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 match and of trying way too hard to create moments rather than letting them happen naturally. It’s an unfortunate end to one of the most important matches in Street Fighter history.

And if you ask me, I believe Evo has lost touch with the fighting game community.

Daigo and Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II faced off in a first-to-10 on April 29th after the latter respectfully asked Daigo, a long-time legend, if he’d be up for it.

“It would be the greatest honor of my career if I had the opportunity to fight you in a first-to-10,” MenaRD wrote on X to the legend last year. “Since I was young, I have dedicated myself to preparation, and I wonder how far we could take it if we decided to focus on a single set between us for months.”

The FGC has been anticipating it ever since. Due to the timing and branding of the event, I mistakenly said it was put on by Evo. However, I was wrong. It was a “kemonomichi” event that Evo later asked to be part of, offering to run the broadcast. As it turns out, Evo’s involvement was the issue.

This was an event that the FGC took very, very seriously. Especially in Japan, where it took place. Daigo is 45 years old, a veteran of the Street Fighter scene who is often considered the GOAT. He is referred to as “The Beast.” The event was translated as “Beast Path,” a duel to the death rather than a match. That’s because there’s no rematch. This is it. It’s as if the loser is dead.

When MenaRD won 6-10, he reacted with utmost respect for the legend. The FGC praised MenaRD’s skills and respect, while claiming Daigo is still the best there ever was. It was a very wholesome and inspiring moment for the fighting game community. Daigo even said he had been considering retirement if he had lost to MenaRD, but the match reignited his passion for the game.

However, once the emotions died down, the FGC realized they hated the production of the showmatch. It took nearly an hour for the match to begin, the translation work was sloppy, and Evo used American talent rather than Japanese talent. This led to a lot of cultural discrepancies, like the global audience not hearing some of the weighted and impactful quotes from Daigo ahead of the match, and American talent not appearing to take the match seriously. When they asked the crowd to clap if they believed Daigo would win, Japanese fans found this very disrespectful.

“The Beast’s Path was an event that Ume-san took time to organize, focusing on humans in a way that had never been done before, featuring combinations with deep-seated rivalries and backstories that were crucial,” Street Fighter pro Masato “Bonchan” Takahashi expressed on X. “It wasn’t just about feeling frustrated over a loss — it stirred up emotions so intense, like something you truly couldn’t forgive, that words alone felt too provocative to even try capturing it.”

Explained one fan: “Victory in the Beast Path holds more weight for Mena and Daigo than any title. There are no rematch opportunities, and those who lose the Beast Path can never participate again. The Beast Path is not an exhibition; it is a match where defeat means death. You can see just how off-base a performance asking something like ‘Which one do you want to die?’ would be.”

Said another: “Does the phrase ‘a deadly serious duel with swords’ get the point across? The loser dies. When you want to feel that raw, stinging tension and seriousness between each other, do you really need words? It’s not specific — it’s everything. Even pre-fight interviews are totally unnecessary to begin with. Because it’s a fight to the death. You don’t need any hyped-up stuff like ‘Here we goooo!’ either. It’s not a match — it’s a fight to the death.”

Someone simply stated: “I’ll never forget how you used the Beast Path as a tool for making money and then discarded it.”

Evo is being accused of failing to understand the impact of this momentous and serious event. But it also felt like Evo hijacked the event to make it into a spectacle. And this is something that’s been a concern as of late.

Evo used to be just one event in Las Vegas. The expansion last year was already met with some concern, with Arslan Ash claiming it would reduce the event’s prestige. When Saudi Arabia’s RTS took over and announced a massive circuit, the FGC became even more skeptical. That’s because the FGC is not trying to be mainstream. It’s not trying to be huge.

The FGC is obsessed with authenticity. Grind. Passion. Grassroots. They don’t want content creator show matches, even if it means bringing in more viewership and money. They don’t want all this over-the-top hype, branding, and sponsorship stuff. Some of the best FGC events are for Super Smash Bros., where the pop-offs are wild, the rivalries are heated, the pros are doing money matches with fans, and there are players taking bets on Grand Finals. It’s mayhem. It’s raw. It’s real.

Evo feels like a corporate version of what the FGC actually is. The streamers, the expansion… It feels like Evo wants to be bigger than it is. It seems like it’s forcing hype rather than letting authentic moments unfold.

Said one tweet: “I think Evo is trying too hard to create another Moment 37. S***’s not organic anymore, and all the forced hype cheapens it. I miss when s*** happened, and we reacted, not making some noise for a prospect of an idea of some s*** farmed for a response.”

Real s***.

Moment 37 was when Daigo and Justin Wong had a legendary Street Fighter finals at Evo 2004. With only one sliver of health left, Daigo parried 15 consecutive hits of Chun-Li’s super attack perfectly. He avoided death. He won.

That wasn’t planned. That wasn’t scripted. Nobody was on stage telling the crowd to cheer. This is what happens when legends are backed up against the wall. This is what happens when the fighting game community is left alone to be itself. Crazy. Intense. Determined.

Recently, Dominique “SonicFox” McLean and Goichi “Go1” Kishida put on a short choreographed fight on stage to commemorate their final time fighting in Dragon Ball FighterZ. It was wholesome and left the crowd in tears. It meant a lot to fans of the small fighting game. Two legends. The best part? It was unexpected. SonicFox and Go1 planned it together. No hype. No screaming. No production. They just wanted to do it.

While we need events like Evo – with multiple titles competing together – to keep esports hype alive, we need the old Evo. The old Major League Gaming. Not any of this new stuff. Fighting games are not League of Legends or Call of Duty. We don’t want players strutting on stage with smoke around them. We don’t want the commentators egging us on to clap. Just let the fighting game pros and community be themselves.

That’s when the true magic happens. It can’t be fabricated or re-enacted or forced. You have to understand the fighting game community to let these things naturally unfold. To see how special the FGC is.

And I don’t think Evo understands that anymore.

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 one of the hottest prospects in the scene.

With this move, Nongshim might have found the missing piece to become the powerhouse that can finally match the top teams in the league, KT Rolster and Hanwha Life Esports.

But is it really all roses for the squad? Not really…

To understand why Diable joined NS, we have to roll back to April 28th, when BFX announced through their social media account that the ADC player had been demoted to the Challengers (second division) team after failing to attend a scheduled fan meet. 

On April 26th, BFX faced current world champions T1 during the latter’s Homeground event, with T1 beating BFX with a clean 2-0 record. The loss put BFX into a tricky situation, with a 2-6 record and in the bottom half of the standings. This was a big contrast to the first part of the season, where the Korean team finished second in the LCK Cup and participated in the first international tournament of the 2026 calendar, First Stand.

It’s worth noting that BFX is a team based in Busan and has been actively building its own fanbase away from Seoul, where most LCK organizations reside. The fan meet was a great opportunity for both local Seoul fans and those who traveled to Busan to interact with the player, who was clearly seen as the team’s superstar. 

