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AI Prize Fight founders share bold vision for future of esports YouTube: 6079aiA group of AI ‘free thinkers’ are hosting a bot-vs-bot tournament in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. I met with the minds behind the event to understand why they put together such an unorthodox fighting game tournament and what their goals are in the esports scene. In May 2024, “thought leaders” in the independent AI space revealed they’d be hosting ‘AI Prize Fight,’ a tournament series where tech enthusiasts and fighting game fans can join a dojo and create an AI ‘agent’ to battle it out on their behalf in a game of Street Fighter. With $15K in prizes on the line, the event has already seen a good amount of excitement on social media… but I wasn’t convinced. I had to know more, especially given their claims of hoping to “change the landscape” of esports with this new initiative. Given that the fighting game community is founded on competition between human opponents, I found it odd that leaders in the AI space would seek to change such a vibrant community in such a major way, and doubted that the FGC would buy whatever they were trying to sell. I got to speak with Mike Anderson and Jesse Bryan, the organizers of the event and figureheads of 6079, an independent AI group, about their goals for the tournament and what they hope to achieve in esports. It turns out that they aren’t actually trying to replace fighting game pros with AI-powered bots… but they do believe that this initiative could, and likely will, bring about a new genre of competitive gaming altogether. “These emerging AI artists, if you dig into their backgrounds, most of them didn’t go to fine art schools and things like that. They were like, ‘I could almost think my way to these amazing designs.’ It’s a different kind of competition,” Bryan told me. “Exactly in the same way that people will talk about AI art, I think it’s gonna be the same type of thing. It’s like, I do esports, but I’m on the AI side. Almost like BattleBots, where you have to think about your battle bot before it goes to battle and build it, and then you put it in an arena and see what happens. Businesses are gonna need prompt engineers. In the same way as in the past, you needed engineers to build software, now, you’re going to need prompt engineers.” Bryan foresees a future where a new type of gaming competition will emerge — one where players build out AI “agents” using a series of prompts. Rather than being based on reaction times and perfect inputs, this type of esport will reward the person who can make the best prompt… although it’s unclear how high that particular skill ceiling will go. In fact, he claims that there’s a future where players will create agents to play a game for them, even throwing around the idea that esports pros might create their own AI agents based on themselves, which they could then trademark and sell to further boost their income. “This is a way to try to show people that this is possible. The cool thing is that we’re using Street Fighter as a framework for this, but you could use any game and put it on top of it. I really think about it like a new category of gaming. “In the same way it used to be, if you had a small bakery, you would try to find software to run your bakery. In the future, instead of buying software, somebody will have created an agent that’s for running small bakeries, and it’ll have all that information you need. It’ll kind of run the bakery for you. I feel like gaming’s gonna be very similar, where if you go into a really difficult or strategic game, you’re gonna start bringing your agents with you — almost like your squad will be agents that you actually build and prompt and bring into existence. “This is a fun way for people to start to figure out, ‘I can do this. I can control my own future. I can have custody of my own data, I can create my own IP, and then I can license it to other people.’ I do think we’re not far at all from really serious gamers building out, or in essence, duplicating themselves, and then being able to license that to other people. So you have Ninja on your team, all that stuff. We could build that for people right now if they wanted to do that.” Bryan claims that AI Prize Fight is less of a challenge to the greater esports scene and more of a fun and interactive way to introduce players to the world of programming, comparing it to a “tech demo” of sorts. “It shows how fast, in essence, it can think, because it’s a new type of esport where you have to think through your strategy in text form. You almost have to pregame the whole thing out. And so it’s like, the new skill is, can you communicate your intentions and your strategy to the AI in a way that it can act on your behalf? “You can watch it happening in real time, which is also wild. So it’s more like chess in that the two AI prompt fighters have to really think through what they’re doing, and kind of watch game tape of the last person’s fight and seek out what they’re doing and tweak their prompts in between every fight.” While bot vs bot fights are nothing new in the fighting game scene, the degree to which AI Prize Fight is taking the idea is unprecedented… and they’re already making plans to expand. “We have plans to create games that actually would let the AI agent have even more control in the future,” Anderson said. “I would also say that this actually secures decentralized AI, and the reason it does is because it’s a head-to-head competition. So it demonstrates that each one of these networks is capable of winning.” For Bryan and Anderson, decentralizing artificial intelligence is a key part of their mission — and with companies like Apple making massive deals with OpenAI, it’s more important for them now than ever before, and AI Prize Fight is just the tip of the iceberg in helping the average person take their information into their own hands. “I bet most gamers have never thought about what they’re doing as data collection,” Bryan told me. “It’s almost the same way that you can use Wi-Fi to map someone’s house and things like that. If you looked at the data, you can see how someone plays, and it would actually give you a whole psychographic profile. Whether or not gamers care about that is a different thing, but you have a unique style and that’s being mapped. The question is: Who’s going to own it?”

Aldi cancel ‘Teatime Takedown’ ad campaign following backlash Aldi UKSupermarket chain Aldi UK have axed their incredibly unpopular ‘Teatime Takedown’ ad campaign, which was mocked for its attempt to drag ‘addicted’ gamers away from their game and down to the dinner table. Teatime Takedown asked parents to sign-up their kids, who would then somehow be matched in a game with a ‘professional’ player and be beaten so badly that they would immediately rage quit the game and go spend some quality family time instead. The esports community were quick to point out the holes in this campaign, as well as collectively sigh at what appeared to be another misguided and cringeworthy attempt to use gaming to market. The trailer for the campaign was roundly disliked, currently holding a ratio of 5 thumbs up to 105 thumbs down on YouTube, and Aldi’s announcement was mocked on social media. The campaign also drew comparison’s to the failed ‘Bully Hunters’ initiative, which similarly set out to use ‘elite gamers’ to get rid of toxicity and sexism in gaming, but used misleading statistics and falsely claimed their broadcast was live rather than scripted and pre-recorded. Following the largely negative feedback, Aldi UK have removed the Teatime Takedown page and sign-up from Facebook, and sent apology emails to various complaints about the ad. I’m seeing @AldiUK has issued some apologies via email for the crass marketing campaign they used on gamers recently. Would be nice to see a public apology too. — Redeye (@PaulChaloner) March 26, 2019 In one email response, Aldi customer service explained that they were “sorry for any disappointment” and even offered a £10 voucher. The campaign had not truly got underway yet, with the first ‘Teatime Takedown’ sessions planned to start on March 29. Still, a professional video and marketing push was completed, but it looks like Aldi have acknowledged it could have been executed just slightly better, to put it mildly.

After 2022 LCS failure, what’s next for Team Liquid? Twitter @TeamLiquidLoLThey were one of the most stacked superteams in the world – and they won’t be going to Worlds 2022. What happened to Team Liquid’s LCS roster, and what can we expect from the team heading into 2023? 2022 seems to be the year that the superteams fall. First, it was Team Vitality, the European superteam designed to net Vitality their first LEC title – who failed to get anywhere close to an LEC final in either Spring or Summer. And now, it’s Team Liquid. Pound-for-pound one of the most individually talented rosters North America had ever seen, they failed to qualify for the World Championship and will enter a long offseason without a domestic or international title to their name. Team Liquid have never quite known failure on this scale before in the LCS. They’ve had their years of poor performance (the Team liquid fourth meme exists for a reason) but never with this level of investment behind them. At the start of the split they had a strong case for having the most talented players, pound for pound, in every role. At the end of the split, Team Liquid are missing Worlds for the first time in four years. What happens when a project of this scale falls apart? Not only does Liquid have some truly incredible talent – they have some truly incredible imported talent, for whom the future is immediately uncertain. Where will those players go? Can Liquid realistically go for a total rebuild after this level of investment? Change needs to happen Failure on this scale is inexcusable for an organization of this size. But how do Liquid go about fixing what’s broken with minimal casualties? The first port of call for a failing team of all-star talent is to look to the coach. Because how could these players fail, if not for some kind of systemic issue? André ‘Guilhoto’ Pereira has received his fair share of criticism for the TL disaster, and rightly so. Players this good don’t suddenly start inting. Something is clearly wrong on an organizational level, and it’s easy to think that replacing the coach will fix the problem completely. But it’s rarely that simple – life rarely offers us quite so easy a solution for such a complicated problem. So, replace Guilhoto. Perhaps even replace Jonas ‘Kold’ Andersen if you feel like the team needs a complete, clean reset. But what happens if these players keep underperforming after they’re gone? Team play and fundamentals weren’t the only issue for Team Liquid’s LCS 2022 run. Their bot lane in particular has had some serious issues with how they’re playing out teamfights, especially in the playoffs, and that’s not necessarily a coaching problem. It’s likely that Søren ‘Bjergsen’ Bjerg, Lucas ‘Santorin’ Larsen (barring a few recent slip-ups) and Gabriël ‘Bwipo’ Rau have all performed well enough to stay. But the bot lane is a real problem, and a new coach isn’t going to magically fix that. Steven ‘Hans sama’ Liv, a player labeled as a true hard carry AD Carry, had one of the lowest kill shares of any AD Carry in the LCS throughout the Summer split. Those things in themselves are not necessarily negatives, but Bjergsen is not a hard carry, and Bwipo isn’t going to provide that crucial DPS needed in a teamfight. Team Liquid needed Hans sama to step up and be the Draven/Tristana/Sivir carry of old, and he just… didn’t. Jo ‘CoreJJ’ Yong-in has also underperformed, and that’s just not something you get the opportunity to do as a former World Champion. Not all change is good Bjergsen is Bjergsen. He’s not the kind of player a team will just get rid of – his brand value in the LCS alone is enough for Team Liquid to overlook any moments of weakness. And more importantly, he’s performed consistently just well enough that getting rid of him just wouldn’t be worth it for TL. He’s still the same undisputed KDA king that he’s always been, and he’s a great rock for the team to rely on in the mid lane (even if his passivity and champion pools are still a significant problem). The identity of this team seemed, to me, pretty apparent from the moment the roster was announced. A support whose strength lies in making the primary engages, and a jungler who’s competent at following up on those engages with picks like Sejuani and Trundle. A top laner who can help make those engages by picking off priority targets in side lanes before a fight even starts. A consistent, control mage mid laner who can help create space within fights for the hard-carry AD Carry to work his magic. But this isn’t what it ended up becoming. CoreJJ has been stuck on enchanter supports, unable to make the plays he’s so famous for. Santorin’s been forced to become TL’s primary engage tool, a role that he admitted in an interview with Dexerto that he thinks CoreJJ is better at. Bwipo’s gotten more than his fair share of kills (the most of any LCS top laner in the regular season), but they’ve rarely been able to provide the necessary utility to the rest of his team. And both Bjergsen and Hans sama have shown nothing but passivity in their respective roles. Team Liquid’s core identity as a team has gotten lost, and they’re floundering. Rebuilding an identity for Team Liquid LCS The two most glaring problems for this roster are its bot laners – specifically Hans sama. Team Liquid had the second-lowest damage per minute of any of the eight teams in the LCS playoffs. Hans sama did 28.8 percent of that damage, racking up a measly 580 damage per minute – insufficient numbers for an AD Carry drafted onto a team with a notoriously low-damage mid laner. CoreJJ’s also had issues with not fulfilling his role, but his issues have been much more meta-based than a breakdown of his identity as a player. He’s been on enchanter duty almost the whole split long, but especially in the playoffs, and that’s simply not where he shines. Even as far back as Spring, CoreJJ’s ability to work with ranged enchanters has been an issue for TL. In a Discord AMA midway through the Spring split, head coach Guilhoto explained that while Hans sama worked best with ranged supports, CoreJJ’s comfort was on engage and roaming – and that the pairing needed to “find a balance and play both at a higher level.” That hasn’t happened. This synergy issue might be solved by a change in coaching philosophy. This team feels designed for each player to perfectly fill an archetype that creates one harmonious whole – you can afford to play a little outside the meta if it means fulfilling the conditions of your team’s success. If a coach is willing to draft him comfort picks and hope he can just skill gap his opponent, then we might see a return of the old CoreJJ. But the same can’t be said for Hans sama. The current bot-focused meta is pretty well suited to him, and he’s been put on consistently strong picks throughout the summer split and the playoffs. It hasn’t yielded results anywhere close to what fans, and likely Hans sama himself, would have expected or wanted. If a change were to be made in the bot lane, it would make more sense to me to replace Hans sama than to replace CoreJJ. But it would also make sense to make a coaching staff change first – see if putting CoreJJ on comfort picks and having Hans sama adapt can repair their fractured synergy. There’s also perhaps an argument to be made for replacing Bwipo. But much like CoreJJ, I think a lot of his issues stemmed from the draft, and particularly from his reluctance to play champions like Gnar and Sejuani. In fact, he was one of the only top laners in the LCS to not play Sejuani once throughout the course of the Summer split (and only once in the Summer playoffs) – she’s been one of the most popular top laners in the international meta. Whether this is a refusal to play those champions, and therefore a potential attitude issue on his behalf, or the choices of TL’s coaching staff, we’ll probably never know. But if it is a coaching staff issue, that’s something that can be fixed without replacing one of the players that TL spent an offseason and an unfathomable amount of money to acquire. Ultimately, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any major changes come out from TL. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say the most likely solution they’ll take will be to change their coaching staff and keep their players as they are and attempt to make a 2023 rerun. Perhaps they’ll get rid of their two big EU imports in Bwipo and Hans sama and look to domestic talent to fill the gaps, but it would be an undeniable waste of two of the biggest signings an NA team has had in quite some time. Realistically, this roster only gets one more shot at the title before they wear out the good faith of fans. Now, we just have to wait to see what that shot will look like.

Age of Empires pro randomly does push-ups mid-set in $100k tournament TwitchHave you ever performed a bunch of push-ups when you’re in the middle of a big game? An Age of Empires pro just did that in the midst of a $100k tournament, and it very well may have helped him achieve victory. Marco ‘JorDan_AoE’ Bloch was competing in the $100k Red Bull Wololo tournament when he went ahead 1-0 in the series against his opponent, Patricio ‘Capoch’ Olmo. Rather than stare at his screen and wait for the next game, the AoE 2 pro decided to just start doing push-ups instead, much to the shock of the casters. “Okay, he’s just showing off,” the on-air talent joked. There are normal pro players and then there’s @JorDan_AoE pic.twitter.com/IblHKiDFmB — GamerLegion (@GamerLegion) September 15, 2021 “Is this like, a challenge?” another asked. As JorDan continued his workout, a caster pointed out that in a previous cup, they had a rule that every time you lose a game, you had to do ten push-ups. In any case, JorDan did a lot more than ten and was even ahead in the round, so it was likely incredibly tilting for his opponent. Are push-ups the secret strategy? 🧐 @JorDan_AoE takes the 2-0! #GLWIN pic.twitter.com/VDO6AiSTHD — GamerLegion (@GamerLegion) September 15, 2021 The extra workout may even have helped, as JorDan was able to secure the win 2-0 and continued his undefeated run. Maybe next time you’re in a heated game, try doing some push-ups. There may be a secret technique that lets you play even better and clutch out some victories thanks to the blood pumping from your workout. Or maybe he was just showing off. In any case, it’s never a bad thing to stay in shape. Just don’t celebrate too hard, or you may end up dislocating your shoulder like CakeAssault after he won a Rivals of Aether tournament.

Activision Blizzard settles DOJ lawsuit over OWL and CDL player salary limitations Stewart Volland for Blizzard EntertainmentThe United States Justice Department has filed, and settled, an antitrust lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for allegedly violating antitrust laws around salary caps for OWL and CDL players. Activision Blizzard has had legal action brewing around OWL and CDL player salaries for some time, as Jacob Wolf reported in November 2022 that settlement talks between the DOJ and Activision had broken down over antitrust violations. The situation has come to a head on April 3, 2023, as the DOJ sued and settled with Activision Blizzard over antitrust violations in its esports leagues, according to multiple reports. The US government says that the video game developer has illegally implemented rules to keep esports players’ salaries down by penalizing teams that spent more on player salaries than an amount decided on by Activision Blizzard. This rule was called the Competitive Balance Tax. “Video games and esports are among the most popular and fastest growing forms of entertainment in the world today, and professional esports players—like all workers—deserve the benefits of competition for their services,” Jonathan Kanter, a Justice Department antitrust division assistant attorney general said. The DOJ also filed a consent decree that would stop the developer from imposing any other rules limiting OWL and CDL player pay. Activision Blizzard denies efforts to limit CDL and OWL player salary Activision Blizzard has denied that its salary agreements across its esports leagues, which were suspended in 2021, were in violation of the legal statutes. “We have always believed, and still believe, that the Competitive Balance Tax was lawful, and it did not have an adverse impact on player salaries. The tax was never levied, and the leagues voluntarily dropped it from our rules in 2021. We remain committed to a player ecosystem with fair pay and healthcare and continue to have the least restrictive player mobility compensation system across all of the major sports leagues,” an Activision Blizzard representative told GamesIndustry.biz. The DOJ is just the fourth governmental body to take action against Activision Blizzard as the company has come under fire for union-busting, employment discrimination, and restricting workers’ rights. OWL teams have reportedly slowed down on promoting the league due to this settlement and lawsuit for its first event of 2023.

Activision Blizzard admits concern about the longevity of CDL & OWL Activision BlizzardIn a 10-Q SEC filing submitted on May 4, Activision Blizzard admitted that it has concerns over the future “longevity” of the CDL and OWL as both leagues face challenges. Activision Blizzard submitted an SEC filing on May 4 and it revealed how the company views the Call of Duty and Overwatch leagues as both have been hit with financial, and other, struggles. In a section called Management’s Overview of Bussiness Trends, Activision Blizzard specifically talked about the CDL and OWL. “Our collaborative arrangements for our professional esports leagues (i.e., the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League) continue to face headwinds which are negatively impacting the operations and, potentially, the longevity of the leagues under the current business model. We continue to work to address these challenges, which could result in significant costs, and such efforts may prove unsuccessful,” the filing said. Both leagues reportedly have teams that owe about $400 million combined in delayed franchise payments that have been deferred since 2020. The Department of Justice also settled its lawsuit over both league’s alleged salary cap on players’ wages in early April. Activision Blizzard gives grim outlook on CDL & OWL future The Overwatch League specifically has had to deal with hardship as its Chinese franchise teams have had to deal with Blizzard titles being shut down in mainland China, which has caused one of its teams to not partake in the 2023 season so far. The league also does not have any major sponsors for the 2023 season as many pulled out due to multiple allegations and lawsuits over Activision Blizzard’s workplace conduct among other things. The CDL seems to be in a healthier state as esports organizations are still looking to enter the league as Dexerto has reported Team Heretics are set to partner with the Florida Mutineers to create the Miami Heretics. The grim outlook from the SEC filing is in sharp contrast to the Head of the Overwatch League’s, Sean Miller, recent comments to Dexerto about the health of the esport league.

Activision Blizzard closes GameBattles as esports division cuts continue Twitter: COD EsportsGameBattles is shutting down as Activision Blizzard continues to cut its esports division following the closure of the Overwatch League. On New Year’s Eve 2015, it was announced Major League Gaming, one of the biggest esports tournament organizers in the world, had been acquired by Activision Blizzard to build up their esports arm, namely with franchised leagues in Overwatch and Call of Duty. However, 2023 marks the last year of the Overwatch League as Activision Blizzard announced cuts to their esports division, leaving questions up in the air about the future of Overwatch, and to an extent, Call of Duty esports. Now, as the esports winter continues to chill, GameBattles, an iconic community platform and one of the longest-running online tournament organizers, is shutting down as well. Announced on the GameBattles’ Twitter page on November 13, the account shared: “After careful consideration, we have decided to shut down the GameBattles platform and service as of January 15, 2024.” The shutdown was elaborated on by Chris, who was the Operations Supervisor of GameBattles and long-time member of MLG. “Our team learned yesterday that Activision Blizzard has decided to shut down GameBattles, the last remaining branch of MLG, by mid-January. “The entire team at GameBattles has been notified we’re all being let go as part of the closure.” Chris continued, “This didn’t have to happen. There’s so much untapped potential with MLG, GameBattles, and the future of esports. I hope one day both MLG and GameBattles get the attention they deserve – not for me or anyone who worked there, but for the amazing community they created.” GameBattles was largely responsible for the organization of multiple open circuit Tier two and three competitions in CDL Challengers, Warzone, Overwatch, and Call of Duty Mobile for Activision Blizzard. Multiple interested parties have publicly put up offers to salvage the brand, including former MLG head and Esports Engine founder Adam Apicella. Whether or not Activision Blizzard is interested in selling the property, however, remains to be seen.

A mobile game tournament had stronger viewership than any other event in Feb, even VCT LOCK//IN MPL IndonesiaA group stage match in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang MPL Indonesia Split 1 had the most viewers out of any esports tournament in the month of February. Even beating out global juggernauts like IEM Katowice 2023 Grand Finals and VCT LOCK//IN. To those in the west, it may seem absurd that a mobile game highly inspired by League of Legends would garner a massive amount of viewers, enough to comfortably trump the likes of VCT LOCK//IN and IEM Katowice. However, that is our reality. In a Regular Season match between RRQ vs EVOS Legends, the broadcast reached a peak viewership of 1,780,665, according to data from Esports Charts. This number not only beats out the grand finals for both VCT LOCK//IN and IEM Katowice, it even beats VCT Champions 2022 comfortably. RRQ is regarded as one of the game’s greatest teams, and also the most popular. Their roster has multiple MPL Indonesian and regional trophies in their case. They consistently placed 5th to 2nd in every single World Championship they qualify for. And if they aren’t getting trophies, they are still always considered favorites for any tournament they enter. The team has a longstanding rivalry against EVOS Legends, as they denied RRQ the trophy to the game’s first World Championship trophy. Unsurprisingly, the match was mainly broadcast in Indonesian. Of course, it had broadcasts in other languages too, but the Indonesian stream accounted for 1.3 million of the 1.7 million peak viewership numbers. As of writing, there are still three more weeks to go in the Regular Season, and it’s expected the Grand Finals would break records once again throughout March. Mobile Legends is essentially the industry’s sleeping giant, and the biggest mobile game in the world. Earlier in this year’s M4 World Championship, it became the third most viewed esport tournament of all time, with a peak viewership of 4.2 million viewers. Below you can find the top five most-viewed esports events in history. The match was the upper-bracket semi-final of RRQ vs Blacklist International. And it only lost to the 2022 LoL World Championship which came in second, and the 2021 Free Fire World Series at first place.

Achieveminds partner with Dropi to give their players a boost in performance AchievemindsAchieveminds, an agency with a focus on getting the most out of their players, have partnered with Dropi in an effort to find new ways to maximize their players’ performance. In the grand scheme of things, esports is still a fairly young industry. While traditional sports trainers and coaches have decades worth of experience figuring out how to maximize their players’ performance, esports is a place where things haven’t quite been figured out yet. Finding ways to sharpen the mind rather than body is a bit more of an obtuse affair, with it being a bit more difficult to find ways to tell whether or not the mind is working better, and whether it’s a direct result of what you’ve changed. Enter Achieveminds partnership with Dropi, a brand that’s taking a more tried-and-true route and creating a dietary supplement that’s easy to add to players’ routines: Fish oil. Achieveminds partners with Dropi to improve player performance Though a number of ways to give competitors a performance boost have been pushed over the years, like EXCEL’s announcement to partner with a magnetic bracelet company that was almost immediately rescinded due to the backlash, Achieveminds partnership with Dropi goes back to a long-held belief in fish oil’s benefits. Fish oil has been shown to give players benefits through granting the body a boost in omega-3 fatty acids, something that’s the human body doesn’t produce on its own yet can have a positive impact. Fish oil is often taken as an anti-inflammatory, something that can be a big boon for esports competitors working long hours and pushing themselves to the limit and has to contend with keeping themselves in fighting shape. Achieveminds describes Dropi’s performance benefits as follows: “We firmly believe that success in esports is not just about skill, but also about maintaining an optimal health and mental state. That’s why we chose to partner with Dropi, a company renowned for its premium Icelandic fish oil. Fish oil is recognized for its wide-ranging benefits, from boosting cognitive function and reducing stress to improving stamina and energy levels – all crucial elements for peak performance in high-stakes esports competitions.” While fish oil may not be as glamourous as, say, an energy drink sponsor, it certainly makes sense for someone trying to keep their players healthy and steadily improve their performance rather than having some sort of supplement that’s intended to give their performance a short-term spike on game days. That short-term boost has its place, but Dropi looks to take a different approach. Ultimately, esports is an ever-evolving industry in its infancy, and an agency like Achieveminds who puts thought into how to make sure their players are in top shape is trying to find the best ways to enhance esports performance. In their mind, Dropi is the partner that can do just that.

Team roflgator wins $75K Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 tournament: Full results Twitch / Warner BrosMultiVersus competitions for Season 1 heated up, with a a staggering $75K prize pool having been on the line for the recent Twitch Rivals event series. While it was Team roflgator that won the Championship Bracket, we’ve got you covered with a full rundown on the results. Just weeks after MultiVersus launched its very first season, the free-to-play fighter has already captivated the masses. With millions jumping in daily and many more watching along online, Twitch looked to capitalize with the biggest competition thus far. $75,000 was up for grabs across three regions as duos in NA, EMEA, and LATAM battled it out. Team roflgator ultimately won the entire event, but the competition was fierce. To catch up on the full tournament, we’ve got you covered here with everything you need to know about the Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 tournament. $75K Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 Tournament Final Results: Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 event: Schedule & Streams The high-stakes MultiVersus tournament began on 8AM PT on Wednesday, August 31. It started with the EMEA leg of the competition, then jumped to LATAM at 1PM PT, then winded down with NA from 2PM PT. It really was a full day of action. As you would expect from a Twitch Rivals event, the full broadcast featured on the official Twitch Rivals channel from start to finish. Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 event: Format & Prize 16 Duos in each region threw down in MultiVersus as Twitch Rivals kicked off. First, they split into a single round-robin group stage consisting of four teams each. Matches during this stage were all best of three. From there, the top 16 teams advanced to a single elimination bracket and were seeded based on their earlier performance. Once again, all matches were best of three here except for the final round which jumped to a best of five. Throughout the event, Duos had four ringouts in total with a seven-minute time limit to get the job done. It’s also worth noting that no characters were banned, meaning they were all fair play. With a collective $75,000 prize pool, each region was set to compete for $25,000 in total. Below is a breakdown of the final split. Group Stage Prizing ($7,200 total) Playoff Prizing ($17,800 total) Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 event: Players With three regions jumping into the action, the field was definitely stacked. This included big name players, such as Dyrus along with popular Twitch stars like LIRIK. Here is a list of all the players who were involved in the NA Twitch Rivals MultiVersus Season 1 event:

8 esports titles confirmed as medal events at 2022 Asian Games including League & Dota2 OCA/Riot GamesEight esports titles, including League of Legends, DOTA 2, and FIFA, will be debuting as medal events at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Olympic Council of Asia has announced. Esports will make their official debut at the Asian Games in 2022 with eight games, according to a press release from the Olympic Council of Asia. League of Legends, DOTA 2, FIFA, and Street Fighter V are among the games that have been selected as official competitions for the prestigious multi-sport event, which will be held from September 10 to 25 in Hangzhou, located in the Chinese province of Zhejiang. Medal event esports In 2018, esports appeared at the Asian Games in Jakarta as demonstration events. Six titles were chosen to showcase the discipline: Arena of Valor, Clash Royale, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Pro Evolution Soccer, and Starcraft II. As demonstration events, the medals awarded did not count towards the final medal tallies. China topped the unofficial medal standings with gold medals in Arena of Valor and League of Legends, as well as a silver medal in Clash Royale. Now esports will take their place amongst the official medal events. Eight titles will be contested at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, according to the Olympic Council of Asia: Arena of Valor – Dota 2 – Dream Three Kingdom 2 – FIFA – HearthStone – League of Legends – PUGB Mobile – Street Fighter V – .@lolesports will be a medal sport in the 2022 Asian Games👇https://t.co/ug2ub3xkmm pic.twitter.com/vOg3VL0lxx — David Higdon (@davidhigdon) September 8, 2021 The decision to add esports to the Asian Games was made in December 2020 at the OCA General Assembly and allows players the chance to represent their nation on the biggest regional sporting stage. Read More: From VALORANT pro to Paralympic gold – This official inclusion of esports is also likely to reignite debate as to whether esports should be admitted into the Olympics.

