The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Year 4 Championship is coming up in Sapporo, Japan at the Daiwa House PREMIST DOME from January 29th to February 2nd 2025.

40 of the best Apex Legends teams in the world will battle it out to become ALGS Year 4 Champion and win a lion’s share of its $2m (~£1.62m) prize pool. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Apex Legends’ biggest event of the year.

One of the most significant announcements for the ALGS Year 4 Championship is that, for the first time since February 2022, there will be a new map — E-District — added to the ALGS map rotation. 

This is going to provide a major shakeup competitively as variables in play (drop points, points of interest and boxes) will multiply. The tournament is also ALGS’ LAN debut in Japan, a country where Apex Legends has become incredibly popular over the past two years. 

All of ALGS’ regions of play are represented at the Year 4 Championship. Teams from NA, EMEA, APAC North, APAC South, South Asia, and China earned their spots through the regular season and its two Playoffs.

Competing with a live audience, gaining time under the spotlight and having the opportunity to create fan events, giveaways and commercial activations, are just some of the perks that the ALGS grants to the teams that have qualified for the event. 

The practice was implemented at last year’s Championship in Birmingham and garnered a lot of praise from the teams. So this year it will be back, most likely in a larger fashion. 

This makes the ALGS Championship not only the pinnacle of competitive Apex but also the most important commercially. Organisations have an opportunity to monetise and interact with a live audience that’s deeply passionate about the game in a large-scale setting.

The ALGS Year 4 Championship consists of a Group Stage and Double-Elimination bracket format. 

In the Group Stage, each group plays a single six-match series against every other group for a total of 18 guaranteed matches per team. This means that Group A, for example, will compete in three series’ over the next two days against B, C and D.  

Day 1 – Wednesday, January 29th

Groups A & B – 9:00 am JST / 4:00 pm PT / 12:00 am GMT

Groups C & D – 1:15 pm JST / 8:15 pm PT / 4:15 am GMT

Groups B & D – 5:30 pm JST / 12:30 am PT / 8:30 am GMT

Day 2 – Thursday, January 30th

Groups A & C – 9:00 am JST / 4:00 pm PT / 12:00 am GMT

Groups B & C – 1:15 pm JST / 8:15 pm PT / 4:15 am GMT

Groups A & D – 5:30 pm JST / 12:30 am PT / 8:30 am GMT

Following the Group Stage, all teams will be assigned a starting position in the Bracket Stage’s double-elimination bracket based on each one’s Group Stage performance.

The top 20 teams will begin the Bracket Stage in the Winners Bracket, and the bottom 20 teams will start in the 1st round of the Elimination Bracket.

Each Bracket Stage round will consist of a single eight-match series. After the Winners’ Bracket series, the top 10 teams will advance to the Match Point Finals, and the bottom 10 teams will advance to the Elimination Bracket — Round 2. 

After each Elimination Bracket series, the bottom 10 teams will be eliminated from the tournament. Following the Elimination Bracket — Round 2 series, the top 10 teams will advance to the Match Point Finals.

At the end of the Bracket Stage, 20 teams will remain to compete in the Match Point Finals.

The Finals will consist of a single Match Point format series. This format, trademarked by Electronic Arts and Respawn, is what makes the ALGS Championship stand out amongst the other battle royale tournaments. 

Normally, when there’s a big final in a battle royale, the last moments are usually underwhelming. That’s because, sometimes, there isn’t a clear winner at the end of the last game because the officials have to count points, kills and other metrics.

EA and Respawn have come up with a way to ramp up the tension until the last second and have a clear winner emerge at the end. The Match Point format has a threshold of 50 points that a team (through wins and placements) has to reach to qualify for the win. Once the target has been reached, the only way for said team to bring home the trophy is to win a game by being the last men standing. 

No matter how many points beyond 50 a team has, they need to win a game to be crowned champions.

At the 2023 ALGS Championship finals in Birmingham, for example, OpTic Gaming was ahead of everyone else in the final but could not secure a win in time to bring home the title. Instead, TSM, a couple of matches after reaching 50 points, secured a win and with it the trophy. 

This means that there’s no fixed number of matches in the finals which becomes a test not only of skill but also endurance.

Going into the first days of the Championship, the teams that will be at the centre of attention will be Shopify Rebellion, Fnatic and Gaming Gladiators. These are the three organisations that left a mark on 2024’s competitive season with their performance. 

They are first, second and third on the Playoff Points chart, respectively, having put in solid performances across both Splits.

Closely following, and in contention for the top spots, are three more teams: Alliance, Team Falcons and Crazy Raccoon, the last of which has 500 Points from the first Split Playoffs alone.

100 thieves and NRG have 220 and 200 points, respectively, having only participated in one Split each.

ALGS Split 2 winners Spacestation Gaming will not be present at the event with its roster disbanding shortly after lifting the trophy. However, all players will be at the ALGS Championship. Brody ‘Xynew’ Geissler and Israel ‘Koyful’ Lawrence are in Shopify Rebellion’s team and Josue ‘Phony’ Ruizis is with Guild.

The 2025 League of The Americas (LTA) is League of Legends’ new cross-conference competitive circuit that will feature teams from North America and LATAM. 

The competition was announced in 2024 and involves the merger of the LCS, CBLOL and LLA.

With many major changes occurring to League of Legends esports in the Americas for 2025, here’s a guide to the LTA and its inaugural split.

Before jumping into the first split, here are the basics of the new LTA structure. 

In total, the LTA features 16 teams which are evenly split into two conferences: North and South. The LCS forms the foundations of LTA North, while CBLOL involves the majority of teams within LTA South.

Similarly to the LEC, each annual LTA season is divided into three distinct splits. At the end of each split, the best teams qualify for an international event.  

The winner of the Split 1 qualifies for the inaugural First Stand tournament. Meanwhile, the winners of each conference in the Split 2 qualify for the Mid Season Invitational and the top three teams in the Split 3 playoffs (known as the Americas Regional Championship) qualify for the League of Legends World Championship.

Except for some touring events, all LTA games are played live in two venues. Both are known as the Riot Games Arena, however, one is in Los Angeles, California, and is dedicated to LTA North, while the other is in São Paulo, Brazil, and hosts LTA South.

The 2025 LTA season officially began on January 18th with the LTA North and South Draw Shows. 

These events provided no official matches but were utilised to determine the split’s first-round matchups. Split 1 matches kick off on January 25th and run until February 23rd.

As with most of Riot Games’ first splits of 2025, the LTA will be utilising Fearless Draft. This new pick/ban system prevents teams from playing a champion that has already been used once during their series.

The Split 1 sees both conferences compete in a separate double-elimination tournament with a full fearless format. To progress in the tournament, teams must win two best-of-three (BO3) series to advance to the playoffs or risk elimination after two losses.

Only the top four teams from each conference will progress to the LTA 2025 Split 1 Playoffs. 

LTA South will host the first-ever cross-conference competition at the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo. The playoffs consist of a best-of-five (BO5) single-elimination bracket to crown the Split 1 champion and name the Americas representative for the First Stand Tournament in March.

Regular season

Playoffs:

Finals:

With the LTA consisting of various organisations from the Americas, there are a few new teams that people might not be aware of.

Overall, the CBLOL and LCS have six partnered teams each for LTA’s inaugural season. The LLA has also provided two more teams, one each for the North and South Conference.

In addition, one organisation for each conference was selected as a ‘guest team’ — Disguised (LTA North) and Isurus Estral (LTA South).  

These teams have to requalify for the LTA at the end of each season in promotion and relegation playoffs against the best teams from the regional tier-two leagues.

After selling their franchised slot back to Riot Games, 100 Thieves is also not considered a partnered team but will still compete in the tournament this year as a Provisional Guest. Riot Games will deliberate on this slot’s future in the upcoming season.

Sadly, with the formation of the LTA, the CBLOL and LCS both lost competitors to reduce the size of the league and introduce the LLA and guest slots. NRG and Immortals are out of League of Legends’ tier-one scene. Meanwhile, in the South, KaBuM! Esports, LOS (formerly known as Los Grandes), Liberty and INTZ eSports were cut from the CBLOL representatives.