During an interview with BFX head coach Park “Edo” Jun-seok, he said: “The biggest issue (with Diable) was the fan meeting. After discussing it among myself, the coaching staff, the general manager, and the CEO, we all agreed to send him down to the CL (Challengers) roster […] Even after we sent him down and issued the statement, there were still situations where his attitude was not good. I want to make it clear to Diable that he should never act that way.”

Diable’s refusal to comply despite internal efforts to persuade him forced BFX to punish him, therefore sending him to the second team. Once benched, however, the situation escalated quickly. 

Considering BFX’s recent slump in results and Diable’s expiring contract at the end of the season, the team didn’t want to risk losing its most valuable player for nothing. As a result, BFX tried to explore a trade deal with fellow LCK squad DN SOOPers (DNS), reportedly involving Challengers ADC Kwak “Enosh” Kyu-jun, who previously played with BFX in the second division. 

On paper, it made sense. Enosh would join a team he’s familiar with, and BFX would also benefit economically from Diable’s transfer. The move, however, did not happen. According to Daily Esports, Diable’s status as a minor required his own approval for the transfer to happen. 

DNS is currently dead last in the LCK, with only one win on the scoreboard. The team’s poor results were likely the reason behind Diable’s refusal. 

Diable’s decision put BFX in a tricky situation, since if the team wanted to transfer him during this window, it had to be done before the start of the second round robin, setting the deadline for April 30th. 

The lack of time ended up opening the golden opportunity for Nongshim RedForce, which is currently sitting in sixth place with a 4-5 record. In the end, Diable ended up accepting his transfer to NS, trading its now-former ADC, Kim “Taeyoon” Tae-yoon, to BFX.

Shortly after announcing the new player, NS also posted a handwritten apology letter from Diable on its socials. With the second round robin starting soon, Diable will now have to prove his worth on the Rift on a new team.

Regardless of how you look at it, Diable’s addition to NS is an upgrade. Diable is considered one of the best carry profiles in the league, having won against some of the best bot lanes in the world. 

The player is known for being one of the most aggressive, willing to punish the slightest mistakes in the laning phase. In comparison, Taeyoon was often considered the weak link on NS and has shown more volatility in his gameplay.

That said, changing a player in the middle of the split is never easy, especially for a team like NS, which is contending for the playoffs. 

The most important aspect for Diable will be the synergy with his new support, Son “Lehends” Si-woo. The former spent his rise playing alongside Kim “Kellin” Hyeong-gyu and the two built a strong bot lane partnership at BFX, to the point where they were considered one of the best bot lane in the world.

On STASHD.gg, users purchase a virtual currency called Bolts using a credit/debit card, cryptocurrency, or Valve skins, and spend them opening lootboxes containing CS2 skins. The skins can be withdrawn to Steam or converted to cryptocurrency through a tiered, time-gated system. If you would rather not withdraw, you can take your Bolts into a head-to-head battle against another user, staking them on who opens the higher value item.

The platform is branded in Fnatic’s black and orange, carries the words “By Fnatic” under the logo, and officially claims its goal is to “bring you closer to the things you love about Fnatic in a new way.” 

The project has attracted immediate criticism across Reddit and X. Fnatic Dragons, the club’s official fan club and community, posted a tweet that made clear its stance was “about protecting a community that includes many young and impressionable fans,” before posting phone numbers to respective gambling addiction helplines across various countries.

Lootboxes, the mechanic that sits at the core of the STASHD product, are one of gaming’s most debated features and have been for the best part of a decade. In Europe, lootboxes were declared illegal in Belgium under gambling legislation in 2018.

Valve is currently facing litigation from the New York Attorney General and a class-action suit in Washington state. Both accuse lootboxes of being illegal gambling products. The New York AG suit argues that lootboxes deploy the same psychological mechanisms as traditional casino games: variable ratio reinforcement, entrapment mechanics, constant availability, and immersive reward loops.

The legal question is unresolved in most jurisdictions, but the direction of travel is not towards greater tolerance of the products. The legal defense is that, within the Valve ecosystem (ignoring third-party marketplaces), skins have no real-money value.

STASHD lands slap bang in the middle of that environment. It is a case-opening platform, with Fnatic’s name and colors plastered all over it. It also comes with a set of specific problems that go beyond the question of whether lootboxes are gambling.

Here is a look at what those problems actually are. 

One of Valve’s typical arguments against lootboxes in its games being gambling is that at no point can a user withdraw the sale of a skin into real money. This is not the case with STASHD, so any defense that this is not a gambling product on those grounds is not valid. Money entered as currency exits only as cryptocurrency or as skins.

If you deposit cash to buy Bolts and open cases, you are subject to tiered withdrawal restrictions and can only withdraw your funds in cryptocurrency or skins. This is not clearly flagged to users when they are pushed towards purchasing Bolts in the first place. Frictionless entry but a more gated withdrawal process are deliberate features. 

The only barrier to entry is the payment method, whereas the barriers to exit (should you use the most conventional method of deposit, debit card) are time, identity documents, and a crypto wallet, none of which are mentioned at the point of purchase.  

The lootbox gambling debate is contentious and unresolved. The case battle format leaves less room for nuance.

STASHD allows users to enter head-to-head case-opening battles across four different games: Crazy Mode, where the loser takes all; Shared Mode, where players share their pulls; Group Uncasing, where friends open together; and Terminal Mode, where the final round determines the winner. Individual battles run from one-on-one up to four players. Users can also battle a bot. 

Users purchase entry using Bolts (which can be purchased using debit/credit cards). Both players open a case. The case with the highest-value item wins the pot. By most countries’ legal definition of gambling: 

A typical case-opening experience invites debate over whether the product constitutes gambling, but adding a battle format (also against bots) effectively turns it into a coin-flip product on the platform. Just because the platform hasn’t engaged with Dice or Plinko, which are more deliberate gambling games, it doesn’t mean that they’re not.

The winnings are paid in skins, which have a Bolts value, which can then be withdrawn either as skins or in cryptocurrency. 

We have now established that, through STASHD, Fnatic is accepting real money, converting it into virtual assets, and offering a head-to-head experience that would broadly meet the legal definition of gambling in most jurisdictions. The next question is who’s able to use the product.

STASHD’s terms state: “If you are under the age of 18 years of age or not legally able to enter into contracts in your place of residence, you must have the permission of your parents or legal guardians to use the Service.”

This is parental permission, not age verification or know-your-customer protocol. There is no mechanism enforced to verify that permission has been granted or that the user is who they claim to be during the purchase process. A 13-year-old with a parent’s credit card details can be up and running in a couple of minutes. The terms also do not mention any geographies that are prohibited from using it (which makes sense, given identity verification is not mandatory). 

STASHD does, however, have a self-exclusion mechanism. Self-exclusion is not a feature you typically find on a fan engagement platform. It’s a feature you find, required by regulators, on a gambling product. The presence of a self-exclusion tool is recognition that the product itself carries a recognized risk of harm to vulnerable users.

The self-exclusion text states: “Our goal is to help you enjoy the site responsibly. If you feel you need a pause, self-exclusion is a simple way to protect your experience and keep it fun.” This is the full extent of responsible messaging found across the STASHD FAQs and terms. 

