7.5m from sponsors and partners for the next three years. This includes a “multi-million-pound” sponsorship with Subway and a deal with a mystery company that is paying £3.6m over three years. The jury is out as to what the future looks like for Guild without the presence and efforts of Carleton and Lopez, but if one thing is clear it’s that changes are always to be expected at a young company in a growing industry such as esports.

David Beckham’s esports org wants to raise £20m on London stock market Instagram: davidbeckham/ Guild Esports[jwplayer zuUQpFp8] David Beckham’s esports company, Guild Esports, plans to raise $20m to reach a valuation of $50m just three months after launching. Guild Esports was first incorporated in September 2019, but officially launched in June 2020, now housing players in both FIFA 20 and Rocket League. Now, the team plans to go even further and build on the success they’ve already achieved by becoming the first esports org to float on the London Stock Exchange. As reported by The Guardian , Guild Esports wants to raise £20m on the stock market, with the aim of bringing the company’s overall valuation to £50m. The organization has several plans for the money raised by floating on the LSE. Proceeds from the share placing will be used to recruit new players, invest in the Guild brand and expand the company’s activities. On top of FIFA and Rocket League, Guild reportedly also plan on fielding teams in Fortnite and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which would truly start pitting Beckham’s teams against the biggest endemic teams in the industry. Guild will be the first esports franchise to join the London stock market,” said Guild’s executive chairman Carleton Curtis. “It will provide us with the cache, credibility and capital to fulfil our ambition to become one of the world’s top 10 esports franchises within three years.” This doesn’t appear to be Guild’s only planned stream of income, though. Curtis continued: “the growing global popularity of esports has enabled several existing franchises to monetise their activities through sponsorship, retail merchandising, apparel and product licensing, new media and mobile, broadcasting and tournaments.” Guild Esports, which already raised £5m of private funding ahead of its launch, plans to build a “player training and scouting infrastructure modelled on the talent academies pioneered by Premier League football.” Raising £20m would significantly help Guild on their way to achieving their target of becoming a significant player in the esports space within the next three years — though only time will tell.

David Beckham revealed as co-owner of new esports organization Guild eSports/IG: DavidBeckhamDavid Beckham, ex-England and Manchester United star, has been confirmed as a significant investor into Guild Esports, a brand new organization based in London. Beckham is one footballer who has transcended his roots in the sport, now known globally as a philanthropist and owner of the MLS’ Inter Miami football club. He has now been revealed as a partner and investor in a new organization owned by Blue Star Capital PLC, a company based in London. This is also where Guild are based, who will now be looking to cultivate a significant fanbase in the United Kingdom. In a press release, Blue Star Capital released the following statement: “Guild intends to develop into various esports disciplines over the course of the 2020/2021 season, with its first team making its debut in autumn 2020 expecting to compete in the most popular titles including Rocket League, EA Sports FIFA and Fortnite.” Furthermore, the chairman of Guild Esports, Carleton Curtis, was heavily involved in the founding of the Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues, so we could see expansion into these titles in the future. On the investment of David Beckham, they said: “His involvement in the launch of Guild is a significant opportunity to introduce his level of professional sports acumen to the world of esports and further strengthen this evolving sport.” The company has confirmed they will be looking to capitalize on the popularity of video games in the UK, with their intentions “for a roster of scouts to continually find and sign the best young talent” across the nation. Tony Fabrizi, CEO of Blue Star said: “We are very pleased to announce today’s news from Guild regarding its global launch and the association with David Beckham. The team behind Guild is incredibly strong and gives us great confidence that the company has an exciting future.” The involvement of such a popular figure in the world of esports is a testament to the exponential growth it is experiencing. It should be interesting to see where Guild Esports will go from here.

Date Set For Latest Hearing In Tfue vs FaZe Lawsuit FaZe Clan2019 ended on a positive note for Fortnite star Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney after being handed a significant victory in his ongoing lawsuit against esports organization and influencer agency FaZe Clan. After a long bout of argumentation between the two parties Judge Patricia Nieto ruled that, despite FaZe’s insistence to the contrary, they were obligated to adhere to the California Talent Agencies Act due to their operations there regardless of the location of the litigation. This ruling invalidated their attempt to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis that as the contract they signed with Tenney agreed to adhere to New York laws, the Talent Agencies Act for California would not apply. “Tenney was a California resident while performing under the contract for several months,” Judge Nieto explained in a summary of her ruling.“The public purpose of the TAA [Talent Agency Act] would be defeated if allowed to be waived by individuals” The ruling would also require FaZe to demonstrate to the New York court that the laws there would provide “same or greater rights” otherwise the California protections will apply. Ultimately, this means that Tenney’s legal team now have the tools at their disposal to make an argument that the initial contract between the parties was invalid should they be able to show that FaZe did not adhere to the Talent Agency Act. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, who have covered the lawsuit since its inception, Tenney’s lead attorney Bryan Freedman said: “We are extremely pleased with this decision, ecstatic really. All we want is for California law to apply to this dispute and the violations of the TAA. It doesn’t matter where the case is fought. If California law applies, that’s the only important factor.” Today docket updates for the case revealed that the next hearing is set to take place in California on July 6, suggesting the hearing will likely be a refiling of Tenney’s initial arguments against the contract and an outline of case management moving forward. From there it isn’t clear when the case will be moved to the New York court, although most likely it will take place later this year. The ramifications for the findings in this case are wide-reaching for both influencer agencies and esports organizations operating in the state of California. A finding that invalidates Tenney’s contract could open the floodgates to mass litigation as many esports teams essentially operate in the capacity as a player’s agent. Dexerto shall bring you more updates as the case develops over the year.

David Beckham explains why he’s so passionate about Guild Esports academy YouTube: Guild EsportsGuild Esports have officially launched their academy system, and investor and football legend David Beckham has explained why it’s so important to him. Guild ran into some critics when they first launched, with many accusing them of simply using Beckham’s name and investment to market something without any achievements themselves. Since then, they’ve proven their doubters wrong, seeing success in various esports including Rocket League and Fortnite. Now, they’ve launched their academy, promising to “inspire the next generation of professionals” in esports and help them “reach and exceed” their potential. Talking about how he got involved in esports and how his kids’ gaming experiences pushed him into this world, Becks obviously got onto the topic of the new academy in a Guild YouTube video. “I was very lucky to have been part of a very successful academy system when I was growing up,” Beckham said, referencing his infamous Class of ‘92 Manchester United academy team. “Academy systems are so important. You gain so many life skills from it. “It’s not just about making it professional, it’s not just about making it to the top of your game. Of course, that’s what you want, but it’s not just about that, and that’s what I learned from a very young age.” Timestamp 1:02 Beckham went on to say how important it is to have a community like this, to support both your physical and mental wellbeing as well as educate both aspiring pros and their parents on the path they’re embarking on. “What we’ve tried to do is be ground-breaking,” he added. “And we have been. The fact that we’re doing things in the way that we’re doing it, and we’re giving the opportunity to kids to actually have opportunities. That’s the biggest thing. We’re the first esports team to provide a safe space in the digital world.” It’ll be interesting to see what the future of the Guild Academy looks like, and see if other esports organizations decide to follow down the line. Regardless, Becks clearly believes in the project, and he seems delighted that it’s going ahead.

Sources: DarkZero find new CEO in former TSM director DarkZero/LinkedIn: Don KimNorth American organization DarkZero Esports have named former TSM director of esports operations Don Kim as their new CEO, sources have told Dexerto. Based out of Las Vegas in the U.S., DarkZero have concentrated strongly on Rainbow Six Siege since they acquired the former roster of SK Gaming in November 2018. They’ve made a new hire to take on the mantle of CEO and make major decisions, manage the org’s operations, and lead them into the future. Don Kim, most recently serving as director of esports operations at another North American organization, TSM, will serve as DarkZero’s new CEO, according to sources. Since leaving Harvard University in 2016 after serving as a researcher for two years, Kim has worked in gaming and esports. He started out working in partnerships at mobile gaming competition platform Skillz and transitioned to a marketing role before leaving to join TSM and sister company Blitz as director of operations in late 2018. Read More: MIBR name Roberta Coelho as first-ever CEO – Kim will take over the role of CEO from Zach Matula, a private equity investor who has previously worked as a trader at companies like BP and the founder of DarkZero. The team are best known for winning the tenth season of the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League for North America in 2019, finishing second in the Pro League grand final of the same year, and also emerging victorious in the North American division of the Rainbow Six Major in August 2020. Introducing DarkZero VALORANT! It’s with great pleasure we announce our entrance into @PlayVALORANT We’re super excited to enter VALORANT, and we can’t wait to field this talented roster!@HarmonVAL1@andersin_val@ScrewFaceVAL@Ange_AMIL@KOLER1337 Coach: @huuawcoach pic.twitter.com/5BedZhjq8l— DarkZero (@DarkZeroGG) June 24, 2021 They entered a second title in June 2021 when they signed ‘Kooky Koalos’ in Riot Games’ shooter Valorant. They’re yet to replicate the same success they’ve seen over the years in Siege, however. On the commercial front, DarkZero own the second-largest share of Raven, a UK-based esports merchandise company, and hold partnerships with Resorts World Las Vegas, gaming furniture manufacturers RESPAWN, and training software company Aim Lab.

Dashy explains why he would “love” to join Atlanta FaZe Call of Duty LeagueAfter a drama-filled exodus from OpTic Texas, it’s time for Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell to begin looking for a new Call of Duty League team and he’s got a surprising reason that he’d love to join up with Atlanta FaZe. The Dashy saga has been a wild one for Call of Duty fans across the board. Starting almost immediately after CDL Major 1, rumors flew that OpTic’s star AR player could be headed to the bench due to internal issues. While the details took several weeks to come to light, it’s all out in the open now, and the young supertalent has been quite vocal about wanting to get back onto a team and keep grinding the game. While he’d be a stellar addition to nearly any lineup in the league, he does have connections to ATL FaZe that would make him an interesting candidate for the red-and-black brand, but when asked by Ben Nissim if he has any interest in playing there, it wasn’t the all-star lineup that piqued Otell’s interest. Dashy says he’d love to play for Atlanta FaZe because of their coach Nissim, former FaZe analyst and current cohost of The Flank, cut right to the chase about the longstanding murmurs that he might eventually end up on that squad eventually. “We can finally put that conversation to bed if you want to address it right now,” he offered. “Dude, I’d love to play for Crowder, no bull***t. Just him specifically,” Dashy admitted. “A lot of people don’t know this, but going into [Black Ops 4] if I didn’t join OpTic I was going to go to FaZe.” He continued to say that it was largely due to his reputation and positive attitude when they played together. “He’s literally the same way now as he was back then five years ago.” During the same conversation, Otell also revealed that teams have already reached out to ask about picking him up but that he doesn’t expect anything to happen before Major 2. After taking home third place in the first Major of the year (now with Slasher at the helm) it doesn’t seem like Atlanta is quite ready to make that happen, but there’s clearly some interest if the timing works out in the future.

Danish esports organization North shut down by F.C. Copenhagen NorthDanish esports organization North will cease operations, according to an announcement made by co-founding entities Parken Sport & Entertainment and Nordisk Film. North have had a tough time in the past year or so, struggling to redeem themselves from an ill-received rebrand that was meant to reposition them for more success in the future. The decision was made by Parken Sport & Entertainment, the company behind Danish football club F.C. Copenhagen, and entertainment company Nordisk Film. They cited the global health situation’s effect on the esports industry as a significant reason behind the closure of the organization. Despite events moving online, restrictions on travel and hosting events have created a tough climate for many companies to operate within. With resources dwindling, Parken Sport & Entertainment and Nordisk Film claim that they were unsuccessful in their search for new investors to get involved with North. “We have searched the market to get one or more co-investors on board the project, but have unfortunately not found the right match,” said Lars Bo Jeppesen, North’s chairman, in a translated statement. “It will require significant continued investment to create a sustainable business in the future and therefore we believe that the sole responsibility for our overall business is to focus all our focus on our core business in FC Copenhagen, Parken and Lalandia, just as Nordisk Film will focus on its large core and growth businesses.” While North’s teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Apex Legend will have to find new homes, F.C. Copenhagen will assume control over the organization’s FIFA players. The club competes in the eSuperliga, the esports counterpart of Denmark’s top flight on football. Today is a sad day. North Esports is no more. Ty for all ❤ — North (@TheNorthIsHere) February 5, 2021 North was established in January 2017 when the founding members signed a CS:GO roster, one that had impressed globally just months prior. In recent times, they’ve had a turbulent experience in their main title — towards the end of 2020, they released two of their flagship players, namely MSL and aizy. In October 2020, the organization partnered with analytics company YouGov to become an esports “powerhouse.” They were hoping to improve their market positioning, and thus revenue generation, through the deal. They had commercial relationships with the likes of energy drink brand Nocco, audio brand EPOS, computer manufacturer MM Vision, and technology company Capgemini prior to ceasing operations.

Danteh claims some OWL players were paid $150K just to sit on the bench Joe Brady/BlizzardLA Gladiators DPS Dante “Danteh” Cruz has claimed that select Overwatch League players were being paid up to $150k per year to sit on the bench for their team. During a casual Overwatch stream on February 9, DPS player Danteh claimed that a former teammate of his in the Houston Outlaws was making up to $150,000 to just sit on the bench. The teammate he claims was making the jaw-dropping amount was Support player Daniel “Boink” Pence, who is now an inactive player. The last team he played for was the Outlaws. In the clip, Danteh claimed that Boink was re-signed to the Outlaws for Season 3 of OWL, only to never play an official game. He also went on to suggest Boink didn’t even log on to play Overwatch and practice after the halfway point that year. Meanwhile, Danteh says that Seung-soo “Jecse” Lee, another previous Support player for the Outlaws, was only paid $60,000 and was playing every single match of the season. The Outlaws allegedly couldn’t re-sign Jecse because of the cost of re-signing Boink for Season 3. Right before discussing the matter, Danteh jokingly said, “that was the hardest re-signing ever, on a six-figure contract.” Danteh claims that the only reason why Boink was able to make so much while sitting on the bench was because the Outlaws’ former General Manager, Matt “flame” Rodriguez was offering the contract to him because they were friends. “That’s actually just bank robbery” the DPS said. “flame literally just robbed a bank. He just gave his friend a six-figure contract that nobody deserves, and just dipped.” He also claims that the contract had a clause that if the team cut Boink out of the Outlaws, he would get a payout from the organization. Both flame and Boink are no longer part of the Outlaws, with flame retiring right as Season 3 started, and Boink when Season 3 ended. It can only be presumed that the reason why Danteh is now comfortable talking about the matters of his former team is because he recently signed with the LA Gladiators for the upcoming Season 6, and is not bound by any restrictions.

CSL Esports secure new partners to grow NACE Starleague CSL EsportsPlayfly Sports-owned company CSL Esports have announced a host of partnerships for their collegiate esports initiative NACE Starleague, bringing in sponsors for peripherals, coaching, fitness, and more. As first reported by Dexerto in July 2021, NACE Starleague is a collaboration between four major companies in the collegiate esports space. League operators CSL Esports, collegiate initiative National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), infrastructure company and tournament organizers Nerd Street Gamers, and tournament platform Mainline all joined forces to form the league. It’s stated that the league is delivering esports opportunities to over 10,000 student-athletes across 489 competing colleges and universities in the Fall season of the initiative. Now, the athletes that take part in NACE Starleague will benefit from five new partners that have been brought in, namely peripherals brand CORSAIR, gaming glasses company GUNNAR Optiks, gaming chair brand Mavix, coaching service Metafy, and fitness service Future. Week 5 continues w/back-to-back League of Legends matches LIVE tonight @ 7PM | ET🏹 🎙️@Mazelcasts & @Cubbyxx 📺https://t.co/TXBRTsKKJd pic.twitter.com/BF9C6edXXV— NACE Starleague (@nacestarleague) October 12, 2021 Each brand will activate through NACE Starleague in their own ways. Some sponsors will advertise their brand and offering through the official broadcast and social channels, while others will offer exclusive discounts and giveaways for participating student-athletes. CSL Esports oversee the operations, marketing, and business development for the collegiate program. They believe these new partners “represent the importance of balance for student-athletes” by promoting the likes of in-game coaching and physical training. “We are extremely excited that some of the biggest names in esports and beyond will now be official partners of NACE Starleague,” said CSL Esports CEO Rob Johnson. “Each of these brands brings a unique product or offering to the table that significantly enhances the overall experience of collegiate esports student-athletes. “By partnering with NACE Starleague, these companies are not only contributing to the competitiveness and excitement of gameplay, but will also significantly enhance their brand awareness among the rapidly growing esports community across North America.”

CS:GO pro stirs up controversy by claiming fighting games are easier than FPS games IGNAfter Dominique “SonicFox” McLean was named Best Esports Player of the Year at the 2018 Video Game Awards, CS:GO pro Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev ignited a firestorm by claiming first person shooters were more difficult than fighting games. SonicFox surprised everyone at the Video Game Awards on December 6 when he ended up winning Best Esports Player of the Year. Most people were excited for the athlete, and for fighting games in general, but some, like s1mple, thought competitors in first person shooter were more deserving of the award because the games are more difficult. Just imagine to become best Esport player in fighting game, congrats @SonicFox5000 But CSGO is team game, there is more things to practice individually and with a team, this game is more harder and interesting — Sasha (@s1mpleO) December 7, 2018 After congratulating SonicFox on the win, s1mple wrote in the same tweet that “CSGO is team game, there is more things to practice individually and with a team, this game is more harder and interesting.” Read More: CS:GO viewership on Twitch sees a huge increase after release of Danger Zone battle royale mode – This obviously didn’t go over well with a number of people, some, including SonicFox himself, pointed out that he has won tournaments in multiple fighting games this year. I think you don’t understand he has won titles in multiple games. You for example have only won in CS GO. — Nemi (@LifeOfNemiii) December 7, 2018 Pro fighting games player Denom ‘A F0xy Grampa’ Jones saw s1mple’s tweet and decided to respond with a challenge of his own to FPS players. If any CSGO player thinks fighting games are easy I’ll accept any money match from anyone in the FPS community (CSGO community primarily) $1000 minimum in mk11, I’ll give you a month prep time after launch. Any takers? The offer is real — PXP | A F0xy Grampa (@AF0xyGrampa) December 7, 2018 Read More: CS:GO: Shroud discovers what happens when you start a fist fight with a barrel in Danger Zone – For his part, s1mple did respond after learning that SonicFox competes in five different titles to say he thought the athlete did deserve the award.

CSGO team stunned as emergency alarm goes off mid-match CSGO emergency alarmCSGO pro team Party Astronauts were shocked by the US emergency alert test right in the middle of a round at BLAST Premier’s Fall Showdown. BLAST’s Premier’s Fall Showdown tournament returned for another year on October 4 as teams try again to claim the final qualification spots for the Fall Finals main event. Despite Counter-Strike 2 being released, BLAST announced that teams would be competing on CS:GO in order for teams to first settle in with the newly released sequel. However, for the teams that qualify for the Fall Finals, which takes place between November 22-26, they will compete on CS2. As the first-round matchups kicked off for the 16 invited teams, a team from the NA side of the bracket was shown being interrupted mid-match by the US emergency alarm. CSGO pro players alarmed by US emergency alert mid-game American CSGO team Party Astronauts were shown in a replay during the main BLAST Premier broadcast reacting to the emergency alarm ringing off during the round. In the clip, BEN1337 can be heard saying: “Hold on I got the warning, what the f*ck,” as the sound rang out repeatedly, “I do too,” another added. They went on to win the round among the chaos: “Bro that threw my whole vibe off,” one said, as they laughed off the strange goings on. After going up 11-2 for the map, they ended up winning their match against Imperial 2-0 and progressing in the tournament. The nationwide emergency alert test was a scheduled alert on October 4, that was sent to all phones in the US with a brief warning message and a loud alarm sound that rang off for 60 seconds. “It was well known this was going to happen at the time it happened, leave the phone outside the room, it’s not like you need it for CS,” one fan commented on the clip. “Damn, that’s some bad luck for Party Astronauts. Can’t imagine trying to clutch with an emergency alert blaring in your ear. RIP their game,” another added. CS:GO fans can catch all the action for the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown live from October 4-8.

Crimsix speaks out on Call of Duty GOAT debate: “It’s not that serious” YouTube: CrimsixThree-time World Champion Ian ‘Crimsix” Porter is often referred to as the best Call of Duty player ever to live, but with Seth ‘Scump’ Abner’s recent retirement, the GOAT debate has raged on harder than ever before. At one point, Crimsix and Scump were the gold standards for professional CoD. The former teammates made up one half of the OpTic ‘dynasty’ – a roster that collected 18 LAN event wins together. While they moved on from teaming together in the pre-Modern Warfare offseason, their names still stand firm at the top of the list when it comes to determining the best to ever do it, and Porter has had enough of the conversation. Crimsix gives ultimate verdict on Call of Duty’s GOAT debate Crim revealed his feelings during a January 23 episode of Burned Bridges, a podcast centered around pro Call of Duty and the relationships he built during his time as a pro. When speaking on his perspective of the debate, he said that he’s mostly just bored of hearing about it. “From my point of view, it’s just ridiculous…I can’t speak for Seth, but I’m sick and tired of it. “It’s just neverending, and there’s no winning…it feels like everyone else is wasting their time trying to convince the other side.” He also pleaded for his fans to “not discredit Seth” to make his resume look better. For his career, Porter collected 38 major trophies, three of which being World Championship rings. Comparatively, Abner racked up 30 championships, with his sole World Championship coming alongside Crimsix back in the 2017 Infinite Warfare CWL season. Many fans argue that his resume as a content creator, and largely the face of pro Call of Duty, elevates him past the winningest player of all time, but that doesn’t bother Crimsix too much at the end of the day. “You guys can go argue about that s**t, but I’m probably going to go play fetch with his dog,” he concluded. “To me and Seth, it’s probably not that serious.”

CSGO pro KiKi accuses Astralis’ Spike of sexual assault Female Counter-Strike pro Kaia ‘KiKi’ Holmen has accused ex-teammate Selin ‘Spike’ Sinem Alak of sexual assault. 22-year-old female Counter-Strike pro KiKi has accused her former teammate Spike of sexual assault while the two shared a room together during a bootcamp in Poland earlier this year. In a TwitLonger on October 8, the CS pro detailed how she decided to “take one for the team” and share a room with someone else to make space for a photography team. This resulted in KiKi sharing a room with teammate Spike where, according to KiKi, she was sexually assaulted on the night of May 3. After having social drinks with the team before everyone went to bed, Spike supposedly began asking KiKi to make out while she tried to fall asleep. Despite declining, Spike is said to have continued bugging her “multiple times” and “wouldn’t stop” until KiKi eventually gave in. After the kiss allegedly resulted in unwanted touching, KiKi reports: “I kept saying that I was just not interested in her that way and that I didn’t want to have sex with her, especially not with teammates. She didn’t want to listen.” Spike then responded that she didn’t care that they were teammates because she could have sex with whoever she wanted to, since she doesn’t get feelings for people. After agreeing to kiss her in the hopes of ending the whole situation, KiKi claims she was touched “everywhere”. She also accuses Spike of not stopping until she started yelling and screaming. KiKi described the experience as the “worst night in a long time,” leaving her not being able to “sleep for sh*t.” She added that at a team meeting the next day, Spike began to blame her and claimed she was “flirty”. “I know that the girls are covering up for Spike, saying it never happened and that I am full of lies. But it really is words against words on this,” KiKi wrote, adding that she’s informed Astralis about the situation, but doesn’t know what they did with the information. “I am not coming out with what happened out of jealousy or saltiness. I am doing this to warn others as it might happen again to someone else.” Astralis and Spike are yet to respond to the allegations.

Crimsix responds after disappointing start to ESL R1 career at IEM Katowice FaZe ClanCrimsix’s first performance for FaZe ESL R1 got off to a bad start and now the legendary CoD player has opened up about what went wrong. Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter shocked the Call of Duty community on February 7 when it was announced that he had joined FaZe as a professional sim racer. Arguably the greatest CoD player of all time, Porter retired from competitive play in the post-Vanguard offseason, and IEM Katowice marked his first LAN appearance as a driver. At the end of the day, he finished in last place for his round and 30 seconds behind the leader. Crimsix explains why he wasn’t surprised by poor finish at IEM Katowice Day 1 Crim took to Twitter to explain exactly what happened out on the track. “That result is to be expected,” he said. “Tomorrow might be worse due to only having 3 days of practice back on sim racing. “I’m probably a meme at this point, but I’m having so much fun it doesn’t matter to me. I think if I didn’t spin like an idiot I probably would have finished 15 seconds behind the leader.” He noted that he was sticking around to watch his “much faster” teammates, clearly taking the situation in stride. Porter’s lack of practice is partly due to a delayed flight, as he arrived in Katowice for Media Day but didn’t have time to do anything else. “It won’t matter much, since I’m amongst sim racing gods, but looking forward to the challenge of reaching them by the end of the season nonetheless,” he tweeted prior to race day. His first performance might not have gone the way he hoped, but as a three-time Call of Duty World Champion, Crimsix knows what it takes to win and he’ll certainly be making adjustments by the end of the season.

CouRage reveals why he knew he wouldn’t stay on OpTic Gaming CouRage/OpTic GamingPopular Twitch streamer Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop has explained why he knew he wouldn’t be on OpTic Gaming for long, just days after joining the esteemed organization. CouRage has exploded in popularity since he made the decision to quit as a Call of Duty caster back in March 2018, in favor of full time streaming. Since then, he has become a recognized Fortnite Battle Royale personality, even officially casting tournaments for Epic Games. On May 31, during a Reddit AMA, he revealed how he knew he would not be staying with OpTic Gaming for long, after joining them shortly after leaving the Call of Duty World League. CouRage wrote that as he travelled to Texas – where OpTic is now based – he was “excited as ever.” However, this attitude changed when he landed, and “every single member had their Twitter blacked out protesting the decision to drop OpTic Halo”. OpTic’s Halo team was dropped in March 2018, despite their incredible success – winning the 2017 World Championship and placing 1st or 2nd at every tournament they played under the Greenwall. The decision was generally attributed to parent company Infinite Esports & Entertainment, who bought a majority share of OpTic Gaming from H3CZ in 2017. CouRage said that it was at “that exact moment” that he knew his time on OpTic Gaming was going to be “short-lived”. The controversy surrounding OpTic Gaming and Infinite Esports is still ongoing, as rumors of them trying to offload the CoD team and selling OpTic to Immortals dominate the esports scene, as CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez scrambles to save them. It seems that it was this uncertainty and chaos between OpTic’s members and owners that made CouRage realize he would not be on the team for long. He left OpTic in November 2018, and has since joined rival organization 100 Thieves, owned by ex-OpTic CoD player Matthew ‘Nadeshot‘ Haag. While CouRage enjoys the rewards of his hard-work, OpTic itself seems to be at risk of collapse, as the way Infinite are handling the organization appears all the more detrimental to its longevity.