Similar to the League of Legends Americas structure, there were a lot of roster changes in the LTA, across both conferences. 

Only four teams out of 16 have kept the same roster from 2024: FlyQuest, Team Liquid, Red Canids Kalunga and PaiN Gaming.

Perhaps the biggest roster moves from LTA North came from Cloud9 with Berseker and Jojopyun departing the organisation for LCK’s ⁠DN Freecs and LEC’s Movistar KOI, respectively. As a result, the organisation brought back a familiar face in former player Zven, whilst also recruiting HLE Challengers Mid Laner Loki. 

Following a split off, Fudge is back in the Top Lane, this time under Shopify Rebellion. The Australian is also joined by Contractz and Palafox in the Jungle and Mid Lane, respectively. 

Meanwhile, in the LTA South, former LEC player Trymbi has taken a trip overseas to join Vivo Keyd Stars. Ex-FlyQuest support Winsome will also be plying his trade in Brazil, joining LOUD for the 2025 season alongside Wiz, who departed FUIRA Esports at the end of 2024. 

Cloud9

Top Lane: Park ‘Thanatos’ Seung-gyu

Jungle: Robert ‘Blaber’ Huang

Mid Lane: Lee ‘Loki’ Sang-min

Bot Lane: Jesper ‘Zven’ Svenningsen

Support: Philippe ‘VULCAN’ Laflamme

Dignitas

Top Lane: Jett ‘Srtty’ Joye

Jungle: Jade ‘Sheiden’ Libut

Mid Lane: Kim ‘Keine’ Joon-cheol

Bot Lane: Frank ‘Tomo’ Lam

Support: Jonah ‘Isles’ Rosario

Team Liquid

Top Lane: Jeong ‘Impact’ Eong-young

Jungle: Um ‘UmTi’ Sung-hyeon

Mid Lane: Eain ‘APA’ Stearns

Bot Lane: Sean ‘Yeon’ Sung

Support: Jo ‘CoreJJ’ Yong-in

Shopify Rebellion

Top Lane: Ibrahim ‘Fudge’ Allami

Jungle: Juan Arturo ‘Contractz’ Garcia

Mid Lane: Cristian ‘Palafox’ Palafox

Bot Lane: Ju ‘Bvoy’ Yeong-hoon

Support: Denilson ‘Ceos’ Oliveira Gonçalves

FlyQuest

Top Lane:  Gabriël ‘Bwipo’ Rau

Jungle: Kacper ‘Inspired’ Słoma

Mid Lane: Song ‘Quad’ Soo-hyung

Bot Lane: Fahad ‘Massu’ Abdulmalek

Support: Alan ‘Busio’ Cwalina

100 Thieves

Top Lane: Rayan ‘Sniper’ Shoura

Jungle: Kim ‘River’ Dong-woo

Mid Lane: Lim ‘Quid’ Hyeon-seung

Bot Lane: Ian Victor ‘FBI’ Huang

Support: Bill ‘Eyla’ Nguyen

LYON

Top Lane: Eric ‘Licorice’ Ritchie

Jungle: Sebastián ‘Oddie’ Alonso Niño Zavaleta

Mid Lane: Kang ‘Saint’ Sung-in

Bot Lane: Park ‘Hena’ Jeung-hwan

Support: Pedro Luis ‘Lyonz’ Peralta

Disguised

Top Lane: Jo ‘Castle’ Hyeon Seong

Jungle: Lawrence ‘eXyu’ Xu

Mid Lane: Felix ‘Abbedagge’ Brown

Bot Lane: Jeremiah ‘ScaryJarry’ Leathe

Support: Choi ‘Huhi’ Jaehyun

Fluxo

Top Lane: TBD

Jungle: Diogo ‘Shini’ Moreira

Mid Lane:  Gabriel ‘Fuuu’ Furuuti

Bot Lane: Vinicius ‘Marvin’ Marvin

Support: Guilherme ‘Guigs’ Soares

FURIA

Top Lane: Guilherme ‘Guigo’ Ruiz

Jungle: Pedro ‘Tatu’ Seixas

Mid Lane: Arthur ‘Tutsz’ Machado

Bot Lane: Andrey ‘Ayu’ Saraiva

Support: Gabriel ‘Jojo’ Dzelme

Vivo Keyd Stars

Top Lane: Felipe ‘Boal’ Boal

Jungle: Pedro ‘Disamis’ Gonçalves

Mid Lane: Ronald ‘Kisee’ Vo

Bot Lane: Matheus ‘Morttheus’ Motta

Support: Adrian ‘Trymbi’ Trybus

LOUD

Top Lane: Leonardo ‘Robo’ Souza

Jungle: Na ‘Wiz’ Yoo-joon

Mid Lane: Thiago ‘Tinowns’ Sartori

Bot Lane: Moon ‘Route’ Geom-su

Support: Kim ‘Winsome’ Dong-keon

paiN Gaming

Top Lane: Choi ‘Wizer’ Ui-seok

Jungle: Marcos ‘Cariok’ Oliveira

Mid Lane: Matheus ‘dyNquedo’ Rossini

Bot Lane: Alexandre ‘TitaN’ Lima

Support: Choi ‘Kuri’ Won-yeong

Red Canids

Top Lane: Francisco ‘fNb’ Miranda

Jungle: Gabriel ‘Aegis’ Lemos 

Mid Lane: Daniel ‘Grevthar’ Xavier

Bot Lane: Diego ‘Brance’ Amaral

Support: José Eduardo ‘Frosty’ Leal

Leviatán

Top Lane:  Cristóbal ‘Zothve’ Arróspide

Jungle: Artur ‘Scary’ Queiroz

Mid Lane: Cristian Sebastián ‘Cody’ Quispe Yampara

Bot Lane: Lorenzo ‘Ceo’ Tévez

Support: Fábio ‘ProDelta’ Marques

Isurus

Top Lane: Noh ‘Burdol’ Tae-yoon

Jungle: Brandon ‘Josedeodo’ Villegas

Mid Lane: Jeong ‘Mireu’ Jo-bin

Bot Lane: Brian ‘Snaker’ Distefano

Support: Gabriel ‘Ackerman’ Aparicio

The 2025 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) is set to get underway, with new teams, rosters and even a monster entering Summoner’s Rift.

Ahead of the 2025 LEC Winter Split, Esports Insider has created a run-through of all the major changes that have occurred — both in and out of the game — ahead of the split’s first game on January 18th. 

The most notable in-game change that will affect all of League of Legends’ competitive leagues is the introduction of a new monster called Atakhan. Ushered in for the new season, Atakham features two forms. Which one will present itself depends on the number of kills that have happened by the time the 14th minute comes along. 

There’s also a new early-game reward system in the form of improved boots for the team that takes two out of three objectives: first blood, first tower or first monster. Plus, there’s been a rework of the jungle to make it more symmetrical.

Now that the in-game changes have been discussed, let’s look at the 2025 LEC Winter Split.

Format-wise, the LEC will continue to operate with three splits in 2025 (Winter, Spring and Summer), however, each one will now have a unique format.

The LEC Winter Split is the most similar to the LEC’s previous iteration last year — a 10-team best-of-one (BO1) round-robin group stage that leads to a double-elimination playoff bracket after three weeks. 

The main addition to the Winter Split will actually be the introduction of Fearless Draft, a system which bans players from selecting champions that have been previously played in their series. 

For example, if a best-of-five (BO5) series goes to the last game, players will be unable to select any champion used throughout the series. When you add in traditional bans, this means the fifth game will see 50 champions removed from that final match (40 Fearless Bans and 10 traditional bans).  

For the first three weeks of the LEC Winter Split, Fearless Draft will not be utilised. This is because all 10 LEC teams will compete in BO1s to decide playoff seeding, with the bottom two teams eliminated from the competition. 