STASHD has a leaderboard feature that awards bonus Bolts each week to those who have earned the most points.  

The way to acquire points and ‘flex’ is by spending money. So to climb the leaderboard and be able to “flex” to the community, all you’ve got to do is… spend money, and battle. 

The top user currently sits on 92,248 points (on a four-day streak), which, at the cheapest rate of 100,000 bolts being $749.99, equates to spending in that vicinity. Note: this does not mean $750 was actually deposited, but that amount has been spent on entering battles and opening cases. 

The user has opened 275 cases and played nine battles in that time.

The Fnatic brand is no stranger to gambling partnerships and commercial relationships, with Dafabet, Betify, and Skinrave among the partners formerly emblazoned across the storied org’s jerseys.

With sponsorship, there is a distance between the organization and the product that, when questions arise, provides a degree of separation, allowing space to maneuver. Accepting sponsorship money from an entity and taking money directly from your audience are very different commercial propositions. 

“By Fnatic” sits underneath the STASHD logo. The organization’s black and orange colors run throughout the homepage. Fnatic’s filings show a £4.5 million loss in 2024, indicating that commercial pressure clearly exists. With Valve limiting skin sponsorship opportunities following a December rules tweak, teams are seeking alternative revenue streams in a landscape already bleak. That, however, doesn’t change what has been built here. 

Fnatic holds a seat on the recently announced UK Esports Committee, which will liaise with the British government to drive positive policy change. It is one of the most recognizable esports brands across multiple titles. The move to offer a product with so few protections (but a propensity to harm) is optically questionable.

It would potentially cause less furor if this conversation stayed within Counter-Strike. CS has a long-established and storied history with skins. The audience has cultural familiarity with case opening, skin trading, skin betting, and the grey areas around them. As said previously, CS specific gambling sponsorships are focused specifically on this community.

The reality is that the breadth of the Fnatic brand includes VALORANT, League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, and a content creator network spanning multiple titles. Each title serves a different audience demographic and has different relationships and/or stances toward gambling. Riot Games has far stricter gambling sponsorship policies across its titles than Valve does.

The cases inside STASHD contain CS2 skins. There is no obligation to actually interact with the skin ecosystem at any point. A user can deposit money and withdraw with crypto. Bolts are just a virtual currency tethered to the value of CS skins. The association with Counter-Strike does not limit who can use the product.

Sam Matthews, Fnatic CEO, markets Fnatic commercially as having “deeper connections with highly sought-after, tech-savvy, younger audiences.” That is the CEO’s characterization of its own fanbase. Thus, by definition, it is the exact audience to which STASHD is being promoted. A 14-year-old League of Legends fan who has never opened a case in their life can hop on STASHD, spend real money, and enter a case battle against another user, or a bot, in a matter of minutes.

The backlash to STASHD has been a typical anti-gambling reaction among esports fans. Adults gamble. Adults open lootboxes and engage with casino products. The anti-gambling sentiment is an easy one to jump on. 

Skins and lootboxes are a vertical that part of Fnatic’s fanbase engage with (some gleefully, and some in opposition), so from a commercial perspective, it makes sense to look to capitalize on it. 

The issue here is that the company has a product that could pose very real gambling-adjacent harm (or at the very least, harm as a normal consumer) to its own young audience. 

The product takes real money, converts it to virtual assets, exits it as crypto, and allows users to effectively flip a coin to increase their balance. 

It has features to encourage people to use the product (free drops, a leaderboard where points are acquired by using the product), and all that’s required to get involved is “parental permission if under 18.”

The community has valid reasons to be up in arms, but the problem with STASHD is not that it may or may not be gambling. Rather, it’s the glaring red flags from a consumer protection perspective. It is designed to create an illusion of collection and “flexing,” all the while encouraging its own community to spend as much as possible, with little to no safeguarding in place.  

“We want this to feel like a natural extension of our culture, and something that reflects who we are at our core.” Well, Fnatic, you may have done just that. 

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!

Melanie “meL” Capone is one of the most decorated VALORANT pro players with countless regional trophies and two Game Changers Championship titles under her belt. However, her influence has long surpassed in-game competition and leadership for Shopify Rebellion Gold (SRG).

meL’s become widely recognized in the global VALORANT esports scene for her skill and dedication, making her an inspiring figure for other women and girls in her community.

Last week, meL made waves by announcing a break from professional play for the remainder of the 2026 season. In her official statement, the VALORANT legend opened up about her Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and other mental health struggles leading to this decision.

“I believe the best course of action is for me to step away from competing in order to give myself the best chance to repair my mental health,” concluded meL in her announcement. 

At the same time, meL assured that this will not be her retirement, and that she plans to return to competing next year. Moreover, she will remain active in the VALORANT scene during her break through co-streaming, VCT desk appearances, and more.

Meanwhile, SRG announced former 100 Thieves Game Changers player Lydia “lidyuh” Wilson as its new fifth member. Alexis “alexis” Guarrasi will pick up the role of in-game leader (IGL) for the time being. The team is currently competing in Game Changers NA Stage 1.

meL had been part of the SRG core since 2023, and we will miss watching her compete with her squad. But it is also comforting to know that she is prioritizing her mental well-being whilst openly sharing some of the challenges many people can resonate with. And so the response to meL’s announcement has been one of compassion and support.

“Solidarity mel <3 depression is a MONSTER, and I am so proud of you for taking the steps to take care of yourself,” commented host and interviewer Elisabeth “Elisabeth” Marchini.  “Take your time to heal, and I am a DM away to talk about MDD. We will always overcome.”

A similar news hit the VCT EMEA community a couple of days ago. Last week already, Fnatic announced that Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn would sit out the team’s Stage 1 match against GIANTX as a precaution to allow its newest member to recover from a “health issue.”

Four days later, the organization posted another update: “After discussions with Veqaj, we have decided to move him to the inactive roster while he takes some time away from competition. We’ll continue to support him and will share further roster updates soon.”

The additional update came just a few hours ago, with Fnatic confirming that Veqaj will be replaced by former Team Vitality player Clément “CyvOph” Millard. While it is uncertain how long Veqaj will be missing, the team will most likely have to fight for Masters London qualification with a stand-in. 

But thanks to Fnatic’s 4-0 match score in Stage 1 so far, the roster will start its Playoffs run in the Semifinals on May 8th. That also means if Fnatic wins their inaugural Playoffs match, it will guarantee a top-three finish and secure a Masters London slot. 

Moreover, some community members have rightfully pointed out that Fnatic has historically excelled at integrating stand-ins into their calling system and playbook. Following last week’s victory with last-minute substitute Casper “Desmo” Rasmussen, the team’s Assistant Coach, Fnatic has not lost a single VCT match with a stand-in in four years.

Fnatic has also always been great at scouting players, and CyvOph showed solid performances during his short tenure with Team Vitality last year. 

“Very excited to work with Clem,” posted Fnatic’s Senior Team Director Colin “CoJo” Johnson on social media. “I knew from 20 minutes of one trial game that he was an FNATIC player. Passes the eye test, mechanically talented, great comms, good kid. He’s coming in ready to win games day one.”

