News

Counter-Strike Ballistic Shield returns to CS:GO’s Danger Zone with latest patch By Steven Rondina League of Legends Riot supports employee walkout, but won’t change lawsuit policy By Olivia Richman Dota 2 Everything we know inside the International 2019 Battle Pass By Steven Rondina

Counter-Strike

Denmark prime minister visits and plays CS:GO with Astralis Olivia Richman Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that 96 percent of all Danish boys play video games at least twice a week. And now Rasmussen can count himself as a gamer, too.  The Prime Minister visisted Denmark-based Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team Astralis’ headquarters and played some games with them. This was part of the Ministry of Culture’s continued efforts to support the esports industry and break stereotypes about what it …

Counter-Strike

Natus Vincere announce Esports Camp, search for new junior roster Olivia Richman Natus Vincere is now accepting applications to its Esports Camp.  The top ten most outstanding applicants will be selected to take part in the bootcamp experience. Starting in June, those ten players will train and compete in an Esports Camp until five players emerge as having the most potential. These five players will be signed to Na’Vi Junior’s roster.  Former HellRaisers coach Amiran “aMi” Rehviashvili has been hired by Na’Vi …

League of Legends

Ruin, Kirei depart from 1907 Fenerbahce after washing out of MSI Steven Rondina When it rains for 1907 Fenerbahçe, it pours. The team is still reeling from its misfire at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational but now has to deal with a pair of holes in its roster. That’s because jungler Thomas “Kirei” Yuen and top laner Kim “Ruin” Hyeong-min have reportedly both split off from the organization and signed with new teams. Kirei’s departure from 1907 Fenerbahçe was broken by the official League …

League of Legends

Flash Wolves roar past Vega Squadron, qualify for MSI main event William Davis Flash Wolves secured a pass to the Mid-Season Invitational with a convincing victory over Vega Squadron. The LMS will have a representative at MSI’s main event, as FW qualified to the main stage for the fourth consecutive time. The new roster is ready to continue the organization’s legacy, and this latest journey began opposite the reigning LCL spring champion. Many analysts predicted it would be a clean 3-0 victory, but …

League of Legends Rogue drops Kikis, Excel finds a new coach prior to LEC summer split By William Davis News San Francisco Shock finish historic run with win over Shanghai By Steven Rondina Dota 2 EternalEnVy and Beastcoast are first eliminations at Disneyland Major By Steven Rondina

League of Legends

Team Liquid sweep Phong Vu Buffalo, advance at Mid-Season Invitational William Davis Team Liquid qualified for the Mid-Season Invitational’s main event after a scrappy win against local representative Phong Vũ Buffalo. TL is moving to the next phase at MSI, as the North American team took down PVB in three straight games. It wasn’t necessarily easy for TL as PVB put the LCS champions in some difficult situations, but Liquid was rarely threatened past the early game. The Vietnam representatives failed to …

Dota 2

The International 2019 Battle Pass release date has been announced Steven Rondina The International 2019 Battle Pass will be arriving soon. Valve has officially announced the release date for the TI9 Battle Pass on the official Dota 2 Twitter account. According to a short tweet, the long awaited feature will arrive “tomorrow,” May 7. The tweet also features a GIF showing the Aegis of Champions adorned with flowers on a purple background. This seems to confirm previous leaks that suggested the theme for …

League of Legends

Immortals raises $30 million, acquires Gamers Club, looks to LCS William Davis Esports organization Immortals has raised $30 million in a recent funding round, as the organization acquired Brazilian matchmaking platform Gamers Club and is rebranding to Immortals Gaming Club. Immortals, now known as IGC, is going through some major changes. These changes start with a new name and new investors. John Griffin and March Capital Partners join Lionsgate, the Milken Family, Steve Kaplan, and Meg Whitman as IGC’s primary investors and …

News

Team Liquid win PEL Kick-off Cup, but amateur teams upend pros Steven Rondina PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds may have an element of randomness to it, but you wouldn’t know it from the results of the PEL’s Kick-off Cup. That’s because Team Liquid crushed the opposition every day during the playoffs, taking the top prize with 173 points. It was an exceptionally strong tally for the event, with the team standing 70 points above second place. Liquid’s lead became almost insurmountable on day one of the …

Fortnite volcano erupts destructively, wipes out Tilted Towers Olivia Richman Fortnite Fortnite’s volcano has finally erupted, and the massive in-game event wreaked havoc on the game’s ever-changing map.  Right after players exited the vault at Loot Lake’s center, the eruption began. The whole map was immediately covered in darkness as molten rocks started bursting out of the volcano. Polar Peak mountain was the first to be affected by the explosion, a giant crack appearing after the first rock’s impact. Retail Row’s …