Crimsix joins FaZe Clan for pro sim racing league ESL R1 at IEM Katowice FaZe Clan/Rennsport/Call of Duty LeagueThree-time Call of Duty world champion and the most successful CoD pro of all time, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, has signed with FaZe Clan to represent them as a sim racer in the upcoming ESL R1 racing league. Crimsix, who is often referred to as the near-unanimous GOAT of CoD esports, put his playing days behind him in 2022, ending his tenure with New York Subliners and not finding a new team for the 2023 season. Since then, he’s been working on growing his stream, regularly playing Warzone with some top names in the scene, and while he isn’t playing, has popped up in streams with other pros to discuss the state of the game and the league itself. His next step, though, takes him away from Call of Duty and the FPS genre entirely, as he is due to touch down in Katowice to take part in the inaugural ESL R1 tournament, representing FaZe Clan in one of the most surprising moves of his lengthy esports career. The ESL R1 series, played on Rennsport, a racing game currently in Closed Beta, has been dubbed “the future of virtual racing,” and Crimsix has his sights set on hitting the ground running by competing. ESL R1 takes place from February 11-12, and 12 teams will be competing at IEM Katowice for a prize pool of $500,000, including esports teams like G2 and Furia alongside FaZe Clan, as well as motorsport behemoths such as Mercedes-AMG, Porsche Coanda, and BMW M. FaZe Clan recently announced a partnership with Porsche, as well as hinting that they would be using Porsche vehicles in ESL R1, a natural fit for Crimsix, who drives a Porsche GT3 RS in real life. In an exclusive quote to Dexerto, Crimsix simply said: “This is the real reason why I quit.” Whether this really is the real reason why he quit is unclear, given the time difference between the culmination of his Call of Duty career and the launch of ESL R1, but we’ll see by February 12 whether Crim really has what it takes in the sim racing world.

Copenhagen Flames announce “seven-figure” extension with Elgiganten Copenhagen FlamesDanish esports organization Copenhagen Flames have extended their partnership with electronics company Elgiganten for an alleged “seven-figure” sum. Revenues from partnerships and sponsorships are still imperative in the esports industry, with most team organizations not yet able to generate more money than they’re using to operate. The industry is still yet at a place where seven-figure deals are common, so such deals that pass that threshold stand out when they’re announced. Copenhagen Flames, a smaller organization that competes in Counter-Strike and Fortnite, have now announced a “seven-figure” partnership of their own — and it’s part of a three-year extension with existing partner, local consumer electronic retailer Elgiganten. https://twitter.com/CPHFlames/status/1432629296342966272 The exact financial details of the extended partnership, which sees Elgiganten maintain their status as the team’s main sponsor, have not been disclosed at the time of writing. However, the org have clarified with Dexerto that the deal is seven figures in Danish krone and six figures in US dollars. The extended partnership provides money to CPH Flames and the prime spot on their jersey for Elgiganten. Other planned activations are yet to be revealed. Perhaps best known for their ability to spot young, amateur players and eventually feed them into larger organizations, Copenhagen Flames were claimed to be a “profitable business” by co-owner Daniel Vorborg in September 2020. “They took a chance with us back in 2016, when we were completely green and hadn’t yet been able to present much other than a vision and a strategy,” said Copenhagen Flames CEO, Steffen Thomsen, in a translated release. “That’s why it’s always been a priority for us to live up to that trust and deliver more than they could expect. Now here we are 5 years later, with Elgiganten backing us regardless of the ups and downs and delivering everything that was hoped for and more.”

Coronavirus: How the outbreak has effected esports ESLThe Coronavirus situation has had a drastic effect on numerous tournaments and events across the entire esports and gaming scene. Here’s a full, detailed list of what’s happened so far. The global outbreak of COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, has reached ‘pandemic’ status according to the World Health Organization. It’s already wreaked havoc on the world of professional video games, with numerous events being canceled, postponed, or altered in some way. Here’s the full breakdown, by game, of the effects so far. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive One of CS:GO’s biggest organizers in ESL took a massive hit in Februrary, when the local government retracted permission to host a crowd for the playoffs of IEM Katowice. Since then, both the ESL Pro League and the new FLASHPOINT league, have had to not just compete with each other, but now with the effects of Coronavirus. Both leagues have had to move their playoffs from arenas to closed studios, and fans are not permitted to watch regular-season matches in-studio. Due to the dynamic changes in the global health situation, the Gouverneur of Silesian Jarosław Wieczorek issued a decision to remove their approval regarding ESL hosting a mass event in Katowice, Poland. #IEM https://t.co/hak1sn98o7 — Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) February 27, 2020 League of Legends Numerous LoL leagues have been affected as well. The LCK in Korea initially started playing matches in their studio without a crowd before postponing the season altogether. LPL in China was on hiatus until March 9, with matches now taking place solely online and only after players do through a 14-day quarantine. The European LEC moved its Spring Finals from an arena in Budapest, Hungary to the smaller LEC Studio in Berlin, Germany. Just before going live on March 13, they announced that the remainder of the season had been postponed. The North American LCS has barred fans and press from attending Spring Split matches, while a decision regarding the Spring Finals in Frisco, Texas hasn’t been made yet. The Mid-Season Invitational has also been postponed. Overwatch League All Overwatch League homestand events have been canceled for the months of March and April. Prior to the league-wide cancellation, homestands in Korea, China, and Paris had been canceled on their own. OWL commissioner followed up on the initial announcement with a clarification that matches will still take place and will be broadcast, but not in front of a live crowd. Rocket League The Rocket League World Championships event in Dallas, Texas, scheduled for April 24-26, has also been canceled. An Update on RLCS Season 9 Read here: https://t.co/0pnHxYaIiR pic.twitter.com/wFK4pAiKT2 — Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) March 7, 2020 The RLCS announced that its Regional Championships would serve as the competitive pinnacle for season nine, and added $250,000 to its prize pool. Call of Duty On March 12, Call of Duty League announced that all home series events for 2020 had been canceled. In an official press release, CDL confirmed that all matches will take place online and will still be broadcast. Apex Legends, FIFA, and others The first Apex Legends Global Series major has been postponed. – All FIFA 20 Global Series events have been suspended. – The Riot-sponsored Valorant footage event has been canceled. – E3, GDC, and TwitchCon Amsterdam have been canceled. – The ESL Los Angeles Dota 2 major has been postponed. –

Complexity’s Jason Lake gives Dexerto a tour of their $25m gaming compound YouTube: Dexerto OriginalsComplexity’s Jason Lake brought us on a tour of their $25,000,000 headquarters in the latest episode of Dexerto Originals. Jason Lake, co-founder of Complexity Gaming, gave Dexerto an exclusive look inside their $25,000,000 gaming compound located in Frisco, Texas — right next door to the Dallas Cowboys NFL stadium. Complexity Gaming is home to a variety of big-name creators like TimTheTatman and Cloakzy, boasting millions of followers, as well as esports teams competing at the highest level, and this facility is designed with these professional teams in mind. Complexity Gaming’s 25m dollar compound In the latest Dexerto Originals documentary, Jason Lake gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the Complexity Headquarters. “We have what we consider the best, unparalleled infrastructure in the world,” Lake explained. “We have private, luxury apartments about a mile away so they don’t have to stay in the team house. Then, they have the ability to come to our private kitchen and workout area — they’re using the same equipment as the Dallas Cowboys players.” Jason Lake went on to show off the team’s gaming area, explaining some of the features they have made available to the players. He said: “As our team is playing, we will study whatever stage our gamers are going to play on and we’ll replicate that while we practice. We’ve put a lot of energy into really making sure that these rooms are the cutting edge and no one has anything like them.” These practice rooms can not only simulate crowd noise, but can be set up to match lighting conditions and strobe effects that might be employed at the esports event itself. Lake went on to give us a tour of the rest of the compound, including their nap pods. There is also access to the food available to Dallas Cowboys team, and a huge gym area, which Complexity team members also have use of. Dexerto Originals launched on January 25 with a look into SypherPK’s gaming studio and is releasing new videos every couple of weeks. You can watch the Complexity Gaming Compound tour on the Dexerto Originals YouTube channel — make sure you subscribe to never miss an episode.

Complexity Stars division launched for athletes and celebrities Complexity StarsTexas-based esports organisation Complexity Gaming have started a new division to bring together “esports, professional athletes, and celebrities” under the Complexity Stars banner. While the trend of athletes and celebrities investing and integrating into competitive gaming isn’t new at all, Complexity are doubling down on their efforts in hopes to bring more mainstream attention and support their way. Complexity Stars is described as a “home of elite athletes and celebrities to elevate their profiles within esports and gaming”. They plan to achieve this through organizing crossover tournaments, facilitating content creation and streaming, and brand sponsorships. The division’s roster will initially include UFC fighters Sean O’Malley, Max Holloway, and Megan Anderson, NFL pros Leonard Fournette and Ronnie Stanley, MLB player Edwin Rios, women’s basketball athlete Allisha Gray, and retired basketball star J.R. Smith. Oh yea🔥 LFG! 🚀 💙 ⭐️ @Complexity pic.twitter.com/xyQAKQTAM2 — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 20, 2021 Complexity have ties to Dallas Cowboys, an NFL team that’s said to be the most valuable sports team in the world. The esports org joined the GameSquare Esports umbrella in June 2021 with its former shareholders now owning approximately 46% of the parent entity. They’ve since made some strong moves, acquiring gaming and marketing agencies Cut+Sew and Zoned for $7.85m in July and signing popular content creator TimTheTatman in September. Pro gamers @Drini and @Fancy214_ linked up for a game of @EAMaddenNFL on the big screen in Dallas 🔥🎮@Complexity @DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/P9OhW9cHOg — NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2021 “We are launching Complexity Stars with huge names in sports and entertainment,” said Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare Esports. “Complexity Stars provides a platform for professional athletes and celebrities to connect with gamers in an authentic way. “We are excited to launch Complexity Stars with its founding members and we look forward to adding more athlete and celebrity gamers to build the platform. Gaming is the core of Complexity Stars and an incredibly engaging way to connect gamers, athletes, and celebrities, authentically.”

Complexity unveil new Cowboys color scheme and logo in major “3.0” rebrand One of North America’s premier and longstanding esports teams Complexity Gaming unveiled a complete rebrand on May 3, as the organization prepares to venture into the next great chapter of their story. Complexity have been a standout in fielding highly competitive teams in numerous esports for well over a decade, but now, it’s looking toward bigger and better horizons for the next stage of their operations. The team sent out everything from a new manifesto to multiple announcement videos in revealing the switch in colors and logo. In their release, Complexity gave their fans a look at the new direction the team will be taking. Introducing the new @Complexity. #WeAreCOL pic.twitter.com/kCHTyegDpQ — Complexity Gaming (@compLexity) May 3, 2019 Complexity are changing in more ways than one The organization will now sport a new blue and white scheme, with their logo completely changed to better reflect that of their sister team, the Dallas Cowboys. The team’s CEO Jason Lake released a message about the changes in a brief video detailing the inspiration for the rebrand, as well as what it means for the future of esports as a whole. “Anyone that’s followed us understands that our history [is] incredibly important to us,” Lake said. “We’re really proud of our legacy. But at the same time I don’t want us to be anchored in the past at the cost of the future.” Lake says that the rebrand coincides with the “imminent launch” of the new GameStop Performance Center, which will “include state-of-the-art performance training and recovery facilities for players as well as a public space for fans and sponsors among other amenities.” The company’s redesign means its fans will have a lot more merch to choose from. The next step in esports evolution The company will be striving to push toward a new Esports 3.0 initiative, where esport athletes will be treated the same as professional sports athletes. The new direction will be fueled by the company’s “five C’s brand pillars,” which includes Competition, Community, Culture, Cause and Convergence. From my heart. :blue_heart:#WeAreCOL pic.twitter.com/2AMv7Au4NA — Jason Lake (@JasonBWLake) May 3, 2019 In this vein, their new headquarters will serve as a physical manifestation of sorts for one of the brand’s new pillars, which will incorporate “advances in technology from traditional sports to continue to evolve and reshape the broader esports ecosystem as a whole.” In their 15-year history, Complexity has won over “140 championships in nearly 30 games titles,” and will look to produce even better results in the new era of the team.

Complexity Gaming become publicly listed following acquisition by GameSquare Complexity/GameSquareLegacy esports organization Complexity Gaming are now listed publicly after being acquired by GameSquare Esports which sees the org’s former shareholders own approximately 47% of the new parent company. Founded in 2003, Complexity are one of the longest-standing organizations in the entirety of esports and have grown from strength to strength in recent years — a highlight being Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones joining their ownership group in 2017. Now, following this new deal, the Canadian public can invest in Complexity Gaming and fellow GameSquare-owned company, esports agency Code Red, on the OTC Markets exchange. As well as competing in major titles such as Counter-Strike, Valorant, Fortnite, FIFA, and Apex Legends, Complexity own and operate their headquarters in Frisco, Texas. The GameStop Performance Center is the base of operations for the org and is a good draw for sponsors. Through this move, GameSquare aim to help the veteran esports team to further grow in terms of competition, content creation, and hosting gaming events. Reassuringly for fans of Complexity, founder Jason Lake will remain as the CEO while taking on an additional role as global head of esports for the parent company. Combining the performance of portfolio companies Complexity, Code Red, and Gaming Community Network, GameSquare are eyeing total revenues of $28m in 2022. A release states Complexity alone raked in $4.1m and $4.2m in revenue in 2019 and 2022, respectively. Welcome to the family!@Complexity 🤝 @GSQesports 📰 Learn more: https://t.co/mFGOfYp11H#WeAreCOL pic.twitter.com/rDFZECLnXI — Complexity ✭ (@Complexity) June 30, 2021 “Complexity has built a tremendous foundation that is perfectly positioned for its next phase of growth and profitability,” said Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare. “We see huge potential to monetize the incredible content that Complexity creates every year and numerous opportunities to create merchandise that allow fans to show their loyalty to one of America’s greatest esports teams.”

Complexity Gaming opens jaw-dropping esports facility to the public Complexity GamingThe Dallas Cowboys-backed esports organization, Complexity Gaming, has opened the doors to a new, state of the art training facility. Founded in 2003, Complexity Gaming is an American organization with a storied history across a plethora of titles such as Call of Duty and CSGO. Announced in November of 2017, the organization would be establishing its headquarters in Frisco, Texas. Today that state-of-the-art facility houses production studios, offices, and a wide range of practice areas for all Complexity Gaming rosters to sharpen their skills. To top it off, the headquarters will now be open to the general public. In a September 16 video, it was revealed that the doors of the GameStop Performance Center had officially opened to the public. “I’d like to welcome everyone to the GameStop Performance Center,” Jason Lake, Founder and CEO of Complexity Gaming, expressed with joy to begin the announcement. Welcome to @TheGSPC! We’re open 7 days a week and look forward to having you here at The Star in Frisco. See you soon! :wave: #GSPC pic.twitter.com/bN7gg0va6N — Complexity Gaming (@compLexity) September 16, 2019 While certain sections of the facility such as executive conference rooms, will be inaccessible to the general public for obvious reasons, the performance center features a wide range of features for fans. From an exclusive merchandise store to a high-quality LAN setup with numerous rooms mimicking grand stage environments, Lake ensures that the grounds are “open seven days a week,” and that the organization would “love to see” all of its “gamer friends.” Showcased throughout the video, the massive location is highlighted by an unmissable Complexity Gaming sign above the entrance in Frisco. Internally the environment is pristine. From countless displays and unique LED setups, to various wall art showcasing famous video game environments. While the GameStop Performance Center uniquely stands out as one of the largest esports facilities in all of North America, numerous organizations are looking to plant their flag and establish similar headquarters. 100 Thieves for instance, recently unveiled their plans for a brand new facility that will act not only as the headquarters for all teams and staff, but also as a retail shop for fans of their merchandise.

CoD pros paying out-of-pocket to send amateur teams to CDL’s Boston Challengers event Call of Duty LeagueAfter a wealth of organizations have exited the Call of Duty League’s Challengers scene over the last few weeks, there are a few pro players who have opened up their wallets to get amateur teams to Boston. The CDL’s Boston Challengers event is a $75,000 tournament which will see all of the brightest young stars and hungry vets clash to prove that they’re the best names in COD outside of the pro league. This is the final event other than the highly-scrutinized Challengers Champs, which back in June was confirmed by the league to be an eight-team event with a pre-determined set of invites based on the global ladder standings. In the wake of that news, even orgs that had previously been staples in the scene began to pull back on supporting teams who have no shot of qualifying, leaving many scrambling to find a new way forward. CDL pros paying to send Challengers teams to Boston As pointed out by Crone of CDL Intel, multiple pros got involved to make sure that teams found their way to Boston. Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno partnered with Arial Arise to get their roster of Zinx, Niall, Proto, and Hamza setup for success, but other players have also stepped up. Challengers is in such a bad state with next to no orgs that we have pro players (+ gursh) having to help fund teams to the Boston Open this weekend 👍 Vivid and Mack are apparently helping a team too pic.twitter.com/Z4QBfZtxVp — CDL Intel (@intelCDL) July 7, 2022 Boston Breach’s Vivid and Seattle Surge’s Mack have banded together to support a team, while Minnesota ROKKR superstar Standy paired up with NYSL’s social media guru Gursh to help out a third squad. This move has been received well across the board from the CDL community, but will no doubt only raise more eyebrows about the state of Challengers scene. The players themselves can’t spend too much time focusing on whether or not things will be changing as they still have to handle business as the weekend rolls on.

Combo Breaker 2024: Date, tournaments, prize pool & more Start.ggCombo Breaker 2024 is a return of the fan-favorite tournament featuring some of the biggest fighting game titles. Here is what we know about it, including the schedule, games and prize pools. Combo Breaker is an annual tournament that began in 2015, celebrating fighting games and featuring skilled competitors. Additionally, Combo Breaker also features community events, artists, exhibitors, and more. As the first tournament featuring the post-Akuma patch of Street Fighter 6, which is expected to make major changes to the game, the hype is building. This will also be the second big tournament featuring Tekken 8 after EVO Japan 2024. Titles like Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, Mortal Kombat 1, and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike will also make an appearance. Dates & location Combo Breaker 2024 will last for three days, from May 24 to May 26, 2024, and will be held at the Schaumburg Convention Centre in Chicago, Illinois. Games & prize pool The various tournaments that will feature at Combo Breaker 2024 and the prize pools are as follows: Tekken 8: $22,200 – Street Fighter 6: $14,220 – Guilty Gear Strive: $8,630 – Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: $2,210 – Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising: $6,740 – Under Night in Birth II: $6,060 – Mortal Kombat 1: $12,740 – Skull Girls: $5000 – Killer Instinct: $16,390 – King of Fighters XV: $1,870 – Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2: $2,380 – Blazblue: $1,590 – Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: $1,640 – Melty Blood Type Lumina: $1,030 – DragonBall FighterZ: $1,460 – DnF Duel: $610 – Garou Mark of the Wolves: $500 – Vampire Savior: $1,170 – Them’s Fightin’ Herds: $600 – Super Smash Bros Melee: $1,970 – Super Smash Bros Ultimate: $4,100 – Format Combo Breaker 2024 will feature a double-elimination format. All players will begin in the winners’ bracket and make their way to the finals. If you lose, you will drop into the lower bracket. However, you will get two chances at maximum, after which you are out. Where to watch Combo Breaker 2024 Combo Breaker 2024 will be broadcast through independently owned fighting game channels. A list of channels will be updated here once they become available. We will update this article with the list of winners once they become available in the coming weekend. Until then, stay tuned.

CoD legend ACHES joins Ubisoft as developer on new first-person shooter MLG/UbisoftCall of Duty legend and two-time world champion Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price has officially joined game developer Ubisoft to work on an upcoming first-person shooter with them. In January 2022, ACHES officially announced his retirement from competitive Call of Duty. In a career that spanned over a decade, with multiple championships — including two world championships in 2013 and 2018 — to his name. Since then, he has become a co-host of The Flank alongside fellow retired pro Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto as well as part of the talent on Dexerto’s own Reverse Sweep Call of Duty League show. Outside of his content, though, ACHES has been spending the last few months working on Tom Clancy’s XDefiant for Ubisoft as a Game Designer with a focus on esports. In March, he announced that the role had become a full-time one. In the statement released on Wednesday, March 2, he said: “It is my pleasure to announce that I have joined the Ubisoft San Francisco studio. I’ll be working on XDefiant which is being led by industry veteran Mark Rubin, who helped create some of my favorite shooters ever.” Mark Rubin was previously executive producer at Infinity Ward for 10 years, and worked on classic CoD releases including CoD 4, Modern Warfare 2 and 3, and Ghosts. ACHES revealed that he is working on various aspects of the game including cameras/controls, game modes, weapons, factions, and more within the upcoming title. Players can register for closed beta access for XDefiant across PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, though no release date is currently set in stone. Ubisoft announced on January 31 that they consolidated their global esports operations into one designated esports team, with the intention of building out more competitive gaming operations in the future. It looks as though CoD legend ACHES could be helping them to spearhead that move.

Cloud9 look to tap into collegiate esports with new initiative Cloud9North American organization Cloud9 have announced their collegiate initiative after partnering with Uconnect in August 2020. [jwplayer OhiXHYBA] A range of events and resources with their new partner will run from November in an attempt to foster the “next generation of esports talent.” Cloud9 University is described as a celebration of collegiate esports and includes panels, a League of Legends tournament, a community Discord server and a college fair. Sponsorship marketplace Uconnect partnered with the organization in August following an initial activation at the LCS that featured 16 collegiate esports teams. The Cloud9 Panel Series will take place in November, and will be broadcasted live on the org’s Twitch channel. The two-day event aims to provide insights into the different departments of an organization, how they operate, and what other career opportunities are up for grabs in esports. The League of Legends Intercollegiate Tournament will follow the panel in December, with more details set to be released nearer that time. The competition will be hosted on Uconnect’s platform. Eight universities from the United States will be chosen as affiliates for the program, receiving perks such as early job and internship opportunities and access to exclusive events and resources. The Collegiate Fireside initiative will see the eight affiliates be assigned with a Cloud9 mentor that will help them host Q&A sessions, resume workshops, and participate in panel discussions. CALLING ALL UNIVERSITIES 📣 We have partnered with @UconnectEsports to launch C9 University — a year-end program where we partner up with universities and launch a series of events for collegiate esports organizations! Learn more and apply here: https://t.co/6Dg3wJ62hX pic.twitter.com/d6eY8mgSzQ — Cloud9 (@Cloud9) October 29, 2020 “Collegiate esports is thriving – we at Cloud9 recognize its potential and want to be a part of uplifting these hard working students with resources and opportunities,” said Cloud9’s CEO Jack Etienne when the partnership was first announced. “We’re excited to see this generation of esports professionals grow.” The final aspect of Cloud9 University is a youth initiative program called Training Grounds College Fair. Affiliate institutions will be given a chance to show their esports programs to the org’s players, who are stated to have “expressed a growing interest in considering esports programs when selecting colleges.”

Cloud9’s leaf targets revenge against Fnatic at Valorant Champions: “Next time it’ll be a lot easier” Lance Skundrich / Riot GamesCloud9 Blue’s Nathan ‘leaf’ Orf is hoping for a rematch against Fnatic following their 2-1 loss against the European team in their opening Valorant Champions match. Valorant Champions 2021 is well underway, with 16 of the world’s best teams vying for the first-ever title of world champion in Riot Games’ tactical shooter. The opening day of the tournament on December 1 was headlined by an intercontinental series between Fnatic and Cloud9 Blue. The European team, who missed the VCT Stage 3 Masters event, showed no signs of rust as they ran out 2-1 winners in this keenly-contested match that came down to the wire as the final map, Fracture, was decided in overtime. In a post-match interview with Dexerto, leaf rued the mistakes that his team made. Fnatic came out the better side on the opening map, Icebox, before Cloud9 responded on Split, hitting back from 11-6 down. At one point on Fracture, Cloud9 were down 11-4 before they managed to bring it back to overtime. “[On Icebox], we weren’t making plants fast enough, I guess, and that kind of hurt us with post plants,” leaf said. “We won the pistol, then they went up 3-2 and it was all post-plant defuses. They were definitely doing good retakes. “On Fracture, I played like trash and we lost both pistols, so that definitely plays an important part,” he said. “I think we made a good comeback though, which is really good, it shows mental resilience.” Leaf explained that Cloud9 didn’t have enough information to go off of to fully prepare against Fnatic. The last time the Europeans played a VCT tournament was in July. While Fnatic still dabbled in smaller tournaments, like the Red Bull Home Ground and LVP Rising, those didn’t really show the roster’s strengths and weaknesses. “We haven’t really had many VODs to watch from them,” leaf said. “They only played like once a month ago or something, but even then it was three matches and Bo1s, so you can’t learn that much from it. Fnatic are an anti-strat team too, so it was kind of bad that they had so many VODs of us and we didn’t have any of them.” Looking forward, Cloud9 will be looking for revenge against Fnatic, but first, they will need to overcome FULL SENSE. When asked which team he’d like to face if they beat the Thai side, leaf mentioned Fnatic without hesitation. “We should’ve closed it out on Icebox and beat them 2-0,” he noted. “I think next time it’ll be a lot easier too because we’ll be familiar with them.”