While some VALORANT esports organizations had a turbulent week, Global Esports scored a historic achievement with its first-ever VCT Pacific Playoffs qualification. 

Over three years of Tier 1 competition, the Indian organization has often been among the worst performers in its region. This year, however, Global Esports entered the VCT season with a promising roster rebuild and coaching legend Hector “FrosT” Rosario. As proven by his time at TALON, FrosT excels at unlocking his team’s full potential through solid gameplay fundamentals and unique team compositions. 

The revamped Global Esports line-up already made waves at VCT Pacific Kickoff, but couldn’t survive in the event’s triple-elimination format. Especially former Paper Rex player Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza stood out thanks to his incredible fragging and game sense.

Last week, the team’s efforts finally bore fruit. Due to tiebreaker rules, Global Esports secured a Playoffs spot despite its shaky 2-2 Stage 1 performance so far. This will also be its first chance to qualify for a global VCT event in franchising. 

To the concern of many Global Esports fans, though, the team has been inconsistent in Stage 1. Starting with strong team play and spacing, Global Esports has shown a lack of team coordination in its latest matches. 

This is worrisome heading into the final Group Stage week before Playoffs, as the roster will be fighting for the third seed in its group against the Masters Santiago winner, Nongshim RedForce. Should Global Esports lose to Nongshim, the team would have to start its Playoffs run in the lower bracket, only one loss away from elimination.

“There’s definitely some worries for them because they are guaranteed for Playoffs. You go in as a fourth seed, like, your chances of actually making it, especially in a region as competitive as Pacific, like good luck,” explained analyst Thinking Man’s Valorant on the VALORANT talkshow Plat Chat. 

Luckily for Global Esports, its final Group Stage opponent has also shown weaknesses in Stage 1, making an upset not entirely impossible.

In addition to major esports headlines, VALORANT fans were treated to a new time-limited game mode experience. Skirmish: Ascension is a new take on the popular Skirmish mode, which is highly focused on aim duels.

Introduced together with the latest Patch 12.08, Skirmish: Ascension allows gunfight-hungry players to measure their skills on an online leaderboard for 1v1 and 2v2 queues. Another twist on the old Skrimish game mode is that its newest edition offers a curated set of available agents, including Jett, Waylay, and Sage. Each agent has only one ability unlocked to avoid utility clutter.

Skirmish: Ascension is playable until June 22nd. During this time, participants can also earn player cards and titles depending on their final rank.

Although some community members have criticized Riot Games for “milk[ing] Skirmish” instead of investing in “more fun modes,” I personally view this as a win for the VALORANT player base. With Ranked and Unrated becoming increasingly stale in the eyes of many players, Skirmish: Ascension brings a new competitive experience to those looking for fast-paced, gunplay-focused VALORANT action.

Patch 12.08 might have delivered on game mode innovation. However, it once again did not feature nerfs to VALORANT’s most-hated duelist, Neon, causing uproar within the community. 

“VALORANT for the next 60 days: shotgun shotgun, run and gun slide, jump jump jump jump, shot gun shot gun shotgun, 300 dollar shotgun shot gun and maybe another shotgun,” wrote one X (formerly Twitter) user in response to the patch notes. 

Meanwhile, others argued that the patch changed the map pool, resulting in more work for coaches and teams ahead of the upcoming Masters London tournament. I also agree that Neon changes, which would massively disrupt an already unstable meta, will most likely happen after Masters London. This way, the professional scene has plenty of time to make adjustments before the next round of regional events kicks off.

In the wake of all the debates about Patch 12.08, NRG player Brock “brawk” Somerhalder came under fire for his “solution” to the Neon domination. In his post on X, brawk shared an altered image of the agent with the caption “The only way to nerf Neon.”

With brawk implying that a Neon with more body weight would be nerfed, many community members criticized the fatphobic message of the “joke.” Individuals on the other side of the discussion defended brawk as his post was about a virtual game character and not a real person. 
As with most polarizing topics of this kind, I find that the hostile discourse often distracts from the underlying lessons.

As demonstrated by the recent Alex “canezerra” Banyasz game ban, professional players serve as role models in their respective esports scenes and should act accordingly. Whether it’s through PR, sensitive training, or more comprehensive player development, a serious sport must equip its public figures with the know-how required for their unique social and brand ambassador roles.

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.

Regardless of the reason, with the departure of the country that brought you esports as we know it today, plus a report from Darragh Barbinson of Insider Gaming that China’s participation is also currently unconfirmed, the ENC no longer can serve its primary function of determining what nation is truly the best at a given esport. 

Without South Korean teams and players, the Esports Nations Cup is pointless.

The Esports Nations Cup is a national team event created by the Esports Foundation as a sort of sister event to the Esports World Cup. The event is set to take place in Riyadh from November 2nd to the 29th, 2026. It’s another step in Saudi Arabia’s plan to present itself as a premier destination in the world of esports. 

The event will feature competition across 16 esports titles, with each team featuring players from a single nation.

The official website for the event boasts: “With over 630 applications from more than 152 countries and territories across the globe, the message is clear: the world is ready to compete. This isn’t just a tournament; it’s a global movement fueled by the dream of representing your home on the ultimate stage.”

Unfortunately, the dream of the “ultimate competition” is in limbo now that the esports powerhouse of South Korea (and possibly China too) is not attending. Indeed, the loss of South Korea alone is enough to throw multiple planned events into turmoil, given Korea’s dominance across numerous premier esports titles.

Take League of Legends, for example. Korea and China hold 13 of the total 15 League of Legends Worlds titles, and have not lost one since 2012. Without those nations in the bracket, how can the winning nation at this event seriously call their nation the best in the world at League of Legends? The truth is, they can’t.

Even without looking at a long history of the sport, T1 has won the last three Worlds titles, a historic three-peat led by the GOAT of the sport, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. The notion that you can have a national competition that doesn’t feature the unquestionably dominant reigning champions is absurd.

And it’s not just League of Legends affected. Overwatch, Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, VALORANT, and other titles all feature highly competitive teams and players from South Korea and China.

Suffice it to say, their absence is not a minor setback for the ENC: it’s a disaster for the competitiveness of the tournament.

If the best in the world aren’t competing at your world championship, that’s a full-blown crisis of legitimacy for the ENC, since the entire point is to figure out which nation can put together the best single roster in a given esports.

Now it won’t be able to do that.

The Esports Foundation has not given up yet, and will continue to fight for the participation of Korean players absent any partnership with KeSPA.

“The commitment to Korean players’ participation in ENC26 is unchanged,” they said in a statement. “Over the coming week, we will engage directly with stakeholders across the Korean esports ecosystem, and with coaches and players, to align on the path forward so that the ENC26 Korean National Esports Team can compete at the level Korean fans and athletes deserve.”

However, the path around getting KeSPA’s approval is a treacherous one for players and organizations. KeSPA exercises sovereignty over all matters related to national team esports in Korea. 

In a statement to Seoul Esports, the Korean Olympic Committee stated that “only athletes selected through official member organizations are recognized as national representatives. […] It is unacceptable for a team that has not gone through the association to represent the nation.”