72-year-old politician becomes the world’s most unlikely esports team owner Instagram: screenwolves72-year-old Spanish politician Celia Villalobos has officially launched her own esports team, called Screen Wolves, in one of the most unexpected announcements you’ll see for a while. Esports is an ever-growing industry, with multitudes of A-List celebrities now investing in orgs, launching their own teams and getting involved in the esports scene of their favorite games. Be it Drake with 100 Thieves, NFL star Kyler Murray’s investment in FaZe Clan or NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal’s involvement with NRG, there are some huge names in the space. Now, politicians aren’t typically associated with esports, but even despite being older than the typical esports demographic, Villalobos has proven that that doesn’t have to be the case. Screen Wolves was officially announced on Monday, May 24, with a promo video featuring Villalobos herself gaming in the new team’s jersey. In the 40-second announcement video, she says: “I have always been in the spotlight. Criticism, mockery, reproaches… A lifetime marked by a single moment. A moment that almost made me forget what I liked. “But you know what? That’s over. No more listening to you. I’m done keeping quiet. It’s time to show the face. It’s time to play.” As of yet, Screen Wolves do not have any teams or players in their books, and it’s unclear what their plans are in terms of which esports they want to enter. Villalobos has not made a habit of discussing which esports are her favorites, so it’s hard to tell what her plans are going forward. However, she did — somewhat controversially — get caught playing Candy Crush on her iPad while she was meant to be presiding over a debate in Congress in 2015. Whatever esports she decides to enter, Villalobos is clearly aiming to stay ahead of the curve, and it’s pretty impressive considering her age. Who knows — maybe we’ll see Screen Wolves in the LEC or at CS:GO Majors sometime soon.

$500,000 Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown – schedule, players, format, info J. Hill / ApexLegendsShut / Twitch RivalsAfter weeks of qualifiers and anticipation, the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown at TwitchCon Europe is finally here, and below you can find everything you need to not miss a single second of the intense competitive action. At most of their TwitchCon events, Twitch usually looks to host tournaments for games that are trending at the time, so the 2019 TwitchCon Europe in Berlin, Germany seemed like the perfect occasion for a high-profile Apex Legends competition. The tournament features some of the biggest Twitch streamers from the European region, and beyond, all of whom will be going head-to-head for a slice of the massive $500,000 prize pool. When is the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown? The Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown will be split into three parts – two qualifiers and the finals – all of which will take place on April 13. The first qualifier will start at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 10 AM CET, the second qualifier at 5:30 AM PT / 8:30 AM ET / 2:30 PM CET, and the finals at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 7 PM CET. Join us tomorrow as we go live from #TwitchConEU with the Twitch Rivals Finals where Legends will go head-to-head live and in-person for the very first time. Tune in at 6pm CET (10am PT) to find out who will be crowned Champion:trophy:: https://t.co/yyysLdWnGQ pic.twitter.com/EYutWWUack — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) April 12, 2019 How to watch the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown The Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown will be streamed on the official Twitch Rivals channel, live from TwitchCon Europe in Berlin, Germany. We have included the stream below for you convenience, so make sure to check back here to watch it live when the tournament kicks off. In addition to the main stream, you can also watch the players on their own Twitch channels, as many of the competitors will also be streaming their perspective live from the event. Watch live video from TwitchRivals on www.twitch.tvLive standings for Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown Twitch Rivals will be providing a live leaderboard for their Apex Legends Showdown, which is available via the link above. In it they will provide scores for each match, the current standings, each team’s record, and more! What is the format of the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown As mentioned above, this competition will be split into two qualifiers that will lead into the finals. Each qualifier will feature 20 teams of three players each, and the top six teams from the two qualifiers will advance to the finals, where they will play against each other as well as the players that had already been invited directly into the final stage. Read More: Full list of Apex Legends world records – As for the competitive format itself, there hasn’t been on officially announced yet, but it’s likely to be similar to the two Twitch Rivals Apex Legends tournaments that were held prior to this one. In those tournaments, teams were matched up with each other in swiss-style format, and each match’s winner was decided by the two teams loading into separate public matches and trying to score points based on the following breakdown: 1st place = 10 points – 2nd place = 5 points – 3rd place = 4 points – 4th place = 3 points – 5th place = 2 points – Kill = 1 point – Players and teams in the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown Twitch has officially named all of the streamers that will be competing in the various stages of the competition. 60 players have been designated to the first qualifier, 60 others to the second qualifier, and 23 specially chosen streamers have been advanced directly into the finals, where they will await the top six teams from the two qualifiers. What hasn’t been revealed yet are the teams that these players will be forming, which we will also include here once they are announced. Prize breakdown of Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown The entire prize pool of the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Showdown is $500,000, which will be divided between the three stages of the competition. The two qualifiers each will include a $35,000 prize pool, while the finals will be worth $350,000. The exact breakdown of how this money will be distributed betweens the teams at each stage has not yet been announced.

7 best ways for esports players to handle their anxiety hiro via psypost / Ron Rambo Kim YouTubeEsports players who compete at elite levels get accustomed to the lights and sounds of high-pressure situations, but for people starting out in competitive gaming sometimes getting a handle on your nerves can prove too difficult. Being nervous or experiencing high anxiety can be perfectly normal in a competitive environment, and the key to performing as well as you’re able to can rely on knowing the right techniques to manage that stress. Luckily former Counter-Strike pro Ron ‘Rambo’ Kim is an expert in the thoughts and emotions that can overcome younger esports players, which is why he offered his methods for the best ways of getting those anxieties in control. Whether you’re playing on big stages in front of thousands in the audiences or local LANs with a few dozen in attendance, everyone can learn a thing or two about controlling anxiety. 1) Slow Down with “lazy” inhales The very first method Rambo suggests is to simply slow down your breathing when feeling that anxiety settling in: “I’ll take the laziest, slowest, longest inhales through my nose.” These 5-10 second inhales might seem like it “takes forever” but that’s sort of the point, as it gives time for your “mind and body [to] realign together.” 2) Flush bad thoughts by focusing on your breath Tons of negative thoughts and emotions can easily fill an esports pro’s head. To combat this, Rambo suggests training your mind by trying out meditation. What’s been working for Rambo is taking 10-15 minutes of slow breaths to concentrate on one’s self and block out all the “clutter” that could be affecting the mind’s state. With enough practice, people can effectively “cancel out” negative thoughts by simply focusing on something they have control over, which is their breathing. 3) Positive self talk A lot of the time our biggest critic can be ourselves. Rambo thinks that players should be accustomed to giving themselves a positive reinforcement with positive self talk. “When you get anxious, you have all these thoughts in your mind and they’re usually negative stuff,” Rambo said. While it might sound silly or embarrassing, giving oneself a small pep talk can be all they need to reduce anxiety since most of the causes for that stress were probably conceived purely in their own mind. 4) Be prepared Whether things go well or not, all one can do is their best. Being properly prepared for a competition or tournament can go a long way to reducing nervousness. Rambo says that “your mind is much more at ease” simply knowing that you did your due diligence leading up to the event. 5) Good sleep, good food Now this is one a lot of gamers have trouble with, but it’s an important one to start fixing sooner than later. Resting essentially resets your mind, but that’ll only go as far as the energy you give it. Rambo says that putting an effort into getting the proper amount of sleep along with feeding yourself healthy foods can pave a smoother road for reduced anxiety and nervousness. Even though there’s a tournament to play, the first battle starts in the mind. Handle that first to help you play your best game. 6) Confront your anxiety When anxiety or the like starts to infest Rambo’s thoughts instead of avoiding the state of mind, he does his best to find the “root of the problem.” “Really, go straight on with [your anxiety],” Rambo said. “Cause I feel like if you don’t and just leave it there and let it linger, it’s going to start taking over your mind.” 7) Gain experience Rambo’s parting advice clues people into being experienced about what you’re doing. A lot of the time people rightfully get anxious of the unknown. “The more you do something,” Rambo said. “The more comfortable you get!” Whether that means going to more LANs (regardless if you win or not), putting more time in with an organized team, etc., having a proper footing on what you’re doing will cut down on the anxiety that players can sometimes feel.

NBA team owner claims 2K League players will earn more than LeBron James Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis says in 10 years NBA 2K League players will make more than NBA superstar LeBron James does today. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal Future of Everything event, Leonsis made the bold claim that NBA 2K League players will not only make more money than LeBron, but will also be more well-known. We’re still easily in the infancy of the NBA 2K League, which is just in its second season, but there are 21 teams in the league that all are affiliated with NBA teams. To put this into context, LeBron James made $35.6 million in his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers. This number doesn’t include any other sponsorship he may have, such as shoe deals, clothing lines, etc. For the first year of 2K League, first-round picks were paid a base salary of $35,000 for a 6-month contract, with every other player being paid $32,000. That means there’s still a long way to go if the average player is going to catch LeBron James, let alone lowest paid NBA player. “I believe that in 10 years one NBA 2K player will be more well known, popular and better compensated than LeBron James is today,” said Leonsis, according to Sport Business. “It’s just math. If you’re in India, you’re not able to see LeBron, you can’t buy tickets and go to the game, you can’t watch it on cable…you can see a couple of clips. These [esports] players are developing [social media] handles, they’re developing personalities, they’re online and anyone can watch and participate.” The NBA 2K League hasn’t caught the world on fire so far with viewership being much lower than both the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues on Twitch. Leonsis says he believes that in 10 years an NBA 2K League player will become better known and better paid than LeBron James is today! — Bob Williams (@WilliamsBob75) May 21, 2019 If players are ever going to make as much as LeBron does, viewership will have to have a sharp spike. With the pace things are currently on, it seems like it’d be more likely the league would fold within 10 years rather than players making millions.

41st Sports Emmy Awards to feature esports category for first time The 41st Sports Emmy Awards will recognize the best of American sports television programming in 2019, and will also include a separate category for esports for the first time ever. The Sports Emmy Awards is an annual event that hands out awards for the best achievements in televised American sports from the previous year, including sports-related shows, live coverage of events, the best announcers, and more. The 41st running of these awards, which will be held in 2020, will also feature an award for Outstanding Esports Coverage of 2019. According to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, this award will “recognize the craft behind the delivery of coverage and presentation of competitive, organized video gaming to the viewer during a ‘championship’ or ‘final’ event.” “We are entering an exciting new chapter for the Sports Emmy Awards with the addition of an exclusive category dedicated to recognizing excellence within esports,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS. “The category, Outstanding Esports Coverage, illustrates the Academy’s commitment to remain on the forefront of the ever-changing world of sports production.” History of esports at the Sports Emmy Awards Esports have been recognized at the Sports Emmy Awards before. Entries have received nominations for various categories, including Outstanding Studio Design/Art Direction, and Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage. In fact, in 2017, League of Legends developers Riot Games were honored in the Outstanding Live Graphic Design category for their opening ceremony presentation at the finals of LoL Worlds, kicking off the proceedings with the Elder Dragon flying around the stadium. WINNER VIDEO: Outstanding Live Graphic Design @riotgames League of Legends @LeagueOfLegends #SportsEmmys pic.twitter.com/Ov7uuos41g — Sports Emmys (@sportsemmys) May 9, 2018 However, this will be the first time that the Sports Emmy Awards will actually feature a category specifically dedicated to esports, reflecting an era in which the industry’s massive growth has thrust itself into the national spotlight. The NATAS recently appointed four-time Emmy Award winner Justine Gubar as Executive Director of Sports Emmy Awards Administration, who welcomes the infusion of esports to the iconic awards ceremony. “It is an honor to be a part of the Academy during such a pivotal time,” said Gubar. “The addition of a category dedicated to esports welcomes an entire new pool of talent. I look forward to recognizing the creative minds that embrace newer technology, trends and passions within the sports industry.” When will the 41st Sports Emmy Awards take place? The 41st Sports Emmys will be held in New York City in May, 2020, with the exact date not announced yet. It is traditional for this event to take place on a Monday night sometimes during the Spring following the year being recognized, either in the last two weeks of April, or the first week of May.

2022: The Year Of The Scumbag BlizzardIn his latest column, Dexerto’s Richard Lewis dives into some of the biggest stories of 2022 in gaming and esports to explain why it was ‘The Year Of The Scumbag’. I was weighing up to do the best summary of 2022 so readers could have an understanding of just what a ghastly year it was for the esports industry as a whole. At the end of every esports year, I am left with the same feelings. Regret, shame, embarrassment. As I get older, appropriately for the esports industry, I take my cues from Chinese wisdom. Their tradition of naming years after animals comes from the fable “The Great Race”, in which the Jade Emperor invited animals from all across his kingdom to come and swim a mighty river. Only 12 animals could be bothered to answer the call, and so grateful was the emperor that he agreed that he would name a year after each animal in their honor, should they finish the race. In the story, the order in which the animals finished is based on their associated traits. For example, the rat wins overall through a combination of deceit and cunning, having used the ox to be carried across a stretch of water and by not waking his friend, the cat, on the morning of the race, sparking an eternal animus between the two species for all of time. Similarly, when those who originally built esports decided it was ready to be viewed by all, they, too, sent out invites for everyone to come and take enjoyment from participation in this new digital pursuit. Many spurned those invites and only a handful of people arrived. The liar, the thief, the failure, the predator… One by one, they arrived but no one in esports was as wise as the Jade Emperor and no one thought to immortalize them in a calendar. All that changes today. I haven’t hashed out the details yet but I feel comfortable declaring 2022 The Year Of The Scumbag. Scumbags combine many negative traits, a jack of every rotten trade. They lie, they cheat, they steal (RIP, Eddie), they bully, they abuse, they betray. There isn’t one method that defines The Scumbag, only a philosophy. They are the epitome of selfishness and care only for themselves, everyone else simply being a resource to use for their own goals. Like all good psychopaths, when caught, they can convincingly lie and will never hesitate to sacrifice someone else to ensure they can continue reaping the rewards their lack of ethics will bestow upon them. Hard to disagree with all we saw last year, isn’t it? 2022, being a Scumbag year, embued all the Scumbags with greater powers, and so we saw many Scumbags manage to evade any accountability at all. They ruined people’s lives with impunity and were rewarded for it, while the industry either applauded or shrugged their shoulders. Starting at the top They were many notable Scumbags in 2022, and it would be remiss of me not to give them the appropriate attention. Let’s start with the man who is for many the patron saint of Scumbags, Bobby Kotick. Many thought 2022 would be a year of comeuppance for him after having been at the helm for the complete reputational collapse of Activision-Blizzard. 2021 was one negative headline after another, revelations about system sexism and sexual abuse of staff members would be followed up with allegations that Kotick himself had at one point threatened to kill his female assistant. With share price plummeting, Microsoft was able to take advantage of one of the biggest media buyouts of all time, which surely should have signaled the end of Kotick’s tenure. Despite staff walkouts, high-profile departures, and removal from other corporate boards, he hung in there like a tick that hadn’t finished gorging itself. With lawsuits and investigations pending, surely 2022 would be the year when we all finally got to see his fall. Instead, Kotick kicked off the year by winning a vote of confidence to stay in his role as CEO with a huge majority, having been deemed the right man to oversee the buyout he had inadvertently caused. When it was revealed that he will walk away with a close to $400 million payout as part of the deal, US politicians objected, but, like so much of what they do, it was performative rather than practical. He followed this up with some alleged insider trading, despite the fact he already had the attention of three government-backed agencies and was named in a number of civil lawsuits. Then came the story that a Facebook executive had threatened to harm the business relationship of a British newspaper if they ran a story about a restraining order one of Kotick’s ex-girlfriends had filed. These allegations would, too, be denied and there would be no consequences. In June, up for election to the board again, he would survive being removed again and won re-election as CEO in another landslide. Shoes firmly under the table again, coincidentally it was around this time that Activision Blizzard decided to re-hire a law firm that specialized in union busting, at a time when many contributors to the AB empire didn’t want to be exploited in the future. The year would end with the National Labor Relations Board finding merit in the claims made by one such group, the Quality Assurance team at Raven Software, that they were retaliated against for attempting to unionize. 2023 would begin with a California judge tossing out a three-time amended complaint from shareholders that accused the AB board of breaching fiduciary duty by fostering the culture that caused the company to lose so much value. The technical reason for dismissal is that there was never a formal request made for changes to company leadership. The bully Keeping it at the executive level, everyone’s second favorite CEO, Andy “ReginaldBRO” Dinh, also seemed to skate any kind of consequences for his behavior. At the start of the year, it was reported that he was being investigated for bullying his TSM members. The world was shocked as he had only been caught doing it a number of times on video. Incredibly, it seems that those filmed and broadcasted examples were indicative of some sort of attitude problem and there were numerous complaints about the type of feedback Dinh would dish out. “A normal boss who thought you were doing a bad job would give you feedback. [At TSM], it was like, ‘This is trash’ or ‘You’re awful,’” one employee was quoted by Wired as saying. The employee estimated that there was a time when Dinh made somebody cry at least every other week, read the report. It is widely speculated Dinh would then harvest those tears and drink them from a chalice forged from the remnants of Echo Fox. You might think that there would be some consequences for Mr. Dinh after being exposed as the esports Mason Verger, but clearly you haven’t kept an eye on the calendar. After an investigation lasting more than six months, Riot Games concluded “that there was a pattern and practice of disparaging and bullying behavior exhibited by Andy Dinh towards TSM players and staff members.” There have of course been precedents set for this type of behavior in the past. When I reported that a player under the Meet Your Makers banner was physically intimidated and threatened with having his mother’s house seized via legal action that could penalise parental cosignatories on player contracts, Riot acted decisively. The manager guilty of such action was suspended indefinitely from holding any position within an LCS team. It was only this measure that prevented MYM from losing their LCS slot entirely. A similar ban was issued in 2016 when an investigation into player welfare concerns involving Renegades concluded that fostering an unsafe environment was “failure to meet the professional standards we expect of LCS owners and team representatives.” This saw Chris Badawi, the majority owner, banned from ever participating in LCS or other Riot-operated leagues ever again. Suspensions were also dispensed to management not even present in the country at the time of the transgressions. In addition to this, they were forced to sell the team slot with just a ten-day window, costing everyone involved millions of dollars as an additional indirect punishment. Of course with LCS on its knees begging for the kill shot and Riot Games desperately trying to reshuffle the deck to keep the once flagship league relevant to its audience, there was simply no chance that TSM could be held to the same standard. Instead, in a glorious tribute to National Lampoon’s Animal House, Dinh was placed on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION for a period of two years, and the organization, the highest-valued on the very accurate Forbes list, received a measly $75,000 fine. But maybe Riot were playing the long game here. After all, another part of the agreement was that they would set up an anonymous hotline just for complaints about ReginaldBRO. Surely it would be impossible for him to go two whole years without stepping outside the boundaries of his probation and then the mighty Marc Merrill, who does love him some Regi, would truly have his revenge. Except Riot mysteriously decided the anonymous complaints hotline was such a good idea that they should roll it out for every franchise in LCS and for what I am sure are very valid reasons that meant not starting the one they themselves committed to for TSM employees. In short, Dinh has now served six months of his probationary period without the apparatus through which to monitor it being in place. Hey, when you’re popular you just get to do it. How many chances? 2022 also saw the incredible rise of Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen. HUNDEN was a disgraced coach, having confessed to cheating against both Astralis and Team Spirit, the latter being in a semi-final of an online cup that would net his team $30,000, in May 2020. Banned from coaching at ESIC-sanctioned events, his team, Heroic, moved him to the role of analyst until the ban expired in April 2021. Where most would be grateful for the support and a second chance, HUNDEN decided to reward his employers with an act of corporate sabotage. Astralis reportedly wanted him to replace their legendary coach, Danny ‘zonic’ Sorensen, and they were due to play Heroic at the impending IEM Cologne. Only a day after the reports linking him with a move away, Heroic announced that they would not be traveling with him to the event and would instead use their coaching support staff in his place. This generated little drama at the time as people saw it simply as a confirmation that the move was likely to go ahead. It was later revealed that HUNDEN, in what I am sure was just a total coincidence, had decided to engage in an act of sabotage against Heroic to the benefit of his proposed future team. He took tactical details, which HUNDEN maintained were “only” anti-strats for rival teams, and shared them with Astralis ahead of the match between the two teams. This prompted another ESIC investigation and legal action from Heroic themselves, culminating in a two-year ban from coaching at ESIC-sanctioned events. HUNDEN, more than content to be one of the most despised people in Counter-Strike, then decided to go on a campaign to try and take Heroic down with him, leveraging contacts in the media to make claims that actually Heroic’s players knew that he was cheating the whole time and that they should be banned, too. Of course substantiating these claims proved to be difficult, almost certainly because HUNDEN, a hardened, serial liar, was once again serially lying. However, that didn’t stop him from plumbing new depths in his desperation to ruin Heroic. Abusing a position of both authority and friendship, he secretly recorded a conversation he had with his former player Nikolaj ‘niko’ Kristensen during which he asked a series of incredibly leading questions that encouraged niko to state that he could tell HUNDEN was cheating in at least one of the matches he did. If that sounds acceptable, factor into your feelings that Kristensen has ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome, something HUNDEN would have been aware of and almost certainly was the reason why he targeted the player in the first place. In an ordinary world, cheating, violating the trust of your employers, and manipulating vulnerable adults would be utterly disqualifying for someone expecting to hold a position of authority ever again. But it’s 2022 and while Astralis might have been founded in 2016, a year of the liar, that doesn’t mean they can’t find synergy with Scumbags when it benefits them. There is indeed a lot of overlap in the esports zodiac, something you’ll be able to process, now that you’re aware of it. So, while you think HUNDEN’s career should be at absolute rock bottom, instead last year all the foundations were laid to ensure it peaked. So in love with the idea of working with someone as morally bankrupt as HUNDEN, Astralis even leveraged one of their commercial partners as a means to do so while the ongoing legal dispute with ESIC was resolved. This was, of course, the build-up to giving their new golden boy a “head analyst” position once ESIC inevitably folded and shortened the length of his ban, although if this ongoing BLAST Premier tournament is anything to go by, he’s the most involved head analyst of all time. Huge plus points for the “friends in the media” PR offensive that not only saw a headline erroneously claiming that Petersen had been “cleared” but also denigrating previous coaching staff choices by having the team’s in-game leader make the ridiculous claim that he’s never had a “more competent” coaching and analyst duo behind him. Now repeat after me: “EVERYONE DESERVES A SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH AND MAYBE EVEN A SIXTH CHANCE.” Similarly exuding from Astralis we also saw that players able to channel 2022’s energy need never be held accountable either. Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke has a long history of controversial flare-ups and dips in form. He’s also been on more redemption arcs than Negan from “The Walking Dead”, although we’re all still waiting for one to actually last. The most recent manifestation of his determination to throw away what could have been a great career came while representing Astralis after a disastrous outing at ESL Pro League 16, where they failed to get out of groups. k0nfig decided he would have a night drowning his sorrows and was denied entry into a bar in Malta’s notorious Paceville area. After a period of arguing with the promoter about obtaining entry, which any good drinker can tell you ALWAYS works, an altercation happened where he was, he claimed, head kicked down some stairs. After waiting outside the club to collect himself, he caught sight of the promoter leaving and then chased after him. As the saying goes, “be careful what you chase as you might catch it”, and k0nfig caught some hands. The resulting brawl left him with a broken ankle, rendering him unable to compete at the RMR qualifiers, a blow that surely cost Astralis a position at the CS:GO Major in Rio. On that point, it is of course a monumental act of selfishness to put yourself in that position and let down your four other teammates, notably absent from this debacle. Professional CS:GO players will only play at a handful of Majors in their career, and they represent the high watermark of where the competitive standard is set. One player on the roster, Asger “Farlig” Jensen, had only competed at one in his career and now, removed from the Astralis roster and without a team, might never compete at another one again. And he can thank Wienecke for that. Of course, this being esports, while Astralis did remove k0nfig from the roster they made sure to THANK him on the way out. What should have been a quietly shameful chapter in his career was instead an opportunity to claim victimhood, an insanely one-sided Twitlonger bereft of logic and common sense was dispensed. “The entire time I was hospitalized I cried. I cried every day, multiple times. I felt like I was alone in the world. Nothing could make me smile. Nothing. I just felt like my emotions had died,” he wrote. Reddit lapped it up, of course. In reality, he was back laughing and joking while playing Counter-Strike on a friend’s stream within days of arriving back in Denmark. The human mind truly is an incredible thing. The victim narrative would have worked if it wasn’t for the fact it was a pretty well-known tidbit on the tournament circuit that he handles his liquor like an Amish teenager. After the fine minds of social media had spent their time overlooking the fact he was entirely the aggressor in the second and critical incident, it of course came out in the news that he had even been aggressive with staff at IEM Cologne, resulting in the police having to be called. Despite this, because our industry is one populated by enablers and cowards, ESL, Astralis and everyone else just swept that one firmly under the carpet because, after all, “He’s a good player, isn’t he? So it’s OK”. It’s strange, really, how attitudes change because I know firsthand that the Counter-Strike scene absolutely rejects all violence unequivocally, even self-defense… My problem was being born in the wrong year, obviously. One has to wonder, though, why ESL didn’t seem keen to take any action on either occasion, especially as the incident was widely reported and won’t have helped with the ongoing relationship between ESL and the country of Malta. Their own rules for their tournament circuit seem to include a number of provisions that preclude k0nfig behavior while in attendance, namely: 5.4 Using alcohol or other psychoactive drugs To play a match, be it online or offline, under the influence of alcohol or other psychoactive drugs, even if not among the punishable substances linked under 5.3.2, is strictly prohibited, and may lead to severe punishment. Moderate consumption of alcohol outside the active tournament hours for a participant is permitted if not in conflict with local/national law. 5.10.1 Public behaviour All participants shall abstain, at all times, from poor, undesirable, or negative behaviour towards anybody involved with the competition in any way. All participants shall abstain, at all times, from any action or inaction that brings anybody involved with the competition in any way into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, ridicule or harms the public relations or commercial value of any involved party. After just a month “away” from the game, he would declare that all of the issues he had with his temper and alcohol were suddenly cured and he was back and ready to be k0nfig 2.0 – when in reality it was like 8.4 – and all was forgiven. Indeed, the mainstream narrative now is that Astralis were wrong to take any action at all despite the financial hit not qualifying for a Major brings. But don’t worry. It’s 2022, so for k0nfig and his ilk, accountability is very much off the table. After embarrassing himself as a stand-in for Endpoint, he was invited to play as a stand-in for Heroic at the BLAST Premier World Final, a share of any prize money no doubt the minimum in reimbursement. Then this year started off with a bizarre series of errors that denied him a position as a stand-in for FaZe at the first event of 2023. You see, players don’t give a solitary fuck about any behavioral standards, whatever they might say. It doesn’t matter that you’ve been a wretched teammate, a disgraceful ambassador for your organization, and an aggressive nightmare in the downtime. “Can you pop heads? Will you lick all our arses for a chance to pop heads with us? Cool – you’re in.” And of course, fans, who would demand the firing of any broadcast talent, tournament staff, journalists, or anyone in any other role in esports besides player, cheer from the peanut gallery. 2022 was so wild we even saw “whistleblowers” fall in with every other scumbag grifter enjoying their celestial protection. Aleksey ‘Yarabeu’ Kurlov was a former ESIC employee who decided he would trade money, resources and a chance to do the right thing for just a small hit of the most addictive of substance on the internet: Cloutium. Yarabeu was a former match-fixer and esports hustler, grinding away in the lower echelons of esports and claiming to make money from a number of nefarious activities. One day he apparently developed a conscience (an albeit short-lived one) and managed to blag his way into working for ESIC. After a short spell, he became disenchanted with the evidentiary standard required to dispense penalties and quit the job in a spectacular shower of accusations reminiscent of Al Pacino’s outburst at the end of “…And Justice for All”. But who was out of order, according to Yarabeu? Well, ESIC was, that’s for sure. He claimed they were involved in a number of financial scams, including paying me an off-the-books amount of $60,000 for giving them positive publicity. He also wasted no time in accusing almost every professional player that came into his mind of match-fixing. I know all this because I foolishly took the time to interview him and try and examine the credibility of his claims, a lengthy task that resulted in little more than the above allegation and him partially doxing me for the crime of taking him seriously. Although there were widespread denials, there was seemingly no one willing to take him or the publications that uncritically published his allegations as if they were facts with any action. In the absence of reprisals, he has continued to make such allegations, dangling a sword of Damocles over the head of young and upcoming players, as well as aspirational organizations. So far, nothing has come of his allegations and yet, weirdly, he is still upheld as some kind of informed insider in the CIS region as opposed to a desperate chancer. The worst part of all is what his hiring and subsequent public outburst say about ESIC’s hiring practices and standards. The beleaguered institution took hit after hit in 2022, largely through its own glaring mistakes, and after a series of negative headlines, the general mood seems to be the scene would be better off without them. Their biggest mistake, though, was assuming anyone who is an esports lifer could be trusted to be normal. In any other year, you’d have to think this would be a huge scandal, but of course, as you’ve now read, stories that incorporate dishonesty, abuse of power, and leveraging public sentiment as a shield are all ten-a-penny in the version of esports we’ve built for ourselves. What does it truly say that someone presented with an opportunity to work for a body trying to catch those who would harm the fabric of our industry, with a six-figure salary for doing so, would rather instead elect to take their chances going back to the match-fixing and blackmail circuit from whence they came? It tells us our entire industry is nothing more than a profiteering playground for the corrupt and it’s working for them. There were at least another dozen examples I could have included. 2022 was a great year to grab you some money supposedly meant for players without reprisals. Take a cut of salaries if you like, or maybe keep the money from a sold car. Subvert an entire tournament to be about you and your fevered, nationalistic ego, while the people paying you are too cowardly to do anything about it. Take fistfuls of shady money from a functional ponzi scheme and then absolve yourself of any responsibility for doing so when it all comes tumbling down. It was all for the taking for the Scumbags in 2022. It’s not like we can do anything about it. After all, it’s in the stars. Now let’s all enjoy 2023 – Year of the Fraud. I’ll see you at the end.

