Esports

Injustice 2 Tournament Player Throws Controller, Because Deadshot

Injustice 2 is just a week old, but competition is already heating up thanks toDeadshot’s frustrating zoning gameplay. After losing to the character during a recent tournament, one player gave his controller a good bounce. As competition wound down on Saturday at the Toryuken tournament in Toronto, paths to the finals bracket became valuable commodities,…

Burnt-Out Smash Pros Are Talking About Unionizing

Earlier this week, Smash 4’s top player admitted he was overwhelmed: “We really need an off season,” Gonzalo “Zero” Barrios wrote on Twitter. “Committed players are traveling the whole year [with] no breaks.” The conversation snowballed. Fans, tournament organizers and fellow players noted that, to organize an off season, the anarchic Smash 4 community would…

Twitch Streamer/Gaming Journalist Apologizes For Horrible Tweets About Ariana Grande Concert Bombing

David Leavitt, a freelance writer and Twitch streamer, decided to tweet out a few idiotic jokes after news broke of the fatal bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. (Leavitt deleted the first tweet, below is the screen grab.) Leavitt has written for CBS Local, the now-defunct Examiner, and AXS.com, which appeared to have…

Infamous Invisible Ceiling Glitch Resurfaces At Melee Tournament

At 16 years old, Super Smash Bros. Melee has no shortage of unique glitches and mechanics hidden in its GameCube-era code. At this past weekend’s Runback 2017, Justin “Plup” McGrath went hurtling into one of those glitches during a doubles match: an invisible ceiling that spiked him back down to the ground. The invisible ceiling…

Pro Overwatch Gets An Official Minor League

There’s been quite a bit of discussion around Blizzard’s official Overwatch League and accessibility, given that reports say a slot in the big show could cost between $15 and $25 million. Turns out, that’s not the only Overwatch esports league Blizzard is launching. Today Blizzard announced Overwatch Contenders, which they’re calling “a development league for…

Reigning League Champs SKT Scrape Past Challengers To Win Mid-Season Invitational

SKT T1 has long been the most dominant force in League of Legends, winning three Worlds championships. Given the results of today’s Mid-Season Invitational finals, it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon, as SKT T1 beat G2 for the MSI title, 3-1. The South Korean team as the top seed from their region, after…

Injustice 2 Comeback “Worse Than Golden State Blowing A 3-1 Lead”

It can often seem like you’re out of your league in online games like Injustice 2. With their back against the wall and a sliver of health left, Flash player Honey Bee CMNDR looked all but out of it, until they flipped the switch and ran it all the way back on a very unsuspecting…

Smash Pro Wins Tournament Just In Time To Make His Flight

Yesterday’s single-day Greninja Saga Super Smash Bros. For Wii U tournament ran late, leaving one pro in a predicament after qualifying for the finals. Elliot Bastien “Ally” Carroza-Oyarce was leaving on a jet plane at 11:45 p.m., and the tournament kept going later and later. Ally had scheduled his flight in advance, as any savvy…

The Weekend In Esports: League of Legends‘ Mid-Season Invitational, Greninja Saga, And More

League of Legends’ Mid-Season Invitational look poised to be dominated once again by the unbeatable boys from South Korea while elsewhere in Smash Bros. Wii U players duke it out to unseat their own unbeatable champion. Below you’ll find where and when you can catch all the weekend’s biggest events in competitive gaming. Let us…

FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Decided On 90th-Minute Set Piece

After two days of play in Berlin, the grand finals for the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship came down to the wire between Chevrey “Vitality_Rocky” Corentin and Shaun “xShellzz” Springette. Despite losing the lead on his home turf, a last-minute rally helped Corentin barely scrape by and secure his spot as the 2017 Ultimate Team champion.…

Injustice 2 Might Have A Deadshot Problem, Depending On Whom You Ask 

Injustice 2 has only been available since Tuesday, but players think they’ve already found its strongest–or possibly cheapest–character. Deadshot, a frequent Batman villain whose sole power is that he can shoot well, brings a wide variety of firearms to NetherRealm Studios’ latest DC Comics fighter. Some players are already frustrated with his ability to win…

17 NBA Teams Are Investing In 2K Esports, But There Might Not Be A Scene

The announcement of the NBA 2K league was huge—17 NBA teams will be investing in esports teams which will be contracted to compete in a regular season running concurrent with the NBA season. It was enough to pique many people’s curiosity, including our own, but when we went looking for references to any existing 2K…

Street Fighter V Fans Are Not Sure What To Make Of Seemingly Simplistic Newcomer Ed

Last weekend saw Capcom open up a special beta for Street Fighter V which, in addition to giving the community a chance to try the game’s improved online modes, provided a preview for the next downloadable character. Ed, a rapidly aging M. Bison clone saved by Balrog during the story of Street Fighter IV, shocked…

Smash Players Can’t Agree Whether Coaching Is Okay Or Not

The debate over coaching in competitions ebbs and flows like the tide. After a flurry of tweets from pros and personalities alike on the subject, it seems like the question of whether coaching should be allowed in competitive Super Smash Bros. For Wii U is being raised again. The inception point of all the debate…

Gwent, the card game from The Witcher 3, enters public beta on May 24 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players. Today at 3 pm EST, the CD PROJEKT RED Twitch channel will broadcast an overview of the beta’s offerings. Card collections and player progress will be reset, so new players should feel free…

Daigo Becomes His Own Worst Enemy At Recent Street Fighter V Tournament

Last weekend’s Battle Arena Melbourne Street Fighter V tournament was grueling for the high-level Street Fighter V talent it drew to Australia. The event was so stacked, even a legendary fighting game competitor like Daigo Umehara failed to make much of an impact, but no one expected The Beast’s most challenging opponent to be himself.…

The Wildest Matches From Compete‘s Street Fighter Pro Challenge

This past Saturday, we opened the doors to the Gizmodo Media Group offices and welcomed any and all challengers to try their hand at beating a Street Fighter V champion. From young newcomers to surprise upstarts, and even other pros lurking in the waters, here are some of our favorite moments from an incredible night.…

What Street Fighter Pros Think Of Ultra Street Fighter II For The Switch

This past weekend, Compete hosted several Street Fighter pros and commentators at our offices for a public event where fans could sign up to battle against top SFV players. Since we had this all-star roster of Street Fighter aficionados hanging out at our offices, the Compete staff pulled them aside to preview the Nintendo Switch…

Dota 2 Patch Makes Death More Punishing

The next mainline Dota 2 patch hit the game’s servers today, and with it came a litany of balance changes meant to address the most pressing concerns in the wake of the Kiev Major. With The International 7 looming on the horizon, it’s time to fine-tune the game that will be played for millions in…

Smash Champion Loses First Tournament This Year In Wild Match Against Top Player

Super Smash Bros. Melee champion Adam “Armada” Lindgren lost his first tournament this year against crowd favorite Joseph “Mango” Marquez at yesterday’s Royal Flush tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After it looked like Lindgren would take home #1, Marquez made an adrenaline-fueled comeback that made the audience go wild. Leaving few openings for Marquez’s…