So any players who do compete at ENC will be defying the Korean Olympic Committee, or be forced to not compete under the banner of South Korea. In either case, the tournament remains a scuffed version of what it would be if South Korea was competing in an official capacity.

Without a pivotal nation like South Korea competing, there is no longer a point to the competition.

The ENC without South Korea is like the Olympics without America or China. While the event can technically continue without them, the hype around the event takes a massive hit, since many of the very best in the world won’t compete. 

The tournament’s legitimacy is in jeopardy, as is its viewership. The esports community was already a bit weary regarding the Esports Nations Cup as Saudi Arabian companies continue to take over the scene. Now, who will go against their ethics to watch a tournament that doesn’t even feature the top players? It feels a bit Tier 2 rather than the best of the best, and we all know viewership declines in Tier 2 when teams are competing to be crowned the best of the second-best.

If the purpose of the ENC is to create an electric event that will captivate audiences around the world by pitting the greatest players from each nation against one another, the likelihood of accomplishing that goal without South Korea is doubtful at best. And given the aforementioned hesitancy of China to compete as well, that’s arguably the two most competitive regions in esports not competing, what’s even the point?

While some events will be relatively unaffected by Korea’s absence, the ENC as a whole bears no weight if the nation that brought us esports in the first place isn’t attending. If Korea is out, then frankly, so am I.

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 to come.

Weeks ago, the OG Dota 2 team made a shocking announcement, benching offlaner Nikko “Nikko” Bilocura and unveiling Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek – a very surprising addition to the lineup.

The team’s coach, 343, recently went on a podcast to spill the beans, and let’s just say he didn’t hold anything back. 

The Malaysian coach was invited onto a podcast on the DotaDoc channel, where he revealed what really happened behind the scenes and why the team ultimately decided to let Nikko go. According to him, the former offlaner was benched due to out-of-game factors. Here’s a summary of 343’s main points:

As someone who has followed Nikko’s journey for quite a while, I can say that he’s very individually skilled and is probably the most mechanically gifted player on the team. 

But if 343’s claims are true, this behavior will do a team more harm than good. Part of being a professional Dota player is having both skill and work ethic; the latter, along with trust, is what keeps a team together.

I mean, 343 has every reason to be furious – I can’t argue with that – but grilling him with no filter on a public podcast is most definitely going to hurt the Filipino’s reputation and career in the long run.

I hope he can bounce back, as he’s a really talented player. 

I know what team I’ll be cheering on for the rest of the season.

The South American Rejects, an unsponsored squad, recently made a deep run at PGL Wallachia Season 8, finishing in the top six. With no form or organizational backing, these guys had to dig into their own wallets to fly to Europe, cover basic necessities, and compete at the event. 

It’s safe to say this ragtag group of Peruvian players exceeded expectations. They took down top teams like Team Yandex and Xtreme Gaming in their Wallachia conquest. Unfortunately, Team Liquid had to ruin the fun, knocking them out of the tournament.

But hey, they were compensated $60,000 for their efforts.

Instead of basking in that bag, the South American Rejects are investing all of it – not in stocks or crypto – but in themselves. They’re using the winnings to stay longer in Europe and bootcamp, where they can scrim against the best teams in the world and sharpen their gameplay.

This is such a cool story and shows just how much they believe in themselves. At Wallachia, they showed great promise. The Rejects would find themselves in the lead in games against top squads like Team Liquid, but often struggled to close out games.

The potential is clearly there, and with a little bit of polishing, I feel like these guys are good for another deep run. They’ve certainly earned my respect, and I hope an org picks them up real soon. 

Speaking of PGL Wallachia, BetBoom Team ended up winning the whole event, and in very convincing fashion. They clearly looked like the best team at the event. 

The squad went 3-0 in groups and didn’t drop a single game in the playoffs, making a flawless run to the grand final. They then swept Eastern European rivals Aurora in the grand final, settling the score at the perfect time. BetBoom Team’s big win means they take home $300,000 and their first tournament win of the year.

The Wallachia trophy also marks the newest addition, Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov’s first S Tier victory. The 23-year-old had some very big shoes to fill after replacing Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko following The International 14. But, he’s been playing very stable Dota and doing his job well.

Still, credit must go to Danil “gpk” Skutin and Vitalie “Save-” Melnic. These guys are clearly BetBoom Team’s best players, with the former voted as the event’s MVP. 

In 2024, former OG and Team Liquid support player Tommy “Taiga” Le was exposed for match-fixing. That’s right – despite being a Major winner and being employed under some of the biggest orgs in the scene, this fella was betting on his own matches, even in S Tier tournaments.

He wasn’t necessarily throwing games, but was playing around with outcomes like First Bloods – things he would influence without blatantly making his team lose. 

Since then, his Dota 2 career has been pretty much over. Taiga went from being a highly respected, wholesome player to one of the most disliked figures in the scene. Not entirely sure what he’s up to these days, but I saw him opening a betting group on Telegram, inviting his followers to join – who knows what’s happening in there. 

In any case, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has finally slammed the ban hammer on Taiga. He was handed a lifetime ban from all ESIC member events.

Took you long enough, ESIC. 

Following TORONTOTOKYO’s seemingly random signing to OG, we have someone else treading in his footsteps. TI winner and European player Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov has also marked Southeast Asia as his next destination. The former Team Liquid player has joined Indonesian squad REKONIX, this time as the team’s coach.

MinD_ContRoL has made ventures to SEA before, finding a brief stint in Team SMG for The International 2023, which didn’t go too well. However, he’s suiting up for a completely different role, transitioning from playing to coaching for the first time.

He finds himself in a squad full of Indonesian players. REKONIX is a team on the rise – they’ve snagged multiple Southeast Asian qualifier slots to make appearances at the biggest events.

However, REKONIX typically struggles against the top dogs and often ends up as cannon fodder. 

MinD_ContRoL looks to make a difference and revive Indonesian Dota 2, as we’ll see his squad compete at DreamLeague Season 29 for their first Tier 1 tournament. And honestly, if REKONIX makes it to the playoffs, he clearly knows something we don’t.

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 Orlando Regional Championships.

A Pokémon GO player, Aaron “Firestar73,” was given a penalty after winning the Grand Finals when he jumped up and pumped his fist in the air. This penalty cost him the win. Now, he’s sharing exactly what happened – and what should happen going forward.

Firestar73 was pretty nervous going into Day 2, but the matches were going quite well throughout the day. It turned out to be the first time he had ever been guaranteed a Top 3 spot.

Before the Grand Finals, Firestar73 was still nervous. He admitted to “shaking” as he walked up to do the pre-match interview. It was a tough battle, and he was able to reset the bracket 3-1. However, when he asked the judges for a break between sets to calm his nerves, they declined.

The intense back-and-forth continued. The judges gave Firestar73 a warning for “two light table hits,” which happened when he felt overwhelmed during the match. He noticed that this wasn’t a warning given to other players who had done this. It was now 2-2 and going into the final game. It was another intense battle, but his team prevailed.

