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Okay, Evo Vegas 2026 changed my mind about 2XKO: It will survive, but only as an esport

I have never been a fan of 2XKO. I’ve made that pretty clear in my recent debate with my colleague over the survival of 2XKO. Hint: I said it won’t make it past 2027. However, this was based on Riot’s shortcomings in the game’s launch and marketing strategy, as well as the dwindling number of … Continued The post Okay, Evo Vegas 2026 changed my mind about 2XKO: It will survive, but only as an esport appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider vor 13 Stunden

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“EWC isn’t about prestige, it’s about value”: Arslan Ash on too many Evo’s, getting more W’s ahead of retirement, and being alone at the top

There has been a lot of chatter about Evo Vegas losing its prestige. Even Arslan Ash himself has mentioned this before. After a Saudi Arabian company purchased Evo and announced a massive circuit expansion, many pros and fans felt the hype around the event was dying. Once the culmination of the season, it seemed Evo … Continued The post “EWC isn’t about prestige, it’s about value”: Arslan Ash on too many Evo’s, getting more W’s ahead of retirement, and b

Esports Insider vor 17 Stunden

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Esports World Cup Paris: Team Vitality’s Nicolas Maurer on home advantage, Macron, and a “secret dream”

Nicolas Maurer can’t quite remember the name of the tournament. A small Call of Duty LAN – somewhere in Paris – the kind where the musk of stale energy drinks and hum of a room full of machines linger longer than the name – left its mark on the man who would go on to … Continued The post Esports World Cup Paris: Team Vitality’s Nicolas Maurer on home advantage, Macron, and a “secret dream” appeared first on Esports Insider.

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“Being together and doing hype stuff is important”: Invincible VS devs discuss locals, trash talk, and working with the FGC

I’ll admit, I was skeptical of Invincible VS. Not because it looked particularly bad or anything, but because I feel we already have too many fighting games in the esports scene already. However, my mind was completely changed at Evo Vegas 2026. First, I had the opportunity to play the game, which I hadn’t had … Continued The post “Being together and doing hype stuff is important”: Invincible VS devs discuss locals, trash talk, and working with the FGC appeared firs

Esports Insider vor 2 Tagen

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“I want to be an icon like SonicFox”: Hikari wins 2XKO tourney at Evo Vegas 2026

Riot’s 2v2 fighter 2XKO had the spotlight at Evo Vegas 2026 as one of the games on the Main Stage thanks to its impressive number of competitors. Out of those 1,080 fighters, Jo’siah “Hikari” Miller came out on top. The Top 8 for 2XKO was stacked. Dominique “SonicFox” McLean and Lenwood “Inzem” Arnold hadn’t dropped … Continued The post “I want to be an icon like SonicFox”: Hikari wins 2XKO tourney at Evo Vegas 2026 appeared

Esports Insider vor 2 Tagen

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“That saltiness and anger stays with the game”: MenaRD on Kemonomichi controversy, Evo Vegas, and what keeps him positive at every tourney

Nobody would be surprised to see Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II win the Street Fighter 6 tournament at Evo Vegas 2026. He’s considered one of the best SF6 players in the world right now. However, his journey to Evo this year was totally out of the ordinary for him. Luckily, MenaRD has the right mindset … Continued The post “That saltiness and anger stays with the game”: MenaRD on Kemonomichi controversy, Evo Vegas, and what keeps him positive at every tourney

Esports Insider vor 3 Tagen

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“We’ve gained so much resilience”: One kiNgg and his four rookies. The winning formula in VCT 2026 and beyond

VALORANT Masters London concluded on June 21st with a five-map thriller between Pacific’s Paper Rex and VCT Americas’ Leviatán. But it wasn’t the event favorite, comprised of a loyal core of VCT legends, that lifted the Masters London trophy in the end. It was Leviatán who came out on top with a dominant performance on … Continued The post “We’ve gained so much resilience”: One kiNgg and his four rookies. The winning formula in VCT 2026 and beyond appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider vor 4 Tagen

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Counter-Strike 2 is clearly winning the viewership war against VALORANT after the IEM Cologne Major 2026… For now

Viewership is frequently used to determine whether a notable esports tournament is a success or a failure. High figures often grab the headlines, with some tournaments peaking at several million viewers, matching or exceeding those of traditional sporting spectacles.  Between June 19th and 21st, 2026, Counter-Strike’s IEM Cologne Major filled the iconic LANXESS Arena as … Continued The post Counter-Strike 2 is clearly winning the viewership war against VALORANT after the IEM Cologne M