20 NBA stars get involved for $1 million 2K24 Championship Series One UpA slew of NBA stars have partnered with One Up for the platform’s NBA 2K24 Championship Series, an esports tournament series where amateur players can compete for $1 million in cash prizes. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, the LA Clippers’ Paul George, and the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray are among the 20 NBA stars that have partnered with platform provider One Up for the launch edition of the One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series, offering $1 million to participating players. The news comes a month after Take-Two Interactive’s 2K, the publisher behind the NBA 2K series, announced a partnership with One Up to offer tournaments for amateur players on NBA 2K24, which launched on September 8. Between September 23 and January 20, One Up will organize 16 qualifiers, each hosted by a different NBA player. The winners of each qualifier will get $20,000 and a spot in the main tournament, with the top four advancing to the One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship in Miami, where the winner will earn $250,000. In addition to the qualifiers, there will be four exhibition tournaments, also hosted by NBA stars, each with a $10,000 prize pool. “Our partnership with 2K is about lowering the barrier to enter esports competitions as we believe esports should be for all,” One Up CEO Brandon Pitts said in a statement. “We are pumped to be one of the first major tournaments for NBA 2K24 across multiple platforms and provide fans of the game the opportunity to compete against others with the chance to win game-changing cash prizes.” Below you can find the dates for all the qualifiers and exhibition tournaments, as well as their respective hosts: NBA 2K24 Championship Series qualifiers: 9/23 – Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 9/30 – Paul George (LA Clippers) – 10/7 – Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) – 10/14 – Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) – 10/21 – Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns) – 10/28 – Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) – 11/4 – John Collins (Utah Jazz) – 11/11 – Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 11/18 – Seth Curry (Dallas Mavs) – 11/25 – Patrick Beverley (Philadelphia 76ers) – 12/2 – Anfernee Simons (Portland Trail Blazers) – 12/9 – Terry Rozier (Charlotte Hornets) – 12/30 – Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) – 1/6 – Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans) – 1/13 – Mike Conley, Jr. (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 1/20 – Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers) – NBA 2K24 Championship Series exhibition tournaments: 10/11 – Dorian Finney-Smith (Brooklyn Nets) 11/1 – Andre Drummond (Chicago Bulls) 11/22 – Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors) 12/13 – De’Anthony Melton (Philadelphia 76ers) How to sign up for NBA 2k24 Championship Series: Registration for the tournament series begins on September 14 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time via the Play One Up mobile app on Apple or Android. Participants will simply need to log in to their Play One Up account, click on the “NBA 2K” community icon, and follow the steps to sign up. Registration for each qualifier will close one hour prior to the start time. To participate in the tournament series, players must be residents of the U.S. and D.C. (excluding Arizona) and be 13 years or older. They also must have a valid One Up account, access to NBA 2K24 on PS5 or Xbox X/S, internet access, and access to a PSN ID with the PS Plus Service or an Xbox X/S with a gamertag and the Xbox Gold service.

20 pro teams announced for $150,000 Apex Legends tournament at X Games Minneapolis X GamesApex Legends‘ biggest esports event so far will be held at the upcoming X Games Minneapolis, featuring an impressively stacked collection of professional teams. On July 18, ESPN officially revealed all of the pro teams that will be competing at the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis. 20 total teams will be competing in this massive tournament, by far the largest collection of top-tier talent assembled for an Apex Legends esports event thus far. Some prominent players are set to make an appearance in this competition, including the likes of NRG’s dizzy, Cloud9’s Overpowered, and Rogue’s HusKers, all of whom are household names in the Apex community. Below, you can find the full list of the 20 pro teams that will be participating, five of which qualified after competing in open online qualifiers on June 29 (denoted with a **) What is the format of the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis? The 20 teams of three players each will competed against each other in a private lobby over the course of 12 total matches. The total prize pool for this event is set at $150,000, which will be split between the teams according to their final placements. As for the format, ESPN have yet to reveal the scoring system, which will likely be announced at a closer date to the competition. 500When is the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis? The EXP Invitational for Apex Legends will be held on August 2 and 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The tournament is expected to kick off at around 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST and last until 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET / 3 AM BST. The event will be streamed live on the ESPN app, ESPN Esports, EA’s Twitch channels, ESPN Esports’ YouTube and Twitter channels, and one a variety of other platforms. The livestream will be hosted by some of the biggest personalities in all of esports, including Alex ‘Goldenboy’ Mendez, Bil ‘Jump’ Carter, Rachel ‘Seltzer’ Quirico and Daniel ‘DDK’ Kapadia. There will also be a special recap show highlighting the best plays and key moments from the event, which will be aired on ESPN2 on August 10 at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET / 3 AM BST.

100T ddk explains why Cryocells was picked over yay for Valorant team 100 ThievesIn an announcement about the 100 Thieves Valorant roster for 2023, the 100T General Manager, Daniel ‘ddk’ Kapadia, and head coach, Michael ‘Mikes’ Hockom, discussed the offseason and why they chose to sign Matthew ‘Cryocells’ Panganiban. 100 Thieves have not had an extremely active offseason ahead of the 2023 VCT season. 100T only made one significant signing in Cryocells who replaced William ‘Will’ Cheng on the roster. The organization had the opportunity to sign one of the best Valorant players in the world in Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker but passed on the opportunity. The organization picking Cryocells over the current Cloud9 player has been an ongoing debate among Valorant fans that was even addressed by the 100 Thieves CEO. 100T ddk addresses Cryocells signing In the announcement, ddk directly addressed the public perception that 100T missed out on signing yay and then picked up Cryocells. According to the 100T General Manager, the team thought it was best to bring in the young talent over the established star. “Although I think both players would make an incredible addition whichever way you went. Cryo for us, I think, we felt like was the best fit,” ddk said. “We are very excited regarding Cryo’s skill sets. It’s just he’s a player that can instantly react, has a very high mechanical skill ceiling and I think we are looking for that increased pace in our position.” The 100T General manager went on to say that the pace Cryocells brings to the squad should “trickle down” to the rest of the team. He said that this was one of the more exciting things he was looking forward to seeing in the team in the future. Ultimately, 100 Thieves are betting on youth in their Valorant team. The current squad has a majority of players that got their first big break on an esports team in Valorant. The oldest player currently on the roster is the IGL, Brenden ‘stellar’ McGrath.

$10m Monaco Esports deal is just the start of Finest’s expansion Finest/Monaco Esports ClubMark Klein, chairman of the board at Finest, spoke with Dexerto about the Israeli organization’s ambitious plans for Monaco and how they’re looking to make a return on their investment. For Finest, a deal worth $10 million for a small esports club based out of Monaco was an opportunity that could not be missed. The move, announced on March 14, is part of an international expansion strategy that has been laid out by the Israeli organization, founded in 2019 by Ruvik Milkis. But tapping into the unexplored Monégasque market is merely the “stepping stone” to Finest’s global plans as they look to become a major player in gaming and esports, Mark Klein, chairman of the board at Finest, tells Dexerto. Klein became involved in Finest in late 2020, when media company RadarZero, of which he is the CEO, secured a majority stake in the organization. Over the past decade, the investment group he is a part of has poured “close to half a billion dollars” into multiple gaming projects, including GameSquare, Enthusiast Gaming, and FaZe Clan. RadarZero was set up with a view to further monetizing the group’s gaming investments through technological solutions “like adtech [advertising technology] and martech [marketing technology]”, Klein explains. The goal is to build organic bridges between various operations in an effort to build a sustainable esports business model. “Esports money typically flows one way and that’s out, not in,” Klein says. “Even with excessive and extensive sponsorship coverage, it’s still hard to cover that nut.” When the global health crisis began in 2020, Klein looked at opportunities inside Israel, where he has lived for 20 years, to expand the company’s portfolio and help develop a project that was close to his heart. As the biggest professional esports organization in Israel, Finest, with a strong presence in the CS:GO, Valorant and FIFA esports scenes, became a logical choice. “We liked what Finest were doing with zero budget, all of their own pockets, winning matches and tracking talent,” Klein says. “They were really playing at a very high level in Europe on a shoestring budget. That’s all due to Rubik. “There are no other pro esports teams out of Israel to talk about. [RadarZero Chief Revenue Officer] Tal Perry and I live here, we’re both married to Israelis, and our kids are gamers. So, personally, selfishly, and professionally, it seemed like a good move. And on top of that, [you had] all the multipliers that we could bring. Rubik, in his wildest dreams, didn’t realize where we could take Finest.” Monaco’s underlying potential The journey from Israel to the French Riviera began in July 2021, when Klein met with Boris Fedoroff and Louis Ducruet, the co-owners of Monaco Esports (not to be confused with the esports team owned by football club AS Monaco). Fedoroff also founded the Monaco eSports Federation (MESF) and was until January 2020 its president before being replaced by Ducruet. The federation runs its own esports event, called Monaco Gaming Show, and in 2020 it organized the Championship Finals of LFL, the highest-tier in French League of Legends, in the Grimaldi Forum. In acquiring Monaco Esports, Finest secure the organization’s esports and content talent, but, more importantly, they also get carte blanche to operate in the principality thanks to Ducruet, the son of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and Daniel Ducruet, and now a business partner in the organization. “The principality wants to make Monaco a gaming hub in Europe,” Klein explains. “They would like to see events out of the Grimaldi Forum every two months. Events made for the fans, for the pro teams, for the industry, to create best practices and bring financiers and investors in gaming companies and technology to Monaco. “They 100 percent want to support those initiatives. They also want to subsidize the fanbase through afterschool programs for kids, for example. Their support is something that, unfortunately, I cannot say that we have here in Israel [from a government perspective].” The $10 million figure involved in the deal might have raised some eyebrows in the esports ecosystem, where the majority of organizations struggle to break even, let alone turn a profit, but Klein is confident that it represents good value for money. According to him, the principality has generated “somewhere between half a million to 750,000 dollars” through the Monaco Gaming Show and the LFL Championship Finals alone. “Really basic things,” he notes. The possibilities offered by the Monégasque market, he believes, are endless. “Now I can approach companies like Piaget, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, and all these other luxury brands because we’re in Monaco. We’re going to leverage this relationship. “One of our plans, because Monaco is a tax-free haven, is to set up a creator house where all these creators can live without paying taxes on the income that they generate from Twitch, Google, Youtube, or whatever, and stream out of Monaco, showing the inspirational life of what Monaco is all about, the yachts, the luxury cars, all that stuff.” The first signs of the Monaco deal could already be seen in January, when Finest announced Israeli race car driver Alon Dai, a three-time European NASCAR champion, as their sim racing driver. At the same time, Finest will sponsor his race car. Sim racing has been at the core of Monaco Esports and MESF for several years. In December, MESF, together with the International Esports Federation (IESF), organized the Monaco Sim Racing World Cup warm-up event at Expo 2020 in Dubai at the Monaco Pavilion. SimRacing World Cup qualifying 🏆 The Warmup starts today. 🕰️ Date: 7th-8th December 📍 Dubaï Expo 2020. pic.twitter.com/qQh6xrN2b7— Monaco Esports 🇲🇨 (@MonacoEsports) December 7, 2021 The exhibition event was used to promote the upcoming Sim Racing World Cup, which Monaco will host in May 2022. Ducruet believes that the event will help “put Monaco on the map as the simulation racing capital of the world”. His excitement about Monaco’s gaming potential is shared by Klein, who is looking to capitalize on the principality’s special connection with motorsports and the charm of the Monaco Grand Prix. Finest want to build Monaco-themed sim racing centers throughout the world, with a number of locations already expressing an interest in having their own Monaco racing outfit. “Boris and Louie had a clear vision of embracing sim racing, and what better place to do that than Monaco, where all the Formula 1 pilots live, and where you have the heritage of the Grand Prix?,” Klein said. “Creating bootcamps specialized in Sim racing for the pro clubs and tying that in with all the Formula 1 pilots – the fact that we’re doing it in Monaco was something that I thought was really important in terms of leveraging the brand that Monaco has. And making that a part of our esports club is something that you just cannot do in Israel, because there’s no history of Formula 1 or of Grand Prix.” Big hirings and future plans The acquisition of Monaco Esports is only the latest of a series of headline moves that Finest have made over the last year. In June 2021, Finest hired Amir Vahab as their Vice President for Sales and Business Development. Since then, the organization has already established partnerships with a number of big-name non-endemic companies, including food giants Pizza Hut and blockchain firm Tezos. Before the end of the year, Finest appointed former Israel Football Association CEO Rotem Kamer to the same position in the organization. After 13 years in charge of the FA, Kamer brings a wealth of sports management experience to esports, which he described as “a developing industry that is gaining momentum in Israel and around the world”. With roots already planted in Monaco and a pathway to monetization that goes beyond mere sponsorships, Finest will soon start looking at other markets to further expand their esports and gaming footprints. Discover more: The day CSGO changed forever – Klein cites Latin America and Southeast Asia as two regions he has his eyes on. As an international organization with ambitions that stretch far beyond the confines of Israel, Finest aim to build stronger competitive rosters and a team of content creators that a dedicated fanbase can rally around and cheer on. “I want people in the Philippines rooting for Finest as I want people in Brazil rooting for Finest,” he says. “It’s important to me as far as who we are as an esports organization, the players that we have, and the fanbase that we’re communicating with. “We are keeping our eyes and ears open for new players that might take us to the next level. Our Valorant girls’ team, for example, was important to me, having a daughter and being a brother to two sisters, and respecting women in general. The metrics show that close to 50 percent of gamers are women. And they’re incredibly underrepresented. And I look at my 11-year-old and I want to have people that she can be inspired by and can aspire to be. “I felt it was a really important message that being a tier-one team is less important than representing girls.” Time will tell if Finest will be successful in their strategy to cash in on the opportunities that the Monaco brand, lifestyle, and virtually untapped market can provide. But this acquisition is the first of many in Finest’s international journey, one that they hope will take the organization’s name to all corners of the world.

100 Thieves unveil biggest US esports team facility as new headquarters 100 Thieves100 Thieves and owner Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag have revealed the biggest esports headquarters in North America – the 100T Cash App Compound. It will play host to all of the organization’s business and player operations. The 100 Thieves Cash App Compound is nestled in the hills of Culver City in Los Angeles, California, and features 15,000 square feet of state of the art esports space. With this amount of square footage, the compound will play host to a number of functions, including business development for the team, training areas, streaming spaces for the team’s content creators, fashion design, and even a retail space. “The 100 Thieves Cash App Compound is the product of our vision to build a new category of company – a lifestyle brand born from gaming,” said Nadeshot. “Los Angeles is the epicenter of esports, entertainment, and fashion, which are the three pillars we founded the company upon, so this is the perfect home for innovating on what an esports organization and lifestyle brand can be. I can’t wait for our fans to experience the Compound.” Cash App is the title sponsor for the facility, but 100 Thieves say that this partnership is far more than just the name on the building. The deal covers the HQ, the esports teams, its content, and the jersey. Nadeshot and co. promise that this is the first of many partnerships to be announced throughout the year. In 2019, 100 Thieves were named one of the top 10 most valuable esports brands by Forbes in only its second year in existence, fueled largely by the rabid fanbase of Nadeshot and his crew of content creators and esports superstars. On the entertainment side, 100 Thieves built the fastest growing YouTube channel in esports for 2018 and 2019, and launched the #1 and #2 podcasts on the iTunes gaming charts, led by The CouRage & Nadeshot Show. They’ve been no slouch on the server either. The team has scored two Call of Duty major championships, qualified for the League of Legends world championships, and has secured Fortnite World Cup medals (winning over $2.7M) and Championship Series wins. 100 Thieves opening their dedicated esports facility joins a number of teams in creating dedicated spaces for their players to train and work, continuing the ongoing trend of moving away from houses. This separation of work and home life has been proven, by this point, to positively impact players’ mental health.

$100,000 Splitgate Pro Series launched by 1047 Games & Logitech 1047 Games/LogitechOne of the wildest FPS games out right now is making a splash into esports with the $100,000 Splitgate Pro Series. Here’s how you and your team can get in on the action. For the Splitgate Pro Series, developer 1047 Games has partnered with Logitech Esports Services as their partner for event and live broadcast operations for the program. The Splitgate Pro Series will be a full season of free to enter tournaments, cash prizes, live broadcasts, and product giveaways happening through the end of 2021. Here’s how you can get in on the action yourself. How to sign up for the Splitgate Pro Series Tournaments in the Pro Series will be played 4v4, so to start you need at least three other teammates to squad up with. Once that’s taken care of, you’ll need to make your own tournament account (here), and your team can sign up to start competing. Get signed up quick and get that practice in while you can, because the first SPS Open Qualifier happens on October 17, less than a week after the initial announcement. Splitgate Pro Series format After SPS kicks off with the first Open Qualifier on October 17, teams will begin playing for chances at the $100,000 prize pool and gear from ASTRO Gaming, with matches broadcast on Splitgate’s official Twitch channel. The full details on the 2021 season are available at the official Splitgate Pro Series site, where players will be able to find news, schedule, standings, and links to enter the various tournaments. Dexerto will also be joining as an official media partner of the Pro Series, so if you miss any of the action, you know where to check. There you have it, all the details on the first ever Splitgate Pro Series from 1047 Games and Logitech Esports Services. So what are you waiting for? Get a team, and sign up today.

100 Thieves to “refocus” by cutting team size, spinning off Juvee & Game Dev projects 100 Thieves/Juvee100 Thieves has announced that it is “spinning off” two of its projects, with energy drink Juvee and the 100 Thieves Game Development Studio set to longer operate under the 100T banner, and made several staffing cuts in the process. 100 Thieves is one of the leading organizations in the esports space, spearheaded by former Call of Duty professional Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag following his retirement from competitive play. In that time 100 Thieves has had success in the franchised League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), and Call of Duty League (CDL) among other esports, as well as running supremely successful entertainment and apparel arms. In an attempt to diversify the company’s revenue streams, it has launched several projects in the past, but they now look to be offsetting energy drink Juvee and the 100 Thieves Game Development studio in order to “refocus” on its core business. 100 Thieves “spinning off” Juvee & Game Dev In a statement posted by 100 Thieves President & COO John Robinson revealed plans to “spin off” Juvee and the 100 Thieves Game Development studio, and reduce the size of the 100 Thieves team in the process. He explained: “We’re making these decisions because we believe it’s time for 100 Thieves to refocus on our core business and do less, better.” Elaborating on that, Robinson said: “As we look ahead, Matt and I believe there is a clear path forward for 100 Thieves – we need to refocus on the original promise we made to our fans: championship esports, great content, and an apparel brand they are proud to wear.” Going forward, Juvee and the Game Studio will have new majority owners. 100 Thieves will continue to have a small minority ownership in each, but both companies will be independent. 100 Thieves layoffs As mentioned in Robinson’s statement, this move meant that there were job reductions at 100 Thieves. We spoke with Robinson, who confirmed that the overall staff changes is roughly 20%, the majority of which is related to the Juvee and Game Dev spin-offs. Some staff members have already announced the loss of their job, including long-time designer ‘Seso’ and head of social media Micah Kulish. Kulish stated in a Twitter post: “I am no longer with hundred thieves. I spend most of my time making things for the internet, but I am not really great with the personal stuff. this is a special organization. can’t say enough about the creativity and passion the teams pour into all they do.” Juvee was first launched in October 2022, just months after 100 Thieves announced that it was working on a video game in May 2022. With 100 Thieves pivoting to a more renewed focus specifically on esports, entertainment, and apparel, it will be interesting to see whether its teams can deliver results and how its content and apparel arms can grow.

100 Thieves show off incredible new mansion team house 100 ThievesMatthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s esports organization 100 Thieves continues to make waves in the gaming community, as they revealed an incredible 9,000 square foot mansion for their Fortnite Battle Royale team, ahead of the World Cup. Who are 100 Thieves’ Fortnite Battle Royale pro team? 100 Thieves was founded in 2017 by former Call of Duty professional Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag. Since its founding, the organization has grown considerably, and now compete in a variety of esports, including League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends. The current Fortnite Battle Royale professional roster for 100 Thieves consists of Kenith, SirDimetrious, Ceice, Elevate, Kyzui and Blind. It received a partnership from Totino’s, the American frozen pizza brand, in April 2019. New 100 Thieves Pro Team House It is through the sponsorship with Totino’s that 100 Thieves have purchased the East Coast house, designed to “reduce latency to the East Coast servers, and [provide] three times the amount of opportunity to qualify”. The presenters, former CoD pro and analyst, turned manager at 100T, Eric ‘Muddawg’ Sanders and current CoD pro Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, take viewers through the house, showing off the six bedrooms, game room, and theater room. They state that the house will be used so the team can get to know each other better in and out of Fortnite, in the hopes this will be conducive to World Cup qualification. The video ends with a message encouraging support for the 100 Thieves team during the World Cup and its build up, as well as a bizarre appearance from a Totino’s mascot. The Fortnite World Cup Online Opens are currently underway, taking place from April 13 until June 16. The World Cup Finals take place from July 26 to July 28 in New York City, with a staggering $30 million prize pool on the line. With that amount of money on the line, it’s not a surprise to see 100 Thieves pulling out all the stops for their Fortnite Battle Royale team.

100 Thieves sign former H1Z1 and Overwatch star to growing Apex Legends roster North American esports organization 100 Thieves have made their second Apex Legends signing in as many days, recruiting a figure well known in the H1Z1 and Overwatch communities. On February 26, 100 Thieves announced that they had signed ‘Teenage’ as their second ever full-time Apex Legends personality, who will serve as both a pro player and content creator. While his presence on Twitter and content platforms like Twitch and YouTube has a lot of room to grow, Teenage certainly does not lack in the talent department when it comes to gaming, particularly in Apex Legends. According to statistics provided by Apex Tracker, Teenage is currently 70th in the world on PC with 4,587 kills with the Wraith, has dealt over 975,000 damage (63rd), and hit 3,254 headshots (159th). He was also part of the team that managed to get 41 eliminations in a single match of Apex Legends on February 16, good enough to be currently tied for the world record on PC. Introducing our newest Apex Legends player, @Teenage. Teenage was previously a H1Z1 player and a rank #1 Widowmaker in Overwatch. He is currently tied for the Apex Legends kill-record with 41 kills. Welcome to 100 Thieves! #100T pic.twitter.com/SDdRERJ8eF — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) February 26, 2019 As the tweet above mentions, Teenage is certainly a well-known name in the H1Z1 and Overwatch communities, having proved his dominance in both games. His accolades in Overwatch are particularly impressive, none more so than becoming a rank #1 Widowmaker player. He also was involved with Fortnite prior to jumping into Apex, and some of his best gameplay highlights can be seen in the montage below. As mentioned previously, Teenage is the second Apex Legends signing that 100 Thieves have made in as many days, having made popular Destiny streamer Connor ‘Gigz’ White their first ever pro Apex player on February 25. The two signings on back-to-back days is part of an overall trend from 100T to grow their presence in the battle royale scene, as the org also made several major additions to their pro roster for Fortnite just a few days before. Of course, Apex Legends does not yet have an official esports scene, but the question of its potential existence has become a matter of when and not if. Thus, orgs like 100 Thieves are already trying to bolster their pro rosters with top available talent, very similar to how many orgs were signing Fortnite players before it had its own esports scene.

100 Thieves Shake Up Their League of Legends Roster With Big Trade North American esports organization 100 Thieves has shaken up their League of Legends roster in a major way. The top seeded team from the Spring Split has traded William ‘Meteos’ Hartman to Flyquest in exchange for Andy ‘AnDa’ Hoang. 100 Thieves finished first in the Spring Split before losing in the playoff Grand Finals against Team Liquid. It came as a shock when they came out of the gates with a disappointing 0-2 start to the Summer Split. Meteos was at the heart of the issue in the Jungler role for the slow starting 100 Thieves squad, but they turned things around enough to beat Clutch and OpTic on the way to an undefeated Week 3 and a 4-2 record overall. The uptick in performance was not enough to convince the team a change wasn’t needed however, and Meteos was the one to be moved. Read More: 100 Thieves Announce Partnership with StockX as Nadeshot Finally Gets Their League of Legends Team Yeezys as Promised – Jacob Wolf of ESPN was first to break the trade, before Meteos himself confirmed the news with a tweet of his own. Meteos also stated he has no interest in playing for an academy team, so his future is still up in the air. 100 Thieves and FlyQuest have traded Meteos and AnDa, team sources tell ESPN. 100 Thieves will start Brandini and Levi at Rift Rivals and FlyQuest will continue, for now, to use Santorin in its starting lineup. Meteos, according to his tweet, is unsure of his future. — Jacob Wolf (@JacobWolf) July 2, 2018 Flyquest’s lineup will be unchanged, since AnDa was an academy prospect for them. 100 Thieves, however, will need to replace the hole left by Meteos eventually. For now, Levi will jump up from the academy to take on the Jungler spot. But with 100T making the move for AnDa with an eye on the future, he may find himself in the lineup soon. 100 Thieves will be in action next on July 14th when they take on Team SoloMid in Week 4 of the Summer Split, while FlyQuest, with or without Meteos, squares off against Cloud9.