The remaining eight teams will then compete in a double-elimination bracket with BO3s and BO5s to decide the 2025 LEC Winter Split Champion. The winner will go on to represent EMEA at Riot Games’ new international event, First Stand in South Korea. Similarly to the LEC Winter Split, First Stand will also utilise Fearless Draft throughout the international event. 

This year, matches in the LEC Winter Split will be played on the game’s latest patch except for the Playoffs. This stage will remain on one single patch (15.3 / 25.S1.3) to uphold competitive integrity. 

The LEC Winter Split will also entirely take place at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Being a franchised league, the LEC rarely sees teams come and go but this year there has been a name change. MAD Lions KOI is now Movistar KOI due to the completed acquisition of KOI and Movistar Riders by MAD Lions’ parent company OverActive Media.

The full list of teams are:

A lot has changed on the roster front following LEC’s performance at Worlds 2024. In fact, no team has stuck with the same roster from the previous LEC Summer split. 

Starting with Fnatic, the UK organisation made major changes to its bot lane, replacing  Oh ‘Noah’ Hyeon-taek with a returning Elias ‘Upset’ Lipp. Meanwhile, former G2 Esports player Mihael ‘Mikyx’ Mehle is the team’s new Support, taking over from Yoon ‘Jun’ Se-jun. 

G2 Esports changed its Jungler from Martin ‘Yike’ Sundelin to LEC debutant Rudy ‘SkewMond’ Semaan and Labros ‘Labrov’ Papoutsakis replaces Mickyx in the Support role.. 

GIANTX has also gone through some significant changes in the off-season. With four new players: Mid Laner Adam ‘Jackies’ Jeřábek is joined by Eren ‘Lot’ Yıldız, Can ‘Closer’ Çelik, and former Fnatic duo Noah and Jun.

Team Heretics followed a similar path to GIANTX with Bot Laner Victor ‘Flakked’ Lirola the only player to retain his role. Carl ‘Carlsen’ Carlsen (Top Lane), Théo ‘Sheo’ Borile (Jungle), Kamil ‘Kamiloo’ Haudegond (Mid) and Paul ‘Stend’ Lardin ( Support) join the new-look Heretics line-up. 

Karmine Corp made two high-profile changes to its roster for the 2025 Winter Split. Firstly, the French organisation enlisted the services of former G2 Jungler Yike to replace Closer. Moreover, Karmine Corp has promoted 18-year-old prospect Caliste ‘Caliste’ Henry-Hennebert to the team’s roster. 

Whilst Movistar KOI underwent a major name change, the team was the most conservative organisation in the LEC off-season. However, its one roster move made history with Mid Laner Joseph ‘Jojopyun’ Pyun becoming the first North American player to enter the LEC. 

Rogue has kept the services of Mid Laner Emil ‘Larssen’ Larsson, however, an entirely new roster surrounds him. Adam ‘Adam’ Maanane (Top) replaces Finn “Finn” Wieståland and Kim ‘Malrang’ Geun-seong takes Mark ‘Markoon’ van Woensel’s place in the Jungle. Patrik is the team’s new Bot Laner with Lee ‘Execute’ Jeong-hoon joining as Rogue’s Support. 

SK Gaming kept only two players — Ismaïl ‘Isma’ Boualem (Jungler) and Cho ‘Rahel’ Min-seong (Bot Laner) — while opting to put Janik ‘JNX’ Bartels in the top lane and Kim ‘Loopy’ Dong-hyeon in the Support role. Former MAD Lions Mid Laner Steven ‘Reeker’ Chen is also back in the LEC following a spell at Team BDS Academy (alongside JNX).

Following Team BDS Academy’s EMEA Master Summer Split victory, Team BDS has promoted its Support Polat ‘Parus’ Çiçek to the main roster. Moreover, the organisation made two other roster changes, bringing in Joel ‘Irrelevant’ Scharoll as its Top Laner and Doğukan ‘113’ Balcı as the team’s Jungler.

Finally, Team Vitality also decided to replace its Top Laner, going from Kyeong ‘Photon’ Gyu-tae to Kaan ‘Naak Nako’ Okan. Moreover, Mateusz ‘Czajek’ Czajka replaces Team Vitality’s former Mid Laner Vincent ‘Vetheo’ Berrié.

LEC Winter Split games will start at 6pm CET (5pm GMT) on competition days and there will always be a pre-show beforehand. 

The competition will pause for a week following the Group Stages to give teams time to reset and prepare for the Playoffs which will start on February 15th. The Playoffs will also be followed by another Break Week to allow the players a moment to recharge before the First Stand event which will begin on March 10th.

Week 1: January 18th-20th (Patch 25.S1.1 / 15.1)

Week 2: January 25th-27th (Patch 25.S1.2 /  15.2)

Week 3: February 1st-3rd (Patch 25.S1.2 /  15.2)

Week 4: February 15th-17th (Patch 25.S1.3 /  15.3)

Week 5: February 22nd-24th (Patch 25.S1.3 / 15.3)

Week 6: February 28th-March 2nd (Patch 25.S1.3 / 15.3)

With the end of 2024 drawing near, Esports Insider is once again looking back at a year full of impactful marketing campaigns and unexpected brand collaborations in the world of esports.

As with previous years (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019), some marketing projects have stood out, whether that’s through unique ideation or flawless execution.

Highlighting the efforts of established and emerging brands in the industry, Esports Insider presents the best esports advertising campaigns of 2024 in no particular order.

Known for its focus on fashionable merchandise, North American esports organisation 100 Thieves has launched several successful apparel collaborations in the past, including a merchandise collaboration with Adidas Originals in May. In October, the organisation took its streetwear game to the next level with a limited merchandise drop in partnership with iconic anime and gaming franchise Pokemon.

The announcement video features Pokemon-themed keyboards as well as clothing items adorned with popular characters, such as Bulbasaur, Charmander, and, of course, Pikachu. Although the marketing campaign around the drop itself was not extraordinary, this collaboration shows how branded esports merchandise can be exciting and wearable in the eyes of fans!

Outstanding campaigns can be crafted by any brand regardless of size or global recognition. Malaysian milk and dairy company Goodday proves this with its charming Boomers 2 Gamers initiative. Targeted towards individuals who are at least 50 years old, the project invited ten senior citizens to participate in Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) training sessions under the guidance of former professional athletes.

The goal was to form a new senior CS2 roster with the emerging top 10 participants. Moreover, Goodday delivered a heart-felt video summary of the challenge on its Instagram account. In the video, seniors and their younger relatives explain how Boomers 2 Gamers has helped them bridge the generational gap and gain a better understanding of the benefits of competitive gaming.

The Counter-Strike franchise overall had an eventful year. Following the release of Counter-Strike 2 in September 2023, the competitive scene moved away from CS:GO to its successor. With the beginning of the first-ever CS2 Major in March this year, Red Bull Gaming and CHEW Productions released the first episode of their two-part documentary ‘Memories of CS:GO’.

Celebrating over a decade of competitive history, ‘The Early Years’ covers the title’s early developments and esports beginnings. The second part, dubbed ‘The Final Years’, highlights the game’s legacy as well as its biggest personalities and moments. With more than three hours of total watch time, ‘Memories of CS:GO’ represents a well-executed farewell to one of esports’ most popular titles.

Supermarket chain ALDI has been a supporter of Team Vitality’s women’s League of Legends roster, Rising Bees, since its inception in 2023. This year, the two organisations joined forces to further raise awareness for the abuse women commonly face in the world of gaming and esports.

The initiative’s centrepiece is a video where Rising Bees players, as well as other female esports professionals, read out hateful messages and discuss how such comments affect their mental health and in-game performance. However, the video also showcases the morale-boosting effect of kind messages read out by the participants in an effort to encourage positivity within gaming spaces. On Team Vitality’s YouTube channel, the video has recorded 140,000 views.

Esports organisation Astralis and electronics retailer Elgiganten launched a unique campaign with a similar message: combat toxicity in gaming by creating a positive environment. The ‘Less Flaming, More Gaming’ initiative saw members of Astralis’ Counter-Strike roster appear in promotional material and pledge against toxicity.

