News - Page 3

Overwatch 2 x One-Punch Man Returns with Two New Skins
The iconic anime crossover is back! Blizzard has brought back the Overwatch 2 x One-Punch Man collaboration for a limited run from October 16 to 29, celebrating One-Punch Man Season 3 with new heroes, returning favorites, and fan-favorite rewards. Two New Heroes Join the Roster The second wave of this collab introduces two brand-new skins: Garou Wuyang and Hellish Blizzard Ashe. Wuyang channels the chaotic energy of Garou, the fierce Hero Hunter. His new visage enhances Wuyang’s fighting style withmore

The Esports Awards 2025 Voting Is Open: Complete List of Nominees
Celebrating excellence across esports in all shapes and forms, the Esports Awards return for their tenth iteration! The Esports Awards 2025 Ceremony is set to honor several names across the industry on November 19th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The final list of nominees is out, so make sure to head to this link and vote for the esports titles, players, teams, and personalities that you think deserve to be recognized for their contributions throughout the year among categories such as "Esports Game of the Year", "Streamer of the Year", and many more. Esports Awards 2025 Nominees To give you a glimpsemore

Esports World Cup 2026 Titles Revealed; Four More to Come
We may still be a ways away from the start of the event, but the Esports World Cup has already announced its lineup of game titles for 2026. Set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between July and August of next year, the EWC 2026 will feature a total of 24 titles; 20 of which have now been announced. The remaining 4 will be revealed at a later date, keeping fans intrigued for what's to come. Esports World Cup 2026: Titles Revealed The 20 titles revealed for the EWC 2026 will include some of the biggest games on themore

Riot Games Accidentally Reveals Warwick as New 2XKO Fighter
Riot Games has leaked the new fighter for 2XKO. The official Brazilian Twitter account for the game accidentally uploaded a promotional video revealing Warwick as the eleventh playable character, ahead of his formal announcement. The post was swiftly deleted, but fans had already captured footage of the reveal. This marks the third time Riot has spoiled its own announcements — first with Blitzcrank’s artwork appearing on an official page, and later when a Season Pass datamine uncovered Teemo as the tenth champion. Warwick’s inclusion continues the steady expansion of the roster and hints that Riot may be accelerating its post-launchmore

Riot Games Unleashes Teemo for 2XKO Season 0 Lineup
Riot Games has officially revealed Teemo as the tenth fighter in 2XKO, set to join the game’s roster and early access launch on October 7, 2025. Teemo’s arrival brings a unique blend of personality and strategic depth to the 2v2 tag fighting game, offering both longtime League of Legends fans and new players a new character to master. Teemo’s Playstyle and Key Moves Teemo’s fighting style in 2XKO draws directly from his League of Legends origins, focusing on setup-heavy, trap-based, and zoning gameplay. His toolkit includes laying traps, aiming his signature blow darts, and manipulating the battlefield with various obstacles.more

EA Games is acquired for $55 Billion in Saudi Arabia's latest move to monopolize esports
The $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA Games) by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the latest (but not the last) movement we will continue seeing by petrodollars owners in their quest to dominate yet another ecosystem. Beyond the sheer financial magnitude, this symbolizes a shift toward centralized control of competitive gaming by a single geopolitical entity. For esports stakeholders, players, fans, developers, and organizations, this new reality demands a critical, nuanced examination, beforemore

What Drives Viewership: Breaking Down Esports Success
At its core, esports is a marketing tool for competitive games to showcase the full spectrum of the possibilities. What started as local LAN parties and gaming conventions has now grown into a full-fledged industry; an industry that fills arenas, supports thousands of careers and impacts millions of lives daily. These events that started small, now support an investment market with a humble valuation of $3.7 billion (2025) and is expected to rise to $40 billion before 2034. This growingmore

Blitzcrank joins 2XKO Closed Beta
Riot Games’ 2v2 tag-team fighting game’s roster just got bigger. Along with the release of the closed beta on Tuesday, September 9, League’s Support Champion Blitzcrank will join 2XKO. Blitzcrank joins the fold The indestructible automaton from Zaun, Blitzcrank is one of the oldest Champions introduced to League of Legends. Previously designed as a Tank/Support champion, Blitzcrank is currently a bot lane Support mainstay. Similar to its League version, 2XKO Blitzcrank has the “Rocket Grab” and the iterations of themore

Luka Dončić and Overwatch 2: An Unexpected Crossover?
Luka Dončić Overwatch 2 is official, and it is more than a headline. The Los Angeles Lakers star enters Season 18 as “Sharpshooter 77”, bringing an athlete’s competitive edge to Blizzard’s Stadium mode. The fit is natural: Dončić is a high-level player who has publicly reached Grandmaster and Top 500 on tank, and Season 18 turns that credibility into gameplay-driven rewards, builds, and challenges tailored for esports-minded fans. Why This Crossover Lands Overwatch 2’s meta rewards spacing, initiation, and tempomore

All the Winners of the Esports Awards 2025
The Esports Awards 2025, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, served as a celebration marking not just a year but an entire decade of esports excellence from 2015 to 2025. The event celebrated the most influential players, teams, organizers, publishers, personalities, and moments that shaped the global esports community across this pivotal era. Here is a detailed look at all the major winners crowned during this historic ceremony. Game of the Decade: League of Legends The crown for Esports Game of the Decade was awarded to League of Legends. As one of the most-viewed esports titles ever, League of Legends hasmore