Cloud9 CEO claims org is making a profit despite 2023 esports winter Shannon Cottrell/Riot GamesCloud9’s CEO Jack Etienne celebrated the new year on social media by proclaiming that the esports organization posted a profit in 2023 despite the esports winter hitting in full force. 2023 was not kind to the esports industry as multiple esports organizations and companies ceased to exist through either merger and acquisition or just plain shut down. The industry downturn has been dubbed the esports winter by community members and insiders and has shown no signs of slowing down as the world enters 2024. Esports organizations looking to weather the storm have reportedly cut back on player salaries, as well as the amount of esports they participate in. Orgs have also become more strategic about what kind of titles they want to compete in, choosing to leave esports leagues that offer little in return for investment. However, not every company came out of the year with poor projections and finances. Cloud9’s CEO Jack Etienne claims that his organization managed to return to profitability in 2023. Cloud9 had a profitable 2023, according to CEO Cloud9, however, did not come away from 2023 unscathed as the company went through multiple rounds of cuts to its video, production, and streaming divisions. The North American-based organization also released its Overwatch League roster, the London Spitfire, as the league ceased operation after the majority of its franchise teams voted to exit the competition. “2023 has been an incredible year that brought Cloud9 back to profitability despite difficult conditions in our industry,” Etienne said on social media. Etienne did not specify how Cloud9 managed to post a profit, but the company’s cuts and suspected reduction in spending on player salaries might have played a role. Cloud9 seemed to cut back on its player salary spending early on in 2023 as the organization dropped two of its most impactful players from its Valorant roster in Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker and Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina soon after initially agreeing to terms with them. The organization also reduced the amount of esports it participated in early on in the year. Whether Cloud9 and the other remaining esports organizations and companies, will be able to continue operating, or post profits, during this historic industry downturn into 2024 remains to be seen.

Cloud9 drops marquee Fortnite stars Vivid and Chap in shock move Cloud9Cloud9 has dropped its marquee Fortnite stars, Vivid and Chap, in a shock move less than six months after joining, after the pair fell short of “a range of metrics,” including competitive performance, in the latter months of 2020. Cloud9 has started the new year with a bang. Less than six months ago, they signed two marquee Fortnite players, Noah ‘Vivid’ Wright and Ryan ‘Chap’ Chaplo, on multi-year contracts to compete in the popular battle royale. The players already established themselves as a formidable duo in their time at Team Liquid. Cloud9 hoped to re-create the magic within their own organization. It was an ambitious power play that strengthened their presence in the competitive scene. However, Cloud9 has decided to release both players from their contracts after the popular pair “failed to hit a range of metrics” in their 2020 deals. According to founder Jack Etienne, the shock move was a “carefully considered decision” from Cloud9 upper management. He wrote on Reddit, “These players were released after falling short across a range of metrics, including but not limited to competitive performance. We wish them the best in the future.” Chap was the first one to comment. He kept things short, sharp, and sweet and didn’t elaborate on any details. “FREE AGENT… LOL,” he said. It led to an outpour of comments, with practically everyone left scratching their heads, trying to figure out what happened. However, after a series of memes, question marks, and nervous laughter, it slowly became apparent that he was telling the truth. Vivid announces retirement after shock release Shortly after, Vivid commented too. But unlike his teammate, he broke it down in a lengthy post on Twitlonger. “Got into the meeting with the Fortnite manager (Robin) over at C9 who basically immediately informed me that myself and Chap would be getting released today,” he said. “There was no real explanation.” “I’m not mad or upset at C9. I understand that it’s just business,” he added. “But I just think it’s just crazyyyy how we can commit to an org for 2-3 years and have no say what or where we go but then they can decide to do whatever they want with us whenever they want.” Then, in an even more shocking turn of events, he announced his retirement after reflecting on the situation. “I don’t have the energy to search for another organization at this time, and I don’t want to continue professional play without having a guaranteed form of income,” he said. “SOO… I guess you can say I retire.” Both the news of their release and Vivid’s retirement has come as a shock to fans and players within the community. It’s bittersweet to see one of the most dynamic partnerships come to an end, but it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Cloud9 announces $500 annual membership experience for superfans Cloud9Esports organization Cloud9 has announced a new annual subscription service for fans. Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ experience will begin on January 1 and run for the entire year. Formed in 2013, Cloud9 has risen to become one of the most recognizable brands in competitive gaming. With a large trophy cabinet across multiple titles, the organization has garnered a large and dedicated fanbase. Of course, as with any fanbase, there are those who want to establish a closer relationship with the brand and offer additional support. That’s exactly what Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ program is designed to offer superfans of the organization. Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ membership program Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ subscription service is not designed for a typical fan of the organization. As advertised, it’s targeting the superfans who want to become more involved and connected with the brand. The ‘Stratus’ program is available to purchase for a one-time payment of $500 or the price can be split into four payments of $125. The question is, what can a superfan expect from the ‘Stratus’ program? Well, the subscription service offers members a range of perks including an exclusive discord, monthly access to staff in the organization, social media perks, and exclusive merchandise. Announced exclusively in the C9 @JackEtienne AMA, Cloud9 is excited to introduce 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 – a new annual membership experience for C9 Superfans! 📢 Pre-register and learn more at https://t.co/u9ebMw67Rh! 📃 https://t.co/m46tJbdifN pic.twitter.com/d6le20CDsc— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) November 10, 2020 The price of Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ experience has been the main point of contention among fans. The $500 price tag has led some to criticize the organization’s program, labeling it as overpriced: “Been a Cloud9 fan since the original meme team but $500 PER YEAR for some merch is a gross abuse of your fans.” Despite this, others stand by that no one is forced to pay the price and the program acts as a season pass for superfans of the brand: “It’s basically an esports season ticket membership deal… I kinda dig it.” The exclusive aspects of the ‘Stratus’ experience make it difficult to establish the value of the package. Cloud9 has a huge and dedicated fanbase, some of which have been following the brand since its inception. Whether the $500 fee is reasonable depends on your view and experience with the organization. Cloud9 are not the only organization looking to capitalize on superfans, with Envy Gaming launching the ‘EnvyUS’ membership program. It’s fair to say there’s a stark difference in price; Envy Gaming’s subscription service is set to cost fans $29.95 for the year. However, it is important to note that Envy Gaming’s program does not offer physical perks and Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ experience does. Cloud9’s ‘Stratus’ program begins on January 1, 2021.

Cloud9 announce One Piece merch collection in collaboration with Toei Animation Cloud9Cloud9 have announced its collaboration with Toei Animation which will feature merchandise inspired by the anime ‘One Piece.‘ Another anime merchandise collection has been announced, this time from Cloud9. The North American esports organization announced a collaboration with the studio that creates the animation for ‘One Piece,’ Toei Animation, on December 5. The collaboration features hoodies, shirts, sweatpants and more. The apparel’s designs were inspired by the iconic characters from One Piece like Roronoa Zoro and Tony Tony Chopper. The clothes also feature the star hat pirate flag design. “Our team is thrilled to collaborate with Toei Animation on this exciting ‘One Piece’ collection,” Jack Etienne, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloud9 said in a press release. “We wanted to create a collection that not only celebrates the world of esports but also pays tribute to one of the most beloved anime series of all time.” Cloud9 One Piece apparel will be available soon The limited-time sale will start on December 9. Fans in California can head to Venice Beach on that day to purchase the merchandise in person a a pop-up shop, while everyone else can buy the clothes over the internet at Cloud9’s online storefront. The collaboration comes as ‘One Piece’ has become more popular than ever. The long-running series had a live-action show released on Netflix this year and the series’ main character Monkey D. Luffy was featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The anime series started airing way back in 1999 and has released over 1,000 episodes to date. This collaboration is another in a long line of anime and anime-adjacent projects from esports organizations. Team Liquid, TSM and 100 Thieves have all had at least one collaboration with an animation studio with popular anime like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z and Full Metal Alchemist.

Cloakzy claims he’s trapped in a “really bad” contract with FaZe Clan FaZe ClanFaZe Clan are reportedly holding one of their biggest streamers, Dennis ‘Cloak’ Lepore, to a “really bad” contract and he’s already explored options for getting out of the deal. A rift between the streamer and the popular org is taking shape as Cloakzy revealed multiple attempts to try and communicate a buyout. But without a response from FaZe Clan, the streamer has been looking forward to the end of his arrangement to walk free. “I’m reading this like a book,” Cloakzy said of the possible outcomes that could come as his contract expires. Since the org has been “ghosting” him on requests to discuss his contract, he’s now convinced that the best option will be to ride out the deal until it expires on March 1, 2021, according to the Fortnite star. During his May 4 stream, Cloakzy revealed his embattled situation with his org, though not mentioning them by name. “Am I signed to an org?” he replied to a Twitch message. “I signed to an org three years ago. They gave me a really bad contract and I didn’t want to be a part of them anymore, but they’re not letting me leave. So I am still on an org.” Specific details of the four-year deal are unknown, but as the contract enters its last year, the streamed looked back in regret about signing on to the terms. “Why did I sign a four-year contract? I don’t know man, I don’t f**king know,” he said. “I got a whole other year bro. A whole f**cking year.” The only prominent brand Cloakzy has been attached to for his biggest years as a Fortnite competitor and streamer has been FaZe. According to him, communication with the org has been minimal but amicable, and he suspects FaZe won’t be open to talking about his deal until it nears its end. “They haven’t really answered me. I know what’s going to happen. I’m reading this like a book, it’s either: everything’s been extremely under the radar, no legal stuff. Just like a friendly [relationship] and then they don’t answer me when I message them. FaZe hasn’t messaged me when I want to buy myself out [of the contract]. Then the second it gets within a month or two of my contract expiring and I’m going to be free, they’re either going to immediately answer me and try getting into contact with me, they’re going to try selling me so they can get some sort of money off me, or they’re going to say some stuff and then take me to court.” We have reached out to FaZe Clan for a response to Cloakzy’s recent comments. He is still associated with the prominent esports organization, but only as far as the contract is concerned. There are no logos, brand association, or anything relating to FaZe throughout his social media accounts or his Twitch channel. Back in 2019, the 25-year-old star revealed that he was working for months to split with FaZe, which the org confirmed that was the case on June 22. Those discussions must not have materialized since Cloakzy is now looking toward the spring of 2021 to become a free agent again.

CLG players and staff react as org reportedly faces mass layoffs and potential shutdown Riot GamesA number of CLG employees and esports players have reacted to the reports about the organization laying off a large number of staff and potentially closing doors. LCS content creator Travis Gafford claimed on April 3 that Los Angeles-based organization CLG will lay off most of its staff members, with parent company Madison Square Garden Entertainment looking to either sell the brand or shut it down. Gafford said that “all staff members”, including Head of CLG Greg Kim, will be let go as part of this massive round of layoffs. The only exception is CLG’s League of Legends division, though it is likely that the LCS franchise slot will be sold to another organization, potentially NRG. The Esports Advocate confirmed that layoffs are happening at CLG, though it wasn’t able to verify “the scale and scope of the situation” at the organization. CLG Head of Marketing Danielle Fox was one of the first CLG employees to react to the reports, asking the community to “give us some space right now.” “We’ll talk about it on Thursday,” she added. ‘PunsAndBuns’, who works in marketing and social for CLG, posted the famous clip of former Manchester United manager José Mourinho saying, “If I speak, I am in big trouble.” She then added: “I’ve seen esports exist with no money, I’ve seen esports exist with tons of money. As long as there are people who love playing games and people who love running tournaments, esports will never die.” Nemo Zhou, a content creator for CLG, said: “Well, this sucks.” CLG’s esports players react In addition to their League of Legends division, CLG operates teams in CS:GO, Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends and Super Smash Bros. CS:GO player Marissa ‘madss’ Dasta wrote on Twitter: “It’s been a really hard f***ing day. Just hearbroken.” Her teammate Vivienne ‘BiBiAhn’ Quach said: “I’m broken. It hurts.” Super Smash Bros. player James ‘VoiD’ Makekau-Tyson also posted on Twitter, saying: “[I’ve] been on a flight for the last six hours, but there’s just no way, man…” Two of CLG’s LCS players also reacted to the news on Twitter. Top laner Niship ‘Dhokla’ Doshi simply posted a sad emoji, while jungler Juan ‘Contractz’ Garcia wrote: “Where is the closest McDonald’s?”

CLG staff and players say their goodbyes amid org’s shutdown CLG Gaming | TwitterRumors of CLG’s shutdown have been floating around and, with players and staff announcing their departure from the organization, the future of CLG is well and truly in peril. Counter Logic Gaming has been around for over a decade, being founded in 2010 by at-the-time League of Legends pro player George ‘HotshotGG’ Georgallidis. Since then, the organization has grown expontentially and cemented itself as a top org within the LCS, a force to be reckoned with in games like Counter Strike and Apex Legends, and a mainstay org in the fighting game community. However, recent reports have indicated that CLG may be no more. With reports indicating that they’ll be selling off their LCS spot to NRG and pulling out of all other esports ventures, the future isn’t exactly bright for this old-school org. After an official announcement from CLG leader Greg Kim, former staff and players with the org have spoken about how positive their time with CLG was and how sad they are to be leaving that part of their lives behind. CLG players and staff lament the end of their time with the org Keeping a big organization like CLG afloat takes a lot of employees. Between social media managers, marketing, merchandise, operations, and the staff involved with the players that represent the brand, the shutdown of an org that has this much behind it leaves a lot of employees jobless. Many (now former) staff with CLG have taken to Twitter announcing that they’ve been laid off and are moving on to the next chapter of their lives. Greg Kim had a post that explained at length what leading the org has meant to him for the last two years. He left the end of his post with a bit of optimism about the future of the industry, even in the face or the org he led shutting down. “I hope the events of this week spark productive conversation, rather than cynicism. I still have faith in the fundamental idea that so long as people enjoy competitive gaming – there will always be a future for esports.” Former CLG head of marketing Danielle Fox was at least able to make a light hearted joke in relation to the layoffs, one that refers to the controversial CLG roster video that caused a great deal of backlash in 2021, saying “We got bud light aced“. Players have also been let go, with Smash player Cody Schwab getting congratulated for winning a major by getting dropped from the org entirely. He’s since announced his free agency. The League of Legends players have yet to do the same, something that aligns with reports that the League of Legends vertical will be sticking around for now. That said, some of the players have made fairly vague tweets about to the future of CLG and their time as pro players. NRG CEO Andy Miller has officially announced that they’ll be taking over and re-entering the LCS. He’s confirmed that they’ll be keeping the League of Legends vertical that CLG held onto and will be keeping their LCS roster the same. Additionally, he’s confirmed that they’ll be swapping all the CLG branding to NRG as soon as Riot allows them to do so.

Clash Royale player caught cheating at major Red Bull LAN tournament Red Bull EsportsA professional Clash Royale player was caught cheating at the Red Bull MEO World Finals 2019 in Germany, accused of communicating with his manager by using earbuds during a playoff match. French player Gregory ‘GregEmpire77’ Haloin was disqualified from the tournament, after Admins were alerted to possible cheating, and Haloin confessed to the accusation. The Red Bull MEO World Finals in Germany, were the culmination of weeks of qualifiers, with 36 countries represented, competing in three mobile games – Clash Royale, Arena of Valor and Brawl Stars. GregEmpire77 was the representative for France, playing for French mobile esports organization, Team 404. In a playoff match vs German player Schwarzen, which GregEmpire77 lost 3-1, his manager apparently called him, and spoke for only two minutes, according to the player. In a statement to Dexerto, Haloin explains: “My manager wanted to call me when I was playing so I answered, but it was difficult to play with him so I decided to stop. We were only in the call for 2 minutes and I lost the match. At the beginning he told me it was allowed and I trusted him.” ESL posted a statement on Twitter, claiming that GregEmpire77 “gained insights into his opponent’s plays”. The player communicated with a person in front of the stage and gained insights to his opponents plays. — ESL Clash Royale (@ESLClashRoyale) February 3, 2019 In Clash Royale, if a player is able to receive information about their opponents elixir and card cycles, it is a major advantage. It cannot be proven GregEmpire77 was receiving this kind of information of course, but suspicions were raised, prompting organizers ESL to disqualify the player. We will keep this story updated as more information about the incident becomes available.

CLG owners confirm imminent changes to esports org CLGCLG owners, MSG Sports, gave a statement to Digiday about the report that the esports organization is shutting down, laying off its entire staff and selling its LCS spot. It was reported on April 3 that CLG would be shutting down, laying off its entire staff (including upper management), and selling its LCS slot. A day later, the parent company of the esports organization, Madison Square Garden Sports, gave a statement to Digiday about the changes coming to CLG. “While changes like this are always difficult, we are streamlining CLG’s operations to better position the company for long-term success and are also currently exploring strategic alternatives for the business,” the statement said. MSG bought a controlling stake in CLG in 2017, which was the New York-based company’s first foray into the esports business, apart from hosting the LCS finals in 2015. The company said that the investment was made to diversify its portfolio and “enhance MSG’s portfolio of live experiences.” CLG was founded in 2010 as a League of Legends team and expanded to have teams in Valorant, Counter-Strike, Apex Legends, and other titles. CLG esports owners give statement on coming sale and layoffs CLG staff were told on April 3 that by the end of the week, they would no longer have jobs with the company and that the League of Legends division would be sold off to NRG Esports, according to the report. The report did not specify if NRG would be buying CLG or just acquiring the LCS slot as MSG closes its operations. CLG employees, players, and content creators have reacted to the news with a mixture of jokes and heartbreak as they either learn of the news or respond to questions. The news of CLG’s demise comes days after reports around TSM potentially selling its slot in the LCS and experiencing other financial woes. The two esports organizations are some of the longest-tenured organizations in LoL history and have been in the LCS since its inception.

Is Chess an esport? Inside the game’s online rise on Twitch EnvyChess is a board game which spans centuries, believed to have been birthed in northwest India in the sixth century. In 2020, it became the most unlikely esport. 2020 was an unprecedented year. A global health situation affected how we all lived and there are currently little signs of widespread normality returning anytime soon. For chess, however, this represents a period of unbelievable growth. Spawned out of the perfect storm of unpredictable circumstances, the strategy board game reached new levels of activity online — something that’s unusual for a game that’s mostly played in-person. This activity manifested in both playing activity and viewership, but how did it truly happen? There appear to be several factors at play, inextricably linked and brewing together into a potent concoction that nobody could have foreseen. The game has a strong legacy dating back centuries, the aforementioned health crisis rendered travel and in-person socializing almost impossible, a Netflix series that took almost 30 years to produce was well-received, and the ever-evolving Twitch meta shifted to chess. It was a confluence of unlikely individual happenings that came together at a time that propelled the game into the top-tier of esports. Chess takes over Chess.com is perhaps the leading platform for online gameplay, both casually and for the competitive player base. They informed Dexerto that 50,000-60,000 new members were joining the site each day in March — growing to an incredible 125,000 per day following the critical release of The Queen’s Gambit on October 23rd, 2020. It hasn’t slowed down yet either. Read More: Best chess streamers to watch on Twitch – As per SimilarWeb, a website analytics platform that can serve as a rough indication as to a site’s performance, paints a similar picture. In October 2020, the platform states Chess.com accrued 81m total viewers. This grew to 116.5m in November 2020, the month in which the Netflix series was the talk of the town, and grew to 162.5m total views in December 2020. A question worth asking regarding this surge of attention is just how it will affect the future of chess. “Online chess is the future of chess itself because of its accessibility,” Nick Barton, director of business development at Chess.com, told Dexerto. “In a matter of seconds you can play a chess game with anyone from around the world and you have a wealth of learning resources such as lessons, analysis and puzzles at your fingertips and the growth of online chess, especially among brand new players, has shifted the definition of what it means to play a game of chess. “Large prize fund events have shifted the professional landscape so much so that in the future, organizers of over-the-board tournaments will have to be mindful of important online events on the horizon when considering scheduling and player invites. Of course, there are going to be growing pains along the way but top players are getting more and more accustomed to playing competitive games online.” How can those who are involved with chess ensure that the board game sustains this growth in attention and ensure it remains a more popular, financially-fruitful, and culturally-impactful activity? In esports, we’re used to seeing games come and go — this is less prevalent in traditional sports, however. While chess would not die an honourable death should the past year’s rise subside, it’s reasonable to assume that those involved would prefer for their sport to stay in the spotlight. “It’s up to the established leaders of the chess world to be mindful of new players discovering the game,” Barton said. “This might be Chess.com developing new features to help flatten the learning curve for new players, creators like Hikaru and the Botez sisters finding new and innovative ways to engage their audiences, or tournament organizers finding ways to connect fans with the players through open mics during competitive play, interesting new competitive formats, hybrid LAN events, etc. Everyone has an unspoken role to play. “I’ve held that many new chess players aren’t necessarily drawn to chess so they can improve at the game itself, but that they’re drawn to chess as a proxy for self improvement. Chess has the unique quality of increasing the heart rate while simultaneously improving cognition, decision making, creativity and critical thinking. If we can harness that messaging and if casual players around the world are using online chess as a platform to improve their academic and work performance as well as their social lives, I think we have a winning formula for sustainability.” In come the organizations With chess becoming a favourite pastime of many throughout 2020 and going into 2021, executives in esports are starting to bet on the game now in hopes of it indeed being able to retain most of its attention. We’ve seen esports organizations flock to a new title like Valorant almost-instantly in fear of missing out on being part of the next big thing, and this is also happening on this side of gaming. Major players in North American esports, the likes of Envy Gaming and TSM, have already played their opening move by signing chess players. The former has signed Alexandra and Andrea Botez, sisters who have been creating content surrounding the game for quite some time. The latter recruited Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in what was an eye-opening signing for those across both chess and esports. Read More: Who are Alexandra and Andrea Botez? – These signings are a vote of confidence in chess from the organizations, they surely believe that the online version of the game has plenty left in the tank when it comes to obtaining eyeballs on Twitch and YouTube. “We love chess, but our decision was more about Alexandra and Andrea being a great fit for Envy than it was about making a statement about the popularity of chess,” Andrew Peterman, Envy Gaming’s chief content officer told Dexerto in regards to the org’s decision to enter the title. “Regardless of whether chess continues its trajectory on Twitch or it returns to its previous level of popularity, the Botez sisters are going to continue to establish themselves as staples of the entertainment community on Twitch and YouTube.” Organizations in esports care about much more than simply competing these days, they’re engaged in media and merchandise as much as they are battling it out with others. This is mostly down to the economic upside of esports — or lack thereof — at the moment, there’s more money to be made in content and endorsements and these activities are also great for brand-building and advertisement. You now have to consider all of these elements when judging a signing in esports because there’s simply more at play than just… play. “We view TSM not only as a gaming organization, but truly as a media and entertainment company, playing in the same attention economy as Netflix, TV, and sports,” Walter Wang, TSM’s head of operations told us. “Our goal is to become the biggest video game brand in the world. Chess has increasingly moved from offline to online so it was easy to see how chess is right in TSM’s wheelhouse. It is extremely competitive, incredibly popular, and a game that is increasingly played and viewed online and digitally. “We hope that as esports orgs start fielding chess players and chess streamers on their rosters, we can play a small part in increasing chess’s market and bring newer players who are digitally native to the game. That is why we are so aligned.” Is chess an esport? It’s time to get to a question that is actually rather pointless, and that’s whether chess can now be an esport. For whatever reason, a significant portion of those in the industry — whether a fan or an executive — feel the need for everything to be neatly categorized. Nonetheless, it is easy to make the case for the online version of the board game to meet the criteria as an esport. Read More: Opinion: Esports fans don’t exist – There’s a low barrier to entry for new players, there is a tangible skill gap between players, it is played competitively by nature, there are prize winnings to be earned, and there’s a community interested in watching the game played at the highest level. The very esports organizations that have a pawn in the game don’t care about its categorization, again reinforcing the current state of play in esports — it’s more than just competition. “From a content perspective, it doesn’t matter,” said Peterman. “Viewers select what’s entertaining to them whether it’s an esport, a traditional sport, board game, game show, or something else entirely. It’s our mission as an entertainment company to meet that demand and create compelling content.” TSM’s Wang concurs with Envy’s Peterman, whether a game is an esport or not isn’t important to their operation. They’re in the business of getting as many eyeballs as possible and they want to serve the community they’ve recently entered. That’s where success lays for them. “What we should be more focused on is what makes sports, esports, and games like chess so exciting and enthralling,” he explained. “The tension, the excitement, the devotion, the passion of all these competitions, interactions, and games are truly amazing and these are the traits we focus on at TSM. To me, it makes no sense to label certain things and categorize them. Instead, we should focus on the underlying first principles of entertainment and competition.” With Chess.com benefiting in a big way from the game’s online activities, seeing major brands from across gaming and esports investing is a great sign. It doesn’t matter what it’s called as competitive chess is nothing new to them and it’s a prominent element of their business. They’ll continue to serve their community with new events, like PogChamps and Arena Kings, and enjoying the viewership they command. “Chess is whatever people want it to be,” concluded Barton. “In online competitions it’s an esport. In over-the-board play it’s a highly-respected, analog game. In the offices of innovative esports organizations it’s a massive source of untapped future fans. It doesn’t matter how chess is defined, it’s been here for centuries and will continue to exist long after the term esport has vanished.” Whether chess or not manages to become widely-adopted into the world of esports, it’s clear that organizations are buying in and that online chess has soared to new heights. Whether this success will continue, sustain, or fall by the wayside in the future is yet to be seen but one thing is for sure: people are entertained and challenged by the game, and thus chess as a whole isn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon.

CDL & OWL team faces layoffs as Activision Blizzard looks to overhaul esports Activision BlizzardActivision Blizzard’s esports division is reportedly laying off 50 employees as they look to restructure the department, just weeks before the Overwatch League 2021 season gets going. On March 16, according to a report from The Esports Observer (TEO), Activision Blizzard Esports announced a restructuring that ultimately means 50 of their employees will be getting laid off. Activision Blizzard Esports operates both the Call of Duty League, who’s 2021 season has already started, and the Overwatch League, who will begin play on April 16. Tony Petitti, president of sports and entertainment at Activision Blizzard, told TEO in an interview on March 16 that it could be possible online-only play makes up the majority, but not all, of the OWL and CDL schedules going forward. Which isn’t the greatest news for OWL Homestands. “We learned a lot last year in terms of how the leagues can be structured for online play, and we’ll look to carry forward the best practices from that,” Petitti told TEO. “In terms of timing, it’s a reaction to the realities of how the leagues are playing and what resources we need to allocate to best serve the league, owners, teams and fans.” According to Activision Blizzard though, they are still optimistic about the potential for both CDL and OWL to continue growing despite this latest news. A short while after TEO’s story came out, the company officially announced the layoffs, which would primarily affect their live events and production teams. “Players are increasingly choosing to connect with our games digitally,” a spokesperson said in the release. “And the e-sports team, much like traditional sports, entertainment, and broadcasting industries, has had to adapt its business due to the impact the pandemic has had on live events.” Shortly after the news that the company would be letting 50 employees go started to come out, staff from both leagues reacted to the news. https://twitter.com/alexpenn/status/1371894277165305857 I unfortunately am part of the ABE layoffs and am looking for observing, editing, production, and broadcast-related opportunities. You can take a look at all my work here:https://t.co/RtnoUImybg — Willow, the Obs (@IcarusObs) March 16, 2021 The company said they were able to keep the majority of their employees throughout 2020, and that these changes have been a long time coming, even before Petitti was hired to Activision Blizzard from the MLB (Major League Baseball). Live events won’t totally be going away though, according to a statement from one of the companies’ PR reps obtained by GamesIndustryBiz. “Live events are still very much a part of both the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League strategies,” the rep told GamesIndustryBiz. “We plan to get back to them as soon as it’s safe to do so and logistically feasible.” But, until we get more details on what exactly is being planned, this definitely doesn’t seem like good news for fans who hope to catch either the CDL or OWL live soon.