These pledges also represented real discount codes for Elgiganten’s website with messages, such as “I promise that I will not rage or start flaming my mates just because they did not throw a grenade or molo while the enemy was rushing A, and we then ended up losing that round GLHF.” 

With this creative and light-hearted delivery, Astralis and Elgiganten successfully made a serious topic more easily digestible for a broad audience.

2024 marked the 25^th anniversary of one of esports’ oldest organisations, Evil Geniuses (EG). To commemorate its long-standing legacy, the organisation launched an effective marketing move, permanently reverting the EG logo to its original version from 1999.

The previous logo revamp in 2019 was not received well by fans, giving EG the opportunity to celebrate an organisation that is looking to learn from its past to forge a new future. The nostalgic trip down the EG memory lane was further accompanied by a merchandise capsule dedicated to the original logo.

Another legacy continued this year with the 14^th edition of the League of Legends (LoL) World Championship. Being one of the event’s major partners since 2020, car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz introduced a new feature this time around. Similar to traditional sports events, the car brand provided a vehicle to carry the World Championship trophy, known as the Summoner’s Cup.

Transported by the custom electric G-Class SUV, the Summoner’s Cup travelled to three Worlds locations: Berlin, Paris and London. Accompanying the world’s best League of Players players throughout their journey, the Mercedes-Benz trophy carrier car became not just a sponsor but an active participant in the story of Worlds 2024.

Spirits and beer brands have become common actors within esports, sponsoring tournaments and creating joint products with industry stakeholders. However, Gen.G’s collaboration with Korean wine company Allvintage Wine marks the first wine released by an esports organisation.

Sold exclusively in Korea, Allvintage Wine produces a Chilean red and a Chilean white wine for the Korean esports powerhouse. The adorable design of the wine bottles, which prominently displays Gen.G’s mascot ‘GenRang’, arguably stands out the most. As the face of the innovative product launch, the yellow creature also gave the wine its name, ‘GenRang Wine.’

Founded in 2005, Razer is one of the oldest esports and gaming peripheral brands in the world.

Its first products, such as the Boomslang mouse and the first edition of its Blackwidow keyboard, are some of the most notable in gaming hardware. Today, Razer is a global brand with a wide range of products on offer, including peripherals, sound systems, chairs, apparel, and cameras. 

In this article, Esports Insider takes a deep dive into the Razer product lineup to understand what is on offer. Razer usually names their products by using a combination of three things: the name(Deathadder), then the version (V3) which describes the generation of the product, and the additional feature, such as Hyperspeed or Pro. The combination of the three words accurately places a product somewhere in the Razer range.

Usually, the products that are named with just the version are the company’s entry-level models. For example, the Deathadder V3 is the cheapest current generation of the Deathadder — but that is not always the case. 

With Razer, the ‘Hyperspeed’ models are usually stripped-down performance-oriented models, while the ‘Pro’ models are aimed at professional players and feature lighter weight and performance-optimised features. The regular models are somewhere in between the two, depending on the model.

Razer is arguably most known for its mice lineup, spanning several products aimed at different levels of play and game types. Named after snakes and reptiles, as well as the mythological beast Naga, Razer’s core lineup of mice consists of five models: Deathadder, Cobra, Viper, Basilisk and Naga, with every model range further expanded by specific models.

The Deathadder range starts with the Deathadder V3, a wired version of the cult classic mouse weighing 59g. Above it sits the V3 Hyperspeed, a wireless version that is slightly lighter at 55g, and the range tops with the V3 Pro, available in several finishes and colours, including a custom design co-created with T1’s Faker. 

More compact in its shape and form, the Razer Cobra is perhaps the least-known current model in Razer’s lineup but also perhaps the most visually appealing. The Cobra range has just two models: the regular Cobra and the Cobra Pro, with the Pro version having 11-zone RGB lighting, making it a very interesting piece of equipment to look at. 

The Razer Viper was created as the company’s esports-focused symmetric ultralight wireless mouse and has proven to be a hit with users across esports and casual gamers alike. The Viper is currently in its third iteration, and the lineup has two models: the Hyperspeed wireless model is its entry-level product, followed by the V3 Pro as Razer’s top-of-the-line mouse. There is also the Razer Viper Mini Signature Edition, which is Razer’s only semi-hollow mouse, similar to the honeycomb-inspired offerings from other brands such as Glorious or Xtrfy. Lastly, there is the Razer Viper V3 Pro Sentinels Edition, featuring a glossy red finish. 

To help a different kind of gamer, there is the Naga, one of the world’s most renowned MMO gaming mice. The Naga is in its second iteration and is aimed at a very niche MMO market, with just the Pro and Hyperspeed versions on offer. There is also the left-handed version of the Naga available, and several other models, such as the Razer Orochi mobile wireless gaming mouse.

The last mouse in Razer’s lineup is more focused on home use and more casual players, with the Basilisk V3 being an ergonomic right-handed model. The Basilisk V3 X Hyperspeed is the entry-level model, followed by the regular V3 35K and the Basilisk V3 Pro 35k, with 35K being the maximum sensitivity of the mouse sensor (dpi). 

With keyboards, Razer has three distinct product lines, the mechanical switch equipped BlackWidow range, the Huntsman range with optical switches, and the low-profile Deathstalker and Ornata ranges of boards. Each of the lines has an array of products that differ in shape, size, and switch used. Razer also offers an office-friendly keyboard called the Razer Pro Type Ultra, which is aimed at both office workers and gamers alike, with a more subdued colour scheme and presence. 

Currently, there are more than 50 versions of the BlackWidow on sale through Razer’s shop alone, but the current iteration is the V4 model. The lineup starts with the budget-oriented V4 X, followed by the regular V4, the V4 75%, the V4 Pro and the V4 Pro 75%. The BlackWidow series is the essential Razer keyboard, offering all of the company’s notable features, such as RGB lighting and mechanical switches designed in-house.

A step up from the BlackWidow range is the Huntsman series, now in its third iteration. The Huntsman is aimed at the competitive segment of the market and is usually the keyboard of choice for esports teams that are partnered with Razer. The Huntsman’s cheapest model is the Mini and Mini Analog boards, featuring a 60% layout with either analogue or standard optical switches. A bit larger than those two boards is the TKL version, essentially a regular board without the number pad, called the Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless. The largest model is simply called the Huntsman V3 Pro.

Besides the two main keyboard lineups, Razer also has a low-profile lineup called DeathStalker, which includes a regular keyboard, a TKL version of the Pro model, and a regular-sized Pro model. The Ornata line is similar to the DeathStalker but differs in switches. Ornata keyboards feature mecha-membrane switches, while the Deathstalkers feature optical low-profile switches.

To top it all off, Razer offers the Tartarus range, which is a crossover between a mouse and keyboard with 19 programmable keys, a joystick, a scroll wheel and a thumb button. 

Headsets are an integral part of the esports and gaming experience, and Razer has a wide range of headsets that are separated into three models: Barracuda, BlackShark, and Kraken. In addition to headsets, the company produces soundbars and speakers.

The Razer Kraken range kicks off with the Kraken V4 X, a wired headset that offers most of the Kraken features at a lower price point. Next up is the ‘regular’ model, the Kraken V4, whilst the Kraken V4 Pro model sits at the top of the lineup. Similar to previous editions of the Kraken, the top-of-the-line model also features haptic engines for a more immersive experience and adds an OLED control hub as well.

The Razer BlackShark is the company’s esports-focused headset that has no RGB lighting and resembles an aircraft headset. Focused on lightweight and performance, the range consists of three models: the BlackShark V2 X and V2 X USB, the BlackShark V2 Pro and the BlackShark V2 Pro Hyperspeed. The Pro model is the most expensive, offering Bluetooth and 2.4 Ghz wireless connectivity and a more advanced microphone. 

