The Marvel Rivals Invitational 2025 EMEA crowned Virtus.pro (VP) as its champions, taking home a $40,000 (~£31,058) prize.

The Russian esports organisation triumphed 4-2 over Team OG (OG) in the grand finals, cementing its name in the Marvel Rivals Invitational 2025 EMEA esports scene.

While Sentinels was making the rounds in the NA scene, VP came out on top overseas across two stages of the Marvel Rivals Invitational 2025 EMEA.

Virtus.pro was able to pull through in the Swiss Stage, which took place between February 28th to March 2nd, 2025 before competing in the double elimination bracket held between March 7th to March 9th, 2025.

The organisation proudly announced its win on X, saying that ‘confident play brings the team victory in the tournament and $40,000!’

In the livestream of the match, both VP and OG were able to claw victory from Fnatic before facing off in the highly anticipated Grand Finals.

The initial games began as a tug of war struggle between VP and OG, with neither side giving way as the match went on. Despite a valiant effort from OG, VP proved to be the stronger team in the end, showcasing its best performance in the Marvel Rivals Invitational 2025 EMEA.

The tournament MVP was Finnbjörn ‘Finnsi‘ Jónasson, VP’s Vanguard player who supported his team as Dr. Strange and Magneto during Marvel Rivals Invitational 2025 EMEA.

Andreas ‘Nevix‘ Karlsson, Swedish Vanguard player for VP, said: “Eventually, you’re going to get some competition, you’re going to get challenged and you just got to lock in, be calm, stay focused, and I think that’s what we did today.”

These were the end placements of all esports organisations in Marvel Rivals Invitational 2025 EMEA.

IBUSHIGIN’s Kakeru won the Capcom Cup 11 over the weekend, taking home the $1m (£775,730) grand prize. He should probably split the prize with his wife, the one who told him to use JP for the duration of the tournament.

The Capcom Cup 11 was the culmination of the 2024 Capcom Pro Tour, which featured the best Street Fighter 6 players from around the world competing in Japan on March 8-9th after qualifying at events throughout the year.

Kakeru has been steadily playing JP since 2024 after a Street Fighter 6 patch made the character viable once more. However, Kakeru admitted in an interview with Walker Plus that he had wanted to play Mai Shiranui at Capcom Cup 11.

Mai Shiranui is the newest playable character in Street Fighter 6, implementing Shiranui-ryuu style of ninjutsu into her moveset — a blend of ninja techniques and traditional dance. The Street Fighter 6 community has applauded Mai so far thanks to her competitive viability and design. In fact, some even believe she could be OP at this time.

Despite the community’s praise, Mai was not seen in the Top 8 at Capcom Cup 11. However, Xiahai, OilKing and Nephew had used Mai during the tournament, showing off her capabilities until Mai was never seen again after Top 16.

Kakeru had debated it but told Walker Plus that this caused a fight between him and his wife. He said: “I wanted to use Mai and that’s actually the reason me and my wife were fighting. In the end, we decided together ‘JP is going to work better’ so I stuck with JP only for the event.”

This decision paid off big time.

Kakeru climbed to the Grand Finals, competing against formidable opponent Blaz, who chose to use Ryu. This is a matchup that Kakeru knows all too well and he was able to stop Blaz’ momentum and win the whole thing. Who knows if he would have won with Mai, but it seems like his wife made the right call.

The opening match of League of Legends’ First Stand concluded with strong viewership following Team Liquid‘s surprise win over Karmine Corp.

The inaugural global tournament for the LoL is shaping up to be yet another triumph for one of the top esports games of 2025.

Team Liquid secured a 2-1 victory against Karmine Corp in the first match of League of Legends First Stand on March 10th, 2025.

According to reports by Esports Charts, the four-hour-long live stream attracted a peak viewership of over 700,000, with an average viewership of 400,000.

First Stand pits the best teams of EU and NA against one another in a rivalry as old as the game itself. With a $1m total prize pool, winning can also serve as a stepping stone for teams to qualify for other major tournaments, such as the Esports World Cup.

It’s been a promising start for the North American team, having previously beat 100 Thieves in LTA 2025 Cross Conference. Though they were able to secure the win, it wasn’t without struggle.

Team Liquid secured a lead in the first round, before being overwhelmed in the second. A close struggle in the third round ultimately saw Karmine Corp falling short.

In a debrief after the first match Team Liquid League of Legends coach, Jake ‘Spawn’ Tiberi, said: “I’m actually happy Game 2 happened, because Game 2 shows that we actually have to follow the game plan.

“There’s a reason we scout our opponents, there’s a reason we pick the champions we pick. So Game 2 when we just completely threw out the game plan and just freestyle played the game, we got rolled.”

For this match, Team Liquid banned Viktor, Rumble, Yone and Kalista, while Karmine Corp consistently shut down Ziggs, Draven and Taliyah.

In a post on X, Caliste ‘Caliste‘ Henry-Hennebert, French bot laner for Karmine Corp, said: “A bit disappointed to have lost. But it’s okay, it’s our first time on the international stage for Vladi and me.

“We arrived about three days ago, we haven’t had much time for scrims. There’s also been a lot of content, so we’re a bit tired. But that’s just an excuse, we could [have] totally win today.

“I think we [kind of] choked under the pressure, but it happens. Tomorrow we’re facing CFO, It’s an important match, and it should go well.”

Recent reports have shown that the esports scene in 2025 has already been booming in viewership and prize pools.

It shows that while some games have wasted no time in hosting events, other’s have steadily declined in both commitments and viewer engagement.

According to Esports Charts, several games are already hosting events