Censor travels to India to raise awareness for competitive gaming Call of Duty pro and YouTuber Doug ‘Censor’ Martin made a trip to Mumbai, India to raise awareness for the country’s esports scene. In a vlog, Censor revealed that he had traveled to India to promote competitive gaming for the Olympic Channel, with an emphasis on Counter-Strike. He hosted a nine-minute video on the country’s competitive gaming scene, which can be viewed on the Channel’s website. Censor noted the disparity between India’s gaming community and that of the United States, stating that, while kids can hop to their local GameStop to pick up a controller or console accessories, getting such hardware isn’t even a possibility in India. “It’s crazy to me how a lot of these people don’t have access to consoles,” he stated towards the end of his vlog. “…over there, on the other side of the world, they don’t even understand what that is because they’re so far behind.” During his trip, Censor likewise decided to roam about the city, making a special effort to find local cuisine. Censor ended up making his way to a spot named ‘Jaihind Lunch Home’ with a few friends he’d made in the area. He indulged in a dish called ‘Chicken Lollipop,’ which was essentially a plate of fried chicken with curry sauce. He described the sauce as, ‘bitter,’ but appeared to be thoroughly pleased with the chicken itself. He was likewise surprised at the food’s price – he cited one friend’s ‘Fish Tali’ as costing only $4.00. He then made his way to a crowded beach, where he was stopped by a slew of beachgoers to take pictures – despite them not knowing who he was. Censor expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to travel to Mumbai, and hopes that his episode on the Channel can help raise awareness for the country’s gaming scene.

LA Thieves topple OpTic Texas in CDL Major 4 finals: Full results ActivisionCall of Duty League Major 4 has now wrapped up, with LA Thieves defeating a dominant OpTic Texas squad in the Grand Finals. Here’s everything you need to know about what went down. While Major 3 was played out in front of out a racuous crowd in Dallas, Texas, CDL Major 4 was a little bit different. Instead of having the crowd to feed off, teams just had to exchange trash talk between themselves in Columbus, Ohio, as they played in a studio environment. The OpTic Texas squad continued their dominance from the qualifiers, getting into the Winners Final. Though, it was their old foes, LA Thieves, who came out on top in that, putting themselves into the Grand Finals. Looking to improve mightily on their 7-8 placing in CDL Major 3, the Thieves proved their credentials as still one of the top teams in the game, defeating the red-hot OpTic squad in the Grand Finals by a 4-2 scoreline – even breaking their record-setting Hardpoint win count. Contents CDL Major 4 final placements Below you can find the prize pool distribution and the final standings. CDL Major 4 Schedule & results Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 CDL Major 4 teams With some roster changes and releases occurring during Major 4 Qualifiers, here’s how the teams look heading into the latter stages of the season, though it’s worth noting that there is no roster cut-off for when teams can make changes.

CDL Major 5 qualifiers: Results, schedule, standings & more Call of Duty LeagueCall of Duty League Major 5 is here, as the 12 teams have to finish off their qualifier matches to determine their seeding for the final LAN Major before the CDL Championship. In Major 4, the LA Thieves found their 2022 form, taking down OpTic in the grand final. Texas disappointedly dropped a second straight Major final but locked up a CDL Champs place, along with Atlanta and the LA Thieves. Only eight teams qualify for the CDL postseason. As it stands, Vegas is on the outside looking in, sitting at ninth with 130 points. Boston is in the midst of a tough run of form but still has 160 points in seventh place. And Minnesota rests in eighth, boasting 150 points. Teams earn 10 points per Qualifer win, setting the stage for a compelling group of matches. Contents CDL Major 5 qualifier stream – CDL Major 5 qualifier standings – CDL Major 5 qualifier schedule – CDL Major 5 qualifier results – CDL Major 5 qualifier teams – CDL Major 5 qualifier stream Despite negotiations with the Call of Duty League to make league matches exclusive on YouTube, Major 5 will remain on Twitch as well as streaming to YouTube with no exclusivity, much to fans’ delight. According to Dexerto sources, while talks have cooled on the YouTube exclusivity front, they’re not completely over. CDL Major 5 qualifier standings CDL Major 5 qualifier schedule Week 3 CDL Major 5 qualifier results Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 CDL Major 5 qualifier teams No CDL teams made a roster move before the Major 5 qualifiers. Make sure to tune into the qualifier matches to see which teams come out on top during the final stage before playoffs.

CDL Major 2 qualifier matches continue offline after lengthy stream outage Steam/Activision/Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League’s Week 2 broadcast for CDL Major 2 qualifiers went down mid-series forcing the rest of the January 22 matches to be played offline. CDL Major 2 qualifiers have been underway for two full weekends now and the final matches of Week 2 were dealt a major curveball thanks to a power outage at the CDL headquarters. Los Angeles Guerrillas and Minnesota ROKKR were most of the way through their series when the broadcast was interrupted and the decision to continue the games was finalized. CDL power outage interrupts Major 2 qualifier broadcast After the outage, the CDL kept the Major 2 qualifier livestream online but left a pinned comment in the live chat to let fans know what was going on. “Our broadcast studio is currently experiencing a power outage. As a result, the typical broadcast experience is impacted.” the note read. Analyst and former pro player Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler kept fans in the loop throughout the experience. “It’s DEFCON 5,” he explained “Everybody is working hard, we’ll figure it out…we’re having a crazy snowstorm.” During the studio’s downtime, LAG completed their 3-1 toppling of MN, and Atlanta FaZe vs. NYSL was streamed without the commentary and analytical fanfare to end the night. The technical issues didn’t stop there either as Game 5 between the final two teams of the night was brought to a hold thanks to connection difficulties all around.

Every car company in esports: BMW, Lamborghini, McLaren, more Tribe GamingAs more money and attention comes to esports, so too do major companies from outside of the gaming industry who are looking to capitalize. The automotive industry is one of the sectors who have proven to want to tap into the vast audiences of esports. As more and more eyeballs flock to esports among its emergence as a major sport in its own right, companies outside of gaming want to get involved as a means of staying relevant to young, engaged audiences. The automotive industry, for some reason, is one of the major players in the wave of high-profile, big-money deals coming the way of esports organizations and tournament organizers. While sponsorships and partnerships are still flooding in, you’d be hard-pressed to find a major car brand that’s not already involved in competitive gaming in some form. Following Tribe and Ford’s new alliance, we’ve compiled a list of all the car manufacturers that are involved in esports. Car companies in esports Alfa Romeo As you may expect, Alfa Romeo’s main effort in esports is taking part in the Formula 1 Esports Series alongside their fellow F1 competitors. They’ve been in the series since 2018. Alpine Alpine are slowly but surely increasing their involvement in esports after competing in the F1 Esports Series. Earlier in 2021 they launched their own competitive gaming event, the Alpine Esports Series. Aston Martin Aston Martin are part of the official esports series hosted by Formula 1, which instantly makes them a top name in the world of sim racing. They’ve also competed in The Race All-Star Series, another tournament for simulated racing. Audi Audi primarily made a name for themselves by getting involved with Astralis Group, sponsoring their teams in major esports titles Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends. They’ve also sponsored FOKUS CLAN, TOP Esports, and national LoL competition Belgian League. BMW BMW entered esports in late 2017 by getting involved with European League of Legends, and they later expanded their presence in the industry by launching United in Rivalry with five major orgs. Most recently, they added two-time The International victors OG Esports to the campaign. Cadillac Owned by General Motors, Cadillac made their mark in esports in January 2021 through a partnership with TSM. The deal made them the exclusive automotive partner of the North American organization. Chevrolet Chevrolet aren’t as involved in esports as many of their competitors, with their main contribution coming in the form of sponsoring Chinese organization Invictus Gaming. Ford Ford cemented their commitment to esports by launching Fordzilla, their very own competitive team, in 2019. More recently, they became a presenting sponsor of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) and sponsored Tribe Gaming. Haval Perhaps less known on an international basis, Haval targeted CIS esports fans in 2020 by forging deals with organization Virtus.pro and tournament organizer EPIC League. Both companies are owned by ESforce and now count the automotive brand as their exclusive partner in this particular category. Honda Honda were named the official automotive partner of the North America LCS in 2019 and, not too long after, reinforced their commitment to League of Legends by becoming the naming sponsor of the LCS Scouting Grounds. They’ve also had involvement with one of the most known orgs in the industry, Team Liquid. Hyundai Hyundai’s esports activities include sponsoring events such as the eSports WRC (in which they had a naming entitlement) and the Red Bull Conquest Finals, where they served as the official automotive partner. KIA KIA have naturally flocked to Rocket League, a game involving cars, as part of their esports strategy. This began by them sponsoring CLG’s team in the game back in 2018. They expanded their reach in 2019 and beyond however, sponsoring Riot Games’ LEC, South American org Thunder Predator, French org Team Vitality, NA-based org Rogue, and former LoL world champions DAMWON Gaming (now known as DWG KIA). Lamborghini As well as sponsoring an event in the Rocket League Championship Series, Lamborghini created their own esports competition: The Real Race. Lexus Lexus have had limited presence in esports thus far, with their first move in the space including sponsoring the Esports Awards. They really boosted their impact in the industry through a deal with 100 Thieves in July 2021, however. Mazda HellRaisers announced a partnership with Auto International, the official distributor and brand importer of Mazda in Ukraine, back in October 2020. The deal included branding being featured across the Ukrainian org’s content. McLaren McLaren have gone beyond simply slapping their logo on an esports team’s jersey and social media. McLaren Shadow is their own esports team, fielding competitors in sim racing, hosting their own events, integrating them into their Formula 1 activities, and (of course) taking part in the F1 Esports Series. Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz have the most skin in the game of any major car brand, owning a significant portion of one of the industry’s most recognizable and longstanding organizations: SK Gaming. They also have presence at many of the world’s biggest esports events, including the League of Legends World Championship and several ESL competitions. They’ve also sponsored organizations like Royal Never Give Up (RNG) and Illuminar Gaming, and compete in the F1 Esports Series. Mitsubishi Mitsubishi served as a sponsor of Blizzard’s esports events but withdrew their commitment in 2019 following controversy involving Hearthstone professional Ng ‘blitzchung’ Wai Chung. Nissan Besides a one-off video campaign with Team Curse, who later become Team Liquid, Nissan’s claim to fame in esports is a dual sponsorship of two of the industry’s biggest brands: FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming. Porsche Porsche’s esports activities include hosting the Porsche iRacing World Championship Series alongside sim racing platform iRacing and sponsoring the esports division of German football club Hamburger SV. Renault Renault have been somewhat reserved in esports, occasionally making moves that they feel makes the most sense considering the industry they’re in. Their main activation has been a naming sponsorship with Team Vitality that specifically focused on Rocket League. SEAT SEAT are known for their partnership with Spanish team brand MAD Lions, serving as the automotive partner of their teams in League of Legends. Subaru Subaru of America partnered with esports agency Damage to create its own $20,000 Subaru Invitational in CS:GO complete with a dedicated Twitch channel. In 2020, Subaru of America became the entitlement sponsor of the Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational in partnership with iRacing. Toyota Toyota have a varied breadth of activities in esports. As well as sponsoring prominent organizations like Immortals, it’s worked with tournaments like BLAST and Overwatch League — even hosting its own event, the Toyota Masters CS:GO Bangkok. Volkswagen The Volkswagen Esports Series is a Brazilian competitive gaming event that focuses on sim racing. They’ve also held a league for Indian competitors, namely the Volkswagen Motorsport IR eSports Racing League. Volvo Volvo have limited experience in the esports industry, having sponsored a minor Dota 2 tournament known as the Legion Ukrainian Championship 2021, which was ran by the Ukrainian Professional Esports Association. Car manufactures are specially suited to esports, given the target demographic of both industries — so we expect more still to get involved.

Caster DoA sparks debate over pay-per-view esports events Call of Duty LeagueIn response to the founder Esports Engine, Adam Apicella, pointing out how esports fans criticized competition broadcasts that are run on tight budgets, multi-esport caster Erik ‘DoA’ Lonnquist brought up the idea of pay-per-view tournaments. One of the founding employees of MLG took to Twitter to talk about the entitlement of esports viewers. He said he sometimes browses esports reddits and finds fans criticizing the production of their game of choice, which they watch for free, with no knowledge of how much it costs to run a broadcast. “We have DECADES of investment that needs to happen before this is the commercial behemoth it could be but instead of being okay with production and quality being in line with revenue, we expect it to be traditional sports. Again, while expecting to pay $0 to watch the content,” Apicella said. Apicella also wondered how esports who complain about the “aesthetics” of a caster or desk segment would react to knowing the NBA commentators sit at folding tables next to the scoring tables during games. This prompted veteran esports caster to chime in with the idea of charging viewers to watch events, like what MLG did back before developer-ran leagues and tournaments became the norm. “Actually paying money for the esports content you consume means that content can keep going and improve! It was a good thing when it happened before and it could still be a good thing now. Being tethered to game company marketing budgets isn’t getting us anywhere,” DoA said. The caster also blamed developers for changing the standards for esports broadcasts when they started running their own esports events as they chose to have everything “be for free with zero plans for long-term sustainability.” Will pay-per-view esports events ever come back? Making esports events pay-per-view has been something that has been teased, or claimed is on the horizon, almost since the inception of competitive gaming. While some games, like Overwatch and League of Legends come Worlds 2023, have dabbled in giving fans different perspectives or more control over the broadcast for payment, none have truly tried to put their entire broadcast behind a paywall in the past decade. According to some responding to DoA, doing so would make fans abandon the esport and bring in limited revenue. “We’ve conditioned the esports audience specifically to be spoiled brats when it comes to free content. Now we gotta live with it,” esports journalist Jacob Wolf said in response to DoA. Esports events in 2023 are mainly run by either the developer of the competitive title or ESL FaceIt, the largest third-party esports tournament organizer. In the case of developer-ran leagues, esports event budgets largely come out of their marketing budget for their title and do not reflect how much revenue is generated by those events or tournaments. ESL, on the other hand, no longer has to worry much about breaking even when it comes to event and production costs as it is owned by the Savvy Games Group, with is owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Invest Fund. The Saudi-controlled fund bought ESL for $1.05 billion and merged the company with FaceIt in 2022. Apicella’s esports production company Esports Engine, which ran events for the Call of Duty among other games and competitions, was acquired by Savvy this year after its parent company Vindex was bought by ESL.

Call of Duty pro Shotzzy opens up on his “humbling” rise to fame CDL / ShotzzyAnthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro marks the rare case of an esports player dominating across multiple games. In an exclusive Dexerto interview to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage month, he told us more about his rise in esports. Less than a month after turning 16, Shotzzy won his first Halo event. The phenom went on to win the 2018 Halo World Championship. After Halo 5’s last tournament, he leaped to Call of Duty, making a name for himself on Black Ops 4 Search and Destroy wager matches. Shotzzy seamlessly transitioned, winning two Major titles in the Call of Duty League with Envy’s Dallas Empire, capping off his rookie season with a World Championship. The blossoming superstar became the first ever multi-FPS World Champion at just 19 years old. OpTic Gaming merged with Envy and added Shotzzy into the fold for CoD Vanguard, joining a superstar lineup of Indervir “iLLeY” Dhaliwal, Seth “Scump” Abner, and Brandon “Dashy” Otell. After winning Major 1, The Green Wall failed to win another major in 2022, falling short of expectations. Rumors swirled, and many assumed Optic Texas would shake up its roster heading into Modern Warfare 2. However, the organization decided to give its star-studded roster another go, keeping Shotzzy. The Call of Duty star shared the story of his rise to fame and credited his mom for helping him achieve his dream. Shotzzy on inspiring the next generation of Hispanic gamers Shotzzy grew up in a household with five brothers and a single mother for a period of his childhood. He spoke about other Hispanic families being strict or not understanding video games, but his mom allowed him the freedom to pursue his passion. Shotzzy’s stepdad didn’t understand gaming initially, but he eventually came around. “It’s cool to see people come in my chat and say I come from a Hispanic family, and they don’t really understand because of their background,” Shotzzy said. “So I kind of relate to that in a way, and it’s cool for kids to see if he can do it, why can’t I do it.” Shotzzy recalled playing with Hispanic friends online as a child and how they would get spanked by a chankla sandal or get yelled at to get offline. “I never experienced that or the really strict stuff they experienced. If my mom was strict and I couldn’t game, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” His proudest moment as a content creator Streaming from an Xbox One with nothing more than a Kinect camera and microphone, Shotzzy humbly began his streaming career playing Halo 2 Anniversary. He recalled watching his uncle play 10 hours of Halo a day as a semi-pro player, inspiring him. Following his uncle’s footsteps, Shotzzy slowly built up a community before eventually making a name for himself playing Black Ops 4 wager matches against current CDL pros such as fellow OptTic Texas teammate iLLeY. “Having people come in my chat and say I’m glad you stream because it helps me with whatever I am going through, and I get that pretty often,” Shotzzy said. “So the fact that I can do that is really humbling to me.” If he had to advise aspiring streamers, it would be to “stream with whatever you have in front of you.” His rise to fame proves you don’t need an expensive PC or microphone to make it. Shotzzy carrying on CoD’s legacy Shotzzy has already teamed with the biggest names in CoD. He won a World Championship with Ian “Crimsix” Porter and James “Clayster” Eubanks and currently forms an SMG duo with Scump. He is not scared of carrying on their legacy after they hang up their boots. “No, just because what they have done is really good for the community, and I want to do the same thing they have done, producing content,” Shotzzy said. “I want to be a good example to the CoD community, and I look forward to creating content and getting some wins along the way.” Whether or not Shotzzy reaches the pinnacle again in CoD, he has already established himself as one of the most exciting players in FPS history.

Caps and GuardiaN among esports stars named in Forbes 30 under 30 list 2019 Forbes has released its ‘Sports and Games’ 30 under 30 list for 2019, featuring a number of high profile esports stars from League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Super Smash Bros, Rocket League and more. The coveted list, which is revealed on an annual basis by Forbes magazine, highlights the achievements of thirty top industry figures in each category. This year, the sports and games category features a number of esports stars, showcasing some of the best talent which competitive gaming has to offer, as well as gamers who have went on to become founders of their own businesses. Established figures from the League of Legends branch of esports include: Fnatic’s Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson from Sweden, retired midlaner Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez – who is now the founder of G2 Esports, as well as G2 player Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther. NiP’s Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund and FaZe Clan’s Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovács are two CS:GO players to make the list. Multiple time Rocket League World Champion Pierre Silfver and Super Smash Bros’ Adam ‘Armada’ Lindgren also made the cut. Last year’s 2018 list also featured many esports and gaming stars, including Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins, Alistair ‘Ali-A’ Aitken and Jake ‘Stewie2K’ Yip. The class of 2019 was not all about esports players, though, with people from a wide variety of sports featuring in the list. Some notable mentions include: Chelsea’s Ngolo Kante and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann – who both won the 2018 World Cup with France – as well as Team Norway’s cross-country skier Ingvild Ostberg, Joe Root from England’s cricket team and Team Austria’s snowboarder Anna Gasser.

Call of Duty fans think Scump’s retirement will be bigger than Tom Brady’s Twitter, @scump, @tombradyWhile the NFL world is lit ablaze by rumors of Tom Brady’s retirement, Call of Duty and esports fans have started thinking about their own stars’ eventual departures. In a massive poll, they claimed Scump’s retirement would be even more impactful than TB12’s. Whether or not you’re a fan of the American fascination with pigskin, you likely encountered some mumblings of Brady’s retirement this past weekend. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the GOAT was retiring this offseason, but Brady’s camp quickly shut that down and explained he hadn’t decided yet. While ‘meat sport’ fans wondered about TB12’s plans and legacy, CoD and esports fans dove into some reflections on their own games. After one user claimed OpTic Gaming’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner’s retirement would be a bigger deal than Brady’s, the debates bubbled. In the interest of discourse, we pushed that topic into the Twitter world and polled thousands about it. Esports fans claim Scump’s retirement would be bigger than Tom Brady’s Without a doubt, our audience is skewed toward the Call of Duty community. It’s in our brand’s blood and that scene has undoubtedly remained present despite our switch to covering other esports with the DexertoEsports Twitter account. Nonetheless, a poll of 3,500-plus people is nothing to scoff at and neither are the results. After bringing up the topic of whose retirement would have a “bigger impact,” a whopping 71.9% of respondents said Scump. In all fairness scump paved the way for cod, TB12 just revolutionized a sport that was around 50 years before him — CRAZYCAREBEAR (@CRAZYCAREBEAR11) January 29, 2022 Tom is, practically without a doubt, the greatest American football player of all time. He not only has more Super Bowl rings than any other player in history… he has more than any franchise. That’s quite the legacy and it’s no surprise that retirement rumors sent shockwaves around the sports world. Still, the argument for Scump’s impact being greater does actually hold some merit. While TB12’s 22-year career has left as unavoidable a mark as possible on football, the league has existed since 1922. There are arguments to be made that Scump has meant even more to CoD than Brady could to football. The first CoD Championship was held in 2009 and, ever since Scump debuted in 2011, he has essentially been the face of the esport. With the man known as scumpii representing OpTic for CDL 2022, it doesn’t seem that a retirement is expected anytime soon. Still, when he does decide to put down the sticks, it’s clear that fans put his legacy in historic territory.

Bybit expands esports footprint with Astralis and Alliance deals Astralis/Alliance/BybitCryptocurrency exchange Bybit have announced two more sponsorships of esports organizations, just a few days after unveiling a deal with Natus Vincere. Following in the footsteps of other companies in crypto that are turning to esports to advertise themselves, Bybit have entered three-year sponsorship deals with both Alliance and Astralis. Alliance are a Swedish player-owned organization that are best known for competing in Dota 2. They became independent in late 2016, when they parted with Amazon-owned parent company GoodGame Agency. On the other hand, Astralis are a Danish esports organization that are listed on the Danish Nasdaq and are known for once having the best team to ever compete in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Much like their deal with Natus Vincere, Bybit’s sponsorship of both Astralis and Alliance will stand for at least three years. The agreement includes the crypto exchange’s branding being displayed across the orgs’ jerseys, streaming overlays, and social media channels. Additionally, Bybit will “take an active part” in carbon neutrality initiatives, financial education, and organizing additional activations for the sponsorship. Founded in March 2018 and boasting more than 2 million registered users, Bybit will use the exposure from the sponsorships to promote their World Series of Trading competition. Are you ready for the quest of a lifetime? It’s back… one of the world’s greatest #crypto trading competitions will soon arise from slumber. It’s time to sharpen your swords and raid the dragon’s hoard. ⚔️ Find out more about #WSOT2021 here: https://t.co/D620zoPzWw pic.twitter.com/6WzQk8hEX1 — WSOT (@WSOT_) August 15, 2021 “This is a significant deal for Astralis on all levels,” said the org’s co-founder, Jakob Lund Kristensen. “At the same time, the purpose of the agreement and activation around it is almost a perfect match with ours: to champion the positives of gaming.” “Today I’m extremely pleased and excited to announce our two-year partnership with Bybit,” added Alliance CEO Jonathan Berg. “I’ve been a crypto and blockchain enthusiast for many years now, and from the start I had a strong belief that there would be a time when our two worlds would mesh.”

Cadillac backs TSM in car company’s very first esports partnership TSM / Cadilac, media.cadillac.comPopular esports and entertainment organization Team SoloMid — more commonly known as TSM — has announced a partnership with luxury auto brand Cadillac in the car company’s first-ever esports venture. On January 11, TSM announced its exclusive partnership with Cadillac, marking the very first time the esteemed automotive company has entered such a business venture with competitive gaming groups. The initiative kicked has off with a special TSM jersey featuring the Cadillac logo — a swanky fit that the organization flexed in a tweet revealing their latest money move. That’s not all; according to TSM’s press release, their newfound partnership will also include some very special features for their fans, such as “access to exclusive streaming events, custom video and social media content, and experiential events and activations at the brand new, state-of-the-art TSM Performance Center.” Welcome to the #TSM family @Cadillac Read more about our exciting new partnership: https://t.co/tdKhg0Ok2u pic.twitter.com/vgJ9kJx2qK — TSM (@TSM) January 11, 2021 It looks like there’s a lot to be excited for, and even Cadillac is jazzed to be part of the proceedings, according to GM’s Manager of Emerging Media and Partnerships, Bryan Steele. “Cadillac is excited to enter the esports space as part of the TSM family,” Steele said of the development. “Whether on the road, or on the Rift, our organizations place an incredibly high value on innovation and craftsmanship. Given our shared values, and the pedigree of Cadillac and TSM, it was a natural fit to team up with one of the most decorated esports teams in the world.” We wanted to start the new year off with a bang…mission accomplished. #CadillacxTSM — Cadillac (@Cadillac) January 11, 2021 While TSM might be Cadillac’s first esports partnership, this isn’t the first time a luxury car brand has gotten involved with an esports group; in November 2020, Chinese car brand Haval partnered with Epic Esports Events for their EPIC League Dota 2 initiative. Just a month prior to Haval’s own initiative, Mazda entered a deal with Hellraisers. Other auto brands similarly involved with esports include Honda with Riot Games’ LCS and Team Liquid, McLaren with DragonX, Audi with Astralis Group, and Kia with the LEC. It seems that more and more car companies are looking to get in on the action that competitive gaming brings. Who knows — it would be really cool to see a special TSM-wrapped Cadillac someday.