100 Thieves recruit popular Destiny streamer as first Apex Legends pro player North American esports organization 100 Thieves have signed their first professional player for Apex Legends, and he also happens to be one of the biggest names of the Destiny community. On February 25, 100 Thieves announced that they had recruited Connor ‘Gigz’ White as their first ever full-time Apex Legends player, both as a pro and content creator. “With a background in Destiny, Gigz caught our eye with his impressive gameplay and adaptability in Apex,” 100 Thieves tweeted. “As a growing content creator and now pro player, we’re looking to see him tear up the Apex Legends scene.” Gigz, who produces content on multiple platforms, currently boasts almost 200,000 followers on Twitch, over 65,000 subscribers on YouTube, and nearly 50,000 followers on Twitter. As for his stats in Apex Legends, Gigz has over 3,800 kills and 227 wins – both very impressive numbers considering that the game had been out for less that a month when he signed. Introducing our very first Apex Legends player, @Gigz. With a background in Destiny, Gigz caught our eye with his impressive gameplay & adaptability with Apex. As a growing content creator & now pro player, we’re looking to see him tear up the Apex Legends scene. Welcome! #100T pic.twitter.com/h2R4dv0AIY — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) February 25, 2019 For those who are not familiar with the Destiny scene, Gigz is one of the biggest and most familiar names in the community, producing a lot of gameplay montages over the years that have made him a fan-favorite. He’s known for his near-impossible accomplishments in both Destiny 1 and 2, such as defeating bosses with half of the recommended amount of players. He was also part of the team that got World’s First in two different Raids in Destiny 2. His charitable work has also been well-documented, and he was part of last year’s massive GuardianCon fundraiser that raised over $2.7 million for the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Of course, an official esports scene for Apex Legends does not exist yet, but orgs like 100 Thieves are trying to stay ahead of the curve by bringing on pro players early. 100 Thieves recently stepped up their plan to move up the ranks of battle royale, making a flurry of signings in Fortnite Battle Royale in light of the announcement of the upcoming $30 million World Cup. Keep up to date with all the latest Apex Legends transfer news by following us on Twitter @Dexerto.

100 Thieves president explains why making profit isn’t their priority 100 Thieves100 Thieves president and COO John Robinson spoke candidly about the organization closing their first chapter, expanding their core businesses, acquiring companies, and if they’re making a profit. Ever since 100 Thieves came onto the scene in late 2017, it’s been very clear that they’ve had ambitions beyond simply being an esports organization. The approach to their three core businesses of competing, content, and clothing have allowed them to stand out from the crowd. Four years and millions of dollars raised later, 100 Thieves are a multimedia and gaming company valued at $460m with an army of popular creators and players under their banner. One of the key people in their ascension, president and COO John Robinson, was recently featured on a podcast with sports business enthusiast Joe Pompliano to discuss all things Thieves. Having recently raised $60m in their Series C funding round, 100 Thieves have proven themselves to be among those at the forefront of esports and gaming entertainment, and the conversation was as wide-ranging as the org’s ambitions. The investment they’ve received and the health of the business were two major topics throughout. The business side of 100 Thieves $60m is a lot of money for any company in esports, especially considering 100 Thieves have previously raised plenty in the past. They received a multimillion-dollar investment from Cleveland Cavaliers owner in 2017, $25m in a round led by Drake and Scooter Braun in 2018, and $35m in July. So, what do Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and his partner Robinson plan to do with the money? “A good portion of that is going to be earmarked for growing our existing businesses and then we’ll reserve a little bit of money for launching some new businesses, we have a lot of great entrepreneurs and projects that we’re thinking about,” the 100T president explained. “If there are companies that we really admire where we share the same philosophy and the community can get really excited about them being part of the 100 Thieves family of brands that would make sense.” While raising money is important to keep fueling growth, whether that’s through existing businesses or acquiring or establishing new verticals, building sustainable revenue streams is vital for one day having a profitable company. They placed their early bets on esports, apparel, and entertainment, and Robinson revealed that they’ve all been providing some returns. “The reason why we’re really glad we made all three of these bets is because our revenue mix is roughly a third, a third, a third between them,” he told Pompliano. “Esports is a good investment, entertainment is a good investment, and our apparel business is a good investment because they’re all paying off for us. “Esports revenue is a combination of the money we make from our publishing partners like Riot and Activision as well as the sponsors and partners that support our esports efforts. On the entertainment and content sides, it’s things like our popular entertainment shows. With our apparel business, it’s pretty straightforward, it’s direct-to-consumer where we have always-on apparel with our new Foundations line as well as our traditional drop model. “All three businesses are going well, all three are growing at very strong rates year-over-year and have gotten to be pretty substantial for us. You’ll continue to see us invest in all of those.” On exactly how strong those rates of growth have been over the years for 100 Thieves, the org’s president and COO revealed some promising results. “We’ve roughly doubled our revenue every single year and this year, between 2020 and 2021, we had the fastest-growing year we’ve ever had in terms of gross dollars added to the top line,” he added. “I think it was 110% growth year-over-year so the business is in a really good spot.” The aim for any for-profit company is to generate more money than they spend. This has proven to be difficult for organizations of all shapes and sizes in esports to date, and profitability still evades 100 Thieves in 2021. That appears to be by design, however. “We were at a point where we could have remained a mid-sized esports and gaming organization and really been thoughtful about watching costs and investment for the future and become profitable,” Robinson explained. “Our ambitions got much bigger, we wanted to make better content, have World Championship-quality esports teams, make great apparel, and expand into things like Higround. If you’re going to do that you’re going to have to make some investments for the future and that’s going to be pretty expensive. “We’re all big enough believers that there’s so much growth that’s going to happen in this industry, making bets now for the future that we think we could pay off was the right way to go. Rather than take the more conservative approach, we’ve gone down the more optimistic and opportunistic path forward. “In a lot of ways, 2021 is the closing of the first chapter of 100 Thieves. We feel like we really delivered against all the promises we made. Now we’ve raised more money, we’re excited to expand and go after some even bigger opportunities.” 100 Thieves’ future Looking to the future of 100 Thieves, Robinson made it clear throughout the podcast episode that they would be investing more and more into their existing core pillars while also establishing more elements to their business. “For the four years we were so laser-focused on making sure that the three things are healthy parts of our business,” he said. “We feel like in 2021 we got those in a place where they have strong leaders, great trajectory, we understand what the future looks like for those and we felt like they were in a good enough place where Matt and I could turn our attention a little bit to the future and that’s where we saw the potential for Higround. In a lot of ways, Higround and peripherals is probably the fourth pillar of our business now.” One trend Dexerto has observed throughout 2021 is the emergence of esports companies going public, allowing retail investors to buy a piece of the pie. Perhaps the most prominent example to date is FaZe Clan, who are expecting to achieve a $1b valuation when they list publicly in the first half of 2022. This doesn’t appear to be in the pipeline for 100 Thieves any time soon, though, as Robinson, Nadeshot, and their growing team are keeping their heads down to continue to execute their long-term strategy. “The time horizon we’ve always thought about is decades, not months,” said Robinson. “We’ve been able to raise all the capital that we need in the private markets and we feel like we’ve got great investors and built an amazing team. “For now, we’re focusing on executing our existing business, thinking about acquisitions, and scaling, so I can’t say that going public is a big priority for us just because we’re able to do all the things we want to do while remaining private.” While we shouldn’t expect 100T to follow in FaZe’s footsteps in 2022, it’s clear that they’re hoping to continue their impressive rates of growth as they look to cement themselves as leaders in the wider gaming industry.

100 Thieves’ new Chipotle partnership features Nadeshot & BrookeAB meals 100 Thieves / ChipoltlePopular esports organization 100 Thieves and American fast food restaurant Chipotle Mexican Grill have announced a brand-new partnership, including special orders designed by CEO Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and streamer Brooke ‘BrookeAB.’ 100 Thieves have quickly become one of the most recognizable esports teams in the world, competing in League of Legends’ LCS, CSGO, Fortnite, and more. On top of that, they are also home to streaming superstars such as Jack ‘CouRageJD’ Dunlop and Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter, and run an incredibly successful streetwear division which regularly sells out within minutes of launch. Now, 100 Thieves have confirmed that they’ll be teaming up with Chipotle, which they announced in a hilarious video that only the organization’s famous video crew could put together. Nadeshot took some time away from the company for a few weeks and here are our biggest takeaways: ➡️ Froste can’t spell CEO ➡️ Matt looks great with long hair ➡️ Chipotle increases employee happinessWelcome @chipotletweets to the 100 Thieves family! #100T pic.twitter.com/2LJeLM2NPj — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) March 12, 2020 As part of this new partnership, Chipotle will feature meals designed by Nadeshot and BrookeAB that hungry fans can order via their mobile app. The 100T CEO’s order is an 1505-calorie burrito filled with double steak, brown rice, tomatillo-green chili salsa, cheese, and romaine lettuce, with an additional helping of chips and green salsa on the side. As for Brooke, she’s opted to go with a much more conservative order, as her 675-calorie bowl includes steak, white rice, roasted-chili corn salsa, romaine lettuce, cheese, and queso blanco. This isn’t the first time that Chipotle have moved into the world of esports, previously hosting the Chipotle Challenger Series at DreamHack Atlanta – a Fortnite battle royale tournament hosted for fans at the event. Players could compete using their own PCs or on systems provided by DreamHack for free, with the winner picking up free Chipotle for a year, along with VIP experiences. The company was also one of OpTic Gaming’s main sponsors during the legendary organization’s run to their first Call of Duty Championship back in 2017, and partnered with TSM’s Ali ‘Myth’ Kabbani to allow him to create his own burrito inside one of the restaurant’s locations. In fact, this isn’t even the first time that Chipotle and 100 Thieves have linked up, with CouRage getting to feature his own creation on the restaurant’s app, which is still available. What the hell is going on… You can order my exact chipotle order from the @ChipotleTweets app. This is insane. I’m speechless… GOOOOO pic.twitter.com/Ncvqb65q5M — Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) February 27, 2020 Chipotle joins Rocket Mortgage, Red Bull, Cash App, and Totino’s as 100 Thieves partners, and will appear on all esports jersey moving forward as their teams compete around the world. The team recently unveiled the largest esports facility in the United States, the 100T Cash App Compound, a state-of-the-art 15,000 square feet location that houses all of their esports teams, apparel creation, and includes streaming pods for anyone who wants to broadcast out of the location.

100 Thieves pay $5K LCS fine with Crocs partnership 100 Thieves100 Thieves have announced a partnership with Crocs following a $5,000 fine issued by the LCS when one of their players wore Crocs on stage. The LCS gave 100 Thieves a $5,000 fine after their top laner, General Sniper, wore open-toed Crocs on stage. As the situation grew traction on social media, it garnered Crocs’ attention. The following match, all five players on 100 Thieves wore Crocs – although this time, the players were wearing close-toed versions instead. Shortly after the fine was issued, 100 Thieves were seen speaking to Crocs on Twitter/X through DMS, something that has now turned into a full-on partnership with the brand. Crocs cover $5,000 LCS fine On March 13, 100 Thieves released a video announcing that the shoe brand would be teaming up with their LCS team. Not only will Crocs become a partner with 100 Thieves, but they also covered the fine that the team issued was issued. “This collaboration comes on the heels of Riot Games’ fining 100 Thieves and Sniper, $5k for sporting the open-toe Crocs Classic Slide 2.0 during the second match of the final Spring Split Super Week competition this past weekend,” said 100 Thieves. “Crocs answered 100 Thieves’ call and will be covering the fines for 100 Thieves and Sniper and will continue to be a proud partner of the LCS team. Be on the lookout for future moments in this amazing partnership.” Following the announcement, 100 Thieves revealed that they would be giving away 10 pairs of Crocs. However, outside of the most recent partnership, there is no additional information on this collab. It appears that the 100 Thieves LCS team will be wearing Crocs for the foreseeable future thanks to this partnership… and with it may come new Jibbitz or color combinations as a nod to the organization.

100 Thieves lay off more than a dozen staff on social media, content teams 100 Thieves100 Thieves had laid off multiple longstanding employees across both its social media and content teams in a major shakeup for the esports, media, and apparel company, including senior staff and executives. More than a dozen 100 Thieves employees have announced they were laid off from the popular esports brand on July 13. From senior members of the social team to video editors and executive producers alike, the layoffs appear to be widespread across the organization. Some were more recent hires while others had served the company for multiple years, dating back close to the early days of 100 Thieves — long before the compound, before CouRage and Valkyrae were co-owners, and before multiple rounds of eight-figure investments. Esports social media veteran Blackbeard, previously of OpTic Gaming, was among those laid off. Executive Producer Mike Aransky, formerly of IGN and ESPN fame, was another big name joining him. “After almost four years, I say goodbye,” Aransky wrote in his announcement post. Having played an integral role in 100 Thieves’ content from early on, Aransky helped “build the content team from the ground up.” From the 100 Thieves facility tour which has since gone on to reach almost three million views, to CouRage’s announcement video upon joining the organization, and plenty of highlights in between Aransky has been involved in many of 100 Thieves’ biggest moments. For the most part, employees hit by the layoffs today expressed their gratitude for time spent with the organization. “From being a fan for years to working at the company and meeting amazing people, it’s been an absolute pleasure,” former editor Alec Daughtry said. “I am so grateful for this opportunity and for the chance to meet such amazing people,” former 100 Thieves thumbnail designer Damian added. “I’ll truly never forget the special moments I shared with this team.” These layoffs seemingly came as a surprise to most, with many now opening themselves to any and all opportunities in the industry. 100 Thieves is currently ranked the second most valuable esports organization in the world today, according to Forbes, sitting just behind TSM with a $460 million valuation. This shift comes just weeks behind TSM also reportedly laid off more than 20 staff members. 100 Thieves nor its owners have yet to issue a statement regarding the widespread layoffs.

100 Thieves LoL announce signing of two-time World Champion ESPNNorth American esports organization 100 Thieves have announced a massive new addition to their already stacked League of Legends team. Bae ‘Bang’ Jun-sik, formerly a member of the South Korean SK Telecom T1 team, has joined 100 Thieves on a two-year deal and will be the team’s primary Attack Damage Carry (ADC) player for the upcoming NA LCS season. Bang will be replacing 100 Thieves’ former ADC player Cody Sun, who will be leaving after just a single season with the organization. The two roster moves were announced within minutes of each other on November 22 via posts on the official 100T Twitter page. After the announcement, the former SKT star posted a long message on Twitter addressing the 100 Thieves fans and pledging his dedication and effort in representing his new team. “Having the chance to talk with 100 Thieves and its teammates several times, I saw the team’s fire in winning and their eagerness to succeed, which I thought would be a great fit for me and led to a great honor of joining 100 Thieves in the end.” This roster move comes as part of a major shuffle for 100 Thieves, who also made another major acquisition earlier on November 22, signing former CounterLogic Gaming star Choi ‘Huhi’ Jae-hyun. In addition to the departure of Cody Sun, last season’s Mid player Yoo ‘Ryu’ Sang-wook is also off the player roster, instead transitioning to the coaching staff as their new Assistant Coach for the 2019 season.

100 Thieves could be launching their own energy drink brand YouTube: 100 ThievesNorth American esports organization and media company 100 Thieves could be gearing up the launch their own energy drink brand called JUVEE. 100 Thieves are known for making big moves in the industry and their next venture would definitely fall into that category, with apparent plans to launch an energy drink or an energy drink powder. According to a trademark filing, Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s organization applied to own the name ‘JUVEE’ at the end of April 2020. The application is owned by “100 Thieves, Inc.” Interestingly, the organization announced a partnership with Rockstar Energy Drink in February 2021 that was said to last the entire year. PepsiCo — which has a big presence in gaming and esports through brands such as Mountain Dew and Doritos — acquired Rockstar in March 2020 for $3.85 billion. It seems as if it would be a categorical clash with Rockstar if 100 Thieves were to launch their very own energy drink brand, so their plans for the trademark are unclear at the time of writing. Dexerto has reached out to 100 Thieves for comment. Read More: TSM sign $210m deal with crypto exchange FTX – At the time of the collaborative announcement with Rockstar, Nadeshot said that they “have a lot of fun, original content coming down the pipeline that I think will both excite and inspire our fans.” The announcement stated that the 100 Thieves CEO and the rest of his team will become primary faces for Rockstar Energy in 2021 and that it’s a category-exclusive partnership — meaning no other energy drink company could engage with the organization for the duration of the deal.

100 Thieves host Juventus meet & greet with Bonucci and more JuventusJuventus’ Denis Zakaria, Weston McKennie, and Leonardo Bonucci visited the 100 Thieves compound for a meet and greet. The Serie A giants are in California to face Real Madrid at the Rose Bowl as part of their pre-season tour. The worlds between esports and professional sports are closer than ever. Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Kyler Murray signed with FaZe Clan back in April 2021. The star quarterback regularly streamed on Twitch. Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis announced he joined Nuke Squad in June and made an appearance at their L.A. mansion to play Warzone. KSI and Logan Paul crossed into football, securing an Arsenal sponsorship for their hydration drink Prime. And now, 100 Thieves and the Italian football giants’ collaboration further bridges the gap between esports and professional sports. 100 Thieves hosts Juventus stars 100 thieves co-owner Jack ‘CouRageJD’ Dunlop welcomed the three football stars to the Cash App Compound and gave them a tour. Dunlop showed off the organization’s trophies from Valorant, CoD, and Fortnite. The group closed things fittingly with a game of FIFA and a jersey swap photoshoot. Juventus’ U.S. pre-season tournament is a homecoming of sorts for Weston Mckennie. The Washington native spent seven seasons with FC Dallas and one year in Germany. The dynamic midfielder joined the Turin-based club in 2020. Denis Zakaria joined Juventus midway through the 2021 campaign after blossoming in Germany. Leonardo Bonnucci, one of the most decorated Italian footballers of all time, helped lead the club to six straight Serie A titles. Nadeshot and CouRage meeting with Juventus might be an unexpected crossover for many, but it personifies the growth of esports.

100 Thieves launch 2024 esports jersey with Adidas Originals 100 Thieves100 Thieves has revealed its official 2024 jersey, a collaboration with Adidas Originals, as the organization gets ready for their League of Legends and Valorant seasons to start up. 100 Thieves has become renowned in the esports world for not only fielding championship-calibre rosters, but decking them out in the apparel lines that they pride themselves on. In the past, 100T has even been dubbed a “hoodie org” — much to the chagrin of its owners, including Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, who called people that claim they don’t care about winning “idiots.” Their apparel drops sell out instantly and is a core focus of the business, and as such they’ve worked with multiple big names in the past, including luxury fashion brand Gucci. 100 Thieves 2024 jerseys Now, the 100 Thieves players are going to be kitted out in Adidas jerseys, too. The design foregoes 100 Thieves’ classic red colourways to go with a more sombre washed, muted black and grey, with the Adidas Originals logo emblazoned proudly on the chest above their main sponsor, Lexus. When Dexerto reached out for comment, COO John Robinson said: “100 Thieves is happy to join the Adidas family. We’re excited to share more of what’s to come later in the year.” 100 Thieves League of Legends begin their LCS 2024 season against Team Liquid on January 20, while the Valorant team get their VCT journey going starting in February.

100 Thieves hire former VP of Infinite Esports following Immortals buyout 100 ThievesFollowing the sale of Infinite Esports and the OpTic brand, Jacob Toft-Andersen left OpTic Gaming, and was hired by 100 Thieves. The dust is finally settling from all the drama surrounding OpTic Gaming and Infinite Esports’ sale to Immortals Gaming Club, and now major moves are being made. This past Friday, June 14 was Toft-Andersen’s last day at Infinite Esports as he has now signed on with esports organization 100 Thieves, filling their role as VP of esports. The news was announced by 100 Thieves on June 19 and he will become responsible for all of their competitive teams, including expansions into new titles. This is just the latest string of high-profile signings from 100 Thieves as they continue to establish themselves as an esports powerhouse. Excited to welcome Jacob Toft-Andersen (@TheMaelk) to 100 Thieves as our new VP of Esports! Jacob will be responsible for all our competitive teams, including expansion into new titles. A former professional player himself, Jacob joins us from OpTic Gaming. Welcome to the family! pic.twitter.com/4kyKo1PHHK — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) June 19, 2019 On June 14, just a few days ago, 100 Thieves announced the signing of The Mob, a group of four content creators who will be moving to Los Angeles to continue creating content for the organization. Before this signing, the team was able to sign a major Fortnite content creator Jack ‘CouRageJD’ Dunlop to the roster, a move that leaked ahead of time by Nadeshot himself but was still a major signing nonetheless. It hasn’t all been positive for 100 Thieves, however, as former member Nick ‘NICKMERCS‘ Kolcheff had a rocky exit from the organization, explaining how he wants “nothing to do” with 100 Thieves owner Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag following his departure. “Him and I are not cool, we’ll never be cool,” he said. “I don’t want nothing to do with him, I’ll never do business with him, I’ll never sit down at a table with him ever again.” To make the sting even worse, Nick signed with rival organization FaZe Clan, who were also making headlines following Turner ‘Tfue‘ Tenney’s lawsuit against the organization over an oppressive contract. The lawsuit between Tfue and FaZe Clan is still ongoing.

100 Thieves hit with another round of layoffs as org drops multiple key staff 100 Thieves100 Thieves has been hit with another round of layoffs to start 2023 as the prominent gaming, esports, and lifestyle brand has let go of multiple employees – including its Chief Revenue Officer. Despite 100 Thieves only just letting go a considerable chunk of its social media and content teams midway through last year, 2023 is continuing the sour note for the organization with further departures. Multiple staff members, mainly pertaining to the editing and VFX departments, all took to Twitter on January 10 to announce their final day under the 100 Thieves banners. Also among those impacted was the company’s Chief Revenue Officer Matty Lee, a longstanding figure who had been part of the team’s earliest figureheads since 2018. “This caps off the most concentrated period of personal and professional growth of my entire life,” Lee said in a statement on LinkedIn shortly after news broke. Despite the difficult situation, he remains “bullish” on the company as a whole and expressed sincere gratitude to those still building 100 Thieves moving forward. “My cup overflows today and I can’t say enough great things about the last 4.5 years, the lifelong friendships, and all that other mushy stuff.” Meanwhile, others took to Twitter to outline their shock in light of the sudden layoffs. “Overwhelmingly crushed,” Senior Account Managed Jess Pak said. “Heartbroken, scared, & uncertain, but excited to announce that I’m hoping to make a career change into creative marketing.” In some unfortunate timing, the editor responsible for 100 Thieves’ new 2023 jersey reveal promotion was also among those laid off by the organization, the very day the video went live. “Today was my last day at 100 Thieves, but not before producing and editing this piece,” he said on Twitter. “Open to whatever the future holds for me.” According to The Jacob Wolf Report, around 30 positions were eliminated as part of this round of layoffs. This represents approximately a sixth of the organization’s workforce. Much like the last time around in June 2022, 100 Thieves have not issued a statement in response to the sudden layoffs.

100 Thieves launch NFTs alongside Enter Infinity apparel collection YouTube: 100 ThievesNorth American organization 100 Thieves are doubling down on the hype of their Enter Infinity apparel collection with eight NFTs, cashing in on the recent buzz surrounding the blockchain technology. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have garnered widespread attention and adoption in 2021, with what’s essentially digital art being assigned a unique identifier and then going on sale. To coincide with their latest apparel collection, Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s esports org have launched eight unique pieces — four of which are currently available to buy at auction, and four more that will be given away to fans. 100 Thieves are well-known for their apparel, launching periodic, scarce collections of clothing that typically sell out within minutes. Details on the amount of items sold, or the gross revenue generated, are always kept under wraps. It’s hard to describe the 100 Thieves NFTs beyond saying that they’re experimental art pieces with geometric elements. Each is unique, numbered 001 to 008, and all four of the public pieces have already received bids. The highest bid at the time of writing is for 3.00 ETH, equivalent to $6,182.73. Read More: Tfue reveals “NFTfue” collection – The other elements of the Enter Infinity collection include T-shirts, jumpers, shorts, and sweats. All will be available for purchase on April 10. A tweet from the org’s CEO Nadeshot, which has since been deleted, also revealed water bottles and flashlights as part of the collection. This isn’t the first instance of the world of esports and NFTs merging, however. European organization OG Esports have been working with Nifty Gateway to periodically release unique digital art since January 2021, whereas Sentinels commemorated their victory in the Valorant Masters event earlier in March 2021 with their own limited-edition pieces. 100 Thieves Enter Infinity Collection 4.10.21. 12 PM PT.https://t.co/8q3ChCqYeKPresenting the Enter Infinity Collection. The first chapter in the 100 Thieves world of endless possibilities. pic.twitter.com/X6TbE7PGJd — 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) April 5, 2021 Just hours after 100 Thieves revealed their NFTs, streamer and former professional player Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney revealed his own collection. The “NFTfue” series includes three animated designs, limited to 33 editions, as well as three Bobblehead NFTs that “bring Tfue to life.”

100 Thieves rake in $2.5m from ‘Foundations’ apparel line in first month 100 ThievesEsports organizations are on the hunt to develop robust revenue streams that can help them to become profitable businesses as soon as possible, and it appears 100 Thieves are well on their journey with their much-publicized and immensely popular apparel business. 100 Thieves made a name for themselves in the wider gaming and lifestyle space through their exclusive, irregular apparel collections. Akin to ‘hypebeast’ brands such as Supreme, these periodic drops generate a lot of attention due to the scarcity and, to date, they’ve all sold out in a matter of minutes. While this exclusive cycle has worked well for Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s organization in the past, a lot of 100 Thieves fans (and hypebeasts alike) have missed out on purchasing some apparel. Not only is that bad for consumers, there’s potentially a lot of money being left on the table for the company. They addressed this need in July 2021 with their ‘Foundations’ apparel line, a basic collection of clothing that would always be available to purchase alongside the more sporadic drops. While there was plenty of backlash over the premium pricing of the items, it’s proven financially fruitful for them. 100 Thieves Foundations, on sale today. Always on, always available, 24/7. pic.twitter.com/S2iau64xC6 — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) July 3, 2021 It’s been revealed, through an email sent to press by an agency on behalf of 100 Thieves, that ‘Foundations’ generated over $2.5 million in revenue in its first month of being live. That’s an impressive number, of course, but it’s worth noting that this is very different to the profit they would’ve made. The profitability of the apparel hasn’t been disclosed and there’s a lot that goes into developing an apparel line — research, designing, testing, manufacturing, shipping, and more — so a fair amount would have to be subtracted from the revenue to find out just how much they actually made. 100 Thieves are continuing to produce infrequent, heavily promoted collections alongside this always-on apparel line, proving that their apparel business is robust. They recently collaborated with fashion giants Gucci to produce a $2,500 backpack which, again, was met with some criticism. Got the squad some @gucci to send them off to Worlds in style. Safe travels boys. #100T pic.twitter.com/oRjlT7IOdK — 100 Thieves VALORANT (@100T_VAL) September 14, 2021 Nadeshot recently revealed, albeit casually on his stream, that his org would be paying $27m for their slot in the Call of Duty League. This isn’t an upfront cost but they’ll still need to be able to afford sizeable, multi-million-dollar payments over the next few years.

