News

News Overwatch Contenders player accused of inappropriately touching minor By Steven Rondina League of Legends Faker collectible statue captures the legendary League player By Nina Forneloza League of Legends Cuzz and Tusin lead Kingzone DragonX over SK Telecom T1 in LCK clash By William Davis

Apex Legends

Apex Legends ring damage decreased after players voice concerns Olivia Richman Respawn Entertainment is making a big change to Elite Queue based on player feedback.  Elite Queue is a new LTM for Apex Legends players who place in the top five of their previous match. To add to the difficulty of facing all tougher teams, Respawn also increased the circle damage as an extra layer of intensity.  But Apex Legends players weren’t happy. Now, Respawn Entertainment has assured their fans they are …

League of Legends

Immortals acquires OpTic Gaming parent company in $100 million deal Olivia Richman Immortals Gaming Company has officially acquired Infinite Esports, OpTic Gaming’s parent company. The $100 million deal is one of the biggest in the esports industry to date. With the addition of OpTic Gaming, Immortals now has esports teams in even more titles. This includes League of Legends, meaning a possible return to the League of Legends Championship Series. “It feels like a welcome homecoming,” Immortals CEO Ari Segal said. In …

Counter-Strike

Cloud9 will not play in Berlin Major after flop in qualifiers Steven Rondina One of North America’s top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will be watching the StarLadder Berlin Major from the couch. Despite entering the minor circuit as one of the favorites to earn a spot in the upcoming event, Cloud9 was among the first eliminations in the North American qualifier to the Americas Minor. As a result, Cloud9 is likely going to be forced to watch the major from the sidelines. Cloud9’s …

News

FaZe Clan and Black Dragons match fixing investigation concludes William Davis We now know the price of alleged match fixing according to ESL. ESL has announced the conclusion of its investigation into allegations of match fixing and win trading between Latin American Rainbow Six Siege teams FaZe Clan and Black Dragons. The investigation concluded that Black Dragons provided “misleading information” and exhibited “unsportsmanlike behavior.” For their role in the scandal, Black Dragons were assessed two major penalty points and have had …

League of Legends Mordekaiser rework, Ryze and Sylas get big nerfs in new LoL update By Steven Rondina Dota 2 Dota Underlords is new Dota Auto Chess standalone game from Valve By Steven Rondina League of Legends Riot Games investigated in California for gender discrimination By William Davis

Apex Legends

Respawn hints that Leviathans may come to Apex Legends Season 2 Olivia Richman Apex Legends fans are starting to get a bit worried about what used to just be a prop in the game.  Leviathans, the giant, long-legged creatures calmly traversing the waters beyond Kings Canyon, have started to get closer to the map. The dinosaur-like titans have slowly moved closer to the island’s southern border. Usually placed completely out of bounds, one of the creatures is actually just outside the Water Treatment.  …

League of Legends

IG Rookie leaving LPL due to family health issues in Korea Olivia Richman Reigning world champion Invictus Gaming star mid laner Song “Rookie” Eul-jin has announced that he’s taking a break from playing League of Legends competitively.  Rookie is heading to South Korea to rest with his family due to undisclosed health concerns. This was stated on Invictus Gaming’s official Weibo, but the announcement didn’t discuss if Rookie will be returning during this season, or at all.  Rookie has been playing League of Legends professionally …

Fortnite

Fortnite 9.21 patch includes Horde Rush LTM and a grenade launcher Olivia Richman Epic has released the 9.21 patch, and that means new weapons and new game modes for Fortnite players.  Horde Rush will be coming to Fortnite later today. Eliminate monsters with friends and find hidden score multipliers around the island. The monsters, or Fiends, will also have Fiend Spawners players can destroy that gives teams points. Meanwhile, teams must defend their designated area of the island, traveling across the map to …

League of Legends

Teamfight Tactics coming to League of Legends, emulates Auto Chess gabhernandez Riot is set to introduce Teamfight Tactics, a new strategy game mode inspired by Dota 2’s successful Auto Chess mode. Teamfight Tactics uses League of Legends champions as game pieces on a board. Each round, players are given gold and an opportunity to draft more champions onto their side of the playing board. Each champion has different strengths, weaknesses, and synergies. Once the drafting phase is over, each player’s team …

LCS Scouting Grounds Circuit arrives, partnering Riot and FACEIT William Davis League of Legends Competitive gaming platform FACEIT and Riot Games have announced their partnering for the 2019 LCS Scouting Grounds Circuit. Starting in July, registered amateur teams will have a chance to compete for a spot at the LCS Scouting Grounds event later in the year and a shot at the event’s $60,000 prize pool. The multi-stage tournament will run for three months and will be divided into ten separate online events. The …