Beyond the Summit closes doors as esports winter continues Beyond The SummitEsports tournament organizer Beyond The Summit (BTS) has closed its doors and let go of all of its staff, according to co-founder David ‘LD’ Gorman. An era is over as Beyond the Summit, a tournament organizer for games like Super Smash Bros. and Dota 2, has announced that it will cease operations. In a statement posted to Twitter, BTS co-founder LD announced that the company had let go of its staff and would be closing its doors. The co-founder said that BTS will keep its full-time staff on its payroll for two weeks, everyone will be offered two weeks’ severance, and the company will continue to pay for healthcare coverage for its United States-based workers through April. BTS shuts down tournament operations after 11 years In the statement, LD wrote, “based on our current financial outlook, and how challenging the next year looks, we’ve decided that it would be irresponsible to keep BTS going in its current structure. So, after nearly 11 years in business, we’ve made the extremely difficult decision to let all our people go.” BTS will also complete its current obligations for the events it is already set to organize, including Smash Ultimate Summit 6. LD also said in the statement that the company is still “exploring other paths forward, especially ones that allow us to do right by our staff.” The statement said that BTS would rather take these measures now instead of running the company into the ground and potentially not being able to pay any of their staff. “We don’t want to leave our people out in the cold. We don’t want to leave them with uncertainty, constantly wondering and worrying when the money will run out,” LD said. BTS was one of the few tournament organizers in esports that was not backed by venture capital funds, remaining independent throughout its 11-year history. It adds to the list of esports companies that are either letting go of staff or are ceasing operations altogether during this difficult economic climate.

BTS fans stunned as South Korean esports stars can skip military service with Asian Games gold KESPASeveral fans of South Korean boy band BTS have expressed their dismay at learning that the esports players representing the country can be exempt from military service if they win gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games. Esports players from across Asia have traveled to Hangzhou, China, to compete at the 2022 Asian Games, where esports is making its debut as a medal event. The lineup of video games being played features League of Legends, Dota 2, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V, and FIFA Online 4. Hearthstone was initially on the list before being excluded after negotiations between Blizzard Entertainment and Chinese publishing partner NetEase fell through. For the South Korean players competing at the Asian Games, a gold medal will also lead to an exemption from mandatory military service. All able-bodied South Korean males must serve in the military for 18-21 months by the age of 28. Soccer star Son Heung-min was granted an exemption after helping the South Korean national team win gold at the 2018 Asian Games. He was only required to complete basic three-week training. An exemption would prove particularly important for League of Legends star Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, who turns 28 in May. The T1 mid laner, widely recognized as the best League of Legends player of all time, missed four weeks of action earlier this year because of a wrist problem. BTS fans unhappy as esports players could skip military service According to news agency AFP, exemptions are typically granted to “elite athletes or classical musicians on the basis of promoting national prestige.” The news of esports athletes potentially earning exemptions is likely to reignite a debate in South Korea that began when it was rumored that the government was considering allowing the members of BTS to skip service so that the boy band’s progress would not be interrupted. But in October, all seven members announced that they would complete their service. On Friday, Suga became the third member of the band to enlist, after Jin and J-Hope. “If everyone gets an exemption for winning gold medals, then you have to include those in esports,” Kim Myong-won, a Seoul resident, told Nikkei Asia. “But it does sound strange that you can be exempt for sitting in front of a computer and playing games.” On social media, several fans of the boy band have expressed their shock at learning that esports players could skip service. “I don’t see how this is fair,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter in a post that has racked up over 5 million views. “This really makes me question how the South Korean government determines what national prestige is and how people contribute to it,” another user wrote. “Does esports boost/spread their culture more than music, the arts and global relations? I wonder how much money esports contributes to their economy versus BTS and other artists?” The 2022 Asian Games’ esports competitions began on Sunday, September 24, with the first Honor of Kings and FIFA Online 4 matches. The League of Legends tournament kicked off Monday, September 25, with South Korea breezing past its group opponents to secure a playoff spot.

Bren Esports owner cleared of $33m drug smuggling charges Bernard ChongFilipino businessman and owner of esports organization Bren Esports, Bernard Chong, has been cleared of smuggling charges, according to a report. Chong was accused of being involved in the smuggling of $33.6 million in methamphetamines by the National Bureau of Investigation in the Philippines and was wanted by local authorities. A warrant was issued for his arrest on June 2, 2021. Chong was allegedly tied to the drug smuggling attempt through his business ties with the Fortuneyield Cargo Services Corporation. The Bren Esports owner was cleared of these charges, according to a report from Valo2Asia, after Chong filed a petition last year arguing that the court should dismiss the charges and reverse the warrant due to abuse of discretion and lack of jurisdiction. The judge on the case ruled his petition had merit, revoking Chong’s arrest warrant and clearing him of drug smuggling charges. Chong also provided documentation that proved he had severed ties with the Fortuneyield Cargo Services Corporation before drugs were found in one of their shipments, according to the report. Bren Esports owner cleared of drug smuggling allegations Chong responded to the initial allegations on Twitter on August 2, 2022. He said he “categorically” denied the charges against him and that “the truth will always prevail.” He also released a video through Jake Lucky at the time and said he believes in the justice system. “I hope the people that spent time with me, who really know me, they can be a character witness or be the one to tell the world outside what kind of person I am,” Chong said. Bren Esports was founded in 2017 and quickly became of the biggest organizations in Southeast Asia. The company had teams in titles like League of Legends, Mobile Legends and Valorant. The organization’s biggest achievement to date was winning the Mobile Legends M2 World Championship in 2021. Bren currently only fields a Mobile Legends roster as it exited most of its other esports titles in 2021 and 2022.

Bruno Fernandes & Juan Mata join De Gea’s esports org Rebels as shareholders Rebels GamingDavid De Gea’s esports organization Rebels Gaming have announced that fellow football stars Bruno Fernandes and Juan Mata have signed on as shareholders. The crossover between traditional sports and esports continues to grow. Sports personalities like Lando Norris, David Beckham, and more have invested in the esports space by starting their own organizations. One such sportsman who has made the jump over to esports is Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea – who founded Spanish esports organization Rebels Gaming in 2021. And now, Rebels has added two more high-profile sports stars to its retinue. On October 11, Spanish football stars Juan Mata and Bruno Fernandes were announced as official shareholders in Rebels Gaming. In a statement, De Gea claimed that he “knew they would both bring positive values to esports”, and that he was “delighted to welcome two great colleagues and friends” to the world of esports. The esports/sports crossover Both players stated that they were excited to be a part of the world of esports, a new realm of competition for two parties with a plethora of experience competing in traditional sports. “Esports are a new form of competition, and that’s something that really motivates me and grabs my attention,” explained Fernandes. “I’ve watched David (De Gea) enjoy Rebels’ games, and I’ll be delighted to be able to do that by his side as a part of this project.” Rebels currently compete domestically in League of Legends, Valorant, and Rainbow Six Siege. They’ve won titles in both Valorant and Rainbow Six, and are one of a select few European organizations to also host a women’s team in Valorant’s Game Changers initiative.

Brazilian esports giants Los Grandes valued at $18.7 million after Team oNe merger Los GrandesBrazilian esports organizations Los Grandes and Team oNe have merged and are now valued at about $18.7 million according to a statement Los Grandes gave to multiple outlets. Los Grandes is an up-and-coming organization globally and has legions of fans and followers domestically in Brazil. Team oNe is a smaller Brazilian brand known mostly for its Rainbow Six: Seige team but it also fielded teams in Free Fire, League of Legends and Counter-Strike. With the merger, Team oNe and all of its assets will transfer to Los Grandes with the Team oNe CEO joining the board of Los Grandes. No other financial details around the deal have been disclosed. Los Grandes will take over the Team oNe United States facilities and also its Counter-Strike roster’s chance at a IEM Rio Major 2022 spot. Team oNe has a spot in the North American RMR tournament, the team will now be called Los + oNe. The two organizations will keep their separate esports rosters for now, according to a report from Esports Insider, but will make decisions around branding and rosters in the near future. Los Grandes also has esports rosters in Free Fire, League of Legends and Counter-Strike. Team oNe has already rebranded their Twitter account as LOS + oNe. Los Grandes esports just got bigger This is just one of five acquisitions the esports organization has planned, the company told Esports Insider back in May. Los Grandes has already bought GEMU, a gaming technology company, and Simplicity Esports’ Brazil operations. The acquisitions come after a new funding round from the company that closed earlier this year. The organizations have already put out collaboration jerseys that fans should be able to pre-order in the future. With this acquisition, Los Grandes has moved closer to global recognition on the level of LOUD and FURIA Esports. The team was already one of the most Tweeted about esports teams of 2022.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao enters esports with new team Wikimedia: Akira KouchiyamaBoxing legend Manny Pacquiao has made a move into the esports scene with new gaming team, called Team Pacquiao GG. The organization doesn’t plan to launch with any pro squads, but will be running events in the SEA esports space to start. The 42-year-old Filipino has made many historic moments under the lights in boxing over the years, and his next career move takes him outside of his comfort zone as a team leader in gaming. In a move that mirrors other major sporting stars, such as Gerard Pique and Diogo Jota, PacMan will reportedly announce his team fully on December 4. This news comes after he posted a teaser on December 1. Revealing something special. 🥊🎮 Tune in on Dec. 4 at 2PM | @TeamPacquiao_GG pic.twitter.com/Qd0hwz1XIT— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) December 1, 2021 Team Pacquiao GG: Esports team revealed The December 4 launch of Team Pacquiao GG highlighted the five faces of the brand, all big names in the Filipino esports space: Gian Lois ‘GLOCO’ Concepcion, Een Mercado, Elyson ‘GHOST Wrecker’ Caranza, Kimberlee ‘superkimbie’ Arcillas, Shin Boo “sh1nboo” Ponferrada. According to a report by Esports Insider, Team Pacquiao GG won’t launch with any rosters to compete in top competitive leagues. Instead, there’s a focus on grassroots esports and building the local scene, first with charity events and then smaller competitions. 12.04.21 🥊 2PM Manila Time #teampacquiaogg pic.twitter.com/QmcUnbFODZ — Een (@eenmercado) November 30, 2021 The eventual goal is to become the “national team” of the Philippines, according to Cam Royal of Veloce, who has partnered with Team Pacquiao GG. “We want to be able to use the Team Pacquiao brand as a springboard for upcoming talent, through its multiple platforms and overall image,” he said. More details about Team Pacquiao GG and their upcoming events will be made available on their Twitter page.

Brawl breaks out on stage after NBA 2K League match Twitch / NBA 2K LeagueA number of players became involved in a fracas on stage following an NBA 2K League match between Hawks Talon and Celtics Crossover, after Celtics’ Albano ‘oFAB’ Thomallari pushed Talon’s Randolph ‘Rando’ Moreno. What is the NBA 2K League? With 21 teams, all associated with an NBA franchise, the 2K League is the esports equivalent of the main basketball league, even using a draft system to recruit new players. The matches are played at the NBA 2K League studio, and are streamed online on Twitch, and soon YouTube too, where thousands of fans tune in to watch the five-on-five 2K action. But, those thousands of fans got more than they bargained for on April 10 when a fight almost broke out on stage after an upset win by the Talon’s over the Celtics. As the players went to shake hands after the match, Celtics’ oFAB appeared to deliberately avoid shaking Rando’s hand, barging into him instead, and then turned to push him away. As things became heated, another Celtics player, Ahmed ‘Mel East’ Kasana tried to jump in, as league staff attempted to keep the two sides at a distance from each other. It was the Hawks’ debut match in the regular season of 2019, and their NBA 2K League journey certainly got off to a fiery start. The brawl which occurred while likely be disciplined behind the scenes, and the players have made little mention of it on social media after the fact. Desk host Phil ‘EE’ Visu also avoided going into too much detail when they came back from the break, simply saying “a lot happened” in the match. The match itself, which was perhaps somewhat overshadowed by the events after, saw them take down Crossover 68-58, a surprising result given their performance at the Tip Off event, the curtain raiser for the regular season. This is their first season in the NBA 2K League, while Celtics competed in the inaugural season in 2018, finishing 9th.

Blizzard honors legacy of iNcontroL with free in-game StarCraft items StarCraft 2 players will be getting a new commemorative bundle to honor commentator Geoff ‘iNcontroL’ Robinson who passed away earlier in 2019. The bundle, which includes Robinson’s Announcer Pack, will be free for all players on October 22. Announcer packs are a neat StarCraft addition in which a character or personality takes the place of the standard game announcer. This can often times be played for laughs such as the announcer pack which featured Overwatch’s D.va – who in the game’s lore is an established StarCraft player. It’s unclear what lines the company will use for iNcontroL, but given his expansive coverage, there shouldn’t have been any shortage of clips to use for his announcer pack. The company praised Robinson in its commemorative bundle announcement writing: “Here at Blizzard, there are a lot of Geoff ‘iNcontroL’ Robinson fans. (Understatement.) The StarCraft team wanted to do something permanent to commemorate him in-game.” Beginning on October 22, Geoff “iNcontroL” Robinson’s Announcer Pack, Portrait, and some additional items we’re creating in his honor—will be granted to every player on log-in, for free, forever. Learn more: https://t.co/v8IjBUmvIm pic.twitter.com/7912TQo6oi — StarCraft (@StarCraft) October 21, 2019 According to Blizzard, “Geoff’s Announcer Pack, Portrait, and some additional items we’re creating in his honor—will be granted to every player on log-in, for free, forever.” “It’s a small gesture, and it can’t come close to capturing how much he meant to us, but we hope it will show some fraction of how we feel,” they added. “We’d like to believe that StarCraft was important to Geoff. But what we know, beyond any doubt, is that Geoff was important to StarCraft.” Robinson was Starcraft 2 Protoss player and a highly popular figure in the competitive gaming community from both his playing days and further career in broadcasting. Prior to casting, Robinson was a Protoss player who notably finished 4th at MLG Pro Circuit Dallas in 2011. As a commentator, he worked major events such as season one of North American Star League and the 2012 DreamHack Open: Stockholm. iNcontroL passed away painlessly on July 21 due to a blood clot in his lungs. While he was only 33, his legacy will live on.

Boston Breach receive $20m investment from pro golfer Jon Rahm Instagram: @jonrahm / Boston BreachThe Call of Duty League’s newest team, Boston Breach, are powered by Oxygen Esports, which have just announced they have closed a Series A funding round, giving them a $20m investment from pro golfer Jon Rahm. As Oxygen Esports continues their growth in esports, the organization has gone through a round of investments and have secured $20m. This investment came off the back of Spaniard pro golfer Jon Rahm, who currently ranks third in the world. He said, “I’m excited to support Oxygen Esports, the Boston Breach and the Boston Uprising.” With their presence in the Overwatch League and dive into the CDL, this is helping OXG as both slots are estimated to carry a price tag of $20m a piece. While we don’t know how much it costs to purchase the CDL spot from Envy, it is opening the door for more growth. We are pleased to announce we have closed $20M in Series A financing and added new strategic investors to our OXG family. 📰https://t.co/ugk8C1QNer pic.twitter.com/NQgFBj7k8C — Oxygen Esports (@OXG_Esports) April 14, 2022 Oxygen Esports receive $20m in funding On April 14, the parent org of Boston Breach, Oxygen Esports, revealed that their Series A financing round locked them in with an additional $20m. Rahm, who is a CDL super-fan, said in an official statement, “my love for Call of Duty and the Call of Duty League is widely known and the opportunity to invest in OXG alongside partners like the Kraft Family, Danny Ainge, and the Gronkowskis was a no-brainer.” With this investment, the organization plans to create a larger esports presence in the Boston area. “OXG will leverage the latest round of financing to invest in re-homing more of its rosters to the Boston area.” On top of that, Oxygen plans to spend some of its assets in the amateur scene and create a pool of future esports pros in the New England area. Currently, the org has teams competing in five different titles and hopes to expand that with this new investment.

Blizzard confirms StarCraft II will no longer receive dev updates BlizzardJust a few weeks removed from StarCraft II’s 10th-anniversary celebration and Blizzard has today announced a significant cutback on development, meaning that no new content will be coming to the iconic game. [jwplayer FcWdjVVq] StarCraft II launched in July 2010. Ever since, it has carried the legacy of its predecessor as one of the most iconic real-time strategy (RTS) games. It shot to stardom in the esports landscape and has been a staple of competitive gaming. However, the current form of the game appears to be its last. Support for the title has been scaled back yet again, Blizzard revealed in an October 15 statement. No new content will is in development moving forward as developers look towards the future of “the StarCraft universe as a whole.” The original StarCraft was updated for over a decade following its release. Its sequel is now winding down shortly after its 10-year anniversary celebrations. “We’re not going to be producing addition for-purchase content,” Blizzard outlined. From Commanders to War Chests, no new microtransactions will be added in the future. However, that’s not to say that the game won’t be receiving any updates again. “We’re going to continue supporting Starcraft II in the same manner as we have with our previous longstanding games.” This means Blizzard will be focusing on the competitive side of things with balance updates and patches of that nature, rather than any new content. “We will continue doing season rolls and necessary balance fixes moving forward.” Don’t expect to see another one this calendar year, however. “We’re not planning a Q4 balance update, but as always, we do plan to continue doing them as needed in the future.” Addressing the competitive ecosystem for the game, Blizzard also outlined how StarCraft II will continue forward as an esport. The title will “continue going strong,” in this regard, thanks to Blizzard’s partners in ESL Gaming and GSL. “We’re eternally grateful for your ongoing support,” Blizzard added. “We’ll keep you updated on any and all plans we have for future voyages into the Koprulu Sector.” Blizzard has a history of long gaps between sequels. Therefore, it could very well be years before we see anything new in the world of StarCraft.

Blind gamer Sven shatters barriers with Street Fighter 6 victory at EVO 2023 YT: evo2kvids / CapcomIn an extraordinary display of skill, blind Street Fighter gamer ‘BlindWarriorSven’ clinched an impressive victory at EVO 2023. Sven stole the show on Day 1 of the world’s premier fighting game tournament, showcasing his prowess as an E. Honda specialist on the main stage. Despite his blindness, Sven delivered a performance that left fans in awe, securing a 2-1 win after using Honda’s headbutt ability to devastating effect in the final game. Sven’s stunning victory is now going viral within the gaming community, as many fellow players are amazed by this incredible feat. After losing his sight at the age of six due to cancer, Sven found a new passion in fighting games, particularly Street Fighter 2. Sven quickly discovered that he could use sound to determine his opponent’s position and moves in the game. Over the years, using his platforms on both Twitch and YouTube, Sven has advocated for greater accessibility in video games and has actively encouraged companies to cater to more players with disabilities. Street Fighter 6, in particular, made significant improvements to accessibility features, helping to provide blind players with critical information during gameplay. For instance, the game uses unique sounds to signal different attacks and dodges. A distinct audio cue also helps indicate the character’s position relative to the opponent. The audio cue speeds up or down based on the player’s proximity to the opponent and helps with distance management — one of the most important aspects of a fighting game. Furthermore, Street Fighter also offers a variety of control schemes that can assist blind players, particularly those new to the game. EVO 2023, the world’s largest fighting game tournament, has seen a record-breaking turnout this year. The Las Vegas event has been a hive of activity, with a line of attendees stretching out the door and down the hallway. Amidst the buzz of competition and the excitement of new game previews, Sven’s victory stands out, marking a significant moment for inclusive gaming.

Blizzard cancels the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Blizzard EntertainmentThe Heroes Glocal Championship, will not be returning for the 2019 season, according to an announcement by Blizzard on Thursday, December 13. The HGC was the top level of competition for Heroes of the Storm esports organized by Blizzard, and brought teams together from across the world to compete at BlizzCon in the finals each year. After going through a flood of public backlash for announcing the “Diablo Immortal” mobile game at BlizzCon 2018, the latest move by Blizzard should also provoke some outrage from the community. The cancellation seems to have taken many involved with the HGC by surprise, and it has some saying this could be the end for Heroes esports. In addition to the HGC, the popular Heroes of the Dorm collegiate competition will not be returning either, according to the news release from Blizzard. The move by Blizzard has left a large number of players and team staff looking for answers and wondering what will happen next. HGC has been canceled. Freelance commentator and video producer looking for work. Been in the industry since 2006. Please RT for visibility — Jake Kulinski (@SolidJakeGG) December 13, 2018 Ok, Heroes of the Storm is not a huge esports like League or CS:GO but that’s fucked up. Imagine how many players, managers, coaches, casters will be unemployed with this news 🙁 https://t.co/Yimzfuk8NS — C9 Mateus – 마태 (@Portilho) December 14, 2018 Below is Blizzard’s full statement on HGC and Heroes of the Dorm: HEROES OF THE STORM NEWS . . . We’re constantly changing and evolving not only our games, but how we support and grow them. This evolution is vital to our ability to continue doing what we love to do—making great games—and it’s what makes Blizzard, Blizzard. Over the past several years, the work of evaluating our development processes and making hard decisions has led to new games and other products that we’re proud of. We now have more live games and unannounced projects than at any point in the company’s history. We’re also at a point where we need to take some of our talented developers and bring their skills to other projects. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to shift some developers from Heroes of the Storm to other teams, and we’re excited to see the passion, knowledge, and experience that they’ll bring to those projects. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to make tough choices like this. Games like Diablo II, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Overwatch, and more would not exist had we not made similar decisions in the past. Despite the change, Heroes of the Storm remains our love letter to Blizzard’s worlds and characters. We’ll continue actively supporting the game with new heroes, themed events, and other content that our community loves, though the cadence will change. Ultimately, we’re setting up the game for long-term sustainability. We’re so grateful for the support the community has shown from the beginning, and the development team will continue to support Heroes with the same passion, dedication, and creativity that has made the game such a unique experience. We’ve also evaluated our plans around Heroes esports—after looking at all of our priorities and options in light of the change with the game, the Heroes Global Championship and Heroes of the Dorm will not return in 2019. This was another very difficult decision for us to make. The love that the community has for these programs is deeply felt by everyone who works on them, but we ultimately feel this is the right decision versus moving forward in a way that would not meet the standards that players and fans have come to expect. While we don’t make these decisions lightly, we do look to the future excited about what the decisions will mean for our other live games and all the projects we have in the works. We appreciate all of our hard-working developers and everyone in the Blizzard community, and look forward to sharing many more epic gaming experiences with you in the future. J. Allen Brack and Ray Gresko

Bjergsen sets incredible new LCS record for most career kills Bruno Alvares, Riot GamesDanish League of Legends superstar Søren’ Bjergsen’ Bjerg has set the record as the LCS’ all-time kill leader with an impressive 2274 kills. The mid-lane star is known for his eight-season long stint at TSM and is considered to be one of the best players in the entire league. Now, following his return to pro-play in 2022 competing under the Team Liquid banner — and after a year of leading his former team TSM as their head coach — the 26-year-old player has set the record as the LCS‘ all-time kill leader. The veteran mid-laner is well respected and considered to be one of the world’s best by LCS fans. Now, he’s made a historic achievement. Alongside his impressive six LCS titles under his name, he can lay claim to the title as one of the greatest players in the league’s history. Following the close best-of-five series against 100 Thieves, the Danish mid-laner has set a new kill record. According to stats, Bjergsen is now the all-time LCS kill leader with 2,274 total kills – taking the record from veteran ADC WildTurtle. Bjergsen is now the all time #LCS kill leader with 2,274 total kills in his career. pic.twitter.com/grrMzmijgs — LCS (@LCSOfficial) August 27, 2022 Similarly, FlyQuest’s Zaqueri ‘Aphromoo’ Black recently set the record for the most career games played at an insane 597 matches so far, also topping WildTurtle’s previous record. It’s certainly an impressive achievement for the two veteran players who’ve been competing for years now, and they’ve certainly made their legacy in the LCS. Looking forward, Bjergsen and Team Liquid will be looking to make their lower bracket comeback, where they’ll be facing CLG next on their road to qualifying for Worlds.

BLAST cease partnership with NEOM following massive backlash BLASTDanish tournament organizers BLAST have reportedly ended their partnership with the Saudi Arabian futuristic city called NEOM after facing major criticism from the esports community as well as internal partners. On August 12, as first reported by HLTV, it appears that the BLAST have terminated their partnership with NEOM on “mutual agreement.” The tournament organizers had been receiving backlash after announcing the partnership on July 28, one that many in the world of esports deemed to be controversial. NEOM is a fully man-made mega-city project backed by Saudi Arabia, who have invested more than $500 billion in development with the aim of attracting a million new residents. Read More: Dota 2 pro goes missing after being arrested – However, due to its affiliation with the middle eastern country, the organization has come under heavy scrutiny from a human rights standpoint since it’s announcement in January 2019, something which inevitably spilled over to BLAST once they’d brokered their deal. Today we announce a global partnership with @NEOM, an ambitious project that includes building a major esports ecosystem in the heart of what will be the new future of living! We talk about the future of esports, so let’s get to it. #BLASTPremier #DiscoverNEOM pic.twitter.com/rjJdMxer9w — BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) July 28, 2020 This comes after many prominent members of the CS:GO community, including the likes of Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields, Jason ‘Moses’ O’Toole, Frankie Ward, Harry ‘JustHarry’ Russell, and Hugo Byron hit out at BLAST, calling the deal a “disgrace.” “The BLAST x NEOM deal is an opportunity to educate ourselves so that we no longer work with people who would kill our friends,” Frankie tweeted. She included a link to a “map of countries that criminalize LGBT people.” Read More: Luminosity sign paralyzed Warzone streamer – Similarly, Moses, formerly a top CS:GO commentator who recently joined Team Liquid as a coach, strongly criticized the partnership and expressed his disappointments in a long email that was published by DBLTAP. The BLAST x NEOM deal is an opportunity to educate ourselves so that we no longer work with people who would kill our friends.https://t.co/OY5lnFtcVK — Frankie Ward (@FrankieWard) August 5, 2020 Astralis, the CS:GO juggernaut that’s one of BLAST’s partner teams, also expressed their reservations about the partnership, as CEO Anders Hørsholt called it “unacceptable” and threatened to withdraw his team from any future tournaments hosted by the organization. While Astralis were the only partner to publicly denounce the deal, HLTV reports that “most began to voice their concerns in private,” with Complexity CEO, Jason Lake, even going as far as to reveal that none of the partners had been made aware of the decision prior to making it public. BLAST are now the second major force in esports to partner up with NEOM and subsequently end things shortly thereafter. Riot Games, who faced major criticism after brokering a deal between the LEC and the smart-city developers, terminated the agreement less than 24 hours after the announcement. Just as with BLAST, Riot were scrutinized by many of the League of Legends esports on-air broadcast talent before Director of Esports, Alberto Guerrero, conceded that they’d made “mistakes” and “quickly worked to correct them.” At the time of writing Danish tournament organizers have not yet made any such public statements regarding the status of their partnership with NEOM.