100 Thieves receive $60m investment in Series C funding 100 ThievesNorth American esports organization 100 Thieves have announced the closure of their Series C funding round, raising a total of $60m in investment. To help fuel growth moving into the next chapter of the organization, 100 Thieves have received $60m in investment as part of their latest round of funding. The investment was led by Green Bay Ventures, an investment firm that previously provided funding to the organization back in 2018. Other companies in their portfolio include DocuSign, Dropbox, Lyft, and Spotify. Following this round of investment, 100 Thieves are now said to be valued at $460m. 100 Thieves’ previous funding round saw them raise a total of $35m. The Series B was led by Artist Capital Management, the controlling shareholders of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), and saw the org achieve a valuation of $160m. Read More: Ex-NFL star launches G1 esports organization – Existing investors in the apparel, content, and esports hybrid include artist Drake and record executive Scooter Braun, both of whom invested back in October 2018 as part of their Series A round. “I’m incredibly excited about the valuation, but it doesn’t stop here,” 100 Thieves founder and CEO Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag told Forbes. “Valuation is one thing, but delivering results in the future for our investors and our community and our board members is the number one goal. “We really just want to build the most inclusive gaming brand that the world has ever seen. I think we’re well on our way to doing that.”

xQc loses it after being trolled by Bing Bong meme in Escape from Tarkov xQc/Battlestate GamesTwitch star streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel was playing Escape from Tarkov when he was endlessly trolled with the Bing Bong meme from players he encountered in-game. We’ve all heard it by now – the famous Bing Bong sound that has completely taken over TikTok. The sound has become so widespread that stars Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, and Avril Lavigne teamed up to make a video with the sound, which ended perfectly. xQc was streaming Escape from Tarkov when he encountered some players who were apparently big fans of the phrase. xQc can’t escape Bing Bong meme The former Overwatch pro was streaming Tarkov on December 16 when he came across a player who he wasn’t sure was friend or foe. He greeted them with, “Yo, what’s up man. What’s the code?” “Uhm… Bing Bong!” the player said. xQc was not pleased, “Ah, okay, Jesus Christ, man. Why do you snipers act like you’re not snipers before you meet me? I don’t get it. It’s so lame.” After that, another player showed up who offered the same “Bing Bong!” answer to what the code was. One final person showed up, and when asked what the code was to get by, screamed “Bing Bing Bing Bing!” Cracking a smile, the streamer was both frustrated and laughing in the moment: “Oh my f***ing god. I can’t, dude!” Although he couldn’t escape the onslaught of stream snipers who knew he was xQc, it at least made for a hilarious clip.

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xQc dives on the floor to rant about Escape from Tarkov “realism” Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has gone on a bizarre rant about “realism” in Escape from Tarkov, seeing him dive around his bedroom with his stereotypical eccentricity. While a number of Twitch streamers have become known for their explosive personalities and eccentric habits, few are as fabled as ex-Overwatch professional Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel. Since turning to full-time streaming, he has stunned fans with some bizarre rants and passionate monologues. He demonstrated this side of his gaming personality again on January 4, as he exploded on Escape from Tarkov’s realism – or lack thereof. Escape from Tarkov, Battlestate Games’ tactical first-person shooter, has had new life breathed into it as a number of streaming personalities flock to play it. While it has long had star players like Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek behind it, streamers like DrDisrespect and xQc have recently got into it as well; boosting Tarkov’s viewing figures exponentially. “It’s realism!” the Canadian yelled. “Okay guys – this is live footage of World War 3! Alright, we’re going in, go, go go!” He then dives on to the floor and starts mimicking gunfire, while also ‘looting’ anyone he happened to kill – all much to his audience’s bemusement. After also mocking a number of Escape from Tarkov features, he concluded his rant by stating: “Nooooo! Who does that? What are you on about? I’m done. I’ve had enough!” As a tactical first-person shooter in the same vein as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, games like Escape from Tarkov are intended to be far more grounded in realism than games ‘arcade shooters’ like Call of Duty. Despite the supposed emphasis on realism, Lengyel is clearly not that keen on certain aspects of Tarkov, a feeling he demonstrated in the trademark manner for which he has become known.

xQc explains why playing Escape from Tarkov is like gambling at a casino Félix ‘xQc‘ Lengyel has long been a supporter of loot boxes in video games like CSGO and Overwatch, despite claims that young players wagering cash is wrong, but he has compared Escape from Tarkov to a casino. The popular Twitch personality, who has almost two million followers on his channel, had been playing Battlestate Games’ beta version on and off throughout the course of 2019 and decided to come back to it in the new year. During a broadcast on January 2, the streamer took a moment to highlight the way he is feeling about the game so far – as it’s still in development and this is just a beta version – and it’s fair to say that he had an interesting verdict to share. The former Overwatch professional player compared winning and losing on the game to gambling, drawing comparisons between the experience in-game to that of a casino after getting ready to start a match. This comment completely took his chat by surprise, with many bursting into laughter or spamming the chat with their reactions. He said: “Chat, I feel like an actual gambler. This game is literally gambling. I feel the same way when I went to the casino once. I feel the same playing this game, all the time. I get the exact same feeling.” Every time you start up a raid in Escape from Tarkov, the player is allowed to select the equipment they want to take with them. However, an unsuccessful performance will lead to you losing the exact things you brought to the battle. As seen in the past, xQc has had some great difficulty finding and picking up better weapons – as well as items – in the first-person shooter game. Losing them all just because of a few deaths would be devastating, so much so that he’s compared it to gambling with high stakes.

Where to find new red labs key card on Shoreline in Escape from Tarkov Battlestate GamesEscape from Tarkov players have found an all-new location spawn for the much sought after red labs keycard on Shoreline – and it isn’t as hidden away as the other ones. While there certainly plenty of loot to be found in Escape from Tarkov’s different raids, some items are much more sought after than others. You’ve got items like the Intelligence Folders, Red Rebel Ice Pick, and T H I C C Weapon case, but for some players, the holy grail is key cards. Key cards are scattered around different raid maps and finding them can give you a leg up when you decide to tackle the Labs raid. Having a key card means that you’ll be able to unlock a different colored area which has a few riches on the other side. While players thought they had the red key card spawns down to a tee, a new one has cropped up. This new location was noted by Reddit user JohnMcClane13, and again, it is featured on the Shoreline raid. Unlike the key cards that can be found basement gym of the west wing resort building and in room 203, this new one shouldn’t be all that hard to find – provided that someone doesn’t beat you to it, that is. Read More: How to fix laggy menu in Escape From Tarkov – To find the new key card, alls you have to do is head to the Administration building that is in the resort and head inside. Once there, head to the first-floor room that has the locked safe inside and look on the table. The white half of the key card should be sticking out from underneath the ashtray. If it isn’t, well, someone will have beaten you to the punch and grabbed it, but at least you know that there is a key card new location – at least for now. The pending Escape From Tarkov 12.6 update is set to wipe the slate clean and even switch up loot locations and patterns in a bid to keep things from becoming too routine.

When is the next Escape From Tarkov wipe? Character reset update Battlestate GamesServer wipes in Escape From Tarkov can be rather hectic, and players will need to prepare for the next one, as your character will be reset back to square one. The hardcore survival FPS Escape From Takov has one of the most loyal player bases around, and the game has definitely carved out its own unique niche since the closed beta released in 2017. To keep things fresh, developers at Battlestate Games will periodically implement a server wipe, which resets every character right back to square one. This is obviously a big deal in EFT, as everyone will be starting from scratch. So, it helps to have an idea when the next one will be coming, which is where this handy guide comes in. What are Escape From Tarkov server wipes? As we mentioned above, Server Wipes are when Battlestate Games erases the progress of all players in the game. The wipe gets rid of all the loot, hideout upgrades, and other items you’ve acquired through raiding. This puts all players on the same playing field, with only their starting equipment, for a few raids anyway. Of course, you’ll quickly encounter players who will be highly geared shortly after the restart, but that’s just the way things go in Tarkov. When is the next Escape From Tarkov server wipe? Battlestate Games usually give players several months in between wipes to gather loot, upgrade their hideouts, and progress as far as they can through the various trader’s tasks. The most recent EFT wipe was on December 12, 2021, and there is a rough pattern of several months between each one, give or take a few weeks. On top of that, Battlestate usually doesn’t implement more than two server wipes a year, either. Taking all of that into consideration, it stands to reason that the next Tarkov wipe will happen in late June or early July of 2022. If you need a little help getting as far as you can before it happens, be sure to check out some of our EFT guides down below: Escape from Tarkov beginner’s guide | All Escape from Tarkov promo codes and discounts | How to fix a laggy menu | How to improve FPS

Where to find intelligence folders in Escape from Tarkov Battlestate GamesIntelligence Folders might be one of the most underrated but lucrative ways to make money in Escape from Tarkov but where can you find them during raids? One YouTuber has pointed them out. Though the objective might be to survive and make as much cash as possible, Escape from Tarkov has plenty of different playstyles that you can utilize. You can be ultra-aggressive and hunt for kills, just stick to looting and avoiding fights, or you could ruin someone’s day by exit camping. There are plenty of high-value items to find if you purely want to be a looter but there are some, like Intelligence Folders, that go under the radar even though they can be worth a few hundred thousand rubles on the flea market. YouTuber KARRY revealed a few spots where players can find Intelligence Folders on the Reserve raid map. Though they can also be found on Labs, KARRY noted that the admission price isn’t worth it compared to Reserve. On Reserve, there are ten spawns for the Intelligence Folders, all spread out across the raid but can usually be found on tables or in crates. Picking one up will mean you use two inventory slots but, seeing as they’re worth around 170,000-180,000, they are worth it. Though you can find two folders inside the Queen building, as well as a further folder in the Helicopter that sits across from it, the most built-up area for Intelligence is near Dome. As KARRY points out, there are three pretty much on top of each other there – with extras in the tunnels below. Of course, if you manage to get your hands on the folders, they can be quickly sold on the Flea Market for the prices we’ve already noted – though they can also be used to level your Intelligence Centre. Doing this will allow you to craft Intelligence Folders from other items but KARRY notes that it doesn’t make sense financially, so you’re better off finding them from the spawns.

Trainwrecks shares crazy Russian conspiracy theory about Escape From Tarkov trainwreckstv/The KremlinPopular Twitch streamer Tyler ‘TrainwrecksTV‘ Niknam shared a far-out conspiracy theory involving Russia and Escape from Tarkov while playing the game. Escape from Tarkov is a multiplayer survival looter game that’s become popular since Michael ‘shroud’ Grzemiek started grinding it on stream. Since then the game has exploded in popularity, but Trainwrecks thinks the whole thing is a ploy designed to collect American’s online information. No, really. While playing Tarkov with fellow streamer Pokelawls, Trainwrecks shared his conspiracy theory that anyone who plays the game could become the “next Hillary Clinton.” “We’re allowing an installation of their application on our PCs in America,” Train said. “Imagine one day you decide to go off and run for f**king president, okay? Now Russia has your entire compute search history, every file, guess what’s gonna come out? You’re gonna be the next goddamn Hillary Clinton.” As with all good conspiracy theories, there may be a kernel of truth in what Trainwrecks is saying, but his theory didn’t seem to convince Pokelawls. “Maybe they’re right dude,” Poke admitted. “This game brainwashed me because it’s a good ass game.” To be clear, there is absolutely no evidence Tarkov’s publishers, Battlestate Games, are in any way linked to the Russian government, and Trainwrecks’ conspiracy theory remains just that — a theory. But it’s probably a good rule of thumb to assume that anytime you’re giving out personal information on the internet or installing applications on your PC it can be used as a two-way street. At the time of writing Tarkov remains one of the top-watched games on twitch, with just under 100,000 viewers on January 20. Trainwrecks’ conspiracy theory about Tarkov being a plant by the Kremlin certainly was entertaining and topical, but in the end it probably won’t do anything to dent the game’s current popularity.

Twitch streamer makes Dr Disrespect in Escape from Tarkov and gets Doc’s seal of approval Dr DisrespectA Twitch streamer managed to transform their Escape from Tarkov character into YouTube star Dr Disrespect, and the two-time seemed to approve. Dr Disrespect is one of the most recognizable streamers in the game. Aside from his massive popularity, the creator’s signature mullet, tinted shades, and mustache have become virtually iconic. It’s no surprise then, that many fans take it upon themselves to recreate his striking look in various different games, such as Apex Legends. In the latest effort to bring the streamer to life in a game, one Twitch streamer molded his Escape from Tarkov character to look exactly like the two-time, and Doc responded. Streamer recreates Dr Disrespect in Escape from Tarkov On August 3, Twitch streamer HyperRatTV tweeted an Escape from Tarkov screenshot showing off his character, with the caption: “This one for you doc, @DrDisrespect.” Fans will immediately notice the striking resemblance the character bear to the two-time. Not only is it rocking the red vest, sunglasses, and mustache that have become synonymous with Dr Disrespect, but it’s even got the headphones that he wears on every stream. The man himself seemed to appreciate the effort that had cleary gone into picking the right look, with the YouTuber star simply replying: “Incredible…” Aside from his usual game, Call of Duty: Warzone, Dr Disrespect can often be seen playing Escape from Tarkov onstream, and is clearly a fan of the game, despite temporarily quitting the title back in 2021. In fact, the red vest that HyperRatTV’s character was added by the devs with the Doc in mind. Although he’s currently hard at work on his own game, Deadrop, he clearly appreciated being recreated so perfectly in Battlestate Games’ tactical FPS. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see fans get creative and introduce the streamer into other games.

Tfue wipes out his Escape from Tarkov squad with hilarious grenade fail Tfue/Battlestate GamesFortnite star Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney left his teammates in disbelief after he made a crucial, yet rookie, error during a run-through of Escape From Tarkov. Battlestate Games’ Escape from Tarkov hit the big time on Twitch at the start of 2020 as the developers utilized free item drops for watching streamers who had been committed to playing the game for quite some time. While some of the most OG Tarkov players saw their channels receive a huge boost, popular streamers from other titles decided to their hand at the game that is still in beta. Some have since dropped off but others, like Tfue, have finally given in and taken to the intense first-person shooter to see what it’s all about. However, as many players have already discovered, Tarkov can be extremely punishing if you try and play in a style that doesn’t quite fit. Though for Tfue, who is still learning the ropes, he received an expensive lesson as he tried to toss a grenade through a door – only to realize that he had just consigned himself and his teammates – including Denis ‘Cloak’ Lepore – to their deaths. “I don’t know where I threw that,” Tfue said before his Escape from Tarkov squad noticed that his grenade had been blocked and fell at their feet. “Yo, what the f**k, I was trying to throw a grenade in the doorway and you were blocking me,” Tfue added before Cloak fired back at him. “Turner, you don’t just walk up and throw a f**king grenade. While the other teammate of the former Fortnite duo saw the funny side of things, laughing along with Tfue’s own giggles about the learning experience, Cloak was still left in disbelief – dropping a disappointed sounding “Turner” as they returned to the main menus. Dying in Tarkov is to be avoided at all costs, as players will lose their often substantial loot and essentially have to start over. The hilarious fail just goes to show that Tfue’s trademark Fortnite speed and aggression needs slightly toning down for Tarkov, but at least he’ll probably figure it out after this.

Tarkov star Pestily becomes Twitch’s most-subbed streamer with mega subathon YouTube: PestilyPopular Escape from Tarkov streamer Pastily has overtaken Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyell to become the most-subbed streamer on Twitch, as he edges closer to overtaking Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney and entering the all-time top 10. Subathons can be one of the most effective ways for a streamer to raise their profile. The most notorious subathon of all-time was Ludwig Ahgren’s from back in April 2021, which saw him overtake Ninja to become Twitch’s most-subbed streamer ever. His feat has inspired other streamers to undertake similar challenges, with StarCraft caster PiG literally shaving his head after overtaking Ludwig’s 726-hour record in his own subathon. And larger streamers like xQc also have their own subathons planned for the future. And three-time EFT world champion Pestily has overtaken xQc to become Twitch’s most-subbed streamer, as he reached the 24th day of his own subathon. On July 24, Pestily, who has over 900k followers, became the most-subbed Twitch streamer as he reached the 68k sub mark. He overtook xQc, who was on just shy of 66k. The Australian army veteran is right on the cusp of entering Twitch’s all-time top 10, with Tfue’s personal record of 69,500 subs not too far away from Pestily. If he does reach the all-time top 10, Pestily will cosplay Dr Phil live on stream, and if he reaches the 40-day mark, he will train for and complete a Triathlon. Pestily still has a way to go if he is to become only the fifth streamer, alongside shroud, Ranboo, Ninja and Ludwig, to reach the 100k mark, and even further to overtake Ludwig’s staggering record of 283,066 subs. When his subathon does eventually end, however, he has plans in place to help raise money for the Starlight children’s charity during his August streams. He has already raised over $1m for charity in the past, and sees philanthropy as a key part of his streaming career. While it remains to be seen just how far Pestily can go, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on his progress.

Tarkov streamer rages after enemy survives 7 point-blank shotgun shots Twitch streamer ‘Ellohime’ was left shocked after failing to kill an enemy in Escape from Tarkov with multiple point-blank shotgun shots. Escape from Tarkov has exploded in popularity towards the end of 2019, with many streamers now broadcasting the popular title and accruing massive viewer counts. Many players have claimed that tactical first-person shooter, developed by Battlestate Games, has quite a steep learning curve which can lead to many frustrating moments for newer players. Among those who were frustrated by the game was Twitch streamer Ellohime, who was left confused after his shotgun seemed to deal no damage towards an enemy player. After finding a nearby unarmed opponent, the Tarkov streamer fired seven shots at point-blank range but still could not secure the kill, causing his Twitch chat to fill with laughter. “Are you f**king kidding me right now? What is going on?” He asked, clearly shocked after his opponent survived, “What is this life, what am I shooting him with? Is this game just a f**king lie?” After taking a short break to process what had happened, the streamer returned to where he saw the player and began scouting around for them once again. Unfortunately for Ellohime, the worst was yet to come, as the opposing player was stood waiting for him when he came back, instantly killing the Twitch streamer with a shotgun this time around. The Tarkov streamer could not help but rage after the ridiculous situation, claiming that he was done with the game after the unbelievable fail, “This game…that is f*cking dumb, I am done.” It was later revealed that the opponent’s body armor had absorbed all of the 1200 damage dealt from their first engagement, although even with armor it was a tall task to survive as many shots as they did.

Escape from Tarkov bans and exposes over 6,000 cheaters by releasing usernames Battlestate GamesDeveloper Battlestate Games banned over 6,000 Escape from Tarkov cheaters and shared their usernames on social media. A hardcore tactical shooter, Escape from Tarkov hasn’t officially enjoyed a final release as it remains in beta at the time of writing. It’s made quite a few waves in recent months, however, especially as players compare its offerings to Call of Duty’s DMZ mode. Tarkov does have its own share of problems, though. Most notably, cheaters who employ aimbots, radar hacks, and wallhacks have disrupted the experience to a degree that’s forced developers to act. But simply banning hackers wasn’t enough for the crew at Battlestate Games. Tarkov studio names and shames cheaters who’ve been banned As “large ban waves” remove hackers from Escape to Tarkov, developer Battlestate Games has gone the extra mile to prevent bad behavior within the community. That extra mile consists of the studio posting the usernames of cheaters in public spreadsheets. Thus far, the ban waves have cut out more than 6,700 cheaters. Speaking to TechCrunch, Battlestate representative Dmitri Ogorodnikov explained the following, “We want honest players to see the nicknames of cheaters to know that justice has been served and the cheater who killed them in a raid has been punished and banned.” Battlestate opened up about this unorthodox practice in the following Twitter post late last month: Players and developers alike seemed mixed on the tactic of publicly naming banned Tarkov cheaters. Interestingly, one developer from another company who spoke with TechCrunch under the condition of anonymity said, “Good. I wish we [named cheaters] too.” However, several fans who replied to the above tweet doubt this is enough to thwart those who exploit the game’s vunerablities. One person wrote, “I don’t care about a google doc of cheaters’ names. I want better security, better manual ban systems, and 2fa.” Hopefully, work is being done to address all of these issues and more.

Tarkov devs respond to backlash over change to quest rewards Battlestate Games[jwplayer 91I9RIGm]A brief change to Escape From Tarkov quest rewards, along with a developer’s apparent response brushing off player’s concerns, has rubbed the Tarkov community the wrong way. On June 22, Tarkov players discovered that a valuable reward, the T H I C C Items Case, for two of the game’s quests had been removed and replaced with a regular Items Case. Besides having an amazing name, the T H I C C Items Case is incredibly valuable because it provides 196 inventory slots inside, while only taking up a total of 15 – which is why its temporary removal irked so many players who had yet to unlock it after the May 28 character wipe update. After players started discussing the Case’s removal as a reward for the Therapist’s “Private Clinic” and Prapor’s “Perfect Mediator” quests, a Battlestate Games developer with the name ‘ShiroTenshi’ replied to players on the official Tarkov forums essentially saying, “If you don’t like it, don’t play it,” – which did not go over well, to say the least. “Having things change unexpectedly is one of the many things that can happen when playing a game that is still in development and not finished,” Shiro wrote. “Everything would eventually reset anyway with the next wipe. It being fair or not has nothing to do with it. Continuing the development of the game, which will involve continued changes to said game, is the goal here.” “I am sorry you feel cheated from these changes, but if that is the case then playing during the development stage may not be for you,” they continued. “After the game has full release, these sort of things will not happen so you may want to wait until that point.” After ShiroTenshi’s response was posted to the Tarkov subreddit, Battlestate Games Cheif Operating Officer Nikita Buyanov replied apologizing to players and telling them, “If you see any statement – look for my nickname or name, if it’s not – than don’t take it seriously.” Shortly after apologizing to the playerbase, Battlestate reverted the changes, one again making the T H I C C Items Case a reward for both quests. “Hey, I guess it was too harsh to do a live changes like that,” Buyanov wrote on Reddit. “I will not say anything else – cases are changed back. I definitely didn’t predict THAT impact.” So, while the initial response from developers might not have been what players were looking for, to say the least, Battlestate did end up reverting the changes. So you can once again get out there and grind for your own T H I C C Case.

Summit1g stunned after getting luckiest kill ever in Escape from Tarkov Twitch: Summit1G/Battlestate GamesPopular Twitch streamer Jaryd ‘Summit1G’ Lazar was left stunned after he managed to pick up one of the luckiest kills ever in Escape from Tarkov. Even though some Twitch viewers have stopped watching Escape from Tarkov streams now that they no longer give out free in-game items, that hasn’t stopped streamers from playing the intense FPS title. That includes summit, who has been grinding his way through by himself, as well as a part of a streamer squad. Yet, while playing on his lonesome, he managed to pull off one of the best and most accidental kills the game has seen. Playing through the Interchange level during his January 27 stream, the popular streamer had been trying to find a shortcut through one of the stores to give himself a better angle on potential foes when he decided to shoot through the glass in order to make a hole for himself. Yet, as he did so, he managed to pick the one spot where an enemy was sat – giving him, perhaps, the luckiest kill seen in Battlestate Games’ title to date. The 1G was pretty surprised by his feat too. “Brothers, you are not going to believe what the f**k I just did,” he called out with a stunned look on his face. “All I meant to do was shoot that glass open and there was a f**king guy there! I just wanted to shoot the glass open bro – I didn’t mean to shoot the guy, I didn’t know he was there until after I shot.” While Summit and his viewers were rightly impressed by his extremely fortunate kill, it wasn’t exactly the best news for his slain enemy. Due to how Tarkov works, death means the loss of any loot you’ve taken with you and managed to pick up during the run. Though, it didn’t appear as if Summit had doubled on his good luck as he only managed to swipe some health items and fresh ammo.

Surv12 and Vaseline crafts added to Escape From Tarkov Medstation Battlestate GamesThe Surv12 field surgery kit and Vaseline can now be made at Medstations in Escape From Tarkov, and there’s a good chance players could have the required materials lying around right now. If you want to produce both of these new crafts in Tarkov, you’ll need a Level 3 Medstation at your hideout. This can definitely be a bit of a grind to set up, but it’s more than worth it to be able to make your own powerful drugs and combat stims. A Level 3 Medstation takes 12 hours and 150,000 Roubles to upgrade from Level 2, along with the following items and benchmarks: 4 Saline solution – 1 LEDX Skin Transilluminator – 1 Ophthalmoscope – Therapist LL3 – Skier LL2 – Vitality Level 3 – Once you have your Level 3 station, you’ll finally be able to make the Surv12, which comes with 15 charges and can heal fractured bones and fix one destroyed body part per charge. It does need to be used alongside medkits to be effective, though. The ability to heal more serious injuries on the battlefield makes the Surv12 fairly valuable, and all players need to craft their own is six pile of meds, a set of tools, and a Level 3 Medstation as we mentioned. It will take an hour and 16 minutes to create the item once it’s queued, just enough time for a quick excursion for even more loot. The other new craftable is Vaseline, which finally puts Tarkov’s shampoo and soap drops to use (since Scavs aren’t particularly known for their hygiene, after all). Three soaps, a shampoo, and a pile of meds will now make two Vaselines, which can remove pain, and also lubricate certain types of gear in a pinch. Vaseline can be looted all over Tarkov, but the ability to produce it yourself can make it easier to get Meds cases from the Therapist once you reach Loyalty Level 2. These new medical items are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to new hideout craftables in Tarkov. Following the 12.6 patch, Battlestate added new crafts like bandages, armor, vests, backpacks, ammunition, different technological items, and more. Even if you don’t have a Level 3 Medstation yet, you’ll probably be able to cash in on the new demand for Soap and Shampoo on the flea market and walk away with more money than you’d previously be able to get for these drops.

Summit1g proves he’s still got it by absolutely dominating Tarkov stream sniper Battlestate Games / Twitch: Summit1GJaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar proved that he’s still a beast on first-person shooters after absolutely dominating a stream sniper on Escape from Tarkov and taunting him afterward. Summit1g has been putting the ‘variety’ in variety streamer lately. After building a crazy $7,500 racing simulator rig, he started dominating on games like iRacing and even challenged F1 driver Lando Norris to a showdown. However, he went back to an old favorite in Escape from Tarkov in December 2021, and he’s been playing it ever since. At first, he was a little rusty. But on January 4, he showed fans that he’s still got it after dominating a stream sniper. “This guy is an ass, dude. I know where he is,” said Summit about the pesky player. But when he tried to hunt him down, it became apparent that he knew his every move. However, Summit had a trick up his sleeve. “How about this?” he said as he changed his camera to stop capturing the game. “I think this guy is stream sniping me.” He healed himself and secured another position off-camera before turning it back on. Then, he caught the stream sniper by surprise and gunned him down. “Got caught crossing the street, huh?” he said while holding up his middle finger. “Because you weren’t one hundred percent sure where I went. Suck my f**king nuts.” Summit poked fun at the player while looting his corpse. “What an asswipe,” he said. “Actually hunting me down from so far away. Like, ‘Oh yeah! I’m going to chase Summit!’ F**king d*ck.” Then, he doubled down on his claims that the player was stream sniping. “The first mistake happens when the overlay is up. Real coincidence.” Read More: Summit1g gets warm welcome back to GTA RP – He’s not the only streamer to encounter these kinds of players online. Others stars like Dr Disrespect and xQc have dealt with their fair share, too.

