Esports

Street Fighter V Pro’s New Best Friend Is An Aluminum Can

That guy on the right is Lee “Infiltration” Seon Woo. You might remember him from last year’s Evo Street Fighter V tournament,which he won. A veteran of the scene who’s been competing since 2010 with Super Street Fighter IV, he’s now housing energy drinks in-between matches to help pay the bills. It was during a…

Day two finals are underway at Evo 2017, starting with Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2. Top 8 play will continue throughout the night, with Injustice 2 and Super Smash Bros. Melee to follow on the Evo Twitch channel

Surprise Character Pick Wins Evo 2017’s King Of Fighters XIV Tournament

This year’s Evolution Championship Series started with a bang last night as King of Fighters XIV wrapped up its one-day competition with an intense finals bracket. Spectators crowded the exhibition hall to see the weekend’s first champion crowned among the impressive mix of players from across Taiwan, China, Mexico, Pakistan, Japan, and the United States.…

Evo’s Catherine Tournament Is Off To A Dramatic Start

While the main event continues today, AnimEvo is going strong with its many side tournaments, including the puzzle game Catherine A 2011 game made by Atlus, the story-driven game’s competitive mode has a cult following that culminates each year at Evo. This year’s event is already off to a strong start, with Geordi (called the…

Mike “OlafRedland” Spragg displays his Evo wristbands after making it out of his Street Fighter V pool. Competitors this year receive a special wristband designating them as “official pool survivors” if they make it through their double-elimination bracket.

The Weekend In Esports: Evo 2017 and DreamHack Valencia

Evo 2017 is finally upon us. That means lots of triumphant victories and heartbreaking loses. Also a ton of anime You can check out our guide to the year’s biggest fighting game event for details on what games will be featured and what players to keep an eye on, but don’t worry, there’s also plenty…

Tracer Ultimate Fizzles Out In Overwatch World Cup Match

Some days, you just can’t get rid of a good pulse bomb, so the game does it for you. As group B matches continued this morning in the Overwatch World Cup 2017 Shanghai Qualifiers, one moment caught viewers by surprise. Thailand’s Sasalak “NzNr” Wannarak seemed to land a pulse bomb, Tracer’s sticky bomb ultimate, on…

The Pac-12 Doesn’t Consider College Esports Sports For Now, Thank God

A.J. Dimick sees big things in the future for collegiate esports. “I think college esports has a limitless ceiling, I really do,” Dimick told me over the phone earlier this year. To that end, Dimick, esports director at the University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts and Engineering department, has facilitated the creation of the first varsity…

How Three People Crushed Final Fantasy VII In Less Than Eight Hours

By the time it was Final Fantasy VII’s turn on the Summer Games Done Quick schedule, the trio of runners were already tired. A mixture of nerves and anxious excitement had kept them from getting a full night’s sleep, and starting at 1 a.m., they were about to steer the graveyard shift through eight solid…

What To Watch For This Weekend At Evo 2017, The World’s Largest Fighting Game Tournament

Every year, the Evolution Championship Series descends on Las Vegas, bringing with it the largest collection of fighting game players in the world. Evo serves as a reflection of the best the fighting game community has to offer, and players who manage to become champions in the sweltering Las Vegas desert are regarded as having…

How Exactly Does Dota 2 Come Up With Over $20 Million In Prizes For Its Biggest Event?

This year’s International has broken the record for largest prize pool in esports at over $20,700,460 and still climbing. That record was set by last year’s International, which broke a record set by the previous year’s. This presents a mystery to the uninitiated: Exactly where is all this money coming from? Dota 2‘s International is…

AnimEvo Is A Great Showcase For The Games That Don’t Make It Into Evo

This weekend’s big Evolution Championship Series of tournaments for huge fighting games like Street Fighter V and Super Smash Bros. Melee, will run alongside an unofficial spin-off called AnimEvo that showcases competition in more obscure fighting games and even some games that don’t involve punches and kicks. At Evo 2017, AnimEvo will feature tournaments for…

The Problem With Overwatch‘s ‘Dive’ Meta 

It’s a new Overwatch match, a fresh start. You’ve got a good feeling about this one. But then you get within spitting distance of the point, and suddenly Winston crashes down on you, Tracer sucks up your health pool like her weapon’s a giant milkshake straw, and Genji chops up what’s left—all in the blink…

Bob Kraft, Jeff Wilpon Now Own Professional Overwatch League Teams

Blizzard Entertainment has announced the franchise owners for the first seven teams in the Overwatch League, and the list includes a couple of familiar names. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will own the Boston Overwatch team, and New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon will serve as franchise owner for the New York City Overwatch…

This Weekend May Decide The Greatest Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Player Of All Time

This year’s Evolution Championship Series marks Marvel vs. Capcom 3’s seventh appearance at the world’s largest annual fighting game tournament. In that time, players have come and gone, and each year saw a different champion ascend the growing mountain of talented competitors. Now, with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite waiting to take the game’s place in…

Overwatch‘s Doomfist Starts Strong In First Pro Match, But Can’t Close The Deal

Overwatch’s newest hero, Doomfist, isn’t officially out yet, but that didn’t stop him from appearing in a recent pro exhibition match held on the game’s public test realm. Kim “Libero” Hye Sung of pro team Meta Athena charged out the gate with a barrage of punches that flattened more than half the enemy team. Sadly,…

Call of Duty Pros Defend Commentator Who Was Kink Shamed

On Sunday night, Call of Duty commentator Jack Campbell announced his departure from the esports scene and his plan to deactivate his Twitter account. Campbell’s love life has become a topic de rigeur for Call of Duty fans in the past month, in spite of Campbell’s attempts to stave off fans’ speculation. The situation came…

Overwatch’s Competitive Mode Is Depressing Right Now

A gloom has descended on Overwatch’s competitive mode. For over a month, players have reportedjoylessly grinding through Season 5 to redeem their former competitive rankings, a result of publisher Blizzard artificially depleting them. The community’s reaction, which ranges from sorrow to toxicity, has been depressing to watch, but more depressing to participate in. There’s a…

Australian Qualifies For Quake Tournament With 200+ Ping

Quake is a hard enough game as is, and that’s with a good connection. Now imagine playing in an international qualifier for a $1 million tournament on 200+ ping. That’s the path that Daniel “dandaking” De Sousa walked on the weekend, carving his way through several Americans to qualify for the North American regional finals.…

Quake‘s Rocket Jumps And Railguns Are Still Satisfying In 2017

Ah, the sights and sounds. Rocket jumps and railguns, even that grimacing marine, bringing me right back to those good ol’ days of Quake Quake Champions may still be in the throes of open beta, but qualifiers for the 2017 World Championships are running throughout the day, where the modern Quake best compete to earn…