The biggest esports partnerships of 2020 BMWPartnerships and sponsorships are the lifeblood of esports, for better or for worse. Without companies investing in the industry in order to advertise their products and services, nobody knows where competitive gaming would be in its lifespan. No matter the obstacles that are thrown its way, esports continues to successfully receive capital and use it to fuel their operations. This is the case whether it’s a tournament organizer, a team organization, or a supportive company on the periphery of the industry. With this in mind, we’re used to seeing huge deals announced and it’s easy to lose track of the progress we’re making collectively over a longer-term. I’ve compiled what I believe to be the biggest esports partnerships of 2020, including why they’ve made the cut, as a point of reference; it’s important to document so we can better track progress in the future. The biggest esports partnerships of 2020 BMW and Cloud9, Fnatic, FunPlus Phoenix, G2 Esports, T1 Date: April 16 Details: Under the banner of ‘United in Rivalry,’ BMW partnered with five of the most well-known organizations in League of Legends. Acting as a social media and jersey sponsor but also much more, BMW aims to introduce esports to a wider audience and provides vehicles for the teams to utilize. Importance: BMW being a household name across multiple regions and deciding to further invest in esports is nothing to scoff at, especially considering the calibre of organizations they drafted for this initiative. Considering the narratives between Europe vs. North America, Europe vs. Asia, Europe attempting to win at Worlds, and North America failing to show up at global events, this is a very clear move by the automotive giants. What they’ve produced in 2020, despite the global situation, is a great sign of things to come. Fnatic and Gucci Date: June 25 Details: After teasing a collaboration at the top of the year, Gucci officially entered esports in June by partnering with British organization Fnatic. A watch inspired by the team’s League of Legends team was unveiled, sitting at a price of £1,150 with limited availability. Importance: Much like the monumental success of Louis Vuitton’s foray into esports in 2019 through League of Legends, Gucci’s arrival was the subject of plenty of attention from across the industry when it was announced. Though they’ve not done much since they launched their co-branded watch with Fnatic, we’re almost certain the product launch was a success and they’ll want to see how much deeper they can go. This partnership further proved that luxury brands can work in esports, even if many fans are yet to open their wallets in a similar way to what is seen in sports. T1 and Nike Date: January 16 Details: Nike produces uniforms for all of T1’s rosters, including their team in the LCK, as the organization’s exclusive apparel partner. The sportswear giants also provided “cutting-edge training facilities” at the org’s headquarters in Seoul to help with player development. Importance: Though Nike had already operated in esports through a deal with the Chinese League of Legends competition LPL, this was perhaps a more impactful deal on a global basis. Almost everybody knows Nike and this partnership is a sign of significant investment and involvement for them, much like they’ve provided in traditional sports for decades. T1 just so happen to be one of the most popular team brands in the industry, too, which doesn’t hurt. Activision Blizzard and Google Date: January 24 Details: Google acquired the broadcast rights to the Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, and Hearthstone esports in a multi-year deal. In exchange, Google Cloud was announced as the preferred provider of gaming hosting for the developer’s titles. Importance: Following the industry-rattling deal between Twitch and Activision Blizzard for the rights to stream the Overwatch League, all eyes were on what was next for the developer. It had not only found a new home for its first franchised league, but it also coincided with the Call of Duty League’s launch. While YouTube proved to not be as fleshed-out a live platform as Twitch, they made good improvements over the course of the year and they have plenty more time to optimize their services. Call of Duty esports even hit record viewership, despite being exclusive to YouTube. Vindex and IMAX Date: January 7 Details: The deal includes Vindex creating and broadcasting esports events and experiences for IMAX theatres on a global basis. Vindex Studios, a division that was newly-formed at the time of the announcement, signals an exciting new area of concentration for the company which was founded by those behind MLG. Importance: Though these plans didn’t come into fruition in 2020 due to social restrictions, people were awaiting MLG’s co-founders to make a major move and this certainly fit the bill. This partnership came early in Vindex’s lifespan and delivering esports programming to IMAX theatres around the world is undeniably a great opportunity for the industry to reach new audiences. LEC and NEOM Date: July 29 Details: Riot Games’ premier European competition LEC announced a deal with Saudi initiative NEOM, which is aiming to become an esports hub, for its 2020 Summer Split. It was said that NEOM would help to “future-proof” LEC’s stage and sponsor a broadcast segment during live broadcasts, Importance: This made waves across the entirety of esports but for the wrong reasons. After sizeable pushback and criticism of NEOM, the deal was promptly cancelled and tarnished the squeaky-clean reputation that the European competition had. It also brought about a conversation regarding values that companies have and what they will look past to receive money. League of Legends Esports and Getty Images Date: July 13 Details: Riot Games appointed Getty Images as an official partner of League of Legends’ global events through to 2024, meaning they would serve as the official photo and distribution partner for the World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Event. This includes taking photos and managing licensing requests. Importance: Getty Images are a major player in traditional sports. Prominent leagues and bodies such as the NBA, MLB, NHL, FIFA, UFC, and NASCAR all make use of their services, providing a plethora of great photos available for a number of uses. Seeing them officially enter esports, having already worked in it in a fleeting manner, was another sign of acceptance for the industry — no matter whether you believe that’s necessary or otherwise. Having great photos available at any given moment is of underrated benefit to all companies in esports. League of Legends Esports and Spotify Date: August 24 Details: This partnership spawned an official hub for League of Legends music — both new and existing — on Spotify. The deal also included the creation of new podcasts based on the MOBA title, as well as providing behind-the-scenes access to the coveted League of Legends World Championship anthem. Importance: Spotify have occupied the top spot in the world of music and podcast streaming for the majority of their existence, so when they officially embraced esports it sent a message. Picking LoL Esports was an easy choice, considering it’s the biggest title in competitive gaming, but nonetheless, it demonstrates the content marketing possibilities available in the industry that aren’t being explored to their fullest extent. This is not only a welcoming into the mainstream for esports but proof that plenty more can be done. Misfits and Miami Heat, Orlando Magic Date: July 28 Details: Florida-based organization expanded its partnerships with NBA franchise teams Miami Heat and Orlando Magic to “develop further opportunities in the endemic and non-endemic space” through a rights deal that aimed to include better sponsorship options. Importance: Having already established a relationship, the two NBA franchises doubling down on their integration with Misfits could well provide some unparalleled activations that bridges the gap between sports and esports in the future. Having Misfits in their offering to potential sponsors provides a digital-first, young demographic that could be a perfect fit for some companies and even seal some deals. Cloud9 and Guinevere Capital Date: June 4 Details: Cloud9 entered a strategic partnership that would see Guinevere Capital, a minority shareholder in EXCEL ESPORTS, operate its Overwatch League franchise London Spitfire and Contenders team British Hurricane. The advisory and investment firm agreed to “build the foundations” for the franchise in 2021 through local commercial partnerships and community engagement. Importance: This partnership proves that the location-based model utilized by Activision Blizzard’s franchised leagues — namely the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League — isn’t a walk in a park. From inception, London Spitfire was a British brand, owned by a North American organization, with a South Korean roster. A lot of logistical resources and cultural knowhow are needed to execute a project like this effectively, perhaps showing the flaws of having a geolocated brand in a global, online-first industry. The jury is out as to whether these leagues will be a success, much like many of their counterparts from traditional sports, and this move signals that it’s no light task. We’ll have to keep an eye on how Guinevere Capital execute their plans but this was a landmark move in the latest frontier of esports. Excel Esports and BT Date: January 10 Details: A multi-year partnership that sees BT become EXCEL’s lead partner, sponsoring jerseys and their academy League of Legends roster. The telecommunications provider also kitted out EXCEL’s headquarters at Twickenham Stadium, London with new internet. Importance: UK esports has a negative connotation surrounding it for some and it’s undeniably underdeveloped when compared to other prominent nations in the industry. Seeing a household brand from Britain investing not only in esports — but a homegrown organization no less — was a sign of hope for those who comprise the UK’s esports scene. The deal runs far beyond simply slapping a logo on social media channels, too, meaning BT are truly helping their partner and committing to the agreement. So there you have it, a collection of the biggest esports partnerships that were unveiled in 2020. As the industry recovers from setbacks presented early in the year, we may well see an unprecedented level of brand deals after competitive gaming became one of the only entertainment products when sports events were postponed.

Bjergsen retires from League of Legends to become TSM Head Coach Bruno Alvares, Riot GamesLCS veteran Søren ‘Bjergsen’ Bjerg has announced his retirement from professional League of Legends, surprising fans with a transition to TSM’s Head Coach. After winning multiple LCS titles and cementing himself as one of the greatest players to have competed in the LCS, Danish star Bjergsen revealed that he would be retiring from League of Legends on October 24. Despite carrying TSM to another LCS win in the summer split and securing a spot at Worlds 2020, after their 0-6 record in the international event’s group stage, he released a vlog to give fans an update on his future. In the TSM announcement video, Bjergsen confirmed that he would not be competing in the 2021 spring split and would be coaching the TSM roster instead. “After playing professional League of Legends for about eight years and playing for TSM for close to six, I’m here to talk about the fact that I’m retiring as a professional player and stepping into the head coach role for TSM,” Bjergsen added. The mid-laner explained that the decision was not made because of their Worlds showing and revealed that it was one he had thought about for quite a while. “It probably comes a shock to a lot of you guys and I don’t want it to seem like it’s a sudden reaction to our poor Worlds run, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” he revealed, “I really wanted to have a good season before becoming a coach.” As TSM’s general manager Parth Naidu had been filling in as head coach in 2020, the move makes a lot of sense from an organizational standpoint but will likely disappoint many fans of the star player. Bjergsen has also been a part-owner of TSM, since re-signing with them in October 2019, meaning that he will likely be staying with the North American organization for the foreseeable future. As of now, the future of TSM’s starting roster is still unclear, but it is likely that more roster moves will be revealed during League’s 2021 preseason.

The biggest esports investments of 2021 Esports is frequently labeled as one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, but the past couple of years haven’t been the easiest for the companies who contribute to that label. With in-person events and activations largely off of the table, esports businesses had to find new ways to monetize and keep themselves afloat — many of which raised money through investment in 2021, hoping to propel them to new heights in the future. Venture capital investments are nothing new at this stage of the esports industry, nor is the prospect of large traditional sports clubs betting on the future of competitive gaming by investing heavily themselves. The trend firmly continued in 2021. From 100 Thieves (a ‘lifestyle’ org which counts Drake as an owner) to OverActive Media (which is heavily influenced by traditional sports strategies), esports investments in 2021 didn’t slow down across every facet, despite the struggle the industry has been facing due to the global health situation. We even had the largest sponsorship deal to date, with TSM receiving $210m over 10 years from crypto exchange FTX. We’re now in 2022, a year we all hope will mark the cemented return of live events across all competitive games, but it’s worth taking a look at the last year to see where the largest sums of money went. Here are the biggest esports investments of 2021. Biggest esports investments of 2021 10. NODWIN Gaming Amount: $21.5m Date: March 9, 2021 PUBG owners Krafton invested £16m ($21.5m) in Indian esports solutions company NODWIN Gaming, a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies which helped the likes of ESL and DreamHack host events in India. The idea behind the capital injection was to assist NODWIN with their “global growth”. 9. EXCEL ESPORTS Amount: $22.9m Date: July 2, 2021 British esports organization EXCEL ESPORTS secured a £17m ($22.9m) investment led by their majority shareholders JRJ Group, with contribution from IPGL, the private investment office of Lord Spencer, the ICAP founder, and former Conservative Party treasurer. The org plans to use the funding to go from a “household name in UK esports” to an “internationally recognized, diverse British gaming brand.” 8. GameSquare Esports Amount: $27m Date: June 30, 2021 GameSquare Esports invested in North American esports organization Complexity Gaming for a total cost of $27m, with the org’s previous ownership becoming major shareholders in the new parent company. GameSquare are listed on three public exchanges. 7. Abios Amount: $29.7m Date: August 24, 2021 Esports data and technology company Abios were acquired by sports betting service provider Kambi Group in August for SEK150m ($16.5m) in cash, with SEK120m ($13.2m) to be paid in earnouts in the future. This deal will total an investment of $29.7m. 6. Team BDS Amount: $31.5m Date: June 29, 2021 Team BDS invested in the European League of Legends competition LEC in June when they acquired the slot owned by German football club FC Schalke 04. While not an investment in the traditional sense, the Swiss esports organization have committed $31.5m in hopes their position in the LEC will one day be worth much, much more. 5. Misfits Gaming Group Amount: $35m Date: September 23, 2021 The parent company of Misfits, Florida Mayhem, and Florida Mutineers, Misfits Gaming Group received a $35m investment back in September. The round was led by legacy media group The E.W. Scripps Company and saw MGG receive $10m directly. They have franchise payments to meet in the LEC, Call of Duty League, and Overwatch League, and ambitions to become “the largest organization of esports and gaming ventures globally”. 4. OverActive Media Amount: $40m Date: April 13, 2021 The parent company of MAD Lions, Call of Duty franchise Toronto Ultra, and Overwatch franchise Toronto Defiant, OverActive Media raised $40m in April 2021. The capital came from NHL team Montreal Canadiens, as well as professional ice hockey players Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin, after they announced intentions to become a public company. 3. Envy Gaming Amount: $40m Date: May 10, 2021 The parent company of Envy, Dallas Fuel, OpTic Texas, and OpTic Gaming, Envy Gaming raised $40m in a new round of investment led by Gray Television. The media company contributed $28.5m and named two directors to envy’s board of directors. Later in the year, Envy Gaming acquired OpTic Gaming. 2. VSPN Amount: $60m Date: January 22, 2021 Chinese esports organizers VSPN raised $60m in January 2021, following a $100m investment led by Tencent in October 2020. While serving as one of the most prominent organizers in China, this funding was sought out to help them expand their services internationally. 1. 100 Thieves Amount: $60m Date: December 2, 2021 100 Thieves, an organization that focuses on competing, content, and apparel, raised $60m to help fuel their next stage of growth. Their Series C funding round valued them at $460m and will be used towards expanding their current verticals, as well as launching new businesses and making more acquisitions like their Higround deal.

Best Moments from EVO 2023: Arslan Ash dominates Tekken 7, Street Fighter 6’s EVO debut, more Twitch: EVOEVO 2023 was the largest it’s ever been, ushering in a new generation of fighting game fans and delivering some of the tightest competition we’ve ever seen. Here are some of the best moments from this year’s tournament. The Evolution Championship Series is the crown jewel of the FGC. As the world’s largest fighting game tournament, EVO is the number one place to be out of the entire competitive season — and it always births unforgettable moments that cement themselves in the halls of fighting game history. This year’s EVO was the largest of all time, boasting a grand total of 9,182 unique players. Fans from all across the globe came to test their mettle in fighting games both new and old, to witness announcements for upcoming games, and to gather together in communion with other fighting game players. From major announcements for upcoming games to jaw-dropping moments in the Top 6 and more, here’s our list of the best moments to come from EVO 2023. Mortal Kombat 11 goes out with an emotional farewell It was Mortal Kombat 11’s very last year at EVO before the launch of MK 1, and it certainly went out with a bang. Grand Finals saw three of the game’s finest players duke it out in a hand-wringing fight to the finish, with Chilean twins Nicolas and Scorpionprocs losing to American pro Ninjakilla_212. It was a close battle, and Ninja was the clear crowd favorite. He took the Grand Finals victory in a heroic 3-2 bracket reset against Nicolas, who’d actually dumped him into loser’s earlier in the evening. His win was nothing short of euphoric, with friends and fans gathering around the stage to catch him as he fell in a celebratory trust fall. It was a beautiful moment that captured the essence of the fighting game community, and one we feel firmly deserves a place on this list as a perfect sendoff to Mortal Kombat 11. Blind Warrior Sven wins a game blindfolded The fighting game community is a place where everyone can compete, and Blind Warrior Sven is a shining example of this. Sven is a notable player in the Street Fighter community and is known for knocking heads together, all while being legally blind. Sven made a fantastic showing at this year’s EVO and went viral on social media after taking a streamed match in pools 2-1 with E. Honda, all while wearing a blindfold. Sven’s victory shone a light on Street Fighter 6’s many accessibility features, which help players like Sven fight on equal ground with their opponents. Sven isn’t the only disabled player to make waves in fighting games, either, with the likes of Brolylegs competing at a pro level using only his mouth to control his character. Fans get emotional after Mark of the Wolves announcement After Xiaohai won the EVO tournament for KOF XV, SNK showed off a trailer for the new Mark of the Wolves game, which was initially announced at EVO 2022. A year later, we finally got a good look at Terry Bogard and Rock Howard, along with some intriguing details about what we can expect in this latest SNK throwback fighting game. It’s a welcome revamp to the beloved title, which initially released over two decades ago in 1999. In fact, fans were so excited about it that cameras caught two fighting game fanatics hugging it out in tears after watching the trailer on the big screen. While it might be a small moment in the grand scheme of things, it certainly showcases the passion and love that the fighting game community has for its favorite games — titles that bring them together in excitement for both competition and cooperation. Joey Fury knocks Knee into Loser’s Side Joey Fury is a longtime Tekken pro — but he sent the status quo flying when he knocked another famed Tekken god, Knee, into the Loser’s Bracket. We spoke with Joey after he joined FaZe Clan just before EVO kicked off, and he had his eyes set on taking home Tekken 7’s last EVO. However, this meant getting through Knee. Joey Fury sent Knee into the Loser’s bracket with Marduk in a moment that took the FGC by storm. Colossal matchups like this happening in pools are a common occurrence for a title like Tekken 7 that has so many strong competitors. Their fight was close, but Joey took it home in a convincing 2-0 victory off-stream, earning applause from players spectating around their match. Knee getting knocked into Loser’s side is bound to be a pivotal point in any tournament — but this was just part of Joey’s game plan all along. Unfortunately, Joey ended up getting knocked out of the running by his longtime friend and rival, Anakin, in a Jack mirror match that saw both competitors pushing themselves to their absolute limit. Anakin would make his way to Top 6 before getting felled in his first loser’s bracket match and ending in 5th/6th place. With Daigo getting knocked into loser’s by EVO 2023 Grand Finalist MenaRD in Street Fighter 6’s pools, it just goes to show that some of the tournament’s best matchups happen outside of the top 6. Tokido qualifies for Top 6 over Nemo with a perfect KO Fighting gamers gathered late in the evening to see which pros would qualify for Sunday’s Top 6 — and they weren’t disappointed. Tokido, a former EVO champion, faced off with Nemo in a nail-biting battle for the finish; Tokido’s Ken vs Nemo’s JP. Fans were so curious to see who would come out on top between these two seasoned fighters that even two-time Capcom Cup champ MenaRD put his match against Fujimura on pause so he could tune in to catch the action. The secondary EVO stream put a camera on the projector so fans watching at home didn’t miss out, either. Nemo fought hard; but it was Tokido who won out in the end, 3-1, with a fashionable Perfect KO — a result that obviously pleased MenaRD, who popped off in celebration for the ‘Murderface’ before going on to fight Fujimura. The crowd had to travel from one end of the convention center to the other to watch Mena’s match, another fight that has earned a spot on our Best Moments list. MenaRD qualifies for Top 6 with near-perfect set against Fujimura MenaRD vs Fujimura was Street Fighter 6’s last battle of the evening on Day 2, and one of great interest to fighting game fans. Throughout the entire tournament, Mena was looking exceedingly strong, knocking opponents out of pools left and right with Blanka and Luke. It seemed like Mena might make it all the way through in Winner’s side; but he was knocked into Loser’s by Kakeru’s JP in the Winner’s Quarter-Final, tasking him with winning two additional matches in order to qualify for the Top 6. It’s safe to say that Mena had his eyes on the prize. In a spectacular show of skill, Mena trounced Fujimura in a near-perfect 3-0 set with Blanka, celebrating his victory with a well-deserved pop-off on stage and dropping to his knees in exhilaration. He even caught a Blanka-chan plush thrown out of the crowd and showed it off for the camera. Of course, we can’t forget to mention Mena’s win over Daigo off-stream, either. This was a jaw-dropping upset that saw Daigo knocked into Loser’s side — but even though their match wasn’t streamed, Smash pro Hungrybox managed to film the action and uploaded it to YouTube for fans to view in classic fighting game fashion. Smash Bros legend Leffen sweeps Guilty Gear Strive Despite starting his competitive career in an entirely different game (and winning his own EVO title in Smash), Leffen crushed every match he played on the path to winning Guilty Gear Strive at EVO 2023. He didn’t drop a single set for the entire tournament, dominating the bracket and proving himself to be the absolute best Guilty Gear Strive player out there. It wasn’t close. With this win, Leffen has put himself alongside other multi-game champions like SonicFox and Justin Wong. Being the best at one fighting game is one thing, but being the best at multiple games is a next-level commitment. Asrlan Ash sends off Tekken 7 with historic fourth EVO victory Arslan Ash shook up the Tekken scene in a major way after winning EVO Japan 2019, cementing Pakistan’s status in a game traditionally dominated by players from Korea and Japan. Since then, Ash has been on a tear throughout the Tekken World Tour, taking two more EVO victories at EVO 2019 and EVO Japan 2023. He was primed and ready to make another grand showing at EVO 2023 — and he did just that. Arslan did not lose a single match throughout the entirety of the tournament, the biggest in EVO’s entire history. He dispatched opponents left and right with Kunimitsu and continued his undefeated roll into the Grand Finals. Arslan defeated Japanese Kunimitsu player AO in the Winner’s Final in a convincing 3-1 set. AO fought his way back to the Grand Finals in a runback that had players from all around the world on the edge of their seats to see if Arslan could pull off a fourth EVO victory — on top of taking home the final EVO trophy for Tekken 7. These two pros faced off in a mirror match that only further cemented Arslan’s status as one of the game’s “most dominant players of all time,” as told by commentator Tasty Steve. He didn’t lose a single game in their best-of-three, trouncing AO in a solid 3-0 victory that earned him a fourth EVO win. There’s no debate; Arslan is the strongest Tekken 7 player right now, and there’s no telling where the game will take him next with Tekken 8 on the horizon. MenaRD faces off with Tokido to run back Capcom Cup 2017 Out of many amazing moments that took place during Sunday’s Finals, we have to mention MenaRD’s nail-biting match against Tokido in the SF6 Loser’s quarter-finals. These two met once before in the Grand Finals of Capcom Cup 2017, which MenaRD won, securing his first-ever Capcom Cup championship. These two players knew they were running it back and celebrated their fated meeting by having a literal face-off that took the FGC by storm, hearkening back to Street Fighter Alpha 2’s classic artwork. Their set went down to the wire, but Mena clutched out the victory, setting him up to take on Punk in the Loser’s Final. Angrybird fights to the finish against MenaRD It could be said that MenaRD’s EVO run stole the show; but it was AngryBird’s victory that sealed the deal. Although Mena had a slew of nail-biting moments in the Top 6 that are enough to fill an entire article — he fought tooth and nail from Loser’s side all the way into the Grand Finals — AngryBird’s Ken gave him a run for his money in the final fight of the night. Mena managed to reset the bracket and looked poised to clutch out another win, but AngryBird’s momentum was just too great. AngryBird came out on top 3-1 and celebrated his victory with an outpouring of emotion that echoed Arslan Ash’s monumental EVO 2019 win. EVO gets its very own holiday EVO is one of the most special times of the year for fighting game fans, leaving players with memories they’ll never forget. In fact, EVO is so monumental that the event now has its very own official holiday in the state of Nevada, as told in a decree by the State’s Governor presented on stage. The EVO founders, Tom and Tony Cannon, were even awarded the Key to the City of Las Vegas. If that isn’t amazing, we don’t know what is. Congratulations to all the many players, employees, volunteers, and fans that make EVO such an unforgettable experience every single year. Here’s hoping for many more. Shoryuken!

BIG help Coinbase solidify esports presence with new partnership BIGGerman esports organization BIG, also known as Berlin International Gaming, have entered a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The convergence between esports and crypto has picked up in recent months, headlined by a 10-year, $210m deal between North American esports team TSM and crypto company FTX. Coinbase have cemented their presence in the esports industry now through a deal with BIG, though the length and financial value of the partnership were not disclosed when requested by Dexerto. The partnership will “explore the intersections of gaming and digital finances” through custom content, advertisement across digital platforms, and a focus on the German organization’s roster in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Only a few more days to go until our #ESLProLeague debut! 🏆 #GOBIG pic.twitter.com/5ocs7Kepyo — BIG (@BIGCLANgg) August 24, 2021 This agreement quickly follows multiple sponsorship deals being announced by crypto exchange Bybit, who are now involved with esports orgs such as Danish powerhouse Astralis and CIS giants Natus Vincere. Read More: LCS announce 7-year FTX sponsorship deal – Coinbase claim to be the biggest exchange platform in cryptocurrency with over 68m customers. They received a license for trading crypto in Germany on June 28, 2021. They’re also involved in esports through deals with North American org Evil Geniuses and tournament organizers BLAST and ESL. “Crypto and esports are both industries with a huge amount of potential and are constantly evolving,” said Coinbase’s country manager in Germany, Sascha Rangoonwala. “Partnering with Germany’s leading esports organization helps us more effectively reach as well as educate digital natives around the benefits and risks of cryptocurrency. Our aim is to give people the tools they need to use digital assets to their advantage.”