Team Liquid comes through in a final and wins IEM Sydney Steven Rondina Counter-Strike Team Liquid is has finally broken its finals curse at one of the biggest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments of the year. North America’s finest took first place at Intel Extreme Masters XIV Sydney. The team captured gold by last defeating Fnatic, capping an almost perfect run through the event. The grand finals kicked off on Cache with a huge win for Fnatic. Spurred on by strong efforts from Ludvig “Brollan” …

Fnatic secures $19 million in funding round, appoints news CEO William Davis League of Legends European esports organization Fnatic has raised $19 million in a recent Series A funding, the team announced through its official website. Entrepreneur Lev Leviev of LVL1 Group, Beringea, Blackpine, Unbound, and Joi Ito are some of the new investors in the Fnatic brand. This is the first funding round held by Fnatic since April 2017 when the team secured a round of $7 million. “Esports is the future of entertainment, …

ATK crush, Virtus.pro come up clutch in Winners League Season 2 Steven Rondina Counter-Strike Winners League Season 2’s group stage is officially past the halfway point and we’re starting to see teams make a push for a spot in the playoffs. Both divisions have an intriguing mix of recognizable names and fresh blood topping their groups, but few of them are topped by those teams that were expected to dominate. A lot of intriguing new teams have been flexing their muscles throughout the season, …

Jeff Kaplan wishes he could retire Total Mayhem from OW Arcade mode Olivia Richman News Overwatch lead designer Jeff Kaplan is ashamed of his creation.  A few days ago, one player took to the Overwatch forums to ask, “What does Jeff Kaplan have against Mayhem and No Limits?”  The Overwatch fan said he usually plays arcade mode to “avoid losing friends in comp.” But he’s noticed that 1v1 Elimination is an arcade option “three to four times in on week” despite his observation that no …

First five slots in franchised Call of Duty league sold to OWL owners Steven Rondina News The first permanent franchises for the upcoming Call of Duty league have been announced. According to a statement by Activision-Blizzard, franchises for the cities of New York, Paris, Atlanta, Dallas, and Toronto have been sold. The slots have been awarded to the ownership groups of corresponding Overwatch League teams. “The upcoming launch of our new Call of Duty esports league reaffirms our leadership role in the development of professional esports,” …

Boston Uprising owner Robert Kraft ordered to appear in court Olivia Richman News Boston Uprising’s owner Robert Kraft is not getting special treatment in his sex solicitation case.  A Florida judge has ordered the billionaire to appear at a May 21 hearing that will conclude three days of deliberation over the admissibility of the videos that captured Kraft allegedly receiving sexual favors from sex trafficking victims at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.    Kraft’s arrest was part of a months-long investigation by …

Players get a better look at new League support champion Yuumi Fariha Bhatti League of Legends The 144th Champion of League of Legends, Yuumi the Magical Cat, is now available on Public Beta Environment servers. Players have now been able to get their first look at where she might fit into games and have a clearer idea of the new champion’s abilities. The official trailer for Yuumi’s release was unveiled last week, providing additional insight into the champion’s skill set and potential roles. The Magical Cat …

Immortals looking to buy OpTic Gaming after $30 million investment Steven Rondina League of Legends Immortals is looking to get back into the League of Legends business. According to a report by ESPN’s Jacob Wolf, Immortals is looking to purchase OpTic Gaming. OpTic has reportedly been talking with prospective buyers since February. Immortals is one of the largest organizations in esports, fielding teams in multiple games with a variety of brands including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s MiBR and the Overwatch League’s Los Angeles Valiant. From 2015 …

Ninja weighs in on XXiF cheating in Fortnite World Cup Qualifier Olivia Richman Fortnite The Fortnite World Cup’s immense prize pool has already caused a lot of competitors to give in to their greed.  Fortnite pro Damion “XXiF” Cook was recently accused of colluding with his friends during a World Cup open qualifer match. He took second place, earning $4,000 in prize money and, more importantly, a spot in the finals.  XXiF has denied any illegal activity, but it seems like the Fortnite community …

Epic Games adds new item to Fortnite before World Cup qualifiers Steven Rondina Fortnite Anyone that was still hoping that Epic Games would hold back on game updates over the next few weeks has been left disappointed. Just two days ahead of the next set of Fortnite World Cup qualifiers, the version 8.51 update has dropped. Though it is a relatively small one, the patch introduces a new item that pros will need to familiarize themselves with in the next 48 hours. Version 8.51 …

Pro PUBG player proposes to girlfriend and opponent during tournament Steven Rondina News Digital Athletics may have finished eighth in its group for the Kick-off Cup, but one of its players still managed to come away as the biggest winner of the day. After finishing his sets on day three of the event, Mert “ABeautfulDeath” Ozturk brought girlfriend Zeynep “ritalel” Sualp on stage. Though the couple had been playing against each other earlier in the day, with Ritalel repping We Need a Home …

WIN.gg gathers news and guides from around the world covering every point of the modern gaming industry in all of its many forms.