The business of sports tech, in brief.
With Counter-Strike’s esports scene gearing up for the PGL Astana playoffs and the Group Stage of IEM Atlanta, it’s an unusually quiet time for Valve’s first-person shooter despite two Tier 1 tournaments taking place. Despite the lack of tournament results and roster moves, there are some of the…
IEM Atlanta 2026 saw Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev slowly lose it. BC.Game Esports had a rough time at IEM Atlanta. Now, the relatively new team has been eliminated from the tournament after losing two matches. They didn’t win a single game. BC.Game was formed by a crypto company in 2024. A year…
I recently said that 2XKO‘s latest fuse, Teamfight, would save the fighting game from dying in the next year or so. But it looks like I’m wrong. Teamfight dropped today, and the pros aren’t feeling it. In fact, some feel it has destroyed the fighting game completely. Teamfight Creates Massive…
Sigh. Another day, another creep in the Super Smash Bros. community. Team Liquid coach, commentator, and tournament organizer Ryan “L4st” Krichbaum has been banned from Smash events in Georgia after multiple people accused him of sexual assault. Is the Smash community doomed? Accusations Against…
I took a few years off from competing in the Pokémon TCG. After 2020, the vibe was just… Different. It went from a niche community of passionate nerds to a pandemic-fueled hype fest. And just like with the FGC, I guess I’m a bit of a gatekeeper. I missed the feeling that we were just … Continued
Last week, a new “girls only” VALORANT tournament made waves in the esports community, but perhaps not in the way its organizer, femaleplayersTN, had hoped for. First criticized for its AI-generated social media graphic, it was revealed shortly after that femaleplayersTN did not allow trans women…
The FGC is a bit shook by the new fuse in 2XKO. But not for the reason you may think. Teamfight is the latest fuse, dropping May 12th. A fuse in 2XKO is a team-wide gameplay modifier chosen during character select, allowing players to have a specific advantage or playstyle. The newest one…
On May 1st, 2026, Victor “Punk” Woodley put out a tweet saying that Evo Japan has been a bad experience every single year for him, that it might be his final time going to the tournament due to his experience. Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated problem, as a bunch of top players from across…
Ah, the perfect time for a look back at what’s been going on in fighting game esports. Honestly, the amount of stuff that’s been going on has been overwhelming, but I think I’ve narrowed it down to some of the best stuff. Over in Japan, we saw Evo and Kagaribi, two of the biggest events … Continued
Nicholas “Jynxzi” Stewart, one of Rainbow Six’s most famous streamers, is in the midst of a generational content run. Known for his VOD review content where he flexed his game sense in Rainbow Six: Siege while making crude fart jokes and raging at the top of his lungs, Jynxzi is now touring…
It’s been a rather quiet week of Dota 2 on the tournament front, but the announcements more than made up for it. The first week of May wasted no time in dropping big moves left and right, with teams gearing up for The International. Here’s a recap of everything that went down (that’s worth knowing…
The Japanese fighting game community is up in arms after the Kemonomichi Legends LIVE match, and not because Daigo Umehara lost. Evo took control of the broadcast, and many felt the production level was disrespectful. Now, many are accusing Evo of not understanding the magnitude of the historic…
Even though the LCK is in the middle of the action with the season’s Rounds 1-2, one of the most shocking moves happened at the end of the first round robin. Korean ADC player Nam “Diable” Dae-geun has officially joined Nongshim RedForce (NS), leaving BNK FearX (BFX), the team that turned him into…
Fnatic wants its case-opening site STASHD to be “a place for the insane pulls, the rare finds and the stories you actually want to share.” The community has a different take: that it’s a gambling platform dressed as a fan engagement tool. On STASHD.gg, users purchase a virtual currency called Bolts…
It has been a packed week for the VALORANT esports community, including unexpected roster changes, historic achievements, and a mixed Patch 12.08. Here are some of the most discussed topics as of late across the global VCT and VALORANT Game Changers ecosystems! Game Changers Icon meL Announces…
It’s official, South Korea will not be competing at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC), at least not as a team sanctioned by the Korean e-Sports organization (KeSPA). Reportedly, the decision to withdraw stems from a dispute between the KeSPA and the Esports Foundation regarding roster selection…
The last week of Dota 2 had it all: there was no shortage of drama, wholesome stories, and very interesting announcements. As we head into May, let’s take a look back at how the Dota 2 esports scene wrapped up the month. And I’ll be honest, it’s given me a lot of hope for what’s … Continued
As a member of the FGC, I am quite familiar with the “pop off,” when a player excitedly celebrates a win on stage. It has become a form of self-expression and passion in games like Super Smash Bros, but it has apparently been a source of non-stop drama for the Pokémon esports crowd since the ……
The FGC was treated to a wild weekend courtesy of LVL UP EXPO 2026, which saw international players such as Goichi “GO1” Kishida, Shoji “Fenritti” Sho, and Doramigi fly in to prove themselves at Los Angeles. From Victor “Punk” Woodley’s Street Fighter 6 run to Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez…
OMODA will team up with VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA, the top-tier regional competitive circuit, and Game Changers EMEA, the premier women’s competitive league. Together, the two pioneers bridge virtual and physical worlds, delivering an immersive experience that fuses technology, culture…