Esports Insider vor 5 Tagen

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“Dota 2 salaries are inflated”: Tundra Esports founder reveals expenses of a Tier 1 Dota team and the scene’s struggling economics

Tundra Esports exiting Dota 2 this year was definitely not on our bingo cards. The roster has already won four trophies this season and remains a solid top-five team in the world, but Tundra still decided to sell its roster to 1win Team before the Esports World Cup and The International.  Naturally, this move sparked … Continued The post “Dota 2 salaries are inflated”: Tundra Esports founder reveals expenses of a Tier 1 Dota team and the scene’s struggling economics

Esports Insider vor 5 Tagen

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$109 million was traded with Kalshi on IEM Cologne 2026: here’s what the markets revealed

Over 20 days in June, IEM Cologne saw $109.3 million traded on US-based prediction market Kalshi as a fairytale storyline drew to a conclusion in Germany. The $109.3 million represents volume of contracts traded, so does not necessarily represent amount of actual money wagered, or handle in traditional sportsbook terms. Still, it’s an impressive figure … Continued The post $109 million was traded with Kalshi on IEM Cologne 2026: here’s what the markets revealed appeared first o

Esports Insider vor 6 Tagen

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There are too many fighting games in the FGC esports scene

In recent years, developers have heavily tapped into the fighting game genre. Left and right, there seems to be a new game coming out, which took the fighting game community (FGC) by surprise, because the genre hadn’t been touched by other developers not named Capcom, Bandai Namco, Arc System Works, SNK, or NetherRealm for a … Continued The post There are too many fighting games in the FGC esports scene appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider vor 6 Tagen

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“They’ve gotta listen to the people actually playing the game”: Warzone will die if it doesn’t learn from Apex Legends and go all-in on esports

It was the face of gaming during a pandemic that bred a need to socialize and escape reality. Although the immersive dystopia was a war-torn landscape called Verdansk, Call of Duty: Warzone quickly became a haven for friendship, camaraderie, and alliances.  The promised land of competitive battle royales dawned with every parachute glide, as even the most … Continued The post “They’ve gotta listen to the people actually playing the game”: Warzone will die if it doesn&#821

Esports Insider 24.06.2026 00:01 Uhr

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I was not going to watch the Esports Nations Cup, but it has now become an exciting and much-needed showcase of co-ed esports competition

The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is meant to be a fun, slightly unhinged celebration of national pride, where countries assemble dream teams and battle it out for bragging rights. It is a festival of gaming. But leave it to a corner of the internet to ruin the vibe. When Team Denmark announced their VALORANT roster, … Continued The post I was not going to watch the Esports Nations Cup, but it has now become an exciting and much-needed showcase of co-ed esports competition appeared first on Es

Esports Insider 23.06.2026 22:45 Uhr

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NiKo won IEM Cologne Major 2026 no matter what the Team Falcon haters say

“I am a prime example to never give up. Never give up on your dreams.” That was Nikola “NiKo” Kovač‘s emotional speech after winning IEM Cologne Major 2026. He’d been to 17 majors over a decade, but this was his first time lifting the trophy. As he wiped away his tears, fans debated whether it … Continued The post NiKo won IEM Cologne Major 2026 no matter what the Team Falcon haters say appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 22.06.2026 23:43 Uhr

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Parasocial behavior and death threats: VALORANT esports fans are going too far

VALORANT Masters London’s second Playoffs day kicked off last week with a three-map thriller between VCT EMEA darkhorse FUT Esports and VCT China legend Champions EDward Gaming (EDG). Tension was brewing throughout the series, with FUT Esports delivering banter on stage and receiving boos from the audience in return. What followed after the series, though, … Continued The post Parasocial behavior and death threats: VALORANT esports fans are going too far appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 20.06.2026 01:33 Uhr

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Every city thinks it can be the “next esports capital,” and no, London is most definitely not

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is the latest guy to claim his city will “lead the world in esports.” It sounds exciting at first, sure, but it made me laugh almost immediately. How many friggin “esports capitals” do we need? It’s a phrase that basically means nothing at this point. During a high-profile trade … Continued The post Every city thinks it can be the “next esports capital,” and no, London is most definitely not appeared first on Esport