Ninja struggles to keep up with pro Fortnite players on Twitch Olivia Richman Fortnite Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins proved his popularity when he played last week’s most-watched game of Fortnite with the help of YouTuber Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg.  But last week’s Friday Fortnite match was actually down in Twitch viewership compared to the previous week. In fact, the eight-hour stream with PewDiePie got Ninja his highest viewing numbers of the year.  Even more interesting, Esports Observer noticed that once PewDiePie left Ninja’s stream, …

NRG Esports adds Stanislaw hours before StarLadder Majors qualifiers Steven Rondina Counter-Strike NRG Esports have made some last-minute changes to their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. Less than 24 hours ahead of the team’s first push towards the StarLadder Berlin Major, the organization announced it is tweaking its lineup. Per a statement on its website, the team has signed CompLexity Gaming player Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz to take over as in-game leader. He replaces longtime NRG player Damian “daps” Steele. “We are extremely excited …

Overwatch League Replay Viewer released, customizes fan experience Olivia Richman News Overwatch League fans can now customize their viewing experience with the new Replay Viewer.  This new feature is live on PTR and allows fans to watch any game from Stage 3 in any way they desire. “Use professional esports observer tools from the comfort of your own computer to customize your viewing experience. Whether you want a first-person, third-person, or a bird’s eye view, you can see it all with …

Immortals looking to sell OpTic Gaming CS:GO team after buyout Steven Rondina Counter-Strike The OpTic Gaming Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team is caught in the crossfire of their organization’s business dealings. Following a report from Unikrn that Immortals is planning to divest from OpTic’s CS:GO team, Immortals executive Tomi Kovanen took to Twitter to discuss the squad’s future. He confirmed the news that Immortals is looking to sell the team, and added they are working with the squad on finding them a new organization. “We …

Team Liquid kicks MATUMBAMAN from Dota 2 roster before Epicenter Major Steven Rondina Dota 2 With a spot in The International 2019 locked up, Team Liquid has made a big change to its Dota 2 roster. The organization has announced longtime core player Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen has been deactivated from the lineup after almost four years with the team. The news was revealed on Twitter, and was acknowledged by Matumbaman shortly thereafter. “We would like to announce that Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen has been moved out …

Proliferation of GOATS, big roster moves shape up Stage 3 of OWL Jared Wynne News We are now just more than two stages into Season 2 of the Overwatch League. This is a halfway point to this year’s grand finals and an opportunity to consider what to expect through the remainder of the 2019 Overwatch calendar. The competition thus far in Season 2 has been fierce. Vancouver Titans tore a Stage 1 win from the hands of the San Francisco Shock, and in the Stage …

Dignitas returns to LCS after merger with Clutch Gaming is completed William Davis League of Legends Team Dignitas is returning to the LCS in 2020, as the merger between the team and Clutch Gaming has been officially announced. After months of speculations and rumors, the Philadelphia 76ers and Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment closed the merger between Clutch Gaming and Dignitas. The first reports surfaced in April when it transpired that Dignitas’ parent company was offering $20 million for a majority stake in Clutch Gaming. Dignitas …

Underdogs reign supreme early in Winners League Season 2 playoffs Steven Rondina Counter-Strike The Winners League Season 2 playoffs have officially begun, and it was a big week for underdogs. Top seeds in both the North American and European divisions took on teams that just squeaked into the playoffs. You wouldn’t have known which was which from the results though, as the lower-ranked teams scored some impressive upsets to advance to the quarterfinals. There was a lot to talk about, but here are …

Esports Insider 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees have been announced Olivia Richman Counter-Strike Esports Insider inducted three new esports influencers to their Hall of Fame. Former OpTic Gaming CEO Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, Counter-Strike professional and Dignitas’ VP of markting Heather “SapphiRe” Garrozo, and former broadcaster and current director of creative development at Twitch Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham all received the award at the Nixon Peabody in Los Angeles. “We’re over the moon to be recognizing three icons of the esports industry,” Esports Insider co-founder …

aKm sets energy record on Zarya as Dallas Feul continue resurgence William Davis News The Overwatch League Season 2 revenge tour for Dylan “aKm” Bignet continues, and his latest victims are the Washington Justice. According to stats compiled by Jonathan “Reinforce” Larsson, aKm maintained an average of 82% energy on Zarya during the Dallas Fuel’s most recent game against the Justice on the Eichenwalde map. That’s good enough to tie the all-time average energy record for Zarya, previously held by Kelsey “Colourhex” Birse. The …

Complexity Gaming coach discusses ECS Season 7 cheating accusations Olivia Richman Counter-Strike Despite both teams being eliminated from ECS Season 7, Complexity Gaming and Made in Brazil still have some controversy lingering from their match at the event.  Complexity Gaming defeated MIBR in the Group B elimination match, 2-1. But MIBR believes this may not have been the most fair of victories. In fact, Complexity’s head coach Matt “Warden” Dickens has been accused of blatantly cheating on the match’s live stream.  In …

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