The Barracuda range is a hybrid headset that Razer markets as a device that can be worn on the go, as well as for gaming and one that supports multiple platforms. These models are tailored to mobile gaming and music, and come in four different variations: the Barracuda X, Barracuda, Barracuda X Chroma and Barracuda Pro. The Pro model also offers hybrid ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) for more sound isolation, and the X Chroma offers RGB lighting on the earcups. 

The Razer speaker lineup consists of two models: the Nommo, which is a 2.0 or 2.1 desktop speaker system that comes in three price ranges, and the Leviathan, a soundbar that also comes in three variations with or without a dedicated subwoofer. Razer headsets also offer a range of colours and additional features, such as cat ears that can be attached to the headsets. 

Razer is known for developing dozens of products, too many to be included in a single article. Apart from the mentioned devices, the company also produces a range of laptops, called the Razer Blade, which come in different sizes ranging from 14 to 18 inches. Moreover, the company has created an arcade controller for PS5 and PC called the Razer Kitsune, as well as monitor light bars, lighting kits, mobile, PC and console controllers, cameras and a range of carrying cases and backpacks. There are also three models of gaming chairs, each with separate levels similar to mice and keyboards called Iskur, Enki and Fujin.

Oh, and a plush snake called Sneki Snek, Razer’s mascot.

In the past, esports was seen by many outside of the community as a way to ‘earn money by playing games’. While that is mostly an exaggeration, several players have managed to win big by playing esports titles. 

In this article, Esports Insider delves into the players who have earned the most money in their careers for their respective games. This list does not include sponsorship revenues or wages, but the prize money distributed to the players, due to the inability to accurately know the ins and outs of player contracts and deals with partners.  

Some Dota 2 players have earned the highest amount at events globally by far, due to The International having immense prize pools in the past. Interestingly, Fortnite comes second, followed by Counter-Strike (Largely CS:GO), League of Legends and mobile MOBA Arena of Valor.

The values shared in this article represent prize money recorded by Esports Earnings, a platform that records prize money earned by players across dozens of games by aggregating sources such as videos, interviews, official statements and social media data.

Dota 2 players account for 38 out of the top 40 players by earnings in history, according to Esports Earnings, each collecting more than $2m (~£1.5m) during their careers. Out of all Dota 2 players, Danish player Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein is at the top, making Sundstein not only the highest-earning Dota 2 player, but the highest-earning esports player on record. 

During his career, Sundstein received more than $7.1m (~£5.5m) in prize money. This amount is largely due to the player winning four Majors and two editions of The International, the most of any player in history. Sundstein spent his career across multiple teams between 2012 – 2021, including Fnatic, Team Secret and Cloud9, but is most known for being the Founder of (monkey)Business, the team that would go on to become OG. 

Jesse Vainikka, known as JerAx, another former OG player, takes the second place in earnings for Dota 2, with around $6.5m (~£5m) of prize money earned during his career. 

Despite Fortnite’s prize pools being reduced recently and its esports scene not growing at the pace some suggested in the past, professional Fortnite players have earned more than $182m (~£140m) in prize winnings during its history. The highest-earning Fortnite player is Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf, known mostly for winning the 2019 Fortnite World Cup in Solos. The win got him $3m (~£2.3m), and he managed to earn over $710,000 (~£538,000) more since, making him the highest-earning Fortnite player of all time, and the highest-earning player not in Dota 2.

The 2019 World Cup was lucrative to others as well. David ‘aqua’ Wang and Emil ‘nyhrox’ Pedersen shared the $1.5m (~£1.16m ) prize for winning the Duos. This made Wang the second-best player when it comes to Fortnite earnings in history, with around 2.2m (~£1.7m) overall. 

Similar to how most of OG’s dominant roster sits at the top of earnings in Dota 2, Astralis’ Danish core between 2017 to 2019 is the highest-earning group of players in CS:GO. At the top is Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen. 

Rasmussen is the most decorated player in CS:GO history, with five Major titles to his name. This has resulted in the player amounting to a total earnings of $2.2m (~£1.7m) throughout his career across Astralis, Team Vitality, Heroic and other teams. 

Rasmussen’s teammate Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth earned just over $2m (~£1.5m) in his career. The highest-earning players not a part of a former Astralis lineup are NAVI’s superstar Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev and Finn ‘Karrigan’ Andersen, the current in-game leader for FaZe Clan. Andersen has earned $1.56m (~£1.18m) playing Counter-Strike, and Kostyljev made around $1.71m (~£1.30m).

Perhaps surprisingly, League of Legends players usually do not earn as much from prize money as competitors in some other games. Out of all the League of Legends players, the game’s greatest of all time, Faker, has earned the most money during his career. The T1 player has earned around $1.71m (~£1.30m) of prize money during his career, making him the only League of Legends player to make it to the top 100 of players by money earned, according to Esports Earnings.

Lee ‘Duke‘ Ho Seong is the second-highest-earning player in League of Legends history, with around $955,000 (~£738,900) earned through the MOBA’s competitions.

Although relatively unknown to PC esports fans, Arena of Valor is one of the most popular games in the world. The game also has its Eastern version, Honor of Kings, and the two are often regarded as the same game (top teams from both games often compete against each other in international tournaments).

Arena of Valor players have earned more money than, for example, PUBG, Rocket League or Rainbow Six: Siege competitors. Arena of Valor prize earnings are almost double those of Rainbow Six and more than double those of Rocket League. For example, the highest prize pool in Rocket League was $2.1m (RLCS World Championship in 2022-2023), with Rainbow Six hitting $3m (~£2.32) in 2020 (Six Invitational). However, the Honor of Kings International Championship 2022 had a $10m (~£7.74m) prize pool. 

Luo ‘HuaHai’ Siyuan is the highest-earning player in Arena of Valor history and has spent his entire playing career at eStar Pro, now part of Ninjas in Pyjamas. Most of Siyuan’s earnings come from winning the Honor of Kings International Championship and the Honor of Kings World Champion Cup, but the player also won the King Pro League two times. This all adds to around $1.8m (~£1.36m) of earnings throughout his career.

Peng ‘Fly’ Yunfei is at the all-time second place in earnings, having accumulated around $1.6m (~£1.21m) by playing Arena of Valor.

The mobile version of PUBG Battlegrounds, called PUBG MOBILE, has interestingly handed out more prize money than the original PC game. Zhu ‘paraboy’ Bocheng is the highest-earning player in PUBG MOBILE, having earned most of his prize money during his time at Nova Esports. Bocheng has earned around $1.39m (~£1.08m) playing PUBG during his career, which started in 2019.

Given the fact that VALORANT is still a rising esports scene, it’s unsurprising to know that there has been a widespread of earners. In total, 21 players have earned between $200,000 (~£151,600) to $337,000 (~£248,200). The highest earner on Esports Earnings’ list is VALORANT Champions 2023 winner Corbin ‘C0M’ Lee ($327,300) with his former Evil Geniuses’ teammate Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold in second ($288,300) in second place.

The Rocket League esports scene is largely dominated by the RLCS, Psyonix’s esports series launched in 2016. However, two of the scene’s three most lucrative events are Rocket League events at Gamers8, the predecessor to Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup. Both Gamers8 events, as well as the RLCS 2022-23 – World Championship, recorded $2.1m (~£1.6m) prize pools

Rocket League’s highest-earning player is 21-year-old Frenchman Evan ‘M0nkey M00n’ Rogez with the current Team BDS player earning just over $795,000 (~£600,000). This is largely due to winning the Esports World Cup 2024 and the RLCS 2021-22 – World Championship, as well as placing second at the 2022-23 World Championship. Other notable earners include Jacob ‘JKnaps’ Knapman ($575,000), Yanis ‘Alpha54’ Champenois ($572,000) and Enzo ‘Seikoo’ Grondein ($560,000).

The highest-earning women’s players in esports have earned substantially less money through prize money than men. However, this trend is shifting with more events aimed at women and mixed-gender rosters. 

