Tag: eSports

Iceland rumored to host 2021 League of Legends World Championship Series

The Mid-Season Invitational was in Iceland, so why not Worlds?

Riot Games recently announced that the 2021 League of Legends World Championship Series would be moving from China to Europe, and it looks like Iceland might be hosting the event.

While Riot Games have yet to confirm if Iceland is where the tournament will play out, a Dot Esports report claims that will be the case. Given that several big League of Legends events have taken place in Iceland, including the Mid-Season Invitational back in May, it’s not hard to believe Riot Games would return for the 2021 League of Legends World Championship Series.

One thing’s for sure, though: shifting the event from one region to another is due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We figured 2020 would be the hardest Worlds we’ve ever produced,” said John Needham, Global Head of Esports at Riot Games, in a press release. “With vaccines being distributed worldwide this year, we anticipated a return to some sort of “normal” in 2021. Well, unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case. With the Delta variant, travel restrictions and COVID protocols have been even MORE complicated to navigate in 2021 than they were in 2020.”

You can watch Needham’s complete statement about moving the 2021 League of Legends World Championship Series from China to Europe below. 

Like everything else in the world these days, COVID-19 continues to make live esports events challenging. Hopefully, by the time the 2022 League of Legends World Championships happen in North America, there will be some semblance of normalcy.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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League of Legends World Championship Series returns to North America in 2022

The biggest esports event in the world is coming back to North America.

It turns out that the 2022 League of Legends World Championships will take place in North America. 

Chris Greely, LCS Commissioner at Riot Games, confirmed during an interview with content creator Travis Gafford that the wildly popular international tournament series would take place in several unannounced cities across the continent. Of course, this is all COVID-19 permitting, but all the same: it’s a huge deal! North America hasn’t hosted a League of Legends tournament of this scale since the 2016 World Championships in Los Angeles. 

Check out the clip from Gafford’s interview where Greely breaks the news for yourself below.

There’s been plenty of fan speculation that the 2022 League of Legends World Championships would happen in the region already, but now it’s a certainty. No news just yet as to the cities hosting the events, but at least League of Legends fans in North America won’t have to travel far to attend this time.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard kicks off ‘Rainbow Six: Siege’ esports team

The midfielder is dipping his toes into the world of esports.

Yup, you read that headline right: Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has started a Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege team called Jlingz Esports. Formerly known as Team JLE, Jlingz Esports came about after Lingard acquired the European organization Audacity Esports.

“My JLINGZ brand has been growing for a number of years but to finally dive into esports and add my own teams to JLINGZ is incredible,” said Lingard in a press release. “Esports has everything for me it’s fast-paced and competitive, the community is amazing and it’s been great to have Ubisoft’s support on this journey too. Watch this space, JLINGZ esports is going all the way!”

Lingard shared a video on Twitter announcing Jlingz Esports, which you can check out for yourself below.

“We’re thrilled to have Jesse on board and look forward to someone who knows all about competing at the highest level bringing his expertise to the UK and Irish scene,” Will Attwood, Esports Marketing Manager from Ubisoft UK, added in the same press release.

“Rainbow Six Esports and the UK & Ireland Nationals are going from strength-to-strength; to have someone as well-known and respected as Jesse Lingard involved is a testament to the game’s enduring popularity within the local esports community.”

From Lingard’s involvement in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege to former Valorant pro Rowan Crothers winning gold at the 2020 Paralympics, traditional sports and esports seem to be having a lot of crossovers lately.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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‘Halo Infinite’ developer explains why its campaign wasn’t at Gamescom

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer looks great, but the campaign has been missing in action for a while.

Despite most people’s palpable elation over Halo Infinite’s release date announcement at Gamescom, some are upset that its single-player campaign mode was a no-show. Joseph Staten, head of Creative at 343 Industries, took the time to address those disappointed fans.

“I definitely hear the disappointment about not seeing Campaign gameplay on the broadcast,” said Staten in a blog post on Halo Waypoint. “The whole Halo Infinite team is in shutdown mode. This means we’re done with feature work and focused on crushing high-priority bugs. We’re spending lots of time playing the game, verifying fixes, and generally doing all we can to ensure campaign (and Multiplayer!) plays great on all platforms.”

Much of the disappointment comes from the fact that there hasn’t been a Halo Infinite campaign demo since July 2020. Since then, the game has received several delays, and there have been many reports of development troubles at 343 Industries. A multiplayer trailer was shown off at Gamescom, which Ninja loved, but any concerns over the campaign were still unanswered until this message from Staten.

Check out the multiplayer trailer for yourself below.

“I’ve played Infinite’s campaign multiple times,” said Staten on the same post. “Every time I do, I always find something new tucked away on Zeta Halo. Sometimes these are quiet little bits of environmental storytelling, such as an abandoned but desperately defended Marine recon post, high on a lonely mountainside.”

Here’s to hoping everything works out when Halo Infinite comes out December 8, 2021.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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‘Marvel vs. Capcom’ pro Justin Wong is the latest Esports Awards lifetime achievement inductee

Justin “Jwong” Wong is getting some well-deserved recognition.

Justin “Jwong” Wong is unquestionably one of the greatest fighting game competitors of all time, and his new lifetime achievement award is proof of that. The nine-time Evolution Championship Series (EVO) champ is one of several inductees into the Esports Awards Class of 2021.

“Jwong has claimed 9 EVO titles across multiple games,” reads a statement on the Esports Awards official site. “With a patient defensive style punishing his opponent’s mistakes, Jwong has been a fearsome competitor throughout his career spanning over 20 years.”

What’s particularly stunning about Jwong’s competitive history is how many different fighting games he’s competed in at the highest level. From classics like Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike to lesser-known titles such as Samurai Showdown, he’s left an indelible mark on fighting games, making him a much-deserved inductee. 