Summit1g roasts “rat” Escape from Tarkov players who use Thermal Scopes Twitch: Summit1g / Battlestate GamesTwitch star Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar lost it at Escape from Tarkov players that use Thermal Scopes, dubbing them as “rats” in a harsh roast on stream. Summit has been playing Tarkov almost non-stop since the start of 2020 and has never been afraid to call out other players or problems with the game. It seems that another pet peeve has popped up as the American took the time to call out players who use Thermal Scopes and even went as far as calling them “rats” in a rather lengthy rant. During a broadcast on March 9, Summit1g was eliminated seemingly out of nowhere after a solid start to his run and immediately went on to slam the player who killed him. “F**king thermal bitches dude, nothing but a bunch of b**ches and rats. Not moving, both your teammates got killed and you don’t move a muscle, you let both of them get looted… that’s the type of player who uses thermals – too scared to save their boy’s loot.” He clearly wasn’t impressed with the player who decided to lay in wait and ambush him when he least expected it, rather than taking a head-on fight. It’s easy to understand Summit’s frustration, as Thermal Scopes are incredibly powerful in Tarkov and give players using them a huge vision advantage. If you get attacked by someone using a Thermal and you don’t have one, most of the time you’ll die before you can even figure out where they are. However, the player did use his weapon to his advantage, so it’s hard to blame him, even if it is a frustrating way to go. In the end, the death didn’t seem to affect the streamer much anyway and he jumped right back into the game not long after – this time not running into any more Thermal Scope users and actually having some successful runs.

Summit1g reveals must-have Escape from Tarkov keybinds for surviving Twitter: @Summit1g / Battlestate GamesTwitch star Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar has been playing a ton of Escape from Tarkov lately and has given his fans some incredibly useful tips, with his very own keybinds. Escape from Tarkov is a tactical first-person shooter that’s blown up recently, with countless Twitch streamers enjoying the game since late 2019. It’s a challenging game though, where even one wrong move can see you instantly lose all of your items and, as such, having the right keybinds can be the difference between a good or terrible session. Therefore, Jaryd decided to help his viewers out by showing them the ideal keybind setup. During his usual Tarkov stream on February 6, he decided to respond to a commonly asked question about his settings. “If you’re having a hard time with keybindings I recommend trying these,” Summit began, before diving right into his settings. “First thing, lean right, lean left, [make them] B and V. Switch scopes and change scope magnification, [make them] E and Q, you can have them either way… [but] it does make it so much easier. The default keybind for them is Alt+something – you’re not gonna be scoped in on a spot and click Alt+something to unscope.” Summit then moved onto even more buttons, many of which are just as important. “Shift+Mouse5 to check my magazine, X to change the fire mode, Z to go prone, C to sprint, Left Control to duck, and walk is Left Shift with continuous, so you hold [it] to walk.” All of the keybindings he listed are different by default and with so many different possible actions in the game, some of them are moved to very difficult positions. To check your magazine, for example, you would need to press T+Left Shift with the default settings – imagine trying to do that in the middle of a firefight when your enemy is closing in on you. Of course, you don’t have to set your settings exactly like Summit’s, but he has highlighted a great tip for Escape from Tarkov players, taking the time to change your keybindings will make a huge difference in your gameplay. Summit1g’s Escape from Tarkov Keybinds Lean (left/right) = B,V – Switch scopes = Q – Scope magnification = E – Check magazine = Shift+Mouse5 – Change fire mode = X – Prone = Z – Sprint = C – Duck = Left Ctrl – Walk = Left shift (hold) –

Summit1g rages at Escape From Tarkov devs over raid changes Twitch: Summit1g / Battlestate GamesJaryd ‘Summit1g‘ Lazar is one of the most popular Escape From Tarkov streamers in the world, and even though he openly praises the game, he couldn’t help but lose his cool on February 4 when he died at the end of a match, claiming the games were too short. Escape From Tarkov is one of the most tactical first-person shooters on the market, tasking players with heading into the fictional Russian city of Tarkov to grab gear, loot enemies, and make it back to the extraction point without getting killed and losing all the supplies you have acquired. Matches on the Interchange map, a massive shopping mall full of weapons, armor, and more, have seen their time shortened down to 40 minutes, and the sprawling building taking a long time to work through, a frustrated Summit1g hit out at developers Battlestate Games for bringing down the raid time limits and making it more difficult to escape when it shouldn’t be. After hunting through shop after shop in search of loot, Summit received the call that the raid was almost complete, giving him seven minutes to exit Interchange and make it to an extraction point to ensure he didn’t lose his gear. While rushing to make his way out, the streamer got ambushed by an opponent sitting at the top of a set of escalators, wiping him out and leaving him furious at the short amount of time he had to complete the raid. “They’re sitting at the front of Ultra until six f**king minutes left for the guy who actually did do sh*t to run out,” raged the 32-year-old. “That’s what they’re waiting for! Oh my god, that’s insane! Please, can you give me my f**king time back on these maps?” “40 minutes for an Interchange? Suck my d**k. That’s ridiculous. Get more servers, stop lowering the time. Put them back to 50 minutes or 55, and get some goddamn servers, this is so dumb! It’s f**king Interchange, it’s a huge-*ss mall, there’s so much to trek. 40 minutes is not enough time!” With Tarkov becoming a massive success on Twitch thanks to streamers like Summit and Dr Disrespect, along with Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek on Mixer, thousands of players have flocked to the game to play it themselves, putting massive strain on the servers and forcing Battlestate to make matches shorter in attempts to free up space for other players and keep everything running smoothly. While making raid time limits shorter does mean more people can play, it is clearly affecting some people’s enjoyment of the FPS, with Summit especially annoyed and pleading with the developers to make changes.

Summit1g reveals his ultimate Escape from Tarkov shotgun build Twitch: @summit1g / Battlestate GamesPopular streamer Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar revealed his shotgun loadout for Escape for Tarkov, sharing a perfect build for those wanting some close-quarters combat. Summit is one of the biggest Twitch streamers out there, boasting millions of followers and tens of thousands of viewers each broadcast. He has recently fallen in love with Escape from Tarkov and can be found playing the game every day, often sharing tips and tricks with his viewers. One of these was the ultimate shotgun build for those who love the close-range weapon. During a stream on Feb 12, the American decided to show off how he makes one of Tarkov’s weakest weapons work with some improvements thanks to his attachments. “[My] shotgun build – MP-153, let’s get it open, edit pre-set… bam these she blows boys.” He said as he loaded up his weapon with a preferred set of attachments. The build itself is quite impressive, with some of the best items being present. As the MP-153 is semi-automatic, Jaryd opted for the longest barrel (750 mm) and the Tromix Monster Claw 12ga muzzle brake to reduce recoil as much as possible. As well as pairing the Polymer handguard with an AGR-870 stock to maximize ergonomics – which lowers the time it takes to aim down sight. To make aiming a bit easier, Summit has also gone for the fan-favorite PK-06 sight, as well as a Tactical Blue Laser for the moments when he has to hip fire. Of course, you can’t complete the ultimate build without a magazine and Lazar has opted for the standard eight shell version, giving him a few more bullets to work with. Meanwhile, the rest of the slots make up various adapters that are needed to fit the attachments to the weapon. For anyone wishing to try out shotguns, this build is probably your best bet and although it is a bit pricey, it’ll definitely be worth the cost.

Summit1g loses it after worst lag ever ruins Tarkov match with shroud Twitch: summit1g/Mixer: shroudTwitch streamer Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar completely lost his cool with tactical-survival shooter Escape from Tarkov, as a horrendous lag spike saw him eliminated in a fight he clearly should have won. Despite releasing the beta nearly four years ago, Battlestate Games’ Escape from Tarkov has experienced a new lease of life on streaming platforms, as a host of the world’s biggest entertainers flock to the tactical FPS. Among the streamers who have transitioned over is summit1g, who has been one of the streamers of the decade – thanks to his versatility and willingness to play whatever titles his viewers want to see. Despite Tarkov’s popularity, it is not immune to server issues and lag, something which became clear on January 31 during Lazar’s Twitch stream with shroud. The 32-year-old pushed into a narrow corridor and was quickly faced down by an enemy. The gunfight got off to a good start for summit, who promptly found the opponent with his crosshairs. However, as he was about to get the headshot and win the gunfight, the game freezes for almost a whole second, and resumes with summit eliminated. Understandably, this doesn’t go down too well with the streaming veteran. “Oh I f**king chugged [lagged],” summit screamed. “No way! He was dead! Dude, I had this guy so dead.” “I fat chugged bro,” he continued, trying to explain the situation to shroud. “I had his head tapped. He was tapped. I had like 18 shots to tap him with, and [it] full-second chugged.” The two speculated whether the opponent was cheating, but it wasn’t particularly clear, especially given the absence of killcams in Escape from Tarkov. “With the way he just killed me – he was full blind, and just snapped on my head,” shroud explained. Regardless, summit knows that if it wasn’t for the very unfortunate lag spike, he had the enemy dead to rights, cheater or not. Shroud actually thought the laggy server may have also worked in their favor at other times, possibly saving their lives in an earlier gunfight. While the game is still technically in beta, issues like these are to be expected, but the timing on this one couldn’t have been worse.

Summit1g & LIRIK in disbelief after luckiest Tarkov extraction ever Twitch: summit1g, LIRIK / Battlestate GamesWith seconds winding down, the duo of Jaryd ‘summit1g‘ Lazar and Saqib ‘LIRIK’ Zahid ended their Escape From Tarkov run in hectic, nail-biting fashion, as they turned a potential late disaster into a last-second unreal extraction. Escape From Tarkov is a game that requires an unbelievable amount of patience. Staying calm and cool while surrounded by gunfire and footsteps is a necessity if players want to even get a crack at the extraction zone. But when push comes to shove and there are 30 seconds left to complete an extraction, all bets are off and all hell breaks loose. For both streamers, summit1g and LIRIK, they’ve gone all-in with the latest Twitch craze, but unfortunately, their fails have found much more attention than their victories. During a January 25 stream, they found themselves right on the cusp between a success and a failure. With just a minute left on the timer, the duo headed toward the extraction point, and summit spotted “two, maybe three exit campers.” Initially, the streamer had plans to “punish” the campers for getting spotted, but that plan quickly turned into chaos. The stream team got off to a good start when LIRIK dropped one of the lurking enemies, but after summit took some damage, he briefly panicked and turned to fire a couple of accidental shots at his teammate. He took more damage from the bad guys and was forced to start popping Ibuprofen to stay alive. With no time left, the team sprinted into the extraction zone, despite how much blood summit’s character was losing, and patiently held an angle, with summit promising he’d “lose his mind” if he died to the camper in the last second. Thankfully, the timer hit zero and the duo survived and escaped. The two streamers were relieved to make it out alive, with LIRIK admitting that the stress of the situation put him at “swamp ass level 10.” He also admitted he was confused as to why the two were able to extract after the timer hit zero, to which summit replied, “I guess they [Battlestate Games] have hearts over there.” LIRIK then revealed to summit that he did actually shoot him when he was mistaken for an enemy. But a win’s a win, and it was a solid way to end the stream for LIRIK.

Summit1g literally runs away from stream after worst Tarkov grenade ever Jaryd ‘Summit1g‘ Lazar suffered another unfortunate mishap involving a grenade he had thrown while playing Escape From Tarkov on Sunday, January 12, leaving the streamer so shocked that he sprinted away from his computer. Summit1g is one of the most popular streamers in the world, with over four million followers on Twitch and thousands tuning into his broadcasts daily. Still, he is perhaps best known for his legendary error at the DreamHack Austin CS:GO event in 2016, when he died to his own Molotov and cost his team the game. Since then, the ‘1g curse’ has followed the 32-year-old from game to game, and Summit once again found himself on the wrong side of his own grenade while playing punishing first-person shooter Escape From Tarkov. Tarkov is a notoriously difficult game, and punishes any small mistake a player makes as they attempt to loot an area, and then escape back to their extraction point without being eliminated from the game. With teammate Michael ‘shroud‘ Grzesiek already out of the match, Summit1g found the body of another steamer in Buhbye, kneeling down to loot his body before spotting an enemy just above him. After watching him through his scopes and firing off a shot, the streamer fell off a ledge to the ground below. With his opponent enjoying the height advantage, the streamer ran forward and threw a grenade high into the air, expecting it to drop onto the platform his enemy was on and wipe them out. In classic Summit1g fashion though, his own grenade would be the cause of his downfall, as it completely missed its target destination, instead landing behind him and blowing him to pieces, causing him to lose all his loot and get sent back to the main menu. Stunned, the streamer jumped out of his chair, seemingly confused as to how he should react, before running away from his setup entirely.

Summit1g hits out at Escape from Tarkov’s overpowered Scavs Battlestate Games, Twitter: Summit1gJaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar has become one of Escape from Tarkov’s most famous faces, but in a recent stream he slammed the FPS title’s AI Scavs for being overpowered. Summit1g and Escape from Tarkov have a long history. With the game rising to prominence at the end of 2019, Summit was one of many streamers to break through to Tarkov fame. While never having stuck to one game in his career, Summit and the FPS go somewhat hand in hand. Well, that’s until recently. In a recent stream the former CSGO pro explained that he was unlikely to return to the game due to it being “stressful.” While the Twitch star has decided to give the game another whirl, he wasn’t exactly satisfied with the current state of the game. Summit slams EFT’s AI While Summit has returned to Tarkov over the past couple of days, he’s continued to be disappointed by the game’s inconsistencies when it comes to AI, specifically the Scavs. Seen targeting one of the game’s bandits and narrowly missing a couple of headshots, Summit is instantly deleted by a shot that travels through a tree. It’s clear immediately that he’s not pleased. Later in the stream he attacks the issue head on, asking “do you know what the joke is about this game? It’s that Scavs hit you full moving from any distance… maybe when a Scav f*cking moves he gets a little bit of a decrease on f*cking accuracy or something just like players f*cking do.” “The amount of time I’ve been strafing shotgun from so f*cking far is just stupid, through f*cking trees no doubt where they can’t f*cking see me.” He then concludes that “their AI sucks d*ck in this game.” It seems as though the streamer is reaching the end of the line with Tarkov’s confusing balancing system. Maybe the new patch, which wipes characters and introduces new guns and a map expansion to the game will reignite his passion for the shooter, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Summit1g instantly regrets complimenting Tarkov players for not camping Jaryd ‘Summit1g‘ Lazar was the victim of unfortunate timing when he discussed the lack of campers in Escape From Tarkov, only to find himself under seige from the exact type of player he was just discussing. Escape From Tarkov has become a major success on Twitch, seeing massive growth since December 2019 on the platform as streamers like Dr Disrespect, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel and Summit1g hop onto the game, months after Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek first started grinding the tactical first-person shooter. What sets Escape From Tarkov apart from other multiplayer FPS titles is how the game works, with players tasked with scavenging loot from an open play area, and then returning to their base before they get killed by an enemy desperate to steal all the precious weapons, items, and more. With staying alive until you can escape the play area an important part of the game, Summit1g noted that it’s surprising that more people don’t camp in “exit areas.” Exit area campers are players waiting on those who have already done the looting, picking them off as they try to escape and taking the gear for themselves without doing any of the hard work. “Listen brother, I’ve played this game quite a bit,” the 32-year-old explained. “Honestly, it’s incredible how not that many people exit camp, if I’m being honest. You would think there’s a giant community but it really rarely happens, and when it does happen you’ll rage off the face of the planet!” As is often the case for streamers, his words immediately came back to bite him, as bullets start whizzing past him. Just as he had discussed the lack of exit campers, as if on cue one appeared to ruin the American’s day, tagging him with shots as a panicked Summit tried to take cover. Under fire with no idea where his assailant was, Summit1g tried to make a run for it, but things didn’t work out for the streamer. As he dived between train carriages to escape, he finally got sniped out of the game, leaping out of his chair in a mixture of shock and frustration. After almost punching his chair, he addressed his viewers: “That is un-f**king-believable! I don’t think you get that it’s 40 minutes into a game, that guy’s been sitting there!” Unfortunately for Summit, his claim that exit campers rarely appeared in Escape From Tarkov was almost immediately proven to be false, and all the gear he had acquired over the 40 minute game ended up going to his opponent, as he was sent back to the lobby. While it may have been frustrating, the tactical and realistic gameplay is one of the reasons players are currently flocking to the game though, and the game has even set viewership records that blow WoW Classic‘s launch out of the water.

Summit1g hits out at Escape from Tarkov devs over major server problems Twitch: summit1g / Battlestate GamesVeteran Twitch streamer Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar has hit out at Escape from Tarkov developers Battlestate Games over the FPS’ servers, claiming that community servers are better than official ones. Escape from Tarkov has seen fluctuations in its popularity on Twitch over the past few years. It has attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers when the biggest streamers gravitated towards it but, as of early 2022, has fallen some way in terms of most-viewed titles. One of the most popular streamers sticking with the Battlestate Games FPS is summit1g, who has long been a dominant force on Twitch. However, his January 6 live stream was marred by server and connection issues, prompting the 34-year-old to go off at the game’s developers. After struggling to connect, summit closed and re-launched his game, only to get placed in a queue that was 28,000 strong. “I shouldn’t have done it dudes, I shouldn’t have done it – that was a bad idea,” he said. “Yo, you know what you guys gotta do, Tarkov? I play in a community server that is run by not any game admins, just by some dudes who like to f**king work on it and code it. And they have something where if you leave, you get prio[rity] if you come back.” In short, summit wants a feature that inhibits players re-queueing from being stuck at the back. Following up, summit lamented the fact that NoPixel GTA RP servers are often better than those provided by actual game companies. “I don’t understand how that gets better quality than stuff like this,” he continued. “How’s nobody over there even thought about ‘hey man, it really sucks that when our game disconnects somebody they have to wait in a 20k queue. Maybe when they leave the game for like 5 minutes, that account has a prio queue.’ Maybe something like f**king that.” It’s certainly not an unreasonable request from summit, who was forced to wait for some time before getting back into a Tarkov lobby. We’ll have to wait and see if Battlestate Games take his advice and run with it.

Summit1g exposes “shady” Escape From Tarkov hacker ruining Hutch’s game Battlestate GamesJaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar sat down to look over the “shady” VOD of an accused hacker that was stalking Hutch across the map in a game Escape From Tarkov, and the evidence against the player was pretty damning. While EFT players may be waiting a while for a real anti-cheat system, at least some of the game’s abusers make it obvious that they’re cheating without any outside assistance at all. That’s what happened when Summit’s friend and fellow streamer Bryce ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson ran into one such player on January 13, and when the duo examined the replay after the game, the VOD only made the situation more clear. Summit1g and Hutch expose Escape From Tarkov hacker after a near-miss situation The first clip that they looked at starts with Hutch slowly creeping his way up a set of dark stairs. As he progresses up in the building the player in question strikes in a flash, landing multiple bullets before both parties retreat to take different angles on each other. Just that tiny peak was enough for Summit to decide he had seen enough to make his decision: “All headshots. He hit you with no other bullets than headshots.” Despite already feeling like the case was over, Lazar flicked over to another clip of the same game to see what else happened. Sure enough, Hutch and the same player get into another small engagement that looked even more suspicious than the first. It begins with the streamer’s duo stalking the cheater from a distance, carefully monitoring where they’re going. After a little bit of repositioning, Hutch gets a chance to hold the angle. While it seemed like he would have had the drop on any normal player, the hacker whips the corner and instantly fires two bullets that only narrowly miss. After a few more replays the duo agreed that there was no other explanation than hacking. “That guy is a dumb***,” summit1g said. “The only reason he didn’t hit you in the face was because [the bullets] sank.” When it was all said and done the cheater ended up leaving the lobby anyway. That was a smart decision given that, had he killed Hutch, it would have been broadcasted to thousands of people on the internet and likely would have earned them a ban from the game.

Summit1g forgets what he’s doing in hilarious Escape from Tarkov fail Twitch: summit1gEscape from Tarkov is the survivalist’s dream, having to completely rely on yourself to keep your life going requires intense concentration – one that summit1g lacked for a second, resulting in a hilarious fail. The first-person action RPG and MMO hybrid is back amongst the top on Twitch and YouTube alike and streamers like shroud, DrLupo, and others have been indulging in the fun. Developed by Battlestate Games, the game takes hardcore survival to another level, forcing players to keep track of their food and water, raid time, as well as detailed health on each body part. Features like these attract any type of audience but it all requires close attention, one thing that this streamer had a lapse of. Summit1g gets distracted, leading to his demise While playing Escape from Tarkov on December 23, Twitch streamer summit1g decided to give his opinion on a topic pertaining to being a good guy in the game. This conversation was seemingly to fill the air as he had just begun a new game. Less than a few minutes into it, the streamer kept talking and going about his business doing the usual things any player would do at the start of a match but this ended up this distracting him. Summit1g was still talking while entering the Interchange area and he saw an NPC. Thinking this NPC was friendly he ignored it, but it was a fatal mistake. The NPC turned around and immediately shot and downed summit, “Oh, I’m a PMC, I’m a PMC,” he said as he tilted his head back and covered his eyes. “I was like, why is this guy shooting me?” he added. “Did I f**k up in some way? Oh yeah, cause I’m a PMC and I forgot to heal.” Mistakes like these are a dime a dozen. Any player can get distracted in any game, but as the Twitch star showed, sometimes a mistake can be very costly.

Summit1g explains why it’s tough to get good at Escape from Tarkov summit1g / Battlestate GamesJaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar has explained why getting used to Escape from Tarkov was a steep learning curve for him and many other first-time players, despite having a strong first-person shooter background with games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The variety Twitch streamer has been mixing up his selection of games for quite some time, but in recent weeks there has been one game above all else that has maintained his interested and that’s Battlestate Games’ Escape from Tarkov. The massively multiplayer online title has replaced the likes of Fortnite and Apex Legends as the top streamed game on Twitch among high-profile personalities but it is still in its beta version. During a Twitch stream on February 16, when answering a few questions from donators, the former CS:GO player decided to give players considering switching over to Tarkov some advice – speaking from experience. He said: “Even me, like I come from a Counter-Strike background, a lot of years of FPS games under my belt, and man… EFT is just, you’re going to get your ass kicked for a while whether you’re a veteran or not in shooter games. “I don’t there’s any getting around getting your ass kicked in Tarkov.” Summit has admitted that EFT was difficult to get used to at the very beginning and he’s not the only big streamer to have had difficulty playing it, either, with the likes of xQc raging about the looting system or Dr Disrespect coming across some shooting issues of his own. Clearly, there’s a lot of different things players have to adapt to and this may turn some people away in the early stages, before being able to develop their skills. However, those who are new, would like to jump on board and start that learning curve for themselves in the PC game, there’s probably no better way than to watch these streamers play it and pick up some gameplay tips. The leader of the 1G Squad might have already played this game for a while now, but we can’t see him replacing it as a mainstay of his stream any time soon.

Summit1g explains why you shouldn’t be sprinting in Escape from Tarkov Twitch: summit1g / Battlestate gamesTwitch star Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar is becoming somewhat of an Escape from Tarkov expert and has explained why sprinting in the game is a bad idea. Summit1g has been playing Escape from Tarkov almost exclusively on stream and has mastered the game thanks to his commitment to it. He’s often heard giving out tips to his viewers and returned with another one during his Feb 28 broadcast, where he warned Twitch chat against sprinting in the game – something that almost every player does constantly. The American stopped to chat in between Tarkov runs and noticed one viewer complaining about Tarkov’s characters, claiming they have “lead boots” which makes them incredibly loud. Summit agreed with the statement, and explained why sprinting specifically is affected by this. “What I came to learn is that sprinting is loud as f**k. If you’re going to do it you should do it because you need to or to be aggressive on somebody. Randomly sprinting around is never good because someone will hear that and find out where you’re going, putting you in a lot of trouble.” This no doubt surprised many viewers as sprinting it’s a basic idea for many players to sprint around to get to places faster, especially if there’s no one nearby. With the final minutes of the game requiring players to head to an extraction point, running there sounds like the most logical way to do it to make sure you get there in time, but as Summit points out you may just be alerting enemies to your position, and costing yourself loot in the long run. However, Summit’s tip does make sense. Tarkov is largely a game of patience and positioning and sprinting does reveal your position very easily. It’s always hard to tell when someone is lying in wait, so at the very least not sprinting will give you a chance to get where you’re going without drawing too much attention to yourself. Of course, if you need to get away from a fight or want to close in on your opponent then sprint away – at that point, they most likely know where you are anyway.

Summit1g explains why he might quit Escape from Tarkov Twitter: Summit1g / Battlestate GamesPopular Twitch streamer Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar has been playing a ton of Escape from Tarkov during his streams throughout 2020, but that may soon come to an end. Escape from Tarkov blew up on Twitch at the start of the year, with many streamers enjoying the realistic survival shooter. Summit1g has been loving the game and it quickly became the main game on his stream often choosing to stream nothing but Tarkov. However, this may all change as he seems to have had enough with it and said during a broadcast that he is strongly considering quitting the game altogether and that he “thinks it’s time to move on from Tarkov.” During his usual stream on March 4, Summit had possibly one of his best Tarkov runs yet, eliminating all other PMC’s [Player Main Characters] on the server, meaning he had essentially secured the whole map to loot for himself as no more PMC’s could join. However, he was struck down by a wave of player-controlled Scavs, who can join the server at any point. This meant that he had lost a ton of loot to some unfortunate spawns of characters that reset every 30 minutes and don’t progress like main characters. Jaryd was not happy with what happened and hit out at the game. “Would you not be pissed about that? You kill all the guys that got into the game and you get killed by the endless stream of idiots who can queue into the game until it’s over.” “Sometimes I just want to sit down, min-max, and enjoy the looting, but I can’t do that” he finished, clearly disappointed with the result of the game. He then added he may not continue playing Tarkov at all, saying “It’s time for GTA, Takrov might be over… I think it’s time to move on from Tarkov.” This isn’t the first time the streamer has complained about EFT, but this time he went further than before by adding that he may be quitting the game. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens, although, it is possible we may not see Summit pick up Tarkov for some time, if ever again.

Summit1g explains how Escape From Tarkov’s looting system punishes kills Summit1g/Battlestate GamesTwitch star Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar has hit out at Escape from Tarkov’s looting system, claiming it is too slow and that you can be punished for getting too many kills at one time. Back in early January, Escape from Tarkov became one of the biggest games on Twitch as streamers flocked to try it out during a period where Battlestate Games, the developers, were handing out free items. Some have caught the Tarkov bug and stuck around for quite some time, while others quickly returned to their usual game of choice. One player that has stuck around is summit, although he has also hinted at quitting the intense first-person shooter and looter title in favor of something else. The extremely popular variety streamer dove into the game during his March 5 broadcast, and after running through a few raids, the game bit back and presented him with a few challenging moments while looting. That, combined with stream snipers, wound him up to the point where he decided to call it quits and drop back into GTA RP. Though, as he was waiting for that to load, summit aired his frustrations. “Listen, there’s two things that had happened that are frustrating. Looting for very long times and dying to player scavs, and dying while you’re looting – that’s pretty much it,” he said, before ramping it up and taking aim how player scavs can spawn in certain levels until the last ten minutes. After hitting out at the game’s issues, regarding scav spawns, summit again zeroed in on the looting, explaining that it takes far too long to dig through a players loot. “It’s just like, how long do I sit there on this body and loot? If you’re not a f**king professional on it, it’s going to be a long f**king time let me tell you,” he said, before talking to his chat. “You think I’m slow? I promise you’re slower and it is going to take you forever. Looting bodies is like, sometimes chat, if you kill too many people it doesn’t feel like a good thing.” Though, the former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player did find a way to air his frustrations in a hilarious manner, mocking how a player digs deep into a bag and ends up at the “depths of the earth” trying to find a weapon. “F**king Tarkov,” summit exclaimed. “Yo, but if you level, if you play long enough and you f**king get the stupid ass skill level you can search two bags at a time and really quickly! Suck my d*ck, just give that to everyone man.” Of course, EFT isn’t designed to be easy and rewarding, as players are supposed to face an uphill struggle to come away with a successful run. It could be easier, no doubt about it, but it remains to be seen if Battlestate Games takes the advice on board from summit and mixes things up in the future.