Canadian esports player Sasha ‘Scarlett’ Hostyn sits on the top of the rankings with over $470,000 (~£363,000) earned during her career playing StarCraft 2. Hostyn currently plays for Shopify Rebellion. Chinese Hearthstone player Li ‘Liooon’ Xiaomeng earned a total of $241,000 (~£182,600)  in her career, and Russian CS2 player Ksenia ‘vilga’ Klyuenkova won $123,000 (~£93,230), rounding up the top three female players by earnings. 

Gaming and esports consumers vary greatly from region to region. One esport could be a huge cultural hit in the East, whilst being unknown in the West.

However, the modern esports ecosystem has further incentivised the development of global organisations, filled with teams that compete in titles all across the world. The reason is simple, to diversify revenue streams and enter new markets to attract more fans. This is why some of the biggest organisations in the Western world have begun expanding East — particularly esports powerhouse markets Southeast Asia, Korea, and China. 

The selection of these three regions doesn’t come as a big surprise. South Korea has a rich esports history and continues to foster loyal fanbases in the FGC and StarCraft. China, on the other hand, is one of the most mature esports markets in the world, with numerous franchised esports leagues in titles unknown to Western audiences.

Lastly, Southeast Asia continues to dominate the mobile esports space, with games like Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Free Fire and PUBG Mobile showing immense popularity. This makes it a fertile ground for Western esports organisations looking for a slice of the ever-growing mobile market.

The launch of the Esports World Cup Club Support Programme also pushed many Western esports organisations to invest in new titles – many of which have chosen rosters in the East. The 30 teams in the Club Support Programme have received a stimulus to enter new titles for the Esports World Cup, which is currently underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Without further ado, let’s detail which Western esports organisations have teams in the East. 

North American esports organisation Cloud 9 marked its entry into Starcraft II when it signed Korean player Koh ‘GuMiho’ Byung-jae in November 2023. It isn’t a surprising signing as the region dominates the game’s competitive circuit compared to North America, where Cloud9 is headquartered. 

An example of this is the viewership stats for the IEM Katowice 2024, where all the top five matches featured at least one South Korean player, per Esports Charts. 

FaZe Clan realised back in 2020 that PUBG Mobile was a game to invest in — and that the best region to do that was SEA. Thereafter, the organisation signed a team in Thailand. 

Its long-term commitment to the game resulted in FaZe Clan becoming a partnered team in PUBG Mobile’s Esports ecosystem in 2023. As a part of this, a slot for the PUBG Mobile Super League (PMSL) SEA, which has three seasons per year, is guaranteed for FaZe Clan.

UK-based esports organisation Fnatic initially signed an Overwatch roster back in 2015, but subsequently left the game before the launch of the Overwatch League. 

However, ahead of the Esports World Cup, the organisation re-entered the game by picking up the Esports World Cup-qualified team, YETI. The unsigned Korean Overwatch team placed fourth in the Overwatch Champions Series 2024 Asia Stage 1, booking a slot in the Riyadh event. Fnatic ultimately lost in Round 1 of the EWC Playoffs. 

Overwatch wasn’t Fnatic’s only signing ahead of the Esports World Cup. The esports organisation entered into a partnership with ONIC Esports in 2024, for its MLBB rosters across Indonesia and the Philippines. Notably, Onic has a franchised slot in the MLBB Professional League (MPL) Indonesia as well as the Philippines. 

Fnatic ONIC recently won MPL Indonesia Season 13 and was one of the favourites going into the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup 2024. However, the team failed to make it out of the Group Stage. Fnatic ONIC PH, on the other hand, placed fifth in the MPL Philippines Season 13. 

Multinational esports organisation G2 Esports secured a notable partnership with China’s Invictus Gaming in December 2023.

Representing the Chinese region, the newly-formed G2.iG has competed in a range of tier-one esports events in 2024, including the Riyadh Masters 2024, PGL Wallachia Season 1, ESL One Birmingham and the Elite League Season 1.

In a release at the time, G2 noted: “China, and Asia in general, has always been a huge priority for G2 as the organisation aspires to expand west to east across the globe.”

Besides this, G2 also experimented with Wild Rift esports by partnering up with one of the Philippines’ most popular esports organisations — Blacklist International. However, the team is no longer active after Riot Games announced in early 2024 that it wouldn’t be focusing on SEA for Wild Rift esports. 

With European rosters in Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, Gaimin Gladiators also has ties to Asia-Pacific with a Rocket League roster since 2022.

Since then, the organisation has been pretty successful in the local APAC region — making it to the RLCS World Championship in 2022 and 2023. 

UK-based esports organisation Guild Esports announced on June 10th, 2024, that it was entering the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang scene with Saudi Arabia-based R8 Esports. This included its men’s and female teams. 

However, just four days later after the announcement, Guild.R8 Esports failed to qualify for the Esports World Cup after finishing the MLBB Professional League (MPL) MENA Playoffs in fourth place. The women’s team also failed to make it to the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) 2024. 

In its announcement, though, Guild highlighted that the partnership will extend to the Esports World Cup and beyond. 

NAVI is another esports organisation that has picked up an esports roster in the East as a reaction to the Esports World Cup. 

The organisation announced on June 13th that it was acquiring the South Korean team Dark Horse after it placed second in the Esports World Cup 2024 TFT APAC Closed Qualifier.

NAVI will be competing in the TFT tournament at the EWC 2024 from August 8th – 11th. A prize pool of $500,000 (~£393,600) is on the line for the event. 

Team Vitality is one of the top Western esports organisations with significant investments in the East — starting with India. 

The France-based esport organisation has a separate division for India – which doesn’t just extend to esports teams but also content creators. The organisation also announced in May 2024 that it was entering into a partnership with the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) to “help take Indian esports to the world.” The ESFI is a full member of the International Esports Federation (IESF). 

In terms of esports, Team Vitality India currently has a Call of Duty: Mobile lineup, which is amongst the most successful in the region. The esports organisation previously had a Free Fire team as well, but the game was banned in early 2022. With Garena announcing Free Fire India, Team Vitality could make a return to the game when the title is released. 

While TSM and Fnatic had made similar investments in the country, both esports organisations subsequently departed from the market. 

Team Vitality entered Mobile Legends: Bang Bang by picking up unarguably the most successful all-female esports lineup in the game, Bigetron Era. The team has almost a flawless record in all-female MLBB esports, winning major tournaments in 2023 and 2022.

The team was one of the favourites to win the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) at the Esports World Cup 2024. However, the team ultimately placed second, losing out to the Philippines’ Omega Empress. 

Team Vitality entered Starcraft II in February 2024, in partnership with ONSYDE, a South Korean esports organisation. In a release, Vitality stated that this signing was a ‘part of the global expansion of the Parisian club.’

As a part of this, some of the biggest stars in the game, namely Cho ‘Maru’ Seong-ju, Kim ‘Ryung’ Dong-won, and Kang ‘Solar’ Min-soo, now compete under the organisation’s banner.

Lastly, Team Vitality has one South Korean player in its fighting games roster. Jeon ‘Jeondding’ Sang-hyun was picked up in April 2024 and is amongst the biggest names in the FGC. 

The player has qualified for the Esports World Cup 2024 and will be playing in the $1m (~£787,000) Tekken 8 tournament in August. 

Team Liquid entered Mobile Legends: Bang Bang by acquiring SEA-based esports org, STUN.GG. As a result, STUN.GG’s properties AURA Esports and ECHO Esports, were rebranded into Team Liquid ID and Team Liquid PH, respectively. Both the teams have slots in MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines. 

Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) is a part of Riot Games’ franchised league for League of Legends in China, the LoL Professional League (LPL). 

The Sweden-based esports organisation entered the LPL by merging with ESV5 to create the NIP Group. As a part of this, the organisation also entered Honor of Kings esports in China (via eStar Gaming)

With the merger, Victory Five was rebranded into Ninjas in Pyjamas in the LPL. Additionally, the NIP Group is leveraging ESV5’s local partnerships and expertise to enhance its brand recognition in China. 

Alliance initially entered PUBG Mobile in 2021 through a collaboration with Yoodo, a major Malaysian-based telecom provider, forming Yoodo Alliance. However, with the latter announcement that it was discounting the Yoodo brand, Alliance announced on August 5th, 2024, that it was parting ways with its title sponsor. 