Check out what the champ himself had to say about the news for yourself below.

Jwong is mainly known for his incredible Marvel vs. Capcom 2 escapades. From 2001 through 2010, he placed first in the game seven times during the annual Evolution Championship Series. Additionally, he has notable EVO wins in Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. 

The 2021 Esports Awards are happening on November 20, 2021.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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‘Overwatch’ hero Jesse McCree to be renamed amid Blizzard lawsuit, but not all fans are happy

The cowboy hero is getting a new name due to the ongoing company-wide allegations at Blizzard.

Blizzard will rename Overwatch hero Jesse McCree after a former developer — who the character was named after — left the company. This announcement came several weeks after a lawsuit was filed against Activision Blizzard by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing over discrimination and sexual harassment of its employees.

Former Blizzard developer McCree was one of a handful of employees photographed inside Blizzard’s “Cosby Suite” in 2013.

“As we continue to discuss how we best live up to our values and to demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects them,” said the development team in a tweet. “We believe it’s necessary to change the name of the hero currently knowns as McCree to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for.”

Read the entire message for yourself below.

Obviously, McCree is one of Overwatch’s most popular characters, and he was even going to be central to the upcoming story arc. As such, Blizzard is also delaying that content until they figure out what they will rename McCree.

The reaction from fans was slightly mixed over the name change. Some are upset, others are happy, and a whole more are just confused.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

Blizzard cancels Overwatch League postseason live events in Los Angeles and Dallas

Matches will now take place entirely online for now.

If you were going to attend Overwatch League live events in either Los Angeles or Dallas, it might be best to make new plans. Blizzard recently announced the cancelation of its postseason events in both cities.

“The League announced yesterday that due to significant changes in the environment affecting travel for some teams,” read a statement from Overwatch League on its official site. “We’ve decided to pivot away from originally scheduled live events in Dallas and Los Angeles; instead, postseason competition will return to Hawaii.” It goes on to stress that competition will continue online rather than in person. 

Overwatch League also left a statement on Twitter which you can check out below. 

This news comes as a significant loss to Overwatch fans and players alike, as online play often has connection issues that aren’t present during events like those that were supposed to take place in Los Angeles or Dallas. Though to (hopefully) mitigate those potential issues, teams from the west will travel to Hawaii so that they’re a smidge closer to their European and Asian competition. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Former ‘Valorant’ pro wins gold in swimming at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

Doesn’t matter if its Valorant or swimming, Rowan “Magnetbrain” Crothers is a legend all the same.

It’s not every day that an esports star wins Olympic gold, but Rowan “Magnetbrain” Crothers of Valorant fame did just that. On Wednesday, representing Australia, Crothers came in first during the Men’s 50m freestyle S10 Swimming at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Known to most gamers for crafty maneuvers in Valorant, Crothers took a break from esports to train for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. And, well, it certainly worked out as he finished first at a staggeringly impressive 23.21 seconds.

The champ took the time to share a photo of the medal with his head held high, which you can check out below.

“I’ve proved that I’m not just a person with a disability,” said Crothers in an interview with 7Sport. “But I’m also an elite athlete.”

Crothers has dealt with Cerebral Palsy all his life, yet it hasn’t stopped him from becoming a legend in swimming and esports.

The entire Valorant community were ecstatic for Crothers, of course.

How cool is all the support from his esports friends? To say this was an achievement would be quite the understatement.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins teases return to competitive ‘Halo’

The legendary Fortnite content creator might be returning to “Halo” this winter.

Halo Infinite will likely take the esports world by storm when it launches this December, and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins might get in on the action. 

Belvins made a name for himself playing Halo 3 and Halo Reach competitively nearly a decade ago, before he was ever a Fortnite megastar. For long-time fans of his, there have been hopes that he’ll make a return to the scene with Halo Infinite.

Well, that might happen, as Belvins recently teased a return on his personal Twitter. He even busted out a SpongeBob SquarePants meme for good measure, which nobody does unless they are committed to something, of course!

Check out the playful tweet from Blevins for yourself below.

Belvins tease even further by responding to former pro Halo player Faisal “Goofy” Khan later with a suggestive emoji. 

In all likelihood, Belvins is just having some fun amidst all this speculation of a potential return to Halo. At least for now, anyway. We won’t know for sure until there’s an official announcement of some sort. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

TimTheTatman responds to DrDisrespect’s Warzone challenge with heartwarming message

Sometimes, friendship is more important than bravado.

Recently, DrDisrespect challenged fellow content creator Tim “TheTatman” John Betar to a best of three matches in Call Of Duty: Warzone, and the response isn’t what you would expect: Tim said he misses playing with Doc. 

Ever since DrDisrespect’s ban from Twitch last year, he’s been unable to play games with any of his friends still on the platform, including Betar. Doing so would result in a breach of Twitch’s terms of service, potentially putting someone like Betar in hot water. So of course, Betar had to decline, but not before he voiced his support for his friend.

“Hey, Doc. If you’re watching, for what it’s worth, I miss you. I miss us,” said Betar in a recent Twitch stream. “And for what it’s worth, man. I’ve been tuning into your streams on YouTube, and honestly, for what it’s worth, you’re doing really well over there too.”

Check out the touching clip for yourself below.

“I retract this challenge,” said DrDisrespect on Twitter. “You’d rather spectate solos than win a legendary gaming memorabilia item fully matted, custom framed?” Just the sort of reply you would expect from the good doctor.

Streaming personalities are often full of chest-thumbing bravado when it comes to challenges like this, so it’s nice to see a genuine friendship blossom despite it all.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.