Those who think esports occupy a small, forgettable faction of the entertainment industry are unequivocally and undeniably wrong. Esports may seem small due to a lack of mainstream coverage, but the budding industry is a global phenomenon with a fanbase in the hundreds of millions. Still, esports continues to be difficult to wa
With studios scrambling to keep up with light-speed growth, a reactive wait-and-see attitude seems like the industry-wide solution."I think it has all the tools to really go the distance and become something powerful," says Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, to CNBC about the future of esports. This roughly translates to, "it looks cool, but no ones's really thought about it too hard yet." Until it becomes something more powerful, you can find me playing games instead of watching t
Moving on to the MDL Chengdu Major in November, TNC would continue to keep the attention focused on them. The Philippine phoenix soared through the Major nonchalantly and almost effortlessly, which led from win to win. Their prominent and reused slam dunk strategy with Earthshaker and Morphling secured most games and ultimately led to their tournament crowning. However, the calm nature of their teamwork and almost family-like bond between the players contributed greatly to their achievements. TNC pocketed $300 thousand and lit a new flame in the professional Dota 2 scene as a team to look out for in the fut
Making headlines and defining this year is OG’s record-making win at the International 9 last August. The team became the first back-to-back winner, first team to win two Ti’s, became the highest-paid professional esport players in the world and achieved that with a clean slate of zero matches lost during the International 9. And of course won $15.6 million in the proc
Is there a chance for Blizzard to thrive in the esports scene in the near future? Many longtime fans of the company would sure hope so - however, after all the stunts they've pulled, it's hard to stay optimistic for the future of many beloved franchi
These abilities continuously pay dividends as the ring constricts and advantageous positions become increasingly limited. Having a Pathfinder on board ensures that they're always reachable, whether you're looking to seize them for an advantage or desperately need a way to counter a team that's already set up in a hard to reach s
Eight months later, Lux wild Rift we can say with absolute certainty that the statement was grown in the deepest levels of Blizzard’s PR dungeon, sprinkled with the highest quality of Corporate brand bullshit, and masked with enough perfume so as to hide its decaying stench long enough for people to forget about the whole thing. Two heroes have been released, and a number of events that focus on selling skins are all players have been given, and there is no reason to expect anything m
Finally, after years of mediocre performance and fierce competition from games like League of Legends , the Proleague was discontinued in 2016. Blizzard had very badly dropped its Golden Goose of a franchise that could have gone on to dominate the esports wo
OG proclaimed by the community as the dream meme team set standards high, kept things interesting, and amassed a following of fans like no other. Their strive paid off, and with it, the earnings, pride, and hearts of those that believed around gathered to congratulate and commemorate another monumental moment in professional Dota 2 hist
Almost every Legend's set of abilities have the potential to be game winning moves in clutch situations, but the most tactically beneficial has to be Pathfinder's zipline and grappling hook. With these, the player --and, by extension, their squad-- can claim otherwise unreachable high ground positions that are critical in spotting targets and winning gunfig
Arteezy staggeringly took down Vici Gaming with Lifestealer, despite being at low health and gained a two-thousand gold advantage to help secure game two of the match. Along with the shocking triumph, Arteezy cemented his performance in Dota 2 hist
Still, esports is often treated like one entity. In reality, individual games play out more like anthologies—unconnected by the umbrella term that defines them. Like a thin layer of algae on the surface of an abandoned pool, esports as a title masks the diverse ecosystem that exists beneath the surface, suffocating its variety and preventing outsiders from getting in the water. Even if you are a huge fan of one title, other games remain largely uninteresting and impossible to watch. As a result, can anyone really call themselves a fan of espo
Even if you suffer a lot early game and die in lane quite a bit, you can still make a reliable reverse sweep in the middle and late game, as long as you manage your build and resources properly and plan your team fights. While dying in a MOBA is usually a serious thing as it gives your enemy an advantage, in DOTA2 this advantage has a chance of being turned on its h