Benched NIP CS2 IGL claims some teammates didn’t “respect” his calls João FerreiraNIP benched Hampus ‘hampus’ Poser after his return from a medical break and the player said in a recent interview that he felt like some of his teammates didn’t respect his in-game calls when he returned. CS2 has seen a large number of roster moves as the year winds down and teams look toward the future in the new Valve title. Ninjas in Pyjamas is no different, however, their recent moves around their IGL has less to do with the switch to CS2 and more to do with team chemistry and leadership. NIP benched IGL hampus took most of the spring off due to medical issues. In a recent interview with HLTV, he claimed that after returning from break, his team no longer listened to his calls. “I felt like I had no power when I came back. I couldn’t really do things the way I wanted, so you always had to compromise with the coach or the performance coach and so on. Then I also felt that there were some players who did not respect my voice on the server and then it is very difficult to get good results when people don’t listen sometimes,” hampus said in the interview. NIP benched IGL dishes on CS2 teammates When hampus originally left the team back in January, NIP brought in Danish journeyman Kristian ‘k0nfig’ Wienecke as his replacement. The team then benched Aleksi ‘Aleksib’ Virolainen as the Swedish IGL returned in June. Since his return to the squad, NIP failed to qualify for Gamers8 and finished outside the top 20 in ESL Pro League Season 18. NIP announced hampus’s benching on October 24, 2023. Hampus said in the interview that he is currently considering offers from other teams, but is not in a rush to join a new team. The IGL added that he’s looking to join a team that has no grudges and is prepared to work as a cohesive unit. “A team where everyone is on the same page and understands that this is a team game. Play for each other and die for each other in all situations. That is something I missed at times in NIP,” hampus continued.

Best League of Legends players to watch at LCS Lock In With the esports season beginning to ramp up once more as we move through early 2021, there’s plenty to look out for in the competitive LoL scene. With such a huge roster of professional talent, there’s plenty of players to watch. Here, we let you know exactly who to keep an eye on in the LCS Lock In. The LCS Lock In kicks off on January 15, where North America’s finest will go head-to-head for bragging rights heading into the 2021 season. But after a hectic off-season (filled with plenty of roster shuffles), the new-look Championship Series is ready to make its debut to the world. So who are the players to watch during the event? We take a look at the stars you should be keeping an eye on! The last 12 months have been absolutely monumental for North American League of Legends, with the retirement of Yiliang ‘Peter’ ‘Doublelift’ Peng and Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg shaking up the community going forward. Alongside that, the LCS’ rebrand featuring a new purple color scheme, new logos, and mottos, sets up 2021 to be an interesting year for the esport. The LCS’s new lock-in stage gives the fresh new teams a chance to showcase and hone their talent, establishing some early dominance within 2021’s scene. The top players we recommend checking out during the event are: Luka ‘Perkz’ Perković – Hu ‘SwordArt’ Shuo-Chieh – Brandon Joel ‘Josedeodo’ Villegas – Barney ‘Alphari’ Morris – Quin ‘Raes’ Korebrits – Mitchell ‘Destiny’ Shaw – For all League of Legends news, and to be updated with the LCS Lock In, make sure to head over to our dedicated hub.

Behind The Scenes Doping Control At CS:GO Event Reveals Surprising Truth About Doping in Esports YouTube/ESICAnti-doping agency ESIC has provided an exclusive behind the scenes look into how doping control operates at the major ESL One Cologne CS:GO event, and how it is needed across other esport titles. ESIC (Esports Integrity Coalition) works with ESL and IEM events, and has tested over 260 players, mainly in the top tier of Counter-Strike, but some other esports less so. The video shows the process and also details how expensive yet necessary it is to roll this out across the highest level of esports to act as a deterrent. The Integrity Commissioner, Ian Smith, guides you through the video, and makes some surprising revelations about the level and nature of doping in esports. More: Infinite Esports Cut Ties with an Investor After Managing Partner Arrested for Assaulting Wife with Hammer – Despite increased scrutiny on the issue, Ian actually affirms that through their work they’ve determined that the problem is perhaps less prevalent than some believe, saying it is ‘largely doping free’. “Throughout that entire process, not only have we had a single positive [result], but also we’ve surveyed about 400 players. The results of those surveys are that they raise absolutely no concern about doping in the top levels of professional esport. On top of that, I also receive all of the therapeutic use exemption applications from teams on behalf of players that have been prescribed medications that are own our banned list. This includes Adderall and Ritalin and ADHD type drugs. The number of applications I receive is way below the national prescription rate in North America, for example. Which surprised me, but it should reassure people that firstly there aren’t many guys out there taking adderall or ritalin for medical reasons, never mind for cheating. So I’m reasonably confident in saying top tier esports is largely doping free. I can’t be certain of course, but I’m pretty sure.” However, Smith goes on to say that at the lower levels of esports, at the semi-pro or amateur levels, it could be more prevalent. However it is neither practical or cost-sensible to test at these levels. Smith also wants to see other major tournament organizers and game developers with esports titles become more involved. He says currently ESL are the only ones, and are footing the (expensive) bill themselves. “ESL are the only esports tournament operator in the entire esports eco-system running drug testing to enforce their anti-doping policy. They’re effectively doing it on behalf of every other esports org for the whole industry. Now that’s not fair. This is a really expensive process, they’re spending in excess of $40,000 a year on drug testing. Nobody else, and I’m including the major leagues, Overwatch, Riot, anything within the LCS, nobody else, is doing drug testing. It’s about time that people wake up to the fact that whilst there may be no evidence of drug taking in tier 1 esports, you need a policy and a testing program to act as a deterrent.” Smith is not entirely accurate on this point, as the recent FIFA eWorld Cup tournament did enforce FIFA’s standard drug policy and did tests on all the players competing the $400,000 tournament. Regardless, there does remain increased scrutiny on adderrall usage particularly even at the highest level of esports, something which goes against the majority of organizer’s drug policies.

Barcelona star Griezmann starts esports team for Fortnite, CSGO, more Twitter: GriziEsport / Biser TodorovStar Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann has revealed the launch of his own esports organization, Grizi Esport, and has begun seeking players and teams in Fortnite, CSGO, and more. Griezmann joins an ever-growing list of professional sportsmen and global icons that are investing in esports – the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Neymar and Odell Beckham Jr. have all planted themselves in the industry in one way or another. That said, none of the above players went the direct route and launched their own organization, with Griezmann clearly aspiring to make a mark in the industry with the launch of Grizi. Grizi Esport first revealed itself to the world on January 20, alongside an announcement that Theo Griezmann, Antoine’s brother, will be the head manager of the organization. Prêt @theogriezmann !? #HeadManager @GriziEsport pic.twitter.com/o5PbI9mXRt — Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) January 20, 2020 Within a couple of hours, Grizi had made its aspirations clear, putting out a tweet detailing that they are looking for players to represent them in various titles. Asking players to get in touch, Grizi – which uses a penguin as its mascot – is on the look-out for teams and players in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, and FIFA. The caliber of teams or players Griezmann is looking for to represent Grizi is not yet known, as he has started his own team rather than looking to work with some of the biggest endemic brands and making himself a powerhouse in the scene from the off. That said, he clearly isn’t lacking too much knowledge in the esports space, focusing not only on FIFA like many of his other soccer-playing brethren but branching out into some of the biggest and most exciting titles right now. Ironically, Griezmann isn’t the only Barcelona player to have invested in esports. Center-back Gerard Pique runs the eFootball.Pro league, which focuses on FIFA competitor Pro Evolution Soccer. Barcelona are among several professional teams to have their own esports team in the league.

BBC creating LEC documentary following EXCEL, narrated by Cillian Murphy Michal Konkol/Riot GamesMajor British broadcasting company BBC are set to release a five-part documentary following UK esports organization EXCEL ESPORTS. The series, named ‘Fight for First: EXCEL ESPORTS,’ follows the org’s team in the European League of Legends competition LEC throughout the 2020 Spring Split. The documentary is narrated by Cillian Murphy, an actor who’s been nominated for awards at the Golden Globes and BAFTA, and will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer in early 2021. In 2020’s Spring Split, EXCEL finished in seventh place — narrowly missing out on a spot in the playoffs with a record of seven wins and 11 losses. The description for the upcoming documentary will shed light on the “deep-rooted” reasons that the players compete as they are “navigating the growing pains of adulting, living away from home, love, new friendships, and fame.” November 2020 was a busy month for the organization, not only changing their logo and ethos to represent “The Power of Better” but announcing that Tottenham Hotspur and England national footballer Dele Alli had joined as their first global ambassador. Dexerto spoke with CEO Wouter Sleijffers at the time of the announcements to understand the need for change and what the future of EXCEL looks like. The new EXCEL. #ThePowerOfBetterhttps://t.co/wKxHcGe2So pic.twitter.com/0DXn2WtB7x — GIANTX (@GIANTXENG) November 12, 2020 “My sons love gaming,” said Cillian Murphy. “When I showed them the trailer for this, they said I had to do it. Being involved in Fight For First has been a great experience and there is so much more to professional gaming than I ever thought. It has opened up a whole new world to me and this series provides a proper insight into a fascinating, global industry.” BBC picked up more esports programming just in November, acquiring the rights to broadcast Counter-Strike competition BLAST Premier for the remainder of the 2020 season. In 2020 alone, the media giant has also shown Rocket League and sim racing.

Bald Caps on turning around G2’s LEC season: “Something had to change” Riot GamesBefore G2’s July 9 match against Astralis, star mid-laner Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther revealed a shaved head on the LEC stage in an attempt to turn around their disappointing Summer performance. G2’s League of Legends roster has not had a great Summer split thus far. Heading into their July 9 match, they sported a 4-5 record so far, well below the team’s expectations. G2 is typically a team at the top of the LEC standings, as they have won four of the previous five LEC titles. With their team in need of some good luck, Caps decided to take fate into his own hands. Caps made a bold move by showing up to their game with a completely shaved head, to the shock of many viewers. Caps reveals decision into shaving head Against Astralis Caps locked in Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress, one of League’s newest champions, who uses an enormous scissor to dice up enemies. Caps drastic decision ended up working out for his team as G2 defeated Astralis, finishing the game with a 10k gold lead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6k5hCGb2qc In the post-game interview, Caps gave his reasoning for chopping his hair off. “We were losing a lot of games. It felt like something had to change. So I guess the hair was it, this time.” He continued, “It also has some added benefits. I actually cut it myself, most of it, with a scissor which obviously helps when you’re going on stage playing Gwen, that you’re more comfortable with the scissors.” Caps’ strategy clearly worked, as he was given the player of the game award. Caps is also the only mid laner in the LEC to play Gwen so far, and he explained why saying “Gwen is one of the new champs, and going into this season I really wanted to play Gwen and Viego because new champs are a lot of fun… I’ve been spamming them in solo queue. Yeah, new champs are just always fun. They’re also usually pretty strong. I’m just happy that we can finally find success with it”. In regards to G2’s desperate need to turn the season around, Caps said “Going 0-4 was not something we’d expect going into the split. Once we went 0-4 we realized we have to step it up because we’re at the risk of missing out on playoffs… We really gave it 100% and I’m really happy with everyone’s effort throughout the week. We really came together to try and bounce back.” So far, Caps’ decision has worked, as G2 are positioned to fight back into a playoff seed for the Summer split.

Banks shares FaZe’s side of the story on Tfue lawsuit in emotional interview FaZe Clan / FaZe Banks – InstagramFaZe Clan founder Ricky “FaZe Banks” Banks went on KEEMSTAR’s Drama Alert in an attempt to set the record straight about the recent lawsuit Turner ‘Tfue‘ Tenney filed against FaZe Clan. The lawsuit, which was filed on May 20, alleges that the organization signed him to an oppressive contract that included an 80/20 split in favor of FaZe Clan for the revenue from Tfue’s branded content on social media. Following the announcement of the lawsuit, FaZe Clan denied the allegations, stating they have actually only taken $60,000 total through their partnership with the Fortnite Battle Royale pro and have taken nothing at all from his YouTube or Twitch revenue. Tfue filed a lawsuit against FaZe Clan. After vehemently denying the allegations and getting into a Twitter beef with 100 Thieves CEO Nadeshot, Banks echoed those earlier statements during his interview with KEEMSTAR on the May 20 edition of Drama Alert. “We have collected a grand total of 0% from Tfue’s prize winnings,” he said. “We have collected nothing from his Twitch, his YouTube, absolutely nothing.” He then goes on to explain where the $60,000 the team collected from Tfue came from, which was noticeably absent from FaZe Clan’s official statement on Twitter. FaZe Clan’s response to today’s press article regarding Tfue: pic.twitter.com/eVdRVMnRpl — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) May 20, 2019 “Where the $60,000 comes from are two brand deals that we brought Tfue that we have taken 20% of,” which falls in line with FaZe Clan’s statement that they are only taking 20% of “content revenue” as opposed to the 80% Tfue’s suit alleges. Moving away from the specifics of the lawsuit, Banks turned his attention to the “snakes” on Twitter discussing the situation. “I’m not going to name drop because I’m pretty emotional right now,” he said. “This situation specifically with Tfue really fucking fires me up because I’ve been so invested in this kid since the day I fucking met him.” Banks additionally claims that FaZe Clan have indeed offered Tfue a salary but he has not taken it. In response to the allegations Tfue was given alcohol before turning 21 and illegally gambling, Banks said he had no idea what that means. “Illegally gamble,” he asked. “[I] don’t know what that means, illegally gamble? I don’t have a thought in my head about what that could be about.” Banks then went into how Tfue only had about 100 viewers on Twitch and was a “nobody.” “One of my earliest memories of Turner was me in his DMs like ‘Yo, you wanna play Fortnite?’ when he was a nobody.” FaZe Banks and Tfue. He goes on to explain how another one of his memories, before Tfue signed with FaZe, was him drinking on a boat before he was 21. “One of my earliest memories is him coming back home after being on a boat on all day,” he said ” And he was drinking all day on a boat. This was far before we met him. Turner’s drank far, far before we got together with him. He was never pressured to drink.” Banks says Tfue was drinking the night he met Corinna Kopf, his current girlfriend, at a FaZe party where he was drinking. Tfue and Cloak are one of the most popular Duos in Fortnite. In response to the injury allegations, Banks says Tfue was doing stunts that could hurt himself before he ever signed to FaZe and argued he even pressured other people to do it. “Listen, this is just leverage for Turner to get out of his contract,” he says. Banks argues he made Tfue happen by watching Ninja and Myth play and comparing them to Tfue. “250,000 people were watching these people [Cloak and Tfue] yesterday and I made that happen,” he said. “You can ask them that, I was the person who made that happen.” In doing so, Banks also revealed what Cloak supposedly first thought of Tfue. “That kid’s garbage, he doesn’t know how to build and he’s not who we want to pick up,” Cloak said according to Banks. Despite all this, Banks still wishes the best for Tfue and just wants a phone call. I’m getting off Twitter for a minute. I’ve said all I need to say. As crazy as it might sound I still fucking love you dude @TTfue and I wish you nothing but the best. A phone call would be appreciated. — FaZe Banks (@Banks) May 20, 2019 There will certainly be a lot more to the story but now we have Banks’ side of the story. Other than the lawsuit, Tfue has not released a statement since the story broke.

Astralis seek to go public on US stock exchange with dual listing AstralisDanish esports organization Astralis have applied to be listed publicly in the United States in response to “growing US investor interest” in the company. Astralis Group — the parent company of Astralis’ teams in Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and FIFA — went public on the Danish Nasdaq exchange in December 2019, becoming the first esports team to be publicly listed. Their first year as a public company was “satisfactory,” according to their 2020 annual report, though they posted a loss of $8.5m. The CS:GO team is by far their most popular public-facing asset, housing what many believe is the best roster of all time. Now, they have applied to trade on the OTCQX, an American market that will allow people in the US to directly buy shares in the organization. The application process is expected to last for roughly four weeks, resulting in a dual-listing across both Denmark and stateside. The org is treasured as the leading esports team in their home nation but does indeed have international fans. “We are pleased to potentially trade on the OTCQX Best Market as it will give our current and potential shareholders an additional and larger regulated platform from which they can conveniently trade our shares,” said Anders Hørsholt, CEO of Astralis Group. “From the company’s perspective, it provides added exposure to an expanding US market of esports investors. “Trading on OTCQX will secure increased access for US institutional and retail investors looking to invest in our company and proven business model and it will provide an opportunity to be a part of Astralis Group’s continued development as an international leader in the growing, global esports industry.” https://twitter.com/astralisgroup/status/1380062394349674496 Guild Esports, a British organization co-owned by David Beckham, announced in February 2021 that it had applied to trade on the OTCQB venture market. They’re currently listed on the London Stock Exchange and, much like Astralis, want to give US-based investors a chance to get involved.

Axie Infinity announces trio of $1m esports tournaments at AxieCon Sky MavisAxie Infinity, the most popular NFT game in the world, has announced three esports tournaments to say goodbye to Axie: Classic and welcome in Axie: Origin, with a total prize pool worth $1m. With the rise of NFTs and blockchain technology, many video game developers have quickly looked for ways to incorporate the tech into their games. Developers Sky Mavis created one of the biggest success stories in NFT gaming so far with Axie Infinity, and they’ve now announced a string of tournaments with $1m on offer — all to take place across the AxieCon event in Barcelona in September. This includes the $500,000 Axie Classic World Championship, where 16 players will duke it out to be crowned champion. Here’s exactly what’s to come for Axie esports. Axie Infinity $1m tournaments With AxieCon taking place between September 7-10 in Barcelona, players are getting ready to fight for their spot at the event — and, hopefully, win the whole thing. Read More: Top 10 most expensive NFTs ever sold – Here are the three tournaments due to take place. Axie: Classic World Championship — $500k Qualifiers for the World Championship will take place from July 28 to August 21, and be divided into East and West divisions. By the end of the Qualifiers, 16 players will earn slots to compete at the Axie: Classic World Championship Finals in Barcelona. The Axie: Classic World Championship will act as a final send-off for Axie Classic as the next era of esports is ushered in through Axie Infinity: Origin. Axie: Origin BYOD Tournament — $400k These will be open to ticket holders only. Axie: Origin BYOD Tournament, which will run over the span of AxieCon, will crown the first-ever Axie Origin champion and include a total prize pool of $400,000. The Axie: Origin Stadium Series — $100k The Axie: Origin Stadium Series aims to give players of every skill level a place to compete for a piece of the $100,000 prize pool. The Stadium Series will host several heats at fixed times during each day of AxieCon where anyone in attendance can compete in Swiss-style mini-tournaments. The daily undefeated players get to face the Axie Final Four, which will be composed of Sky Mavis senior employees. The developers at Sky Mavis are clearly extremely excited to see their game showcased by the very best players in the world. “Axie: Classic has brought us 21 seasons of incredible gameplay and competition,” said Andrew ‘Zyori’ Campbell, Program Lead, Esports & Content Creators at Sky Mavis. “I couldn’t be more pleased with being able to give it a proper send-off and celebrate the journey we’ve taken to get here. As we look forward, the global launch of Axie: Origin will be a key moment in the history of Axie Infinity and serve as a catalyst for us to push Axie Esports to the next level. This series of events should be the perfect mix of honoring our great Lunacian history and celebrating the birth of our bright future!” Tickets for AxieCon are currently available through the Axie Infinity website.

Astralis unify brand by renaming Origen LEC & FIFA teams AstralisThe Astralis Group has announced that their League of Legends team, previously called Origen, and their FIFA team, Future FC, will be renamed so to bring all their teams under the Astralis branding. Astralis was previously only the name for the acclaimed Counter-Strike roster. The four-time Major winners cemented their CS:GO legacy after winning three consecutive Major championships during what has since been dubbed ‘the Astralis era.’ After their tenure at the top of the Counter-Strike world rankings during 2018-19 (which they held onto for just over a year), Astralis have endured a turbulent run of form. A dip in performance has seen the CS:GO roster slip in the rankings, despite starting off 2020 in pole position. But outside of their performance in the server, the organization has taken steps towards unifying their esports’ brand. Astralis rebrand LEC & FIFA team It was announced in their September 11 press release that Astralis Group will “merge all the organization’s activities and teams into one globally recognized brand: Astralis.” As part of this move, the organization’s LEC team (previously Origen) and FIFA lineup (previously Future FC) will now fly the Astralis banner. This comes as Astralis’ LEC roster recently made a shuffle to accommodate a more streamlined approach. As part of the restructure, Martin ‘Deficio’ Lynge has taken a step back from the organization. It’s been a rollercoaster of highs/lows with strong Spring splits but failing to develop for Summer. While the end results have been disappointing, I’m still sure we had good teams capable of making Worlds both years, and I take away a lot of learnings about team development. — Martin Lynge (@Deficiolol) September 15, 2020 Anders Hørsholt, CEO of Astralis Group explained how the move represents Astralis’ next step towards becoming a globally leading esports organization. “Through the merger of all activities and our team brands, we position ourselves as a leading organization in international esports.” “Already today, the red star is iconic in the esports scene and we have made the strategic decision to dedicate all resources to creating a truly global brand in esports and gaming.” Hørsholt explained how this move represents an ‘all-in’ approach from the Astralis Group. “We are investing significantly in this, to elevate everything around our teams. From the way we work with the individual players and teams, the culture of the organization and what we offer to fans and our other stakeholders.

Astralis now listed on US stock market alongside Danish listing AstralisDanish esports organization Astralis have been accepted onto a stock exchange in the United States, marking their second public listing. Astralis A/S — the parent company of Astralis’ teams in Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and FIFA — are now trading on the OTCQX Best Market, meaning US-based investors can now acquire shares in the org. Trading under ASGRF, they’re the 500th company to be listed on this particular market and hope it will allow their American fans to buy in and increase overall liquidity. Astralis originally went public in December 2019 when they listed on the Danish Nasdaq, making them the first esports team to do so. This now means they are dual-listed across Denmark and the US. The organization posted their financial results for 2020 in March, revealing that they achieved “satisfactory” results despite reporting a total loss of $8.5m and an EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) of -$2.3m. Astralis made a shock announcement in April 2021 when it was revealed that their star player Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz had left to join Ninjas in Pyjamas after six years with the Danish side. “We are pleased to have qualified to trade on the OTCQX,” said Astralis A/S CEO Anders Hørsholt about the listing. “It will give our current and potential new shareholders an additional and larger regulated platform from which they can conveniently trade our common share and it provides added exposure to an expanding US market of esports investors.”

Astralis CSGO player Spike denies sexual assault allegations by former teammate Twitter: spikeakaselAstralis CSGO’s Selin ‘Spike’ Sinem Alak has denied the sexual assault allegations from her from former teammate Kaia ‘KiKi’ Holmen. On October 8, KiKi published a TwitLonger in which she detailed the alleged assault by her teammate, but Sinem Alak’s has disputed those claims and provided her own account of the situation and the days surrounding it. Spike also suggested that this matter had been settled between the two of them for some time, and that she believes that these allegations have only now been made public “out of spite” for KiKi being removed from the team. Astralis Spike responds to sexual assault allegations from former teammate Spike released her own TwitLonger on October 11 in which she goes in-depth about her perspective of the situation. Among many differences, she noted that this incident wasn’t the result of KiKi ‘taking one for the team’ as she initially stated, but was instead the product of an already-bubbling interest between the two players. “One of the rooms had an own bathroom with a cute vanity table. With no hesitation, KiKi insisted on having the big room and OFFERED me to stay with her in front of Kezzi. She didn’t take one for the team nor was she forced to offer me to stay with her,” the accused pro claimed. In her statement, Spike also contested the claim that KiKi yelled or screamed for her to stop, suggesting that all acts were consensual and that when her teammate rejected her attempt to go any further she didn’t press the issue. She acknowledged that when the rejection came she asked why the other woman had changed her mind, but that after she realized KiKi was clearly uncomfortable with anything else, she dropped the topic entirely. “First of all, I asked for consent both times when I initiated the “making out” and both times she said yes. I understand that she didn’t want to go all the way and I didn’t do anything physically against her will,” she wrote. “She never shouted or kept saying no. Nobody in the house, including the staff, heard any screaming or yelling because it simply did not happen.” Spike’s statement also detailed that she believed that her and KiKi were on good terms up to the point that the latter player was dropped from the team. “I understand that facing the fact that you weren’t the right fit for the team anymore is hard to accept. Then a couple months later, and immediately after we signed with a new organization, she started telling our mutual friends that I had sexually assaulted her and that she wanted to speak up about it.” Astralis has yet to comment on the situation.