“As soon as the Quagsire fainted, I knew the game was over, as I would win charged attack priority with Empoleon over Corviknight and would take the victory,” he wrote. “I spontaneously fist-pumped seconds before the victory was final, which unknowingly made the table shake because my body was in contact with it. The shaking was very minimal (which is again proven by the video). It affected the broadcast for a singular second. This did not affect the game in any way for me or my opponent — again, this is provable from the video.”

After winning Game 5, he “celebrated” by tossing his headphones down, standing up, and looking toward the crowd. He fist-pumped and then shook hands with his opponent. After catching his breath and hugging his Jirachi plushie, Firestar73 was told that the game win is “in contention” over “unsportsmanlike conduct” in Game 5.

“I was utterly surprised, and my nerves came right back as I saw this unfolding in front of me,” he said.

He waited quite a while to hear what was going on, about an hour. A judge eventually walked over to him with a second-place medal. Some judges came over t o him after that to talk to him, but this was already after the ruling was finalized. Firestar73 added that it was never explicitly stated that his actions actually had a negative impact on the game.

Firestar73’s competitor, NiteTimeClasher, didn’t agree with the ruling and has since called him the “Orlando Regional Champion.” Multiple staff members have also said they don’t agree with the ruling. Tens of thousands of support tickets were sent in regarding the matter, Firestar73 said, but nothing was done.

Now, Firestar73 is arguing that there should be more democracy in the way rulings are made in Pokémon tournaments. I have to agree. With the Head Judge making the final ruling – without having to take into account any other judges’ opinions or listen to any parties involved – this gives this one person far too much power over a situation. Their own personal opinion basically controls the narrative.

I remember similar scenarios happening back when I was more involved in the Pokémon TCG competitive scene. There were always stories of Head Judges making very shocking rulings, ranging from cheating accusations to breaking the code of conduct. Recently, Makani Tran was disqualified from a tournament for offending a non-binary judge who accused Tran of laughing when asked for his pronouns.

If Tran truly was mocking the concept of pronouns, I would not argue the disqualification myself. But I am more concerned about the judge allowing personal feelings to cloud their judgment. After the tournament, Tran explained that he was just laughing awkwardly because he forgot what the third pronoun was and got nervous. He alleges that the judge said to him: “I go by they/them, so don’t be a jerk about it.”

The judge eventually interrupted Tran’s match and disqualified him for violating an inclusive policy and for making someone feel unsafe and uncomfortable. He wasn’t allowed to appeal the disqualification. He wasn’t allowed to explain himself.

He wrote: “I have NEVER been treated so unbelievably unfairly and had such an opportunity just taken from me. For something I didn’t even do. The judge said that while he believed that I had no bad intentions, it didn’t matter because at the end of the day, someone was offended and upset.”

Again: If Tran was truly laughing in the judge’s face, that’s one thing. But we actually don’t know if that’s true or not. Instead of a group of judges making a ruling about the situation after hearing both sides, we just see the young player be disqualified over the sole feelings of that one judge.

That shouldn’t be allowed.

At a regional in Milwaukee in 2025, Lorenzo Arce was disqualified during a wild 5-0 streak because a judge believed he was receiving signals from someone in the crowd. He can be seen nodding in the livestream, but most in the community are not convinced that this was some sort of communication with a crowd member. At the time, someone accused the judge of being on a “power trip.” The Head Judge had also given three of Lorenzo’s opponents a retroactive win, which messed up the entire bracket. More transparency into the judge’s ruling was demanded.

Judges should be discussing these serious accusations and punishments before dishing them out. And they should be talking to the player and others involved to get all sides of the story before making a final decision. The player should also be able to appeal.

Not every decision will be in the competitor’s favor, sure. But they should have a chance to explain themselves.

Super Smash Bros. Melee pro Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma has been heavily invested in the disqualification of Firestar73. Not only did the regional take place in his hometown of Orlando, but Hungrybox is known for his very emotional and dramatic pop-offs. This includes throwing a chair and even passing out. He really felt for Firestar73, who celebrated after the very intense and challenging Grand Finals.

“I’m known to be one of the biggest celebrators after a clutch victory,” Hungrybox said. “I think pop-offs and celebrations are one of the most important things that we should never demote someone for.”

He brought up another pop-off issue at the Pittsburgh Regional in 2026. While celebrating, a card fell out of Abaan Ahmed’s deck. He entered the finals with one card missing, prompting a judge to abruptly pause the match.

“Strange situations that you’d think there’d be a little bit of understanding,” Hungrybox said, noting that it can be easily fixed. “It seems weird to end someone’s entire day over something so trivial. It doesn’t sit right with me.”

The Pokémon Company came out in defense of the judge, although this was way after the tournament wrapped up. While they said they support celebrations, they don’t support actions that “can negatively impact competitive integrity.” However, it’s unclear how the pop-off truly impacted the game. As Firestar73 said, there is no proof that the game was disrupted in any way.

For now, Firestar73 is not the official champion of the Orlando Regional. However, he has competed in about 10 Pokémon events since. It’s great that this situation hasn’t killed his passion for competing. But we can’t ignore the continued questionable rulings from Pokémon judges.

As Hungrybox said, there has to be some kind of nuance. Someone losing an entire tournament over nervously shaking a table is a strange decision. Not allowing a teenager to speak about his actions before booting him out of the venue is a strange decision.

Something to think about before the Pokémon regional in Los Angeles. I’ll be there, but it’s a bummer to see the competitors being treated so poorly and with such scrutiny when the competitive community is already quite small.

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 appearing in the Top 8 of virtually all the tournaments he entered, here’s the rundown of the most interesting stories last weekend.

Punk is arguably one of the best Street Fighter players to have ever come out of the United States of America. He won Evo Vegas 2024, a lot of Capcom Pro Tour premier events, and a whole lot of tournaments.

Literally the only thing missing in his resume is winning the Capcom Cup.

While that title still eludes him, he showed up at LVL UP EXPO 2026 and swept his opponents in Street Fighter 6. Punk actually entered the Top 8 of the bracket from the loser’s side of things after Michael “Riddles” Kim robbed him of his chances to win the tournament flawlessly. He crawled from the loser’s side, won the runback against Riddles 3-0, and then proceeded to win nailbiter games against NYChrisG for the back-to-back LVL UP EXPO title.

As a professional 0-2’er, winning a tournament from the loser’s side is much more impressive than winning it from the winner’s side. I don’t have much more recent data, but according to this random Reddit guy from 11 years ago, Smash tournaments are overwhelmingly won from the winner’s side. Players from the loser’s side of the bracket have less than 20% chance of winning the whole thing. I bet my money that the statistic is pretty similar across fighting games.

Right after his win, Punk went straight to catch a flight to Japan, where he’s now staying and talking about how heated toilets “hit different” in Japan.

Never change, Punk.

Over to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate side of things, Doramigi also won his back-to-back, beating his friends and rivals to solidify himself as the best Smash Ultimate player in the world.

And to tell you the truth, this kid is getting kind of scary.