The team is also a partnered team in the PUBG Mobile esports ecosystem, competing in the PMSL SEA as a Malaysian representative. 

Wolves Esports is the esports division of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite its English roots the club’s esports division largely focuses on the Chinese market. The organisation currently has teams in Chinese esports across VALORANT, Call of Duty: Mobile and Honor of Kings. 

Wolves Esports’ CODM team are the reigning world champions. Its VALORANT roster, on the other hand, is a partnered team in the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) China. 

However, Wolves Esports is most established in Honor of Kings and has competed in the King Pro League (KPL) since 2017. As representatives of Chongqing, the team has a fixed seat in the league and has been very successful in the game. Most recently, Wolves Esports won the KPL 2024 Spring, pocketing over $700,000 (~£551,000) of its $2m (~£1.57m) prize pool. 

The mouse is an integral part of a PC gaming setup and its evolution has opened the door to professional esports that people know today. From using office mice to developing custom-created gear tailored to specific esports genres, the industry has come a long way. 

For an object you use to point at things on screen, mice today vary in price. However, the differences in weight, responsiveness, DPI and overall shape can give that tiny bit of an edge that allows players to perform at their best.

In this article, we will talk about some of the most iconic gaming mice to date, in no particular order.

There is no mice list without the Intellimouse. The version launched in 1999 was one of the first mice to have an optical sensor, the now-ubiquitous five-button layout and a cool red light to make it stand out from other office mice. It was just a simple evolution of the previous design Microsoft created in the nineties, but it turned out to be just what the gamers of the time needed to boost their performance. 

It was present at every LAN party and esports tournament for years and there was even a customised version created by SteelSeries which had a different colour and logo but kept the internals intact. The mouse was also known for its longevity and many survived more than a decade in offices and homes around the world. 

The mouse actually inspired a lot of companies to make their own twists on the formula, such as Zowie with its iconic EC line and Razer with its Deathadder, also one of the all-time greats in the industry.

A relatively unknown fact is that Razer’s Boomslang, a name long since retired, was the first-ever mouse built from the ground up for gaming. 

It was also the first one to offer more than 1,000 DPI, back in 1999. Its strange shape which widens at the buttons but is narrow at the rear makes it instantly recognisable among other mice, but its technology was what made Razer confident it can grow and dominate the peripherals market for the next 25 years.

Most probably know this one from that one friend who still uses it. Launched in 2005, the MX518 is one of the oldest and most notable designs in Logitech’s long history. Known for being an extremely simple and effective tool that does its job surprisingly well, the mouse is a cult classic. 

A large number of players swear by its shape and weight as the most comfortable ever made. Its bulletproof reliability and durability made it a staple of so many setups both in competitive esports and at home. Logitech took note of its popularity and re-released it with a HERO sensor several years ago.

A model that singlehandedly caused a trend in the industry in 2017, the Ultralight Pro took the radical idea of a mouse filled with holes to make it light and polished the formula into an iconic piece of hardware. The overall design was met with a lot of criticism at its launch but was adopted by almost all major manufacturers that now offer ultralight gaming mice.

The feeling of these types of products is really unlike any other mouse because it feels almost too light in some cases. The mouse also had issues with dust and the fact that it is more fragile than their full-case brethren. Using the Finalmouse Ultralight Pro is kind of like strapping yourself to a very fast motorbike — no compromises just to be as fast as possible.

Although perhaps not as famous as some of the other pieces of hardware on this list, the Logitech G Pro Wireless was revolutionary because it was the first time ever that a wireless mouse was truly lightweight. Coming in at around 80 grams, the G Pro Wireless combined a great HERO sensor with RGB lighting. The mouse also has a remarkable battery life of over 50 hours in a lightweight body. 

Launched in 2018, the mouse was one of the reasons for Logitech’s large surge in popularity. This enabled the brand to continue developing mice that were similar in performance, but even lighter, like the G PRO X Superlight series, arguably some of the best mice in the world right now.

Along with the likes of MX518, the Deathadder was (and still is) one of the most recognisable gaming mice of all time. The Deathadder’s shape offers supreme comfort and performance, and the mouse has continued evolving throughout the years to offer versions that are wired, wireless, barebones or very feature-packed. Not many know that the original Deathadder came out back in 2006 and has more than 20 versions to date.

Bonus points go to Razer for co-creating a version of the Deathadder together with League of Legends icon, Faker.

Although not light or nimble by any means, the Razer Naga fills out a very specific segment of the gaming and esports markets: the MMO.

Due to the nature of MMORPG and other MMO titles, a large number of buttons and keys need to be mapped to abilities and in-game items. The Naga and similar mice solved this issue by incorporating more than 10 thumb buttons on the side of the mouse, allowing users extreme macro capabilities without compromising performance. The result is a mouse that looks like it has a number pad glued to it and weighs almost the same as three separate G PRO Wireless mice, but it gets the job done.

The recent models also have a removable side panel that can be changed to fit other games, but the Naga is still the most famous MMO mouse.

The digital nature of esports provides viewers and fans with fewer ways to create communities and connect to teams and players. 

Most top-tier teams do operate some version of a merchandise store and headquarters, but those are mostly based in the team’s home city, such as the Astralis Nexus in Copenhagen, the new MOUZ headquarters in Hamburg, or Team Vitality’s V.Hive, its headquarters in Paris.

Whilst providing physical locations for local fan bases is growing in importance, most of these organisations have many supporters around the world, particularly teams that have rosters in a multitude of regions.

To provide fans with extra value online, which also opens up more revenue streams, an increasing number of organisations have decided to create their own fan engagement platforms, or simply — fan apps. Esports fan apps are a relatively new occurrence and are often connected to some form of Web3 partnership that powers the apps. Teams differ in approach when creating these platforms, with some choosing to focus more on Web3 features such as digital avatars and collectibles, while others focus more on the competitive side. Some of these platforms and apps are free to use and others require a subscription.

In this article, Esports Insider will show which esports organisations have fan platforms and what makes them useful to fans. 

Swedish esports organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas partnered with blockchain companies XBorg and Zilliqa to launch The Dojo, its fan engagement app, in 2024. The app allows users to fulfil quests and earn both digital and physical rewards, such as merchandise, incentives for the NIP shop and customisation items for their avatars. The Dojo is also aimed to provide users with benefits for meet and greets with players, scavenger hunts, tutorials and classes featuring NIP players.

A fan loyalty and engagement platform co-created by Spanish esports organisation MAD Lions and blockchain company Zilliqa in September 2023. The Pride is very similar to The Dojo, due to both being worked on by Zilliqa. Similar to The Dojo, The Pride features integration with the Zilliqa wallet as a way to store digital valuables and provides users with access to app-only rewards and offers. MAD Lions fans can finish quests to receive roars, its in-app currency, which can then be exchanged for physical and digital rewards.

Co-created by Team Vitality and its blockchain partner Tezos in November 2022, the V.Hive is the French organisation’s version of a fan engagement platform. Users can create bee-like avatars in the app and use in-app rewards to customise them. Depending on the level of account a user has, the benefits range from free hours in the V.Play gaming cafe at Team Vitality’s headquarters, discounts in the merchandise store, early access to limited-edition merchandise drops and a range of digital wearables. 

A slightly different version of a fan engagement platform, the SEN Society was launched in May 2023 by North American organisation Sentinels. The platform requires users to pay a monthly subscription to access it and allows fans to access behind-the-scenes footage that is not suitable for social media platforms such as Facebook, X or Instagram. The subscribers also receive a physical ID card when subscribing and can apply for exclusive meet and greets with players. The ID card offers further benefits, such as merchandise discounts for in-person events and sales to card owners.

The fan app for esports organisation Fnatic is closer to projects created by football clubs and other sports companies. Focused on results and match data, the app allows users to access detailed post-patch stats and data, see previews of upcoming Fnatic games and other game data. In addition, the app allows for predictions and lets users position themselves on a global leaderboard. The Fnatic app also features voting for MVPs for Fnatic matches and behind-the-scenes content. 