Summit1g explains why he can’t play Escape from Tarkov anymore Battlestate Games / Twitch: summit1gJaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar is one of the biggest names on Twitch, and once had some very popular Escape from Tarkov streams — but says he can’t play the game anymore and has explained why he quit it. [jwplayer sC5V8Zfk] Summit has never really stuck to one game in particular and is happy to float between different titles while streaming, keeping things feeling a little more fresh for his viewers. That said, once upon a time he would play Battlestate Games’ Escape from Tarkov survival FPS religiously, and picked up a lot of fans to go with it. Now, his EFT streams have died off — and they might not be returning any time soon if these comments are anything to go by. While streaming PUBG on November 10, one viewer asked summit if he’d be streaming Escape from Tarkov, and found out exactly why the streamer won’t be touching the game too soon. “Listen, it may be nice reminiscing on EFT, the times that you’re winning and owning,” summit said. “But all the times in between when you’re getting one-tapped and having to re-gear, then losing a fight and having to re-gear, and then winning a couple of fights and just being stressed out of your mind… That’s a stressful game.” That wasn’t all, though. He continued: “It’s a lot of heart attacks. Not to mention those rounds where you just can’t find anyone. You’re hearing gunshots, you’re walking around, you can’t find sh*t. And then Jomo Scav walks in, shoots you with a shotgun, almost kills you, and while you’re healing a team of three walks by and kills you.” Summit is clearly still dealing with some animosity towards Escape from Tarkov thanks to these unfortunate situations he gets himself into in-game, which is definitely something most gamers can relate to. It’s possible he’ll stream the game again one day, but if you’re a fan of Summit because of his EFT streams, don’t set your expectations too high.

Summit1g & Dr Disrespect get ultimate Tarkov revenge with 25m loot heist Summit1g / Dr Disrespect, TwitchTwitch star Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar was left stunned, and panicking, during an Escape from Tarkov raid after he discovered one of the unlucky players he killed was carrying a veritable horde of expensive and game-changing loot. Summit1g and fellow Twitch streamer Dr Disrespect were grinding out some Escape from Tarkov, as they both have been doing regularly over the past few weeks, when a nasty firefight during the raid saw the Doc get dropped. While the Two-Time was left fuming over his untimely demise, Summit set about pilfering the enemy. There, he found what might be the biggest loot pile he’ll ever find in the FPS – a case full of more than $25 million roubles worth of gear. Needless to say, Summit immediately panicked. Alone after the death of his squadmate Dr Disrespect, he realized he had to “get out immediately” to make sure he could cash in the huge fortune the pair had just stumbled upon. “He brought a THICC case, he was planning to go do the route and f**k people up,” Summit explained to the Doc, as he casually opened the gearbox for the first time. After seeing its contents, he lost all inhibitions for a moment. “He already has! Listen… I gotta leave. I’m choking. I’m dying in real life ‘cause this is too insane Doc. Oh, brother, I’m going to be sh*tting myself this whole exit. I’m scared bro, I’m f**king scared. I don’t understand what he was doing with this.” Summit immediately set off for his extraction point—in this raid, it was Crossroads—and left the Doc’s gear behind, much to the chagrin of his Twitch chat. There was no way Lazar was risking his hefty bounty though, and he ignored them. “I can’t believe we just found a guy that geared, I’ve never seen that. By far the most geared guy I’ve ever seen in Escape from Tarkov,” Summit muttered as he crept towards one of the game’s many PMC escape routes. “I should be putting his armor on, but I just want to get out of here. This is f**king crazy. This is a ₽15 million-plus loot. This is the most dangerous exit in the entire game, I’m so scared. Please don’t do this. Let me the f**k out of here.” Luckily, Summit and his “disgusting” haul were able to get out unscathed, and the streamer sat back and just drunk in what he had just achieved. “What in the f**k just happened?” he added. “He had to be dropping that off.” No matter how the poor soul ended up losing his huge stash to Summit, it’s now in the hands of the bewildering, and lucky streamer, who admitted this was “one of those extremely rare moments” that “doesn’t ever happen.” It certainly was a horde too, complete with rare keycards, four Airframe helmets, two Magboxes full with ammo, and a weapon case stuffed with rifles like a pair of HK 41615s and eight MP7A1s. In the end, it clocked up to more than ₽25m. Unfortunately, while the Twitch duo would be metaphorically eating well in the hardcore FPS title, there had to be a loser in the situation too, and the Tarkov player that just lost the huge haul may be a bit peeved. When he messaged Summit after the game, however, he admitted it was “fine” and that he had another ₽36 million in the bank, on top of any gear that he hadn’t lost in the THICC case that had been stripped from his body. Despite the hapless raider not seeming too worried about his multi-million rouble loss, it is a stark reminder for EFT players: never take rare loot into a raid if you’re not willing to risk it all. Tarkov can be unforgiving, and you might just stumble into Summit and the Doc looking for a major ₽25 million score.

Summit1g calls on Tarkov devs to fix annoying issue after bizarre death Twitch summit1g / Battlestate GamesTwitch star Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar completely lost his cool after being eliminated in Escape from Tarkov and called on the devs to fix a frustrating issue. Many Twitch streamers have fallen in love with Escape from Tarkov in recent months, and summit is no exception as he’s been playing the game almost every day since the start of 2020. Of course, the game doesn’t come without its issues, as other content creators like Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek and Dr Disrespect have voiced their concerns. Even the leader of the 1G Squad is now less than pleased with the game as he tore into an annoying problem. The American streamer was eliminated during a run on Feb 10, after a tense standoff saw him stuck in a room with a grenade. He was desperately trying to pry the door open as fast as possible, but it took way too long. “Listen… let me explain to you how Tarkov and door opening works. Your guy, when he closes the door he doesn’t grab the knob and close it” summit began, before diving into a full-on rant on the subject. “[He] slowly just gives it a little nudge, and then, when you’re done and it closes, he just throws his arms up, does the motherf**king Macarena or something, and [finally] he’s like, I can open the door now.” It didn’t end there though, as Lazar continued to tear into his character’s poor skills with doors. “I’m sitting there staring at [the door] as it’s closing in my face slowly and I’m just like, please! Please! Can you just open it? Just open the door!” Summit then broke into a rage as he screamed at his computer. “[My character’s] a military expert Nikita, tell him to take his f**cking hand off of his rifle and open the f**cking door!” He then took a deep breath and apologized to his viewers for the outburst, before quickly getting back into the game. For those who have played the game, you may have noticed doors tend to be a bit sluggish and unresponsive, so it’s easy to understand summit’s frustrations. He even went as far as to call out Nikita Buyanov, the COO of BattleState Games, during his rant, so perhaps this may get his attention and we will soon see an update to the game’s doors.

Shroud speechless as 1G curse strikes while playing Tarkov with Summit1g Shroud / Summit1g, TwitchMichael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek was left absolutely speechless while playing Escape from Tarkov with Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar, after the streamer’s disastrous curse with grenades rubbed off on him. January 22 was certainly a day of crossovers for some of the top streamers around, as not just these two but the likes of Dr Disrespect, xQc and others to play with each other, although it was a devastating mishap from shroud that stole the limelight. The former CSGO pro player was running around, trying to track down opponents, and could be seen in the background of summit’s stream on Twitch. Moments later, though, a huge explosion went off and things didn’t look great. There was a moment of confusion before summit appeared to have grasped what had happened to his teammate, as he’s been in the same position time and time again. For those who don’t know, he was once eliminated from a CS:GO tournament for burning himself alive with a Molotov Cocktail – later voted as the worst play of the decade. Although, this time, it was an issue that the Escape from Tarkov development team might want to take a look at, rather than human error, which cost the leader of the 1G squad dearly in the past. “Ooo! Did you just nade yourself?” summit asked, prompting a quick response from shroud, who said: “I saw it go in.” Summit1g quickly realized what had happened to his fellow streamer and started to explain. He added: “Oh I saw that glitch the other day. You see [the grenade] physically go in but it doesn’t actually.” The grenade appeared to enter the room shroud wanted to throw it in, at least on his screen, although it turns out that it just exploded near his location instead – taking him down in the process. Shroud claimed to have never seen the bug before, but after this, hopefully he doesn’t get himself in a situation to let it happen again in the future. It did give viewers a laugh or two in the process at his expense, though, and he saw the funny side himself too. Whether or not these two streamers will work together for another Escape from Tarkov stream in the future remains to be seen, but it’s something fans will no doubt be crossing their fingers for.

Summit1g and xQc’s Escape From Tarkov scavenger hunt ends in disaster BattleState GamesJaryd ‘Summit1g‘ Lazar and Felix ‘xQc‘ Lengyel are two of the biggest Escape From Tarkov streamers in the world, but when the pair teamed up in the tactical first-person shooter, things couldn’t have gone any worse when they tried to take on an enemy. Escape From Tarkov is widely regarded as one of the most difficult FPS titles in the world, punishing players for the smallest mistakes as they attempt to escape a number of different scenarios with all the loot they have collected throughout their scavenging spree, which can often last for close to an hour. Playing by yourself can be tough, especially considering that if you die you lose all your gear, so having a teammate can be a handy way to ensure that at least some of your loot makes it back. Unfortunately for Summit though, it was his own teammate who cost him everything he had found, leaving the pair scratching their heads at how badly things had just gone wrong. While streaming Battlestate Games‘ popular title together late on January 19, the pair headed into a building after hearing noises inside, and while searching for their adversary, Summit decided to check out some rooms. Sneaking in to take a look, Summit immediately started to yell as his screen faded to grey, immediately find himself eliminated at the hands of his own teammate. “Wow, that’s me!” he shouted, but it was already too late, looking glumly at his screen as the fact he had died sunk in. “Don’t worry about it, it’s all good, loot that fool and see what he had. Just toss my loot into a room so I can get it back. Don’t tell me you died? Was there another guy?” Apologizing profusely, xQc replied: “There was another guy at the back left. I feel so bad, I don’t know what to say! My headphones made me feel like someone was on my right, I [spun around] and you were on my right!” With both xQc and Summit meeting their doom, neither streamer could do anything about all their gear, which was lost to the enemy who took down the former Overwatch pro just seconds after he managed to drop his own teammate. Of course, Summit is well accustomed to errors on Escape From Tarkov, sprinting away from his setup after throwing the worst grenade ever and taking himself out in true ‘1G’ fashion on January 13.

Shroud shows how Vepr Hunter is crazy overpowered in Escape from Tarkov Battlestate Games/ShroudThe Vepr Hunter is one of the more infamous weapons in Escape from Tarkov, and none other than the legendary Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek gave us a great example of why the carbine is so rightly feared. The Hunter, or VPO-101 carbine if you want to get technical, is created on the same Kalashnikov (AKM) platform as many of Tarkov’s Eastern weapons. This means it also fires the same beefy 7.62×51 round, which, combined with the gun’s effective distance of 400 meters, can make it absolutely deadly in a firefight. Shroud has played his fair share of Tarkov and opted to bring his own variant of the carbine in with him to a round on Shoreline, a choice that paid off almost immediately. Shortly after arriving, the streamer ran into a group of rival players and immediately dispatched one with a single shot from his Vepr, causing the rest to fly into a blind panic before they too were cut down. “I’d just like to say, that gun is stupid,” shroud laughed after he picked apart the four enemy players. “The Vepr Hunter is dumb as hell. I just sat there one tapping away.” The Hunter, on top of being an incredibly powerful weapon in the right hands, is usually very cheap to purchase from the flea market as well, since it’s a common drop from Scavs across Tarkov, making it a very solid starter gun. “I’m disappointed that I used that gun on them, just dirty. I feel like a dirty, dirty man,” the Mixer star admitted, knowing full well how overpowered the gun is. If you’re new or looking to get into Tarkov, shroud is a great streamer to watch and get a general understanding of what works, and which weapons you might want to avoid, even if almost every gun turn to gold in his hands. For those trying to score a Vepr for free off of Scavs be warned, thanks to the recent character-wipe update, Tarkov’s NPCs might be a bit harder to take out and loot than before.

Shroud reveals what’s “really annoying” about Escape from Tarkov Shroud – Mixer / Battlestate GamesFew big-time streamers promote and play Escape from Tarkov as much as Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, but even he has found one or two aspects of the game “really annoying.” Shroud has already established himself as a guru of Escape from Tarkov, amassing enough experience to know most of the ins-and-outs of the extremely complex shooter. He’s not shied away from talking about how much he loves it, which is why he’s played it more than any other game over the past few months, and it’s not even close. However, he would also be the first to admit that the game is not without its faults. In fact, during one of his recent streams, the former CS:GO pro pointed out one specific aspect of Tarkov that he felt was “really annoying.” Read More: Shroud’s counter to campers in EFT – “Right now, what’s really annoying about this game is that when you’re pinned in a position, where you’re stuck in a spot, you can’t get out,” he admitted. “You have to just bunny-hop, and, obviously, bunny-hop isn’t intended, but you have to bunny-hop out and hope they miss. So that’s the only way to get out of a sticky situation right now, which shouldn’t be the case.” During his monologue about this issue, shroud went as far as to suggest and propose changes that the EFT devs can make to improve this particular area of the game. Read More: Shroud reveals his EFT keybinds and settings – “You should be able to throw flashes, throw smoke grenades, get some cover; you should be able to blind-fire left, right, and above,” he suggested. “If you get stuck in a situation where you can’t blind-fire, then you’re really f**cked, because you’re only other option is to bunny-hop.” “They should make smokes crucial in this game, you should be able to just pop them and dip out,” he continued. (Segment begins at 1:00 mark for mobile users) As is usually the case, shroud’s suggestions seem to make a lot of sense, and, if implemented, could go towards helping improve the playability of Escape from Takov, which is already extremely difficult. Battlestate Games have already shown that they take the Mixer star very seriously when it comes to their premier title, so there’s a good chance they’ll heed his proposals and try to work them into the game.

Shroud reveals when he’ll play Escape from Tarkov again Battlestate Games, ShroudTwitch star Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek has been absent from Escape From Tarkov for some time, but his extended hiatus might be set to come to an end soon. Escape From Tarkov has formed into an MMO/FPS giant. Developed by Battlestate Games, the hardcore RPG hybrid has quickly built a passionate and skilled fanbase as streamers like DrLupo and actionjaxon have helped pushed its appeal to wider audiences. Shroud himself added his own compelling spin on the title. Bringing his lightning speed and laser-like aim to the game, Shroud’s adventures were not to be missed whenever he ventured into a raid. However, the Twitch star has been absent from the game for quite some time. Is Shroud returning to Tarkov? After sinking some hefty time into the game, Shroud decided to take a break from Tarkov. At one point, he had streamed it for over 250 hours, making his at the time, ninth most-streamed title. However, due to the constant performance issues and lagging, Shroud moved onto pastures new. In spite of these issues, Shroud hasn’t completely closed the door on returning to Tarkov in the future. Clarifying his primary stance on the game, Shroud explained: “I’m trying to wait for when the state of Tarkov just becomes better.” The former CS:GO pro added: “It hasn’t changed enough. I’ve played so much Tarkov and there hasn’t been enough change for me to want to return and grind and play it.” It isn’t just the lack of interesting content that kept Shroud at bay either, but also the game’s ability to pace itself: “I’m trying to come back when multi-raid functionality is in the game, where you can go raid to raid to raid. I’m trying to come back when the game has slowed down, you can move slower, there’s more walking and sneaking around rather than jumping and bunny-hopping around corners”. While Shroud hasn’t put a specific time on when his Tarkov return will commence, the door has re-opened ever so slightly for the possibility of his return.

Shroud reveals simple trick to improving Escape from Tarkov skills Mixer: shroud / Battlestate GamesMixer streamer Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek opened up to his audience during his January 26 broadcast, and gave advice to viewers on what he believes is the best way to improve at Escape from Tarkov. Shroud is considered one of the top FPS streamers in the world, with his skills earning him the nickname “human aimbot.” The talented personality has lately been obsessed with the 2016-released Escape from Tarkov. During his recent broadcast, the Mixer star replied to a question in chat on how to get better at the game, and gave his tips on what players really should be doing to improve their grasp on the popular title. A viewer in shroud’s chat asked him if he thought playing hardcore would be a good way to hone one’s skills in Tarkov. “You think that hardcore is also a way to train and become better?” he read aloud. The personality shot the idea down swiftly, and exclaimed, “No! No, it’s not! Not at all,” laughing at it. The former CS:GO pro began to share his advice on the best way to improve at the game. “The only way you get better at this game, is just playing!” Read More: How to download and play Escape from Tarkov – He then pointed out that playing hardcore wouldn’t really make a difference in this scenario. “Hardcore at the end of the day, would just be the same f**king thing, you know?” he said. https://vimeo.com/387550792 Clarifying his advice, he expanded on his original statement and said, “Just running around the map, shooting your guns, that helps you, you know?” The FPS pro then broke down how the game’s systems helps you improve the more you play. “The more gear you have, the easier the game is to learn, right? Because you are more confident!” he stated. Shroud then exclaimed, “you have more bullets, you have more armor, you can shoot more s**t,” before reiterating his simple advice of “You get better at shooting s**t.” https://vimeo.com/387551013 If nothing else, his message seems to be in line with some of the oldest advice ever given in that “practice makes perfect,” which actually makes sense given Tarkov’s design of players getting stronger the more material they loot. Shroud is currently streaming regularly on the Microsoft-owned platform Mixer, announcing his move from Twitch in October 2019, where he currently has over 965,000 followers on his channel.

Shroud reveals his keybind settings to dominate Escape from Tarkov Michael ‘shroud‘ Grzesiek is widely regarded as one of the best first-person shooter players in the world, and the “human aimbot” has given fans a glimpse at the keybinds he thinks are best to give himself an advantage over his enemies while raiding and looting in Escape From Tarkov. The former CS:GO pro player made a name for himself among the streaming community for his incredible aim and astonishing plays in battle royale games like PUBG and Apex Legends, but for months the 25-year-old has been obsessed with tactical shooter Escape From Tarkov. The FPS sees players drop into massive maps, hoping to loot the area for weapons and items to improve their base, with the goal to get in, grab gear, and get out before another player on the server can take you down and steal everything you had found. Matches can often last for over 40 minutes, and once you’re killed, you’re out for good, so making sure you give yourself the best chance at succeeding is imperative if you plan on doing well. One way players can give themselves a leg-up on their opponents is through the keybinds they use on their keyboard and mouse, creating easier ways to perform tasks in the heat of battle that may give you an advantage over those who still use the sometimes-clunky default settings. For those looking to make changes, shroud gave his viewers a peek at what he uses while playing the game during his January 8 Mixer stream. Going down the list, the Canadian explained that he uses single press and double-tap on the same keys for different things, as it’s easier than having to press two separate keys simultaneously. “I have switch scopes as Mouse 4, and change scope zoom is Mouse 4, one’s just press and one’s double-click,” he revealed. “I have the same thing for lasers and tacticals. Checking ammo is T, checking the chamber is T as well. Fire mode is B, just one press. Blind fire overhead is X.” “The default [for checking chamber] is Alt + T or some sh*t, but instead it’s double-tap T for me. And for [blind overhead firing] it’s Alt + W, but you can’t walk around while doing it, while I can.” Shroud isn’t the only streamer who has become infatuated with Escape From Tarkov, with Dr Disrespect, xQc and Summit1g all hopping on the game as they try to show off their skills and take down their enemies. While these keybinds won’t make you the world’s best player overnight, they should give you a slight advantage in gunfights, which can be the difference between victory and failure in a game as punishing as Escape From Tarkov.

Shroud meets screaming superfan in hilarious Escape From Tarkov run: “Have it all!” Twitch: shroud / Battlestate GamesIt was a lucky day for one of Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek’s biggest fans as a chance encounter in Escape From Tarkov paved the way for a hilarious outburst, leaving the Twitch streamer stunned. After a brief hiatus, shroud, along with many other top streamers, are finally diving back into Escape From Tarkov. We’ve already seen some outrageous clips and amusing collabs with the intense multiplayer game back in the spotlight once again. With the recent addition of VOIP functionality, allowing players to chat with one another in-game, Tarkov can be a more chaotic experience than ever before. Such was the case when shroud bumped into a massive fan during a January 3 run. At first, it was the fan caught by surprise. Shocked that he just heard shroud’s voice come from a nearby character. But in a matter of seconds, it was shroud that became shocked as the friendly player began screaming in excitement. “Did you loot this building?” shroud asked a total stranger 10 hours into his latest Tarkov session. It was a simple interaction, and the two appeared to be heading in separate directions before long. That was until the fan noticed who just asked the question. “Wait… are you shroud?” the player asked tentatively at first. “Why do you sound like shroud?” he repeated as the streamer turned away and headed inside the building. “Is that really shroud?” the fan continued, now screaming. “I love you shroud,” he yelled so loud it could be heard through the concrete walls. “Here, have my guns, have everything. Have it all, I dropped it all.” Read More: How to get Escape From Tarkov Twitch drops – In one continuous breath, the player lost his mind over the mic, overjoyed that he’d met his favorite streamer out of nowhere. “Have it all shroud, I love you,” he shrieked before running off into the distance. With a pile of weapons, ammunition, and armor all on the ground, shroud approached while laughing along with thousands of viewers in chat. Funnily enough, he “[didn’t] even need any of this stuff,” he joked. “That was good stuff right there. F*** yeah,” shroud responded after soaking in the crazy encounter. “We need more of that guy.”

Shroud explains why Tarkov is “a blessing” in the Fortnite and Apex era Battlestate Games / Twitter: shroudMichael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek hasn’t kept it a secret he’s been enjoying Escape from Tarkov more than other modern games recently, and now he’s explained why Battlestate’s FPS is “a blessing” in a world of battle royales and franchise titles. Mixer’s megastar first made his name in CS:GO, before leaving the pro scene behind and transitioning to streaming. Since then, he’s played everything from Fortnite and Call of Duty, to Apex Legends and Rainbow Six. Heading into 2020, however, Grzesiek has settled on playing hours of Escape from Tarkov, which he’s dubbed “a blessing” in a gaming landscape that sees players constantly jumping from title to title searching for the “next big thing.” According to the streamer, who was involved in a high-stake Tarkov raid during his February 9 broadcast while talking about the game, the gritty FPS has found a new dedicated fanbase because everyone is “bored out of their minds.” “You know what’s crazy? If we didn’t have Tarkov, we’d be so bored,” shroud said to his fans as he played through the title. “Anyone that is playing the game, or just watching, if you’re a little bit into Tarkov, it’s lowkey a blessing.” Escape from Tarkov is filling a gaming gap While shroud doesn’t avoid playing other modern titles at all — he’s dedicated his last few broadcasts to EA-sponsored Apex Legends Season 4 streams, and drops into PUBG on-stream at times — he thinks they’re just “not interesting enough.” This gap in long-lived multiplayer titles which hook players for months at a time, shroud said, has given rise to Tarkov. Its loot stash system means players want to keep coming back, and its difficulty makes it an interesting challenge. Added to that, its battle royale-similar style has made the switch easier. Above all else though, Tarkov’s fresh take on the FPS genre, based around one-shot raids, meaningful deaths, loot that lasts beyond the matches, and all the upgrades have made the game a “blessing.” “There really isn’t anything else out there,” he continued. “Nothing else is keeping anyone’s interest [permanently] anymore, and I think Tarkov is only doing that because there’s nothing else to fill its spot.” For mobile readers, the related segment beings at 8:18 in the video below. Shroud isn’t the only streamer addicted The Mixer star isn’t the only streamer to admit his love for Tarkov either, with Dr Disrespect admitting he’s “addicted.” According to the Doc, the scavenging dynamic, and the share of battling players and NPCs was “unique.” “[I really like] that whole meta of the game, it’s very intriguing,” he said after first diving into EFT back in January. “That compliments the whole looting, valuing of objects, the detail of the guns and all that stuff. I really like it.” Shroud’s recent love affair with the FPS hasn’t been all roses either. The streamer recently took aim at how unforgiving Tarkov can be, and suggested smokes or more blind fire features to help with repositioning might fix that. Modern games are still staying fresh too While Grzesiek may not believe there’s much drawing him back to games like Apex and Call of Duty, those games have done a lot to bring back fans in recent weeks. Respawn just dropped a monster new Season 4, bringing with it new weapons, a changed map, and a new character, while Infinity Ward is priming to release their own mega-season on February 11. Those changes may not be enough for shroud though, considering he’s pledged himself to Tarkov. Most recently, he suggested he may start a “regular series,” so it doesn’t look like he’ll be swapping back anytime soon.

Shroud immediately regrets not taking his own advice in Tarkov Twitch: shroudEscape from Tarkov can be a ruthless game if not played correctly, that’s why sometimes advice from others can be helpful — something that, although said by him, shroud didn’t follow, resulting in a hilarious outcome. The MMO and first-person action RPG hybrid is once again on streamers radar’s, with the likes of DrLupo, summit1g, and many others participating in the survivalist fun. Created by Battlestate Games, Escape from Tarkov forces players to keep track of numerous things in order to stay alive. Making sure they’re fed and hydrated, a detailing in health on each body part, and much more are all included. But sometimes keeping track of all of the ways you yourself could die can go out the window when you decide to ignore the voice in the back of your head and perform an action that could lead to your death. While playing Escape from Tarkov on December 29 with Fuslie and Sykkuno, both less experienced players, shroud decided to show off the power window-mounted machine gun. As he was showing off the weapon he made it clear that although it’s a cool gun to use, it’d give away your position resulting in a swift death. “There’s also this right here, but I’m probably gonna get sniped for making a lot of noise,” he said. “This thing’s fun.” Once mounted on the machine gun, shroud immediately began to fire stating “hold on” as the others playing with him were talking about potential enemies. Read More: How to get Escape from Tarkov Twitch drops – What ensued was just as shroud predicted, after a few seconds of firing the weapon shroud immediately got killed by a sniper leaving him to just say “I’m dead, I’m dead. Everybody run.” Advice from others — or yourself — in a game like Escape from Tarkov can be a huge lifesaver for any player, in the Twitch star’s case, his lack of following him cost him.

Shroud explains how there’s “always a way to counter campers” Mixer: Shroud / Battlestate GamesThe practice of ‘camping’ is a constant in any multiplayer shooter game, and many players see it as something never to be encouraged. However, top streamer and former pro player Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek has explained how there’s always a counter. Camping is nothing new of course, but the popularity of battle royale games has brought it to the fore. Games like PUBG and Fortnite have taken the mantle from Call of Duty and carried on the tradition of campers everywhere. Escape from Tarkov, shroud’s newest favorite game, is a multiplayer survival game, not unlike some of these battle royales. Whenever survival is involved, camping will follow. But, when discussing the supposed ‘issue’ of too many campers, shroud explained to his viewers that’s there is always a counter. When asked how, shroud explained, “there’s always a way to counter a camper, unless they’re really in a ‘god spot.’ But, in theory, there’s no true ‘god spot’, right? Because let’s say [they’re] camped up in a room, just throw a grenade in the room.” He clarifies that the important part is being properly prepared, and having “the right utility to handle every single situation.” Players too worried about “balance” Continuing, shroud reiterates that there is an over-reliance on ‘balance’. Players will call for nerfs to certain items helpful for camping, but the Mixer star says this isn’t the solution. “You’re thinking, ‘how do we beat a camper?’ Well, just bring more stuff to beat a camper. And then if you’re somebody who likes to camp, then make sure you bring the right tools to successfully camp. Or else, you’re going to be at a disadvantage, and that’s just how it works. “Just like some games, you’re going up against the most geared person on the server, and then other games you’re going up against someone who doesn’t have gear,” he explained. “It’s the same kind of concept, the whole thing is supposed to be random, it’s not supposed to be like ‘balanced’.” Shroud was talking specifically about Escape from Tarkov here, but the same can apply to a variety of games. There will always be those who want to camp, and those who play more aggressively. The sentiment seems to be shifting from camping being a less valid playstyle, accepted as just another way to play. Especially in games where it’s all about staying alive – who can blame these less aggressive players? The onus on those trying to take them out, to work out how.