His Liquipedia page lists all his placements in tournaments he’s entered, and it shows that the last time he wasn’t in the Top 8 was in 2024. That’s two years of consistency! It’s reminiscent of Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez Perez’s dominance in early Ultimate from 2020 up until Smash Ultimate Summit 5 in 2023, where he got sent home early.

While there’s an argument to be had that Doramigi isn’t entering as many tournaments as MkLeo back in the day, cut the kid some slack; he still has school to attend.

Based on his tweet above, Doramigi’s next tournament appears to be Kagaribi, which takes place the day after Evo Japan 2026. It’s a Premier tournament with a lot of international talent flying in, including MkLeo and even Riddles. I mean, you’re already there for Evo Japan, might as well stay for a few more days to play a Smash tournament!

There are very few people in the FGC who have risen to NYChrisG’s heights. He won the Capcom Cup back when it wasn’t a $1 million tournament with atrocious prize distribution, and he has a couple of Evo titles under his belt.

However, that doesn’t stop him from entering huge tournaments and making a bank out of it.

Just to put things into context, Punk won $4,750 after placing first in Street Fighter 6 and fourth in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. NYChrisG, on the other hand, placed second in Street Fighter 6, second in Street Fighter 4, third in 2XKO, fourth in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, fourth in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and ninth in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves for a total winning of $3,500.

That’s not too bad for a fighting game haul, considering that our prize pools are low compared to other esports. Not just that, it’s a lot more than what other players got for placing first in their respective games! Guilty Gear -STRIVE-, for example, only awarded $700 to its first-place competitor.

This is not a diss to FGC prize pools (but also kinda, please fund us more), but it’s more of a testament to how NYChrisG can juggle multiple fighting games. Most players nowadays play only certain fighting games and never really touch others, which usually results in meaningless discourse. In my opinion, playing a variety of fighting games (while confusing due to muscle memory and other variables) will improve your fundamentals and understanding of fighting games as a whole.

But that’s just me.

Continuing his ways, NYChrisG sets his sights on Evo Japan, entering The King of Fighters XV, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and the 2XKO brackets. If you’re wondering why there’s no Street Fighter 6 there, apparently, the bracket had a player limit, and he couldn’t register on time.

After failing to get to the Top 8 at the Tekken World Tour Finals 2025, Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique seems to have found his footsies (get it?) just in time for his first-to-seven set against Yuta “Chikurin” Take on April 29th, 2026.

Arslan Ash hasn’t dropped a game in LVL UP EXPO 2026, washing all his opponents aside and taking home his back-to-back title.

The seven-time Evo champion hasn’t won a tournament since Evo France 2025, and this win should be a confidence boost not just for the first-to-seven set, but also for Evo Japan, which happens right after.

Arslan Ash is now back in Japan, where he has been staying since February of this year. This gives him one day to prepare for his set against Chikurin. In my opinion, Arslan Ash has the edge in this bout, as he has a positive win rate against Chikurin in Tekken 7 tournaments. However, in Tekken 8, Chikurin is a different beast, and the two have traded sets, resulting in a 1-1 record.

While the upcoming match is going to be an exhibition of good ass Tekken, I think that it should’ve been Arslan Ash vs Knee, and then make it a first-to-ten. Maybe even make it the main event.

Riddles’ transition to Street Fighter 6 has been one of the smoothest ones I’ve seen so far, and it’s not even close.

It’s rare for a Super Smash Bros. player to find success in another part of the FGC, and the only other person I can think of is William “Leffen” Hjelte, who transitioned from Melee to Guilty Gear -STRIVE-.

The Terry Bogard main had a smooth bracket up until the winner’s finals of Top 8, where he fought NYChrisG and lost 3-1. It didn’t end there, as a rampaging Punk blasted him out of the tournament in third place.

However, this is still a very respectable placing for Riddles, considering that he sent Punk to the loser’s bracket. On top of that, he also beat GO1, one of the best Street Fighter 6 players in the world.

This kid’s evolution is truly something to behold. He announced his intent to focus on Street Fighter 6 a year ago and has been doing wonderfully ever since. He has qualified for the Esports World Cup as a free agent and has finished second at the Street Fighter League Pro-US 2025 alongside Punk, Alan “Nephew” Sun, and Shawn “Psycho” Williams.

Just like the other competitors here, Riddles has his eyes on that Evo Japan 2026 title and has a fair chance at it.

I recently said we needed more events like Evo, and I meant it. The fighting game esports scene features multi-title events that bring the community together in a way that mainstream esports titles haven’t yet figured out. LVL UP EXPO just wrapped up over the weekend, another event that featured the FGC heavily, and there was a lot of good about it.

But the esports community did notice one thing that soured the celebration: it’s sponsored by the U.S. Army.

This is actually not a new debate at all. For years, gamers have argued that the U.S. Army should not be allowed to sponsor esports events, teams, and organizations. Back when Cloud9 was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force in 2020, which also sponsored ELEAGUE tournaments around that time, the esports scene began to lash out. But the trend continued: KC Pioneers partnered with the Army National Guard for multiple years, and Complexity has also been sponsored by the U.S. Army.

Having army-related advertisements on stream, booths with military members at events, and plastering army logos and lingo on esports jerseys felt very predatory to the esports community. But there’s a reason it keeps happening. It’s clear that the branches of the military see esports as a potential recruiting ground for young men. The esports demographic is perfect.

Back in 2020, pro-military website We are the Mighty wrote an article about how “awesome” it is that the U.S. Air Force is getting involved with esports: “This means that the United States Air Force has recognized the recruitment possibility in getting exposure in a new, emerging venue.

This offers legitimacy to the world of eSports. This means that a branch of the United States Armed Forces sees the possibility of attracting potential recruits out of the pool of people watching eSports events. All jokes about the Air Force aside, younger, nerdy adults are kind of the Air Force’s target demographic — and they have been looking into many different avenues to meet recruitment numbers.

Since the Air Force has been pushing heavily for the cyber fields, this partnership makes absolute sense.”

I won’t even comment on the use of “eSport” here. But you get the idea: the U.S. Army wants to appeal to young and impressionable boys who may see it as a cool opportunity to use their mechanical skills in real life instead.

I am not saying I am for or against the military. This is not a commentary on whether I like what the U.S. military is currently involved in. This is me saying I don’t think the military should be allowed to sponsor esports organizations or events, regardless of my opinion of our military’s operations.

I’m not a fan of targeting an impressionable group of people in general, which is also why I’d argue against crypto, gambling, and other sponsors that could lead to life-changing decisions from irrational teenage boys. But this is part of the military’s usual strategy: target poorer, younger demographics that want a way out, that are enticed by the idea of having a purpose, of having money, of maybe gaining citizenship.

Truth in Recruitment’s Kate Connell told Teen Vogue that the U.S. Army often brings old military equipment and virtual reality games to schools as part of its recruitment efforts. She explained: “Students are participating in something that’s about the military, that glamorizes the military, that makes it sort of a game.”

To be clear, LVL UP EXPO is not owned by the U.S. Army; it’s just sponsored by the U.S. Army. However, a lot of people feel that taking money from the military in exchange for it getting promoted on stream is the same thing as attending an esports event funded by Saudi Arabian interests.