Brazilian esports organisation LOUD created its fan engagement platform, the LOUD Club, in 2022. The company notably announced that there will be more than R$1m (~£180,000) of rewards for users of the app, which is also powered by Web3 technology. Similar to many other platforms, users can be rewarded for completing tasks, such as watching games and following LOUD’s social media. The rewards can then be exchanged for merchandise and other valuables. 

Esports organisation Team Liquid is one of the oldest and most successful in esports, and one of the few that has undergone iterations of its fan engagement app. The fan platform, called Liquid+, initially allowed for score tracking, behind-the-scenes content and earning points that can be redeemed for rewards. The app is set to be upgraded and relaunched in 2024 through a partnership with blockchain companies Xborg and Sui, and will include blockchain-based systems such as digital avatars and digital collectibles. 

Similar in idea to Fnatic’s fan app, the G2 app provides users with many of the same features but offers two separate tiers — one free and the other one paid. The paid version, called Premium, allows users access to limited edition merchandise, as well as the ability to vote on new merchandise drops and designs. In addition, points received for watching G2 play are doubled and users can receive free rewards during live events, in addition to discounts on tickets for said events. The app offers more to paying customers, including exclusive content, higher chances of winning raffles and voting on content that is to be created. 

This is not a definitive list and the apps are not ranked in any particular order. 

Despite esports being a relatively new cultural phenomenon, competitive gaming has been prevalent since the 1970s. The first esports competition was held in 1972 and competitive gaming has come a long way ever since, with a variety of gaming genres creating unique esports ecosystems. 

The esports industry witnessed a massive boom period in the mid-2000s due to technological advancements. China and South Korea, where competitive gaming culture is prevalent, embraced esports by officially recognising the industry when the scene was still developing.

Bolstering esports’ surge in popularity, video and streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube have allowed esports fans all across the globe to watch their favourite teams compete, free of charge, growing various esports scenes as a result. 

Whilst esports is often referred to as a single entity, the industry is complex and fragmented. There are different categories of games within esports, with each genre requiring a different set of skills. This article from Esports Insider explains all the popular esports genres.

Fighting games are one of the oldest genres in the world of esports. However, unlike other competitive esports titles like FPS or MOBA, fighting games encourage the use of a controller, like on a console, rather than a keyboard and mouse.

Often coined the Fighting Game Community (FGC) genre, competitive events typically encourage using a joystick to control their character during matches as it requires players to repeatedly press a series of buttons to score multiple attacks. Using a mouse and keyboard is discouraged while playing a fighting game, as the FGC genre is more prominent on consoles than on PCs.

Many FGC tournaments are held in a double-elimination format, giving players a chance to adapt and redeem themselves after their first loss in a two-round match.

Tekken, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros and Mortal Kombat are the popular titles within the FGC genre. More recently, newer PvP titles like Multiversus have risen to popularity within the FGC scene.

RTS, or Real-time Strategy, is a subgenre of the strategy genre where the player has to make strategic decisions in real-time, simultaneously with other players, instead of turn-based options. 

The RTS genre mainly involves the player taking responsibility for an area in the game. Games of this nature typically see the player make strategic choices and coherent decisions about world-building, population and adversity control.

Age of Empires IV, Starcraft II and Sid Meir’s Civilization are some RTS titles that have maintained consistent popularity over time and are hailed as classic RTS titles among strategy fanatics. The Starcraft franchise, in particular, is often referred to as one of the original modern esports titles, in no small part due to its popularity in South Korea. 

Over time, some games have also combined elements of tower defence into the Real-time Strategy (RTS) genre. Clash Royale and Clash of Clans are some examples of popular RTS titles on mobile. Meanwhile, the Warcraft franchise was originally developed as an RTS before evolving into a massively successful series that spawned MMORPGs and card-based titles.

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, or MOBA for short, are more intensive, stretched-out versions of RTS games. Instead of 1v1 matches like in Real-time Strategy games, players choose a champion from a wide list of characters and cooperate with their teammates to defeat the other team in an arena. 

In many MOBA titles, usually there are structures on the opposite side of the arena that teams must defeat to win the match. League of Legends, SMITE and Dota 2 are some examples of MOBA games which have become prominent esports titles with massive tournaments and prize pools.

On the other hand, Mobile Legends Bang Bang!, and Arena of Valor (also known as Honor of Kings) have caused the mobile MOBA  esports market to flourish. These MOBA’s have been solely made to play on handheld devices, rather than on PCs. According to Esports Charts, four of the top five most popular esports events ever recorded are tournaments played on MOBA games (two from League of Legends and Two from Mobile Legends Bang Bang).

FPS, or First Person Shooter, games are basically action titles where the player has to defeat opponents using a variety of in-game firearms and weapons.

The FPS genre perhaps has the most variety when it comes to competitive game modes. Bomb Defuse, where Team A has to plant the bomb and eliminate the opponents of Team B, is the most popular game mode seen within the esports scene. However, the likes of Team Deathmatch, Free for All and Capture the Flag are other popular game modes that are used across multiple FPS esports titles.

Call of Duty, VALORANT and the Counter-Strike series are some esports franchises that have emerged as massively successful and popular FPS esports titles. FPS esports has also birthed the launch of some of North America’s esports biggest organisations such as FaZe Clan, Complexity and OpTic Gaming.

Battle Royale is a widely popular subgenre of the FPS or TPS (Third-person Shooter) genre. So much so that Battle Royale games have become a major component of the esports ecosystem. Battle Royales throw a player in a big arena or a map with a vast amount of opponents. The main objective is to eliminate all the other players. 

Battle Royale can be played solo, with two-person teams (duos) or four-person teams called ‘squads’. As a result, in some competitive tournaments, the goal is to eliminate all the other teams in the massive Battle Royale map. 

The Battle Royale genre is one of esports’ newest phenomenons, with titles such as PUBG and Fortnite only coming out in 2017. PUBG Mobile, Apex Legends and Call of Duty Warzone are also popular titles in the Battle Royale genre. 

Outside of esports, Fortnite — developed by Epic Games — is a massively popular title within the Battle Royale genre, mainly due to big revenue-generating collaborations with celebrities, pop stars and corporations such as Marvel and Disney.

While not a separate genre within esports, mobile esports are often referred to together amongst competitive gaming communities. Mobile esports are competitive titles on handheld devices, like iOS and Android phones and tablets.

The technological advancements made recently on Android and iOS devices have allowed several graphically intensive titles to run on mobile. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, or MLBB for short, and Honor of Kings are two examples of successful MOBA esports games on handheld devices.

Mobile esports has several successful handheld variants of popular esports titles. PUBG Mobile, Free Fire and Call of Duty Mobile are some popular examples of shooter games that have entered the mobile esports market.

The Sports Simulator genre requires players to play matches that are linked to traditional sports such as Football, Basketball and Ice Hockey, among others. These games simulate sports titles virtually and require players to typically use a controller, depending on the game.

FIFA, a football sports simulator title, was one of the oldest and most successful sports simulators to exist within the genre. The football game has since been rebranded to EA Sports FC after the publisher cut ties with the Football Federation. 

On the other hand, NBA 2K is another example of a massively successful basketball sports simulator title, with a £2.5m ($2m) prize pool distributed across all NBA 2K tournaments in 2023. Combat sports titles such as UFC and WWE2K are fighting game-focused subgenres of the sports sims ecosystem, however, the games have yet to establish themselves in esports.

Sim Racing is another subgenre of sports simulation, however, it is widely regarded as its own category. This is largely because it involves virtual car racing with competitors encouraged to use specialised equipment, such as wheels or sim racing rigs, as opposed to traditional equipment (mice and keyboard or controllers),  

Gran Turismo, F1 and iRacing are well-known esports racing simulator franchises across the entire genre. The Sim Racing esports ecosystem also tends to attract motorsport teams, with the likes of McLaren, Red Bull, Alpine and Williams active in this esports scene.