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Team Vitality CEO Neo: "For Us to be a Global Leader Means Being a Contender at EWC"
Team Vitality remains one of the most influential and well-known esports organizations to date. The Paris-based org fields over 20 esports teams in various esports, though their immensely impressive results in Counter-Strike take center stage.
Being one of the organizations present at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, we managed to speak with Fabien "Neo" Devide, Co-Founder and CEO of the Hive, just after an interview with Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, at the opening press conference at EWC.
Neo provided a ton of insight into the organization's participation at this year's edition of EWC in Paris. He expressed his desire for the org to perform to the highest standards, but also highlighted that rivalry is key to grow the ecosystem. Additionally, Neo gave strong opinions on the growth of mobile esports following last year's Vitality's takeover and merger with Indonesian side Bigetron, stressing the need for innovation and following ideas in the east, as much as the west.
*The below interview has been lightly edited for brevity and conciseness.
Eyeing a Top 3 Finish at EWC 2026
Strafe: Team Vitality is fielding so many teams at this event. It's a crazy amount. What are your expectations for Vitality’s performance at EWC Paris this year?
I think it’s common sense to say that our expectation is to, well, give a [good] fight at every competition that we are engaged in. And the second one is… Well, of course last year, we finished third in a bit of a dramatic fashion because we were really close to finishing second. So we have this vision, at least to protect our third place [this year], and to dream about second place… and why not even the first place?
[Getting] first place will be really hard because once again, Falcons is well equipped and have been programmed from the very beginning to win this event. So that will make the competition really tense but if they underperform and we overperform with the help of the crowd and this extra motivation to playing in front of our crowd, then maybe we can dream about it but let’s stay realistic. And being realistic, a really good result would be third place, second place would be magical.
Staying a Global Leader While Innovating
Strafe: I wanted to ask about allocating resources. Obviously, Vitality has so many teams being involved in so many esports. How do you decide that and what does the process look like when deciding where and how to allocate resources?
I think it depends. It’s a bit of an opportunistic fashion for sure. We have our core games. Core games are the ones that are important in the ecosystem of the EWC. For example Counter-Strike, Rocket League, League of Legends, these games are here for decades in Vitality, we will operate them no matter what. And then, there will be the games that we discover through the tournament, you know?
Like for example Mobile Legends and the fact that Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines are so massive, and they are so unknown from the western side of the world. So it was also a good way to have this kind of spotlight and realization that there is something else besides Counter-Strike and League of Legends.
And ultimately, you just try to measure your risk versus opportunity and risk means that if there is an opportunity to get one thousand points because Mobile Legends earn you as much as Counter Strike does [at EWC], I think that at some point you choose to have to allocate the resources that you believe that will probably make you be in the front hall (Winners Hall of Fame). This is what we are trying to measure - our risk having a budget that is still disciplined, because ultimately the goal of Vitality is to be profitable and to be a business that is healthy and self-sustainable.
So for us it is something that we try to negotiate while staying a global leader. And for us to be a global leader means being a contender at EWC. But ultimately, this is a mix of a lot of things, but it’s more about being opportunistic on where we can dominate and where we also have commercial opportunities in terms of fan acquisitions, new markets, or expansion. So for us, the EWC has been a massive opportunity to accelerate and grow in general.
Mobile Esports on the Rise
Strafe: You’ve mentioned the eastern side of the world. I have a question about the Bigetron acquisition and regional expansion of Team Vitality, meaning expansion into mobile esports. That shows great importance for Vitality as an esports organization. Do you think that the future of esports lies in the mobile market, or do you think it’s simply just one segment of it?
Well, I think we have to [expand into the eastern markets]. Bigetron was a no-brainer for us, because first, I think what I witnessed in Jakarta in Indonesia is already what I witnessed in Europe 12 or 15 years ago. I think I have the same feeling, same energy and the same appetite to grow something, The community is there. Eyeballs are there. And I also think that this side of the world, I think, like PCs, is not as dominant as it is in the western world, so I think like mobile it is a matter of time that it will probably also catch up even in Europe.
People now, they want to play in transportation, they’re always on the phone in this new generation that is coming. They are a bunch of iPad kids and I don’t want to sound silly, but that’s how it is, it's like that. There’s less [people] playing console or PC so I think it will be a matter of time when mobile gaming will take over. And I think it's good that we learn the basics with those countries that are super advanced [in mobile gaming].
For us it's just a good opportunity and it also humbles us. That’s because what we are doing in Indonesia with Bigetron is so amazing that we have to respect them. And that's why we didn't want to come with Vitality and say, “Okay, we want this team with this lineup,” and create something that is an LC for the market, and just, you know, like, Vex and the local heroes that are doing and building the foundation of their discipline for many years. So, I think that's why this acquisition slash merger makes a ton of sense. And I think it was probably the smoothest transition and plan for us.
Rivalry is Key
Strafe: About fan culture and where your hub is, so naturally Paris, France. So you have some big rivals here. Karmine Corp, Gentle Mates being prime examples. Do you think it’s good to have local rivals or on the flip side, when your team plays against KC or M8 in whatever esport, they have more pressure to perform and it becomes more of a detrimental thing?
I think rivalry and competition in general are key because if you want to be alone, then you will be alone in a small market and it makes zero sense. Those guys increase the sailing (put wind in the sails). And you know what I like to say, and it sounds a bit quirky but Gentle Mates and Karmine Corp exist because of Vitality. Most of their players and staff come from our organization, they learned from us, and they watched us do stuff 13 years ago. So I think it's probably a good tribute that they project themselves in the ecosystem that we started to build like Millenium have done before us and I think ultimately, it’s a good way.
And as for me, I like competition. Because winning without competition is not the same thing. It pushes us to do better locally because we were focusing more globally for the last years. And right now because of those guys we need to look back on what they are doing and the way that they are growing in the new generation. And the way that they use influence to generate revenue or doing those crazy events filled with 40,000 people just because of YouTube and Twitch, and it’s a marketing stance, you know? So for me, it's really important that we have both a new generation like taking over as well, challenging us and making sure that we evolve, and we are not self-centered and we have the thing that we are better than anyone. We are not, and I think sport is all about humility.
Stay tuned for more exclusive interviews, news, and scorelines from this year's Esports World Cup 2026 in the heart of France at Strafe.
Featured Image Credit: Exclusive to Strafe Esports
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