As Parimatch Ukraine shuts down, esports teams and creators wonder how to make ends meet Parimatch UkraineParimatch has suspended all operations in Ukraine following sanctions imposed by the country’s government. For those who were partnered with the betting firm in Ukraine, it is another rough blow amid the ongoing war. Parimatch Ukraine announced on March 12 that it had suspended its operations and shut down its platform after being included on a sanctions list released by the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, two days earlier. Parimatch was among the 287 companies that were sanctioned by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council in relation to Russia’s ongoing invasion. As a result, the betting firm has been banned from conducting business in the country for the next 50 years. All commercial partnerships have been suspended, with employees set to be laid off. “These are more than 280 companies and 120 people who, through gambling business schemes, worked against Ukraine, withdrew funds from our state and financed various Russian schemes,” Zelensky said in a statement. The news caught many by surprise in Ukraine, given Parimatch’s condemnation of the war. In March 2022, one week after the start of the invasion, Parimatch Tech – the company that developed the platform and marketing solutions for the Parimatch brand and that in January rebranded to GR8 Tech – pulled the franchise from Russia. That same month, it also doubled its financial assistance to Ukraine to $2 million and denounced Russia as the “aggressor” in the war. Founded in Kyiv but currently based in Cyprus, Parimatch operates internationally in several countries. It is partnered with several football clubs, including Premier League quartet Chelsea, Leicester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa, and a number of esports organizations, most notably Team Secret and 00 Nation. For less than two weeks, B8 Esports also had a deal in place with Parimatch. The Ukrainian organization, founded in 2020 by Dota 2 legend Danil ‘Dendi’ Ishutin, officially added Parimatch to its list of partners on March 7 in replacement of another betting company, Esports Bet. Less than a week later, Parimatch’s logo disappeared from B8’s social media banners. “We had plans to establish a long-term partnership with Parimatch, with the goal of helping to develop esports in Ukraine, starting from March 1,” Dendi told Dexerto. “However, the recent news has come as a shock to us all. We are currently facing a financial crisis and are actively searching for resources to pay our team and partners and continue our operations.” In addition to their Dota 2 roster, which competes in DPC NA Division I, B8 Esports have professional teams in CS:GO and Valorant. For now, there is nothing to suggest that Parimatch’s operations outside of Ukraine will be affected by these sanctions. (Different companies own the rights to the ‘Parimatch’ brand across Europe through franchise deals). But Chelsea, for example, are reportedly reviewing their partnership with Parimatch following the news of the sanctions. 00 Nation declined to comment when contacted by Dexerto. Team Secret did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Finding alternatives to Parimatch But it’s not just B8 Esports that have been left reeling from Parimatch’s sudden exit from Ukraine. A number of streamers and content creators are now scrambling to find alternative revenue streams, at a time when the economic uncertainty facing the world and the ongoing war in the country have made sponsorship opportunities much harder to come by. “Some esports content creators in Ukraine will lose most of their income,” Oleksandr ‘petr1k’ Petryk, a CS:GO analyst and content creator with over 230,000 YouTube subscribers, told Dexerto. “[But] some will be able to replace Parimatch with other bookmakers or sponsors sooner or later. “I have canceled some ambitious projects, and other content creators probably have as well. Nobody expected this or was ready for it.” In its statement, Parimatch Ukraine said that it is looking for a legal mechanism to refund its customers, who are owed UAH 250 million ($6.8 million), according to Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda. Parimatch added that it remains hopeful that Mr. Zelensky will review NSDC’s decision, pointing out that the amount of taxes and license fees paid in 2023 amounted to UAH 485 million ($13.2 million). “We ask you to check the information that was falsified during the decision of the National Security and Defense Council and take appropriate actions regarding all unlawful violations by the Security Service of Ukraine,” the betting firm said. “We are ready for public discussion, ready to answer all questions from the media and law enforcement agencies, and are ready to defend our position in court.” For many Ukrainian content creators, Parimatch’s shutdown has further upended their lives. Partnerships with betting companies are, according to petr1k, one of the few revenue sources available to them since the start of the war. Still, petr1k said it’s a sacrifice he is willing to pay in the service of a greater good. “I’m sure most creators in Ukraine will be happy not to have any projects with companies somehow still connected to Russia,” he said. “Parimatch denies that it has such connections, but Ukrainian authorities most likely have a strong reason to implement such sanctions. “From a business point of view, Ukrainian esports is almost dead due to the ongoing war. It will be completely dead without bookmakers. The exception is NAVI since they have broken into the international market. Hard times…”

Astralis reduce financial loss by 58% to $2m in first half of 2021 Twitter: AstralisDanish esports organization Astralis have revealed their financial performance for the first half of 2021, including a total of loss of $2m across the six months. With their famed Counter-Strike side and partnered teams in Riot Games’ LEC, ESL Pro League, and the BLAST circuit, Astralis are a prominent organization in global esports. Despite their overall prominence and previous record-breaking streaks in CS:GO, their financial report for the first half of 2021 explains that they’re still in the red. Astralis have reported total revenue of $6.24m (DKK 39.2m) for 2021 thus far, which is a whopping 92% increase on what they generated for the same period in 2020. Their EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) for the period was -$588,881.27 (DKK -3.7m), with a reported net loss of $2.01m (DK 12.65m). As was the case in 2020, the majority of their revenue came from their Counter-Strike. League of Legends was the second most fruitful game for them, with FIFA coming in last. Astralis Nexus, their new facility, opened on June 19 and generated $15,917.95 (DKK 0.1m). Their star CS player Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz left in April to join Ninjas in Pyjamas as part of a reported $1m deal, and recently Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth revealed to Dexerto that his future at the org was “up in the air.” https://twitter.com/astralisgroup/status/1432628950765821952 The Danish org posted “satisfactory” financials in 2020, resulting in a $8.5m loss for the year. They generated $8.26m in revenue; 66% from sponsorship, 27% from prize money and league revenue, 3% from merchandise, 2% from royalties, and the remaining 2% from “other revenue.” “Reduced effects of the pandemic will gradually improve our business opportunities in key business areas, however, we do not expect significant effects in the coming six months,” said Astralis CEO Anders Hørsholt. “Still, we expect to continue the positive development and we maintain our expectations for the result for the full year.”

Apparel firm receives backlash after unveiling esports dress for women Esports apparel company Cranium Apparel have come under fire after officially announcing an “esports dress” for women. The British company officially announced the item on Saturday, March 2, posting a picture of the item on Twitter. Along with the image, Cranium Apparel posted a statement telling female members of the gaming community to “get ready” saying: “It’s high time that we do something for the female gamers who receive so much backlash in the community. Stay strong, we respect you.” GET READY FEMALE GAMING COMMUNITY! :person_tipping_hand::skin-tone-3:♀️ ESPORTS DRESS NOW AVAILABLE :dress: Its high time that we do something for the female gamers who recieve so much backlash in the community! Stay Strong…We Respect You :heart:️ Proudly supporting #WOMENINESPORTS Tag Every Female Gamer You Know:nail_care::skin-tone-2: pic.twitter.com/qSr3huP4MO — Cranium Apparel ® (@CraniumApparel) March 2, 2019 While Cranium meant well with their latest release, it quickly became clear that the community was not happy with the way the dress had been marketed, immediately responding with criticism aimed at the company. Esports host Eri Neeman told Cranium Apparel that the company had “shot themselves in the foot” with the tweet they had posted, saying that “saying that this dress gives female gamers identity is wrong and plain ignorant.” You guys shot yourselves in the foot with how you posted. Some might have gone for the apparel if you simply announced it but you saying that this dress gives female gamers identity is wrong and plain ignorant. But at least you guys are taking the criticism constructively. 🙂 — Eri Neeman (@erineeman) March 4, 2019 Another Twitter users questioned why the company had created a dress in the first place, saying: “We’re playing games, not going to cheerleading practice.” we’re playing games, not going to cheer practice. — breababy :crystal_ball: (@Perfexiaa) March 3, 2019 When asked if any females were involved in the design and creation of the dress, Cranium confirmed that this had not been the case, but stated that they had conducted “preliminary research.” Another user asked the company to focus on items of clothing that people would actually want to buy, including jerseys and shirts cut for women, crop tops and leggings. Thank you for your recommendations! Plus sizes are currently available in all our apparel! we are working On Women Fitted Jerseys & Leggings! You Should Be Expecting Them Any Time Soon! :yes: — Cranium Apparel ® (@CraniumApparel) March 4, 2019 Cranium Apparel confirmed that they would take the recommendations on board, and told potential customers to keep an eye out for new gear aimed at women which is set to drop in the near future.

Arsenal & LA Rams owner launches esports brand alongside LA Guerrillas & Gladiators Kroenke Sports & EntertainmentThe owner of Arsenal Football Club and the Los Angeles Rams has launched a new esports brand called The Guard, alongside the LA Guerrillas and Gladiators. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has rebranded its home of esports to The Guard and will be opening a facility for their teams. While the company continues to grow in the esports scene, they will build an operations building, ‘The Keep’ in Playa Vista with plans to recreate the same facility on Hollywood Park near SoFi Stadium in a few years. The rebrand comes fully loaded with a Twitter account, website, and even a new esports team to complement the two they already have. https://twitter.com/TheGuard/status/1456652537730306059 Kroenke rebrands esports to The Guard & adds Valorant team KSE is already home to the likes of the Guerrillas and Gladiators, but The Guard will now oversee both of these teams and one more. While the org is fully invested in the Call of Duty League and Overwatch League, they will now dip their toes into the Valorant scene. The Guard is home to multiple Los Angeles esports teams:@LAGladiators of @overwatchleague @LAGuerrillas of @CODLeague Our foundation is established and new pillars are being built, starting with @ValorantEsports. pic.twitter.com/WjOZZMgVgq — The Guard (@TheGuard) November 5, 2021 It was rumored in October of 2021 that KSE could be looking to join Riot’s FPS soon. The team has already signed three players. Harrison ‘Psalm’ Chang, Michael ‘neT’ Bernet, and Jacob ‘valyn’ Batio are signed to The Guard and will be looking for two more players for the 2022 VCT. On top of that, they currently have former Call of Duty World Champion Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov signed as their sole content creator. The org is building LA’s new home for esports with The Guard and wants to bring home some championships to the city — will that start in 2022?

Apex Legends pro Sweet reveals “sad” reason he quit playing Ranked Respawn EntertainmentSweet is one of the premier names in all of Apex Legends and the former #1 Predator player has spilled the details of why he has quit playing Ranked entirely. There are few names more popular in the ALGS scene than Sweet. The NRG IGL has made his mark on the scene by being one of the most knowledgeable players in the world, and in some ways, by sharing that info with the rest of the community. That’s not to diminish his high skill level either. There was a time when catching Sweet absolutely dominating the Ranked ladder wasn’t a rare occurrence. He’s moved on from that now, but after being asked about the decision, he revealed that it’s a blend of physical and emotional reasons that caused him to spurn it for the most part. NRG Sweet explains why he quit Apex Legends Ranked As he explained to his Twitch chat, he feels a genuine level of discomfort when attempting to play Ranked after grinding it for so many seasons. “My brain feels like it’s getting pressed on physically in my head, and there’s a fog in my eyes. Is that just extreme boredom?” he asked. “It feels like a chemical response to playing Ranked…if I die in Game #2 of a session my body physically starts to shut down.” Sweet also clarified that it’s not a problem that persists across public matches or even the Firing Range and that he still loves playing Apex competitively. “I think it’s just too many seasons of it not being f***ing rewarding,” he summed up. “I’ve just gotten to the point where I can’t find the fun of it anymore unless they change the ranked system back.” There’s no sign of the devs undoing the changes made with Ranked Reloaded back in Season 13 but Sweet is not alone in his disdain for the current version of the playlist.

Andrew Tate sparks controversy after partying with G2 Esports CEO VIMEO: FREETOPG/G2 EsportsAndrew Tate’s controversial takes were enough to get banned from almost every social platform. Now, the ‘Top G’ has been spotted at a party with G2’s CEO, and G2 fans aren’t happy. Andrew Tate has been banned from just about every major social media outlet. Not just him, but the name “Andrew Tate” itself. It’s at the point where Apex Legends players are even getting banned for naming themselves after him. It’s safe to say that Andrew Tate has been de-platformed almost unilaterally due to violating the content policies of almost every social media, something he responded to by flexing his private jet and saying, “I don’t feel very canceled“. However, de-platforming someone online doesn’t mean they cease to exist. And, in Andrew Tate’s case, he was spotted at a party in a video posted by G2 Esports CEO, Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Santiago. Andrew Tate is (not) banned from G2 Esports The video in question shows Andrew Tate lighting a cigar with the sparkler on a champagne glass in a celebration of G2’s recent success as an organization. Andrew Tate certainly has a track record. Other than his controversial views, there were also allegations that Tate was participating in human trafficking, allegations he vehemently denied on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show. This appearance with Tate comes after G2 signed an all-female League of Legends roster, along with the organization having one of the leading female Valorant teams. G2 esports is one of the frontrunners when it comes to signing female players, something that runs counter to Andrew Tate’s views according to G2 fans angered by Ocelote’s appearance with Tate. Meanwhile, Tate has been condemned by Trevor ‘Quickshot’ Henry, one of the longest standing shoutcasters in the LEC (League of Legends European Championship). Both Quickshot and his wife, Becca Henry, spoke out against Andrew Tate’s involvement with a big figure like Ocelote. Another shoutcaster for the LEC, Marc ‘Caedral’ Lamont voiced his displeasure by simply saying, “f*** andrew tate” in a tweet. Backlash against Ocelote for his involvement with Andrew Tate has been immense. Carlos has since responded to the backlash with a tweet addressing the issue. He responded by saying that “nobody will ever be able to police my friendships”, and that he can “party with whoever the f*** I want”.

Apex Legends pro faces backlash over transgender slur and deletes social media RespawnApex Legends pro Jaeden ‘Caprah’ Valle has deleted social media after facing backlash for using a transgender slur. Apex Legends player Jaeden ‘Caprah’ Valle is once again facing backlash. Earlier this year, Caprah made the headlines after making a number of derogatory and offensive comments toward XSET player Sikezz. A screenshot of a conversation over Discord showing a string of messages was made public, where then former teammates came forward, claiming that it wasn’t the first time they’ve had to deal with his toxicity. The situation sparked a response from several of the biggest pros in the Apex Legends community. Now, Caprah has once again come under fire, this time facing backlash for using a transgender slur — leading him to delete his social media profiles. ALGS pro deletes social media after using transgender slur Apologizing for his prior actions, Caprah claimed he likely “won’t play competitive Apex ever again.” However, months later, the player made a return to the competitive scene, joining Team SCS. Now, the 17-year-old has been called out for the use of a slur towards transgender people, where during a scrim session, Caprah could be heard calling his opponent a “tr**ny f**k” after being eliminated. Caprah was then called out by ‘Ideas‘ — the transgender player the slur was allegedly targeted towards. “Loses con once immediately calls me a slur reformed btw how many times has it been 3, 4?” they wrote on Twitter/X. Ideas also called out Caprah’s teammates for the behavior, before noting how several top players vouched that the 17-year-old was “reformed” before returning to pro play. “@_Avexys @DeToXGOW this your new teammate? How many top players have directly vouched saying he is reformed? How you [going to] die one time and just spit it out like it’s nothing. Caprah has since appeared to delete his social media platforms, with his Twitter/X account no longer available.

Amouranth is now co-owner of an esports team in latest shock business move WildcardKick streamer Kaitlyn ‘Amouranth’ Siragusa has joined fellow content creators Disguised Toast and MoistCr1TiKaL in the world of esports. On June 20, the popular adult content creator and streamer revealed that she’s now co-owner of Houston-based Wildcard Gaming. John Griffin, Wildcard’s other co-owner, voiced excitement about Amouranth joining, saying that with the esports industry stabilizing after a few tumultuous years, this was the “right time to make a move.” “Kaitlyn is not just a massive personality, she is an incredibly smart business woman. She is thoughtful and calculated, just as we are. Her impact on our organization will be immediate,” he explained. The move will see Amouranth help grow the org in North America by promoting a new men’s and women’s apparel line across her numerous social media accounts. She will also be hosting watch parties for Season 2 of the Rainbow 6 Pro League. With Siragusa’s new investment, the team also plans to build a performance center and office space in Texas. As it turns out, Amouranth had been looking to get involved in esports for quite a while. “I’ve always had my eye on esports,” Siragusa said. “I’ve admired what other creators like Disguised Toast and MoistCr1TiKaL have done with their own organizations. In my conversations with orgs and research, Wildcard felt like the best opportunity to help shape a growing organization.” Rumors of the announcement first began to swirl on June 17 when the creator posted a teaser trailer on social media, indicating that she had a big reveal in the works. In the trailer, Amouranth reviewed a contract with plenty of redactions, but it featured quite a few esports hints. For one, the contract included references to Bandit and Mozzie, two guns in Rainbow 6, which Wildcard Gaming competes in. Another referenced her hometown of Houston, which Wildcard is based. This is just the latest in a long line of business moves Amouranth has made. The streamer notably debuted an AI that allowed users to create their own fantasy content, launched her own beer, and even purchased multiple gas stations.

Esports org Andbox announces rebranding to NYXL NYXLNorth American esports organization Andbox has rebranded as NYXL, the shortened name of its Overwatch League team, New York Excelsior. The move will affect the organization’s Valorant roster, which will compete under the name NY Fury, and marks another step in the organization’s efforts to become “New York’s next global entertainment brand.” The earliest signs of the change were seen on March 20, when Andbox changed its Twitter handle from “@andbox_official” to “@NYXL”. The latter belonged to the New York Excelsior (often shortened to NYXL) Overwatch League team, whose Twitter handle is now “@NYExcelsior”. https://twitter.com/NYXL/status/1506299694531723264 The rebranding to NYXL comes just two months after Andbox appointed award-winning writer and businessman James Frey as their new CEO – a move that signaled the company’s ambition to transform from a purely competitive organization to an entertainment brand. “Our team is dedicated to building New York’s esports programs, discovering new creators, and creating new content and entertainment that will showcase our home city,” NYXL CCO Mitchell Smith said. “We see NYXL and esports as an important step in growing New York’s economy and we are excited to build this sector and create large-scale events that bring people from around the world into the City. “We are honored to work with Mayor Adams, Commissioner del Castillo and their teams to secure New York City’s rightful place as the global epicenter for gaming and esports.” Founded in 2017 by Venture fund Sterling.VC, Andbox is the largest New York-based esports organization. In announcing the rebranding, NYXL pledged to make an investment “in the high-seven figures” into New York city’s gaming community over the next 12 months, including in the construction of the company’s headquarters, XLHQ, in Manhattan. NYXL has also announced their own young creator project, called YXL, aimed at finding and supporting “the next generation of New York digital content creators”, pledging $500,000 to the initiative. Sources told Dexerto there are no plans to rebrand the New York Subliners, the organization’s Call of Duty League franchise team.

Almost a year after Cowana closed its doors, many still wait for the money they’re owed cowanaGerman esports organization Cowana Gaming closed its doors at the end of 2022, leaving behind a trail of debts. Dexerto spoke with a former player and a lawyer representing five other people, with the group owed over $100,000. Kevin ‘kRYSTAL’ Amend thought he had seen it all in his career as a CS:GO player. He had weathered cheating accusations hurled at him during his early days as a pro. He had watched as his team’s Major spot was snatched away after three of his teammates were lured by a bigger organization. He had also survived a coup to oust him when a star player decided to rebel against his methods. After over a decade of competing, kRYSTAL thought that nothing could surprise him anymore. But then he joined Cowana Gaming, which failed to pay his salary for almost a year. “Esports organizations, in general, try to make money off you, but something this huge had never happened,” kRYSTAL told Dexerto, estimating that he is owed around 33,000 euros (almost $36,000). “And that is after tax.” kRYSTAL signed with Cowana Gaming in August 2021, at a time when he was entering the autumn of his career. Then 28 years old, he had enjoyed almost a decade of success in CS:GO, not only in his home country of Germany but also abroad, after transitioning from CS:Source. Cowana Gaming was the esports branch of Cowana GmbH, a German event and marketing company. Founded in 2020, it fielded teams in multiple esports titles, including in CS:GO, Valorant, Call of Duty and Rainbow Six, and supported a number of content creators. Hosting sim-racing expos was a key part of Cowana’s business model, but then the pandemic shut down indoor events across Germany for over a year, eating away at one of the company’s main sources of revenue. This is one of the reasons, kRYSTAL explained, that he was understanding of Cowana’s financial issues and didn’t make waves on the many occasions when Michael Wamser, the company’s CEO, informed the team that salaries would be paid late. “Michael Wamser always came to us on TeamSpeak and told us, like, ‘Hey, I want to update you guys so you know it from me. It’s like this with the coronavirus, and we’re waiting for financial support from the German government,’” kRYSTAL said. “The government’s relief payment was allegedly delayed by five months, and then Gamescom got canceled. He said the salaries would be delayed by a maximum of three months, but then it got pushed back more and more.” Other players on the CS:GO team ran out of patience after a few months. kRYSTAL recalls that, at one point, his teammate Stefan ‘stfN’ Seier refused to play until his missing wages were paid. Later on, another player, Denis ‘denis’ Howell, threatened Cowana with a lawyer after his first salary was not paid on time. In both instances, kRYSTAL said, the company quickly settled the outstanding amounts. Money was often a source of contention within the team, which stagnated at the lower end of tier-two Counter-Strike. Even as he went unpaid for months on end and kept tapping into his savings just to get by, kRYSTAL was focused on finding a way to get the squad out of the hole it was in. However, he kept running into roadblocks. “We had some issues that we couldn’t fix because of the money problem,” kRYSTAL said. “Instead of us going forward as a team and talking about what we could fix, our talks were often about whether we had got any answer from Cowana. “I would have some stuff I wanted to talk about but couldn’t because people just didn’t have to headspace to do it.” Cowana’s money issues became public knowledge in the CS:GO scene only in November 2022. First, Estonian player Kevin ‘HS’ Tarn revealed that there were “unpaid salaries, in some cases for over half a year” as he left the team. And then British player Thomas ‘Thomas’ Utting terminated his contract with the organization just one month after joining, citing “unforeseen circumstances.” On December 6, Cowana announced that it would be closing its esports section at the end of the year, referencing the “effects of the international crises.” That same day, German media outlet 1HP published a story detailing Cowana’s financial woes, which went all the way back to 2020 and affected players, staff, and content creators. By then, kRYSTAL was already out of the team, having been benched in October. His contract with the organization was officially terminated at the end of the year. Reneging on promises In its statement, Cowana said that it would “make sure” that any outstanding payments would be settled by the end of the year. “We hope with this transparent statement to be remembered a little better,” Cowana said. “We want to communicate it openly with you and not just disappear from the scene.” But nine months later, many of those still owed money say that their attempts to contact Cowana have been met with silence. Marco Pirolo is a German lawyer who represents four ex-members of Cowana’s CS:GO team (players denis, stfN, and Ádám ‘kolor’ Domoszlay, and head coach Mariusz ‘Loord’ Cybulski) and one former player for the Valorant team, Alexander ‘alexR’ Frisch. He was hired by the esports player foundation, a German not-for-profit that supports over 100 athletes on their esports journey, to represent the group, which is allegedly owed a combined €70,000 ($75,900 USD) by Cowana. “Some of them had not been paid since June,” Pirolo explained. “They already had very high outstanding amounts.” Pirolo’s first action was to send a letter to Cowana informing the company of his clients’ claims. According to him, Cowana did not respond to the letter, but in a conversation with an esports player foundation chief, Wamser indicated that he was open to reaching a settlement plan. “So I asked to talk to the CEO of Cowana to see if there was a chance that my clients, instead of filing a lawsuit, would get their money in installments,” Pirolo said. “Michael Wamser said that he was in talks with investors and that he was hopeful they were bringing in cash and that he would be able to fulfill an installment plan. That was, I think, in February.” Pirolo said that was the last time he heard from Wamser. There was no follow-up on these alleged new investors or how the installment payments would be made. kRYSTAL recalled a similar experience when he tried to work out a payment plan with Wamser. “I told him, ‘Every two weeks, you give me a third of what you owe me,’” he said. “And he agreed to it. But the money never came. And then he stopped answering me.” For kRYSTAL and everyone else with outstanding payments, their hopes of ever getting their money took a major blow in May, when it was revealed that Cowana GmbH had filed for insolvency. The news came as Pirolo was gathering information from his clients to file a lawsuit, which was no longer an option. “In insolvency proceedings, generally speaking, the only way to enforce your claims is to submit them to the insolvency administrator, who is responsible for distributing the money amongst all the creditors,” he said. “Filing a lawsuit during insolvency proceedings is usually not possible, and it would also not make sense from an economic point of view.” Pirolo said that it will take several months for the insolvency administrator running Cowana’s affairs to review the financial situation of the business and determine whether it is in the creditors’ interest to save the company. If it is not, then the creditors will be given the opportunity to file their claims. According to Pirolo’s information, by the beginning of August 2023, more than 100 creditors had submitted claims totaling more than 3.3 million euros ($3.55 million USD) to the insolvency administrator. From Pirolo’s experience, it could be more than a year before any proceeds from the insolvency process are paid out. “They are tired,” Pirolo said of his clients. “They have been waiting for their money for a very long time. “I also try to manage their expectations. When you’re talking about insolvency, it’s not great. Very often, creditors receive only a fraction of their original claim or are left empty-handed.” Pirolo said that, in addition to submitting his clients’ claims to the insolvency administrator, there are further options that he is evaluating. His clients might apply for insolvency compensation, known in Germany as ‘insolvenzgeld’. This would see them receive a guaranteed three months’ wages from the German government. And then there’s also the option of filing a criminal complaint against Wamser, Cowana’s CEO, if there is suspicion that he committed fraud by, for example, entering into employment contracts knowing that he would not be able to pay wages or delaying the filing for insolvency and further aggravating the situation. “At the moment, we don’t have any compelling evidence that a criminal offense has been committed,” Pirolo noted. “That would be something for the law enforcement agencies to determine.” Dealing with the trauma kRYSTAL admitted that he still has a hard time processing everything that has happened. To this day, he doesn’t know if Wamser was ever truthful when he said that he was working to settle all outstanding payments. He recalled one night when he was out drinking with Wamser during Gamescom 2022. “We were having a good time, and it felt personal, you know?” he said. “He always said he wanted to make all members of Cowana feel comfortable with them. I didn’t understand why he would continue doing that. “I even told him, ‘I’m the one who has been with you the longest and I’m the one who hasn’t complained once. Yet I’m the one you haven’t paid anything to yet.’ “I would say I am a little bit lucky that my mom owns a building. I have my own apartment on the ground floor, she lives on the second floor, and my brother on the third floor. I told Wamser that if it wasn’t like this, he would be responsible for me living on the street because I didn’t get any money for over a year.” kRYSTAL said that this ordeal has had such a profound effect on him that it has impacted every aspect of his life, including his personal relationships and his sense of self-worth. “When I was with my friends or met new people, it was like, ‘Oh, what are they doing for work?’, I got constantly reminded that I was basically getting scammed,” he explained. “It made me feel worthless. “I feel bad for being nice, but I guess this is how I am as a person. But I was taken advantage of. It felt really bad at the time, and now it feels even worse because I was used, basically. I don’t feel like I’m worth too much because people are allowed to do this with me, and I can’t do anything about it.” Wamser did not respond to requests for comment. In recent months, Cowana’s website has been disabled, as have the company’s pages on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. On July 4, it was announced that SouthWest Vision GmbH will replace Cowana as the organizer of the ADAC SimRacing Expo, the world’s largest SimRacing event. The 2023 edition will take place from October 13 to 15 in Dortmund. Registered only in June, SouthWest Vision GmbH is co-managed by Nadine Wamser, who was the Managing Director of the former Cowana subsidiary Media Lounge. Three sources have told Dexerto that Nadine Wamser is Michael Wamser’s wife. Danny Giusa, Cowana’s former Head of SimRacing, and Alexander Kreis, the company’s former Head of Business Development, are also working for SouthWest Vision in similar roles, as reported by gamesmarkt.de. Nadine Wamser did not respond to a request for comment. kRYSTAL has put his playing days behind him. He is now the assistant coach of Bad News Eagles, the team from Kosovo that has challenged CS:GO’s status quo by reaching three Majors, the game’s most prestigious events, without the backing of an organization. He said that the decision to stop playing was motivated by what happened with Cowana. “It was the first time in years when I didn’t want to play anymore,” he noted. “It was just not enjoyable at all.” kRYSTAL knows that the chances of getting the money he is owed in an insolvency case are slim. That’s why he is keeping his expectations in check to temper the potential of another disappointment in a chapter of his career that he deeply regrets. “I hope I get everything, but I expect to get nothing, I guess,” he said. “I don’t want to have this expectation that I will get everything, so I don’t get disappointed again. “This is how it was all the time. He [Michael Wamser] would talk to us or he would talk to me, and my expectations would go up, and then I would get disappointed again and again. This killed the joy and everything.”