Esports Insider 19.06.2026 20:24 Uhr

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Scalping continues to plague big esports events… But fans are apparently willing to pay thousands for those tickets

If you have spent any time trying to buy tickets for a premier esports event lately, you probably have some deeply held, highly aggressive feelings about ticket scalpers. The community sentiment right now is a mixture of absolute exhaustion and pure rage. Over on Reddit, the “IEM Cologne Major: Flights Booked. Hotel Booked. No Ticket. … Continued The post Scalping continues to plague big esports events… But fans are apparently willing to pay thousands for those tickets appeared

Esports Insider 18.06.2026 22:02 Uhr

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Esports will never be taken seriously until people get paid on time

It’s no secret that people working in esports have faced payment delays before, and we’ve been reminded of that fact multiple times this week alone.  First, an artist going by “EDICH” who previously worked on Dota 2 merch for some of the biggest events in esports, including The International’s Secret Shop and ESL tournaments, published … Continued The post Esports will never be taken seriously until people get paid on time appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 18.06.2026 21:33 Uhr

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IEM Cologne drove 63% of all Kalshi esports betting volume in the week of June 7–13

The week of June 7–13 saw $66.2 million in esports prediction market contracts on Kalshi, and the story behind what drove that number was never really in doubt. Counter-Strike 2 was responsible for nearly two-thirds of all activity, with IEM Cologne at the epicentre of all esports trading activity. That $66.2M figure is worth comparing … Continued The post IEM Cologne drove 63% of all Kalshi esports betting volume in the week of June 7–13 appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 18.06.2026 14:57 Uhr

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The FGC must transition out of grassroots if it wants to survive

The FGC prides itself on being raw. In fact, one of the community’s main gripes about the Daigo vs MenaRD match a few months ago was that some of the moments felt forced. It’s a far cry from the out-of-nowhere, wonderful moments such as Evo Moment 37 and Hayao’s air parry at Evo Vegas 2024, … Continued The post The FGC must transition out of grassroots if it wants to survive appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 18.06.2026 09:17 Uhr

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League of Legends is one of the most greedy gacha games out there, Brazil has demanded microtransactions be removed

Riot Games is currently learning a very expensive lesson about international gambling laws. A Brazilian court just handed down a massive ruling, ordering the League of Legends developer to pay roughly $3 million over its use of loot boxes. The lawsuit, spearheaded by an association protecting children and adolescents, claims that Riot has been exposing … Continued The post League of Legends is one of the most greedy gacha games out there, Brazil has demanded microtransactions be removed ap

Esports Insider 17.06.2026 20:22 Uhr

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Why I’ll be rooting for the underdogs in the IEM Cologne Major playoffs

Witnessing a lesser-known team conquer an established name in esports and traditional sports is a sight to behold. Whether it’s on the football pitch or the main stage of a high-profile tournament, the idea of a team defying the odds frequently captures the imagination of fans across the world. This year’s IEM Cologne Major has … Continued The post Why I’ll be rooting for the underdogs in the IEM Cologne Major playoffs appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 17.06.2026 19:30 Uhr

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Riot wants Locke to be fair, but will League of Legends’ new assassin break the meta?

After revealing the new League of Legends champion Locke, Riot Games has unveiled his abilities and gameplay details. Corvin Locke will arrive in Patch 26.13 as a new AP melee assassin for the mid lane.  Known as the Ashen Exorcist, he is a nail-slinging vigilante born from Demacia’s hidden occult underbelly. He is the only … Continued The post Riot wants Locke to be fair, but will League of Legends’ new assassin break the meta? appeared first on Esports Insider.

Esports Insider 17.06.2026 01:23 Uhr

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The Pokémon NAIC is moving to Chicago in 2027, but maybe it should move to Canada instead

New Orleans apparently isn’t big enough to accommodate Pokémon‘s rapid growth. After a wild three-year run of filling the Big Easy with thousands of cardboard-slinging, video-game-battling trainers, the tournament is packing up its bags. Starting in 2027, NAIC is officially moving to McCormick Place in Chicago. According to Pokémon’s Director of Global Esports and Events, … Continued The post The Pokémon NAIC is moving to Chicago in 2027, but maybe it should move to Canada inst

Esports Insider 16.06.2026 19:18 Uhr

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