Esports Nations Cup Announced for 2026: 100+ Countries, 15 games, one stage
After the success of the Esports World Cup featuring some of the best organizations, the EWCF now plans to organize an even bigger fiesta — the Esports Nations Cup. In November 2026, the best esports athletes from around the world will gather in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, donning their national colors. What do we know about the Esports Nations Cup? At the New Global Sport Conference 2025, the EWCF officially announced the Esports Nations Cup, a tournament featuring national teams. “Nation versus nation competition is the ultimate expression of sport. The ENC makes this a reality for esports, giving every fanmore

Team Falcons claims back-to-back EWC Club Championships
Team Falcons has successfully defended their EWC Club Championship title, securing their second crown in the 2025 edition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While this back-to-back victory represents a remarkable achievement, the path to glory reveals a narrative about financial resources, participation breadth, and the surprisingly competitiveness other organizations were able to achieve, almost spoiling Falcons party. Falcons' multi-title assault Team Falcons approached the 2025 Esports World Cup with a clear strategy; compete in nearly everything. The Saudi Arabian organizationmore

Overwatch 2 Season 18: Stadium Modes, Support Hero Wuyang, New Hero Progression System and More
A new water-based Support Hero is ready to make a splash with Overwatch 2 Season 18, along with Stadium Quick Play, new Hero perks, rank reset, new skins, battlepass, new game, hero skin rating and more. Let’s take a look at what the new season has in store for the players. Stadium Mode Levels up Season 18 brings numerous additions to the existing stadium mode. Winston, Brigitte, Pharah and Tracer (a little later) join the Stadium Hero rotation. Faster, Lightermore

Magnus Carlsen wins the inaugural Chess Esports World Cup
The current no.1 Chess player, Magnus Carlsen, has won the inaugural Chess Esports World Cup by defeating Alireza Firouzja in the Grand Finals. With the win, Magnus has won $250k for himself and 1000 Club Championship points for Team Liquid. Chess at EWC 2025: A Recap The EWC 2025 Chess action kicked off with the LCQs featuring 16 players. Only five of them made it through: Nihal Sarin Javokhir Sindarov Levon Aronian Anish Giri Andrey Episenko These joined the 11more

Olympic Esports Games Confirmed for Riyadh 2027 as Part of 12-Year Partnership
The International Olympic Committee has officially confirmed that the inaugural Olympic Esports Games will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2027. The announcement comes almost one year after the 142nd IOC Session took place in Paris on July 2024, where members unanimously voted to create this new Olympic competition. IOC Decision and Timeline The IOC made history when it decided to create the Olympic Esports Games during its session held alongside the 2024 Paris Olympics. Initially planned for 2025,more

Overwatch 2 Launches New Team Skins and Legendary Radiant Angel Mercy Skin
The excitement is building as the Overwatch Champions Series Midseason Championship approaches, with the prestigious esports tournament set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 31 to August 3, 2025. To celebrate this intense competition, Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled a fresh batch of exclusive OWCS Partner Team Skins alongside a stunning new Legendary Radiant Angel Mercy skin, all available starting July 22. These limited-time offerings not only let players show off their fandom in-game but also directly supportmore

Chess EWC 2025: Players, Format, Schedule, Results, and More
The Chess EWC 2025 is on the horizon. The event will officially introduce chess into the esports scene, bridging the gap between a traditional board game and modern PC gaming. The inaugural tournament will be played on Chess.com and will act as the CCT conclusion. It will also bring some of the biggest names in the Chess world to the esports stage. Let's take a look at what the tournament has in store for us. Format and Players The Chessmore

Overwatch 2 Hero Ban Rates so far: All You Need to Know
The introduction of Overwatch 2 Hero Bans in Season 16 has transformed the way competitive Overwatch is playing, giving players a lot more control over their match experience than ever before. Since the system's launch on April 22, 2025, extensive data has revealed fascinating patterns in how the community approaches these strategic decisions. Understanding which heroes face the highest ban rates (and why) has become key for anyone eager to climb the ranks or simply stay ahead of the strategicmore

Esports World Cup Fantasy Game Lets You Fight for a Share of $200,000
The Esports World Cup Fantasy Game allow fans to interact with the world's largest esports tournament. For the first time in the tournament's history (EWC 2025), spectators can actively participate in the competition beyond just watching, creating a more immersive and engaging experience. What is EWC Fantasy? EWC Fantasy is a free-to-play fantasy sports platform that allows fans to create virtual teams using real professional esports players and compete for cash prizes. Developed in partnership with Genius Sports, the platform features a massive $200,000 prizemore

"There's no other event in esports that's operating at this scale" Fabian Scheuermann on the Challenges and Ambitions of the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup has returned for its second year with even more games and prestige on the line. With all the excitement of major titles as League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and VALORANT to name a few participating, as well as well-established organizations such as T1, Sentinels, and Team Liquid in attendance, the EWC has become a collecting centre for esports fans to enjoy all their favorite titles in one extravaganza. Recently, Strafe Esports sat down with Fabianmore