And with so many people in esports lashing out against the growing presence of Saudi Arabia, they want people to have that same energy for events sponsored by the U.S. Army.

Others, however, feel that it’s “virtue signaling” to care about the U.S. Army’s involvement in LVL UP EXPO. A lot of people are forgiving towards LVL UP EXPO because it probably just needed the money. However, that’s likely why Evo was also sold to a Saudi Arabian company. And that’s why so many esports organizations are competing in the Esports World Cup and Esports Nations Cup: the foundation behind them offers a massive paycheck to any team that competes.

In the end, it’s just all about money because esports doesn’t have any. But is selling out your fanbase for money really the only answer? I’m not here to offer an alternative way to make money since I’m not part of that decision-making process for these events. However, I am here to offer my opinion, even if it doesn’t matter to everyone: the U.S. Army and other military-related entities should not be in esports.

Sponsorships are inherently about persuading viewers. But convincing a teenage boy he needs to subscribe to Netflix is nowhere near as sinister and life-changing as convincing him he should sign up for the U.S. Army.

I’ve been one of the haters booing Evo‘s expansion. After Saudi Arabian company RTS took control of Evo and announced a bunch of tournaments, I was pretty bummed. Like Arslan Ash, I felt this would ruin the prestige of the cumulative event in Las Vegas.

However, there is a lot of nuance in the discussion as to why I am not a proponent of Saudi Arabia taking control of another corner of the esports industry. And it’s not really the idea of fighting game players having more events in general. In fact, I think we need more big events like Evo, and not just for the FGC.

There has been a lot of talk lately about esports needing to be “saved.” While we all love to say things are “dying,” I’d moreso argue that esports just isn’t thriving. Most mainstream esports titles are not seeing massive growth in viewership or money. Sponsors, investors, publishers, and tournament organizers are all struggling to even see how esports can become viable, especially since it’s free to watch the events online.

And if any esports even dare to charge a measly $10, the fanbase will boycott it.

The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational saw 2.3 million peak viewers in 2023, 4.8 million peak viewers in 2024, and 3.44 million in 2025. There is no real pattern of growth here. Nothing points to League of Legends, arguably the most popular esports title in the world, becoming massively bigger as time goes on.

The International is Dota 2‘s biggest event each year. In 2023, it had 1.44 million peak viewers. In 2024, that crept to 1.51 million. Then, 2025 had around 1.79 million. Again, esports isn’t dying. It’s just… Existing. The fans stick around for a while. But there aren’t many new fans. I’d still count esports as a pretty niche interest.

Ask most people what esports is and they’ll think it’s their younger cousin playing Fortnite or mention some annoying streamer on Kick. Most people are not watching high-level pro players on a stage. I’d argue that this will always be the case, and that esports will never be mainstream. You’re not going to see a Street Fighter 6 or Apex Legends pro flossing at the Macy’s Day Parade on television. And honestly, thank god.

However, the real issue is that the hype is dying down within that existing esports fanbase. A few years ago, you’d hear people discussing team rivalries a lot more, maybe even see that trash talk play out all over social media and in the sky. You’d see non-stop memes flooding your timeline. You’d see matches being dissected on Reddit. You’d see people arguing who the GOAT is.

The last few years, it’s felt almost forced. The broadcasts aren’t spicy. The drama is formulaic. The fanbase isn’t passionately arguing about anything. Sometimes it’s hard for the writers here to even find a good story to dive into. A lot of things are surface-level.

I’ve seen a few arguments as to what could “save” esports from this continued decline in hype. What will keep the fans invested? Passionate? Some have said to embrace mobile games more. The fanbase over in South Asia is pretty big, and there are entire countries obsessed with mobile esports. I don’t know if that can be recreated in North America and Europe, however.

I think the real answer lies within the fighting game community.

Don’t kill me for saying this again, but the fighting game community is built on grassroots passion. Grit. Determination. There’s no money on the line. Maybe a few thousand if you’re lucky. There’s no fame. You’re not going to be well-known outside of the FGC. Most people outside of the FGC don’t know what’s happening over here.

But they keep grinding, 10 hours a day for years on end. They fly to tournaments they can’t afford to attend. They are obsessed. It’s that kind of spirit that the rest of esports needs to embrace.

Esports has been fighting to become mainstream, taking inspiration from traditional sports. The organized seasons. The franchise teams. But again, it all feels manufactured. It all feels stale. Forced. Corporate.

Over in the FGC, there is chaos, lore, salt, rivalries, mayhem. The fanbase may be small, but they are mighty. They are invested.

How can we recreate that kind of spirit with Counter-Strike 2? With League of Legends? These games already have a lot of fans, more viewership than the FGC can dream of. But how can they have hype?

I think they need more events like Evo.

Evo is a celebration of all things fighting games. Almost every existing fighting game scene competes at Evo, all gathering in a massive convention center to grind together and watch matches on dozens of screens. While these fighting games are usually treated as outsiders at other events, they are beloved and respected here.

Every fighting game has a distinct fanbase. They are all different. Some smellier than others. Kidding. Sort of. But at Evo, they all come together to celebrate fighting games as a whole. Even if you came to watch Tekken 8, you’ll check out Guilty Gear -Strive-. You’ll cheer for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. It creates a sense of camaraderie.

Mainstream esports used to have that with the Major League Gaming (MLG), back when it used to run LAN events for shooters like Call of Duty and Halo all in the same building. This was not just an esports tournament. This was a gathering of FPS sweats who wanted to feel they belonged and to see nerds being cheered on stage.

I think we should drop all the theatrics and bring back these genuine community events. That’s why I fear Evo’s purchase. The desperation to reach a larger audience by having streamer showmatches and the like just doesn’t feel as true to the nature of the FGC. Of gaming. Remember back in the day when everyone lugged their computers over for a LAN? Or you’d have to hack the high school’s firewalls to play StarCraft while in the library? Back in that time, esports was like a celebration of the dorks that used to get made fun of. It was a way to feel a sense of community.

Now, we get streamer showmatches. We get teams walking on stage with fog machines and rap music. We get massive productions with live performances between matches. It feels like we are trying to fit in with mainstream folks again. Look, we are having so much fun over here! Look, we are successful and cool! Why not just accept that we are all nerds? Why not just focus on what esports is all about: talent, passion, grit. Who cares about all this other stuff?

Super Smash Bros. event Supernova gets it. It announced a return this year at a larger venue. Twice the space. But instead of selling out with random mainstream titles or other attempts at appealing to the masses, it announced even more stuff that Smash players like. Supernova is a celebration of the Smash community. There are major tournaments, yes, but also arcades, old-school tournaments, the Smash 64 Combo Contest, The Smashies award show… This is a way to bring all of the Smash communities together, even if they normally don’t all get along.

If esports organizations and tournament organizers can stop trying to appeal to the masses and bring esports back to its roots, I think the hype would be saved. None of the Chipotle ads or crypto sponsors have won over more fans. The viewership is stagnant. Let’s just focus on the true esports fans and give them what they want.