With another eventful week in esports, it seems as though the industry never takes a break.
It’s official; VALORANT is releasing on June 2nd. With a launch date now set, Team Solo-Mid announced their acquisition of one of VALORANT’s most successful early rosters, mouseSpaz. Playing under the TSM brand, the group of ex CS:GO players will look to continue their success in upcoming tournaments.
Cloud9, with the help of their cornerstone Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, won North America’s Elite Esports - Rivalry Bowl, while Ninjas in Pyjamas won Europe’s version of the tournament. In Europe, however, the orgless Fish123 remains one of the strongest teams in the world with victories in the Solary Cup and Mandatory Cup. Expect the team to be signed to an organization soon.
Meanwhile in the Overwatch League, the May Melee tournament has begun, with teams in the Asian bracket and North American bracket battling out in a single elimination format. In terms of the season-long standings, the Philadelphia Fusion currently hold a one game lead over the Shanghai Dragons for first place in the standings.
In the world of fighting games, fans can be happy that they’ll get to see EVO 2020 happen in the form of EVO Online 2020, but many will be upset with the decision to cut Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from the tournament’s competitive lineup.
It may be the off-season for competitive League of Legends, but that didn’t stop the week’s news from dropping. Evil Geniuses announced their much-needed rebrand, while Team Griffin of the LCK continued their mess of a year, releasing what was essentially their entire roster in waves, most recently Lee “Tarzan” Seung-Yong and Kim “Wadid” Bae-in. Meanwhile, eight of the top teams in China’s LPL and Korea’s LCK will face off against each other in the 2020 Mid-Season Cup, giving fans something to watch in place of the cancelled MSI.
NRG and FaZe Clan also made waves due to their reported interest in joining the LCK as a franchise.
Finally, the Call of Duty League announced the first ever first ever CDL Warzone Weekend, which will take place on Sunday, May 24th.