Shroud explains why he’s finally stopped playing Escape from Tarkov Shroud / Battlestate GamesIn his latest stream, Shroud explained that he’s struggling to go back to Escape from Tarkov, in part due to the game’s ever-growing performance issues, including the constant lag and in-game stuttering. Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek went through a list of all the games he’s played in the past few months. He was surprised to see the variety, which included everything from DayZ, PUBG, and Apex Legends to World of Warcraft. Escape from Tarkov was on the list too. He hasn’t played it much recently other than a brief stint here and there. However, he’s streamed it for approximately 257 hours of total airtime, which makes it his ninth most streamed game. At one point, he described it as a “blessing” compared to other FPS titles. However, now more time has passed and he’s racked up tons of hours, it seems like the game’s issues have put him off from playing again anytime soon. “If you could take any game… and have it magically fixed to have no lag, [disconnecting], cheaters, etc., what would you pick?” asked one viewer. The question piqued Shroud’s interest, and he responded almost instantly. “Tarkov, I think,” said Shroud. “I think if I could choose any game and have it magically fixed and perfect. No lag, no [disconnecting], no cheats, nothing. I think I’d choose Tarkov. The stutters on Tarkov are the worst.” “I was watching xQc. xQc played two Raids on labs, and in his very first encounter, he just stuttered. Like, he got into a fight, and his game just stuttered. It’s so f**king annoying. That alone makes me not want to play that game. So frustrating.” The last time Shroud played Escape from Tarkov was on December 17, which isn’t even that long ago. But based on his latest comments, it might be a while until we see him play it again. There’s no denying the game can be an exhilarating experience, both as a player and as a spectator. It’s produced its fair share of nail-biting moments on stream. All it needs is to have its issues ironed out, and it’ll be even better.

Shroud claims cheaters “can do almost anything” in Escape from Tarkov rant Battlestate Games / Twitch: ShroudAfter encountering one cheater after another in Escape from Tarkov, Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek claimed that it’s insane how they “can do almost anything” and still get away with it. Cheaters have been running rampant in Escape from Tarkov for a while now. Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Lazar exposed one who ruined one of his friend’s games. He even managed to take one down himself, proving he’s still got it. Shroud has been a little more fortunate though. Instead of cheaters, he’s been encountering screaming superfans. But that all changed during a recent stream when he encountered several cheaters in quick succession. First, he battled against some speed hackers. “I swear to god, those were speed hackers,” he said. “The footsteps that I heard were Mach Speed. It was moving so fast, and it came out of nowhere. It was quiet and then, all of a sudden, the fastest f**king steps ever.” He also suspected that they targeted him on purpose using an ESP hack that reveals other players’ names and items. “Maybe they knew who I was because ESP tells you your name. Maybe they are familiar with the community and know my name.” But they weren’t the only cheaters he came across. He also came face-to-face with an aimbotter. “I think he’s cheating,” he scoffed. “When he peeked the stairs, he full sprayed both me and you and hit us in the head and eyes at the same time.” In the end, he concluded that Tarkov is the wild west when it comes to cheaters. “There are some crazy cheats in this game. It’s insane. They can do almost anything.” He also admitted that “bad desync” sometimes plays a part. Shroud has been enjoying his latest stint on Tarkov despite all the cheaters, though. He even introduced it to other streamers including Fuslie, Sykkuno, and Valkyrae. Read More: Shroud roasts Mizkif over potential DMCA ban – However, that doesn’t mean he thinks it’s perfect. He urged the developers to make some changes, particularly in terms of how the A.I. enemies behave. It seems like he wants them to ramp up their efforts against cheaters, too.

Shroud explains how each Escape from Tarkov map can be improved shroud – Mixer / Battlestate GamesEscape from Tarkov guru Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek believes that “a lot of the maps need to be reworked,” detailing what’s wrong with each one and how they can be improved. Playing Escape from Tarkov as much as he has over the past few months has turned shroud into an expert of the game’s ins and outs. However, as fond as he’s been of the hardcore first-person simulator, the Mixer star isn’t afraid to acknowledge that the game has its flaws, especially where some of the maps are concerned. During one of his recent streams, he talked about the issues he has with some of the maps and how they can be fixed, particularly when it comes to the older ones. “A lot of their maps need touch-ups,” he said. “They keep making these really good brand-new maps, but they need to go back and fix their old maps.” In contrast, he is very keen on the newer additions, such as the “fantastic” Reserve and “great” The Lab, which he believes the developers did a good job with in terms of “actual loot and items you can find.” Shroud on how to improve older EFT maps Here are some of the EFT maps that shroud thinks aren’t up to par, including what issues he says they have and how they can be improved. Customs: “The loot that you find is trash.” – Shoreline: “The most boring map in this game. A lot of people in the community call it ‘Snoreline.’ It’s not very fun and needs rework. The loot’s good, but only in one spot.” – Interchange: “Isn’t bad, but it could use a little bit of a tweak here and there, mainly with the lighting. That’s the problem with that map, it’s too dark.” – Factory: “Definitely needs a rework, that b*tch needs to get bigger. And it will, I think they’re planning on expanding on it.” – Woods: “Only serves one purpose and that is doing your Mosin Quests. That’s literally the only purpose of Woods. Everyone that’s on Woods is doing Mosin Quests. I think they can expand upon Woods a little bit.” – It remains to be seen whether or not developers Battlestate Games will be willing to dedicate resources to make changes to these older maps, especially since they have a bunch of other new ones in development. Read More: Shroud reacts to new aimbot accusations – There are seven new maps that have been announced to be coming soon to the game, including Streets of Tarkov, which has already been unveiled as the next addition. That said, if the devs do end up deciding to go back and try to improve the older locations, it might be worth taking shroud’s comments and ideas into consideration.

Shroud can only laugh as “epic” Escape from Tarkov hacker ‘outplays’ him Battlestate Games / Mixer: shroudMixer streamer Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek could only laugh as he was gunned down by an Escape from Tarkov player blatantly using an aimbotting program to get the upper hand in Battlestate’s competitive hardcore FPS. Escape from Tarkov took the gaming world by storm last month as streamers like Summit1g and Dr Disrespect tried their hand at the hardcore shooter. The player base tripled as a result of the attention, and that boost seems to have brought an influx of hackers who want to win at any cost. Shroud — who is certainly no stranger to accuracy after earning himself the title ‘the human aimbot’ during his time as a CSGO pro — stumbled across one such hacker during his stream on February 3, and all he could do was laugh. Irony as shroud falls victim an aimbot The Mixer star had loaded into TerraGroup Labs, a high-level Tarkov map which has a cost to enter, and boasts some of the best loot in the game, when he stumbled across the “crazy” cheater in one of the labs’ dark hallways. Grzesiek had been enjoying some decent success while playing as his main character, with a handful of kills and some well-earned loot tucked into his backpack, when he heard someone running straight at him from around the corner. Although shroud’s reflexes are quick, even two years after his retirement from pro play, there was nothing he could do as the offending player barrelled around the corner at full pelt, and landed a single headshot to kill the Mixer star. “Okay, that guy is cheating… that guy is aimbotting,” shroud said immediately after the snap shot. “I was wondering why he was just f**king running at me like that, but that makes sense. That scared the f**k out of me, a goddamn jump scare.” High-tier loot brings out the Tarkov cheaters With how quick and sudden the death was, shroud could only react with laughter as he pieced together the puzzle. Once he stopped chuckling, he admitted cheating was rampant on that map: “Welcome to Labs, where cheaters cheat.” Shroud seemed to have accepted his fate and begun preparing for another PMC run into Tarkov, when he realized that he knew the offender’s name, and could probably use that to make sure he couldn’t ruin anyone else’s runs. “You know, I could probably get that guy banned actually, I just sent a message over to the Battlestate PR guy,” shroud revealed. “The pros of being a streamer is that guy is probably being banned. The cons are he threw me back in the lobby.” All shroud can do is laugh about the kill Even after reporting the offender, and preparing for another run, shroud couldn’t seem to get the aimbotter out of his head, and kept laughing about how blatantly he had run towards him, and not even hidden the cheating program. “The second I peeked this, I’m like ‘okay, this guy is full sprinting at me,’ and then boop! I’ve never had that happen before, that’s crazy,” shroud laughed. “That’s f**king nuts. Look at this guy, I love it. That is epic stuff right there. That’s good, that’s a good laugh,” he added, before joking about sharing the hack. “Shame he didn’t share it with me, we could have taken on the server together!” For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 6:49 in the video below. Not even hackers can stop shroud playing Tarkov While some people might be disillusioned with a game after coming up against someone with such an obvious cheating program installed, shroud has been playing Escape from Tarkov nearly non-stop since he discovered it last year. After the initial surge, many streamers put the hardcore shooter back on the shelf – just like the Mixer star predicted back on January 5 – but Grzesiek has basically become the poster boy for the title, playing it every time he streams. So, of course, he loaded back into another raid, though this time he was a little more careful storming through Labs in search of the best loot in the game, “just in case [he got] cheated on again” by someone blatantly hacking.

Pestily wins $10K Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament – full results BoomTVBoomTV hosted the first-ever $10,000 Escape from Tarkov edition of their fan-favorite Code Red tournament series, featuring some big-name streamers like Dr Disrespect, summit1g, xQc, DrLupo, and more. Escape from Tarkov has undoubtedly become one of the hottest games over the past couple of months as more and more top streamers have started playing the game regularly. Naturally, online tournament hosts BoomTV have added EFT to their popular Code Red series – and considering that the first-person multiplayer shooter is known for its hardcore, complex, and very detailed gameplay, it was fascinating to see how the competition played out. Who won the Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament? While the leaderboards ebbed and flowed throughout the seven-hour event, Dr Lupo led the pack in terms of overall Rouble count at the end of the seven-hour marathon. However, as each streamer sold their acquired loot and the final standings were updated, the gap closed at the top and it seemed as though his winning efforts might have been in jeopardy. As final results were unveiled Pestily clinched the top spot while Klean fell into second place and Dr Lupo dropped all the way to third. Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament final standings When was the Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament? The tournament took place on Tuesday, February 25, having kicked off at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET and lasted for seven hours, until 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET. It was livestreamed on BoomTV’s official Twitch channel, which we’ve included below for your convenience. We’ve also provided the personal streams for all of the players in a separate section below this one so that you can catch up on individual VODs. Who played in the Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament? Eight players competed in the popular tournament, all of them well-known streamers who have been enjoying EFT in recent weeks. Dr Disrespect DrLupo Summit1g xQc Watch live video from xQcOW on www.twitch.tvPestily Deadlyslob AnthonyKongphan Kleanisklean Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament format & rules Each of the eight players competed for seven hours, after which they had up to one hour to sell all of their items to Dealers. After all of the items were sold, the number of Roubles each player earned is what determined the final placements, with the highest-earning streamer taking home the victory. Overview: Players start on new (level 40) accounts with ₽1,000,000 (1M) Roubles, 1 Labs keycard, 1 Gamma container and 1 dogtags case. – All Dealers except Jaeger are unlocked by default. Player can unlock Jaeger during the event. – Players can PMC & Scav raid. – Players CANNOT do “Hatchling” raids. – Players CANNOT raid on Factory. – Players CANNOT buy and sell on “Flea Market”, but they can use the “Flea Market” menu for Dealers. – Dog Tags: Dog tags value: ₽200,000 per tag (regardless of level) – Players cannot sell dog tags to Dealers. They must keep them. – Dog tags will be counted at the end of playtime (7pm PST). The number of dog tags will be multiplied by ₽200,000. – Dog tags’ value will be added to each players’ Roubles value. For example, if a player sells all their items and has ₽10,000,000 (10M) Roubles, if they have 10 dog tags, it will be 10*₽200,000 = ₽2,000,000 (2M). Therefore, ₽10M + ₽2M = ₽12M Roubles. – – – Code Red Escape from Tarkov tournament prizing This tournament featured a $10,000 prize pool, which was split between the top-three players based on this breakdown: Total: $10,000 USD – 1st Place: $5,000 USD – 2nd Place: $3,000 USD – 3rd Place: $2,000 USD –

Shroud reveals the biggest change he’d love to see in Escape from Tarkov Battlestate Games / Twitch: ShroudMichael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek revealed the biggest change he’d love to see in Escape from Tarkov, and it’s got to do with how AI-controlled Rogue enemies behave in shootouts with players. In September 2021, shroud told fans that he’d only start playing Escape from Tarkov again once the game was in a better state. That happened on December 12, 2021, with the release of an exciting new patch. It added a new location, Lighthouse, complete with new enemies called Rogues. It also fixed many issues with movement and weapons, added voice communication functionality, new weapons and items, and more. He’s been having a blast on it ever since. However, that doesn’t mean he thinks it’s perfect. On January 10, 2022, he revealed that the biggest change he’d love to see is how the new Rogue enemies deal with players. “I wish they were programmed a little bit better,” said Shroud. “The way that the rogues are scripted is a little weird, right? The fact that the rogues ignore and go for the most vulnerable point of your body is really weird.” To illustrate his point, he explained that if you’re wearing a visor or a helmet without a face shield, they’ll just go for your eyes and one-shot you. He believes that shouldn’t be the case, and offered a solution. “If you bring beefy armor, the rogues should shoot up that armor big time. If they manage to break it, then sure, they’re going to kill you. “They should know what gear you have and shoot you and pressure you hard. If you stay there for so long and your armor is zero, then yeah, you’re going to die. It will be interesting to see whether the developers take what he’s saying into account. After all, his opinion would carry some weight. Read More: Shroud roasts Mizkif over potential DMCA ban – Either way, though, it hasn’t stopped him from enjoying the game. In fact, he’s even introducing more streamers to it, which is a net-positive for the community.

Pestily reveals the best ways to level-up quickly in Escape from Tarkov Battlestate Games / YouTube: PestilyEscape from Tarkov guru Pestily has revealed the quickest ways to rank up in Battlestate’s hardcore shooter so that you can unlock the player-trading flea market, which is currently gated behind a Level 10 requirement. Leveling up has been a hot topic in EFT in recent times. Battlestate raised the required rank for the flea market from 5 to 15 in Patch 0.12.4, before being forced to dial it back to 10 after community uproar took hold post-update. This change still meant that new players have to grind a lot more. Before 0.12.4, the flea market took just 9,508 experience to unlock. Now it takes 42,048 experience. Luckily, Pestily has revealed some of the best ways to level-up “super fast.” Farming PMCs & Scavengers on Factory According to Pestily, who detailed a number of methods to collect EFT’s “much-needed” EXP in a YouTube video, Factory is the key to fast level-ups. This map is the smallest in the game and offers a great chance for stacks of experience. There’s a simple method for bagging EXP here: load-in, kill every PMC (player character) and every AI scavenger. With five other opponents on the map, and “around 10-20 scavs that will respawn,” that’s a bucketload of kills. “If you are an experienced player, this is absolutely the best way you can level up to rank 10,” Pestily explained. “If you do a Factory raid, kill every player and scav, you’re probably walking out with between 10,000-15,000 experience.” Considering 42k is the target, being able to run just four Factory raids to hit level 10 is “fairly quick,” Pestily added. That doesn’t mean it’s the easiest method, however. You have to be fairly good already to blow through two dozen kills in 20 minutes. “When you’re just starting out, particularly after a wipe, you won’t have the best gear and meds for this, so you can’t do it consistently,” Pestily warned. “Not everyone is going to be able to do this one… but it does work really well.” The “easier” level-up method for new players Of course, not every player has it in them to clean out an entire raid in Factory, as Pestily did admit. The Australian streamer does have another way for “fresh” players to get into the EXP grind as well, and funnily enough, it starts on Factory too. “The very first thing you should be doing is running Factory. Not to kill players or scavs, but to find 3Ms [Module-3M chest armor],” Pestily said. Within the small map, there are three key locations you want to hit every time you load into the raid: the main office with the safe, the scaffolding above Factory’s overpass, and the big shipping container beneath the overpass. “Your main objectives are these 3M armors. If you find one, get the heck out of there. This is a pure run-through. If you don’t, kill some scavs, loot a little, and then leave. You’ll get two or three thousand experience every time like this,” he said. This armor goes towards Skier’s ‘Supplier’ quest, which dolls out 3,300 experience. From here, it’s quests “until you hit that magic number,” Pestily explained. There’s an order you can do it in as well, he added. Best Level 1-10 quests, in order Supplier — Level 5 Skier quest (3,300 EXP) – Debut — Level 1 Prapor quest (600 EXP) – The Extortionist — Level 7 Skier quest (3,200 EXP) – Checking — Level 2 Prapor quest (800 EXP) – Shootout Picnic — Level 3 Prapor quest (2,000 EXP) – Stirrup — Level 8 Skier quest (4,700 EXP) – For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 3:44 in the video below. So there you have it — Pestily’s two quick routes to getting to Level 10 as fast as possible to make sure you can start shopping at the flea market. Whether you’re new to EFT, or leveling up again, there’s a method for everyone. Still trying to figure out the weapon & ammo system in Escape from Tarkov too? Pestily has also explained which ammo types “actually matter” in the hardcore shooter, and which ones you can leave in your stash for another day.

Pestily reveals which Escape from Tarkov ammo stats “actually matter” YouTube: Pestily / Battlestate GamesEscape from Tarkov streamer and theory guru Pestily has helping new players get their heads around Battlestate’s hardcore shooter since its shock explosion in popularity, and has now revealed which ammo stats are the best. It’s no secret — Escape from Tarkov is one of the most complicated titles on the market. It outshines mainstream shooters like Call of Duty, and battle royale games like Fortnite and Apex Legends when it comes to loot, gear, and stats. As a veteran of the complicated FPS, Pestily has extensive knowledge of strategies, load-outs, and which stats really matter on weapons and ammo. Now, he’s revealed “the only ammo stats that really matter” when grading your hard-earned loot. According to the Tarkov guru, who shared his thoughts in his January 29 video titled “Ammo — Which to use in Patch v12.2?” there are only two stats that will actually affect your gameplay, and how you score kills: damage and penetration. There are “pretty much two methods” when it comes to ammo in Escape from Tarkov, Pestily explained, and that’s selecting whether you want to take damage—meaning you’ll have to aim for the legs—or ‘pen’ for head and body shots. Read more: How to download and play Escape from Tarkov – “If you’re going for highest pen, aim for head or chest, and if you’re going for damage, aim for the legs. There’s no other way you should really be doing it,” he said, then added aiming for arms is “probably okay” if you see ‘flesh.’ He also added that, on top of the all-important damage and penetration power, the speed a bullet flies at can also have “a bit of a bearing” on firefights, but only when you’ve equipped sub-sonic rounds with the ASO and VSS guns. “Pretty much every other stat is null and void for ammo stats,” he continued. “You don’t need to pay too much attention to the rest, except maybe ricochet chance eventually, but at the moment that’s a really busted and bugged value, so don’t pay attention to it yet.” Pestily concluded his lesson with one last tidbit of information relating to tracer rounds, and the stat that comes in relation to them — unless you want to reenact famous battles from the Star Wars universe far, far away, keep them low. “If you are afraid of giving away your position, make sure you keep an eye on that,” he said, and suggested they may only have personal value. “They do look cool at night but, if you want to have a bit of a Star Wars battle.” For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 1:35 in the video below. If there’s going to be one player to listen to when it comes to what does and doesn’t matter in Battlestate’s hardcore shooter, it’s certainly Pestily. The Australian star has been plugging away at Tarkov since he left the army in early 2018. Since December 29, he’s averaged well over 50,000 viewers, and was right at the epicenter of Escape from Tarkov’s explosive popularity at the beginning of the year. Though the game’s growth has slowed down with streaming stars like Dr Disrespect and shroud adding other titles back to their arsenals, Pestily has stuck with the game he made his name on, and shows no signs of slowing. In fact, the Aussie gamer has even promised “15 episodes [of his EFT series] booked up to be released,” so loyal Tarkov fans will certainly have plenty of fresh Pestily content to enjoy over the next few months.

LIRIK embarrassed after making rookie mistake in Escape from Tarkov LIRIK, Instagram/Battlestate GamesPopular Twitch streamer Saqib ‘LIRIK’ Zahid was stunned after realizing he made an easily avoidable mistake in Escape from Tarkov which saw him miss out on a lot of money in-game. Escape from Tarkov has had a quick rise to popularity on Twitch in late 2019 and many streamers have started to broadcast it for their viewers in recent months. Among them is popular Twitch streamer LIRIK who seems to be enjoying the tactical-survival shooter, despite some of his most embarrassing fails ever on the game. During his January 1 broadcast, LIRIK managed to get his hands on a spare graphics card in-game while doing some runs for new loot. The graphics card in Tarkov is one of the items needed by players to set up their own bitcoin farm, so it has a considerable price of over 250,000 Roubles on the Flea Market, making it quite worthwhile to find while playing. However, unfortunately for LIRIK, when he went to sell his newly acquired item on the market, he ended up making a typo and accidentally listed the graphics card for ten times less than what it was worth instead. The popular streamer did not realize his massive error at first, but was instantly notified by his viewers in Twitch chat after they witnessed his unfortunate mistake. LIRIK was stunned for a moment after realizing that one lucky Tarkov player had found themselves a bargain and instantly snagged the item before he could reverse his error. “Wait I put it up for 25k? Get the f**k out of here! Did I really do 24k chat? Please don’t tell me I did.” he said before letting out a gasp when seeing the sold item. LIRIK has already made a handful of rookie mistakes while playing Tarkov, such as when he was defeated by some barbed wire during one of his runs and has continued to entertain fans with his playthrough of the game.

Irate Escape from Tarkov players nuke community Discord over new PvE mode Battlestate GamesEscape from Tarkov players are irate with developer Battlestate Games after it announced the release of a new edition, with a new mode and a $250 price tag, as they believe they should get it for free for purchasing the season pass. Players who purchased the previous Edge of Darkness Edition were promised future DLC content as part of paying for the season pass. The community thinks the new Unheard Edition – which comes with a heavy price tag, what they believe is pay-to-win in-game content, and the new PvE mode – falls under DLC. After the announcement, Escape from Tarkov players invaded Battlestate Games’ community Discord with bots spamming the same message over and over in retaliation for the “selfish” and “disrespectful” decision. “Since 2016, players have supported the developers by purchasing the highest edition of the game. For 8 years, we’ve been recommending this game to friends, bringing more and more players into the community. And what was the developers’ response? They’ve blown us off, refuse to comment, and only encourage those who have lost all respect for themselves and continue to pour money in. I personally had high hopes for Tarkov. “In my eyes, it was a high-quality and most ambitious product on the entire market. This is unacceptable. This is selfish. This is disrespectful. You’ve disgraced yourselves completely. You’ve lost loyal players, you’ve betrayed the idea. It’s disgusting. To everyone who feels the same way – don’t be silent. Spam, make memes, spread the word wherever it’s relevant. This cannot be tolerated,” multiple new members of the Discord, presumed to be bot accounts, have said. The developer has responded to the outcry via its community manager over Discord and locked almost all chats across the server. “DLC means additional downloadable content. PvE is a feature and a game mode. Just because you all want it to become a DLC it wouldn’t mean it is one. It’s featured game mode for the new edition of the game,” Daniel Mavlyuberdinov, Lead Community Manager at BSG for Escape from Tarkov, told players. The Escape from Tarkov subreddit is also full of negative posts about the new edition. The forum moderation team has even forgone its rule about reposts specifically about the topic. “Let’s start this off right – we (the mod team) are just as livid about this situation as you are… We were initially enforcing rule 8 however after an internal vote, looking into the new edition and some discussion we have all concluded that it sucks. Complain away, it’s P2W and a betrayal of players’ trust/support of this game over the years,” they said. Battlestate Games used its official X account to also respond to the critics, saying the PvE mode is a “unique feature” only for the owners of the Unheard Edition and that it will update players on features for Edge of Darkness Edition owners.

LIRIK gets insanely lucky with first ever Escape from Tarkov kill Twitch star Saqib ‘LIRIK‘ Zahid amazed his stream with what could be one the easiest kills in the history of Escape from Tarkov so far. On January 10, the extremely popular Twitch streamer decided to start playing Escape from Tarkov. He noted that he experienced brutal server lag during his previous attempts to start the rising FPS title, so this was his first time without any issues. After loading into the game, LIRIK began figuring out his controls, graphic settings, and other personal features necessary to tune the Battlestate Games title to his liking. “Where the f**k is view distance? Am I blind?” he sarcastically asked his stream while modifying the graphics quality. “Is there an FPS meter in this game? And then the other thing, I need to turn down my sensitivity a bit,” he trailed off, seemingly thinking out loud. However, as he loaded back into the game, he spotted an enemy closing in on him. Luckily for the inexperienced Tarkov player, he went unnoticed in the tall grass and dropped his foe with a single shot. Just as hockey legend Mario Lemieux scored on his first-ever shot in his first NHL shift, LIRIK had scored a kill with his first shot on his first-ever Tarkov match. “First kill of Tarkov,” Zahid smugly bragged. “Easiest game of my life. Just like that, boys. Just like that.” Perhaps the confidence went to his head, as the Tarkov rookie shouted “shroud who?” into his microphone, seemingly calling out the retired Counter-Strike pro Michael ‘shroud‘ Grzesiek. While it’s unlikely that LIRIK can match the Mixer streamer in terms of raw skill, he may be able to win out if his Tarkov luck continues. Not a bad first frag for someone who didn’t even know how to crouch at first.

How to improve Escape from Tarkov FPS performance with simple trick Battlestate GamesOne major complaint from Escape from Tarkov players is consistent drops in frames-per-second – but a new fix has been discovered that boosts FPS both quickly and easily. In any multiplayer game, you want to be getting as many frames as possible per second – it allows you to react slightly quicker and generally provides a much smoother gaming experience. In Escape From Tarkov, this is just as important as in any other game, but players have found that their FPS can be quite up-and-down, but this new fix will help you keep it as high as possible. EFT player abudabi discovered this trick, and saw his FPS rise from 92 up to 102 immediately after using it – more than a 10% increase. To get this FPS gain, abudabi simply re-applied fullscreen mode before each raid, with the change coming in to effect straight away. In a Reddit thread after posting the video, they added that one of his friends tried the same method and the game went from unplayable to a comfortable level, so this could be an absolute necessity if you’re struggling to play the game right now. It’s not quite clear why exactly this happens; maybe it’s simply a reset of the graphical settings that puts everything back to its optimal state, but how this occurs is somewhat of a mystery. If you’re having issues with FPS and game performance, this might be a decent quick fix, at least temporarily. Obviously, it’s not ideal to have to reset fullscreen mode every time you take part in a raid, but it’s definitely better than nothing, and maybe it will inspire developer Battlestate Games to look into why players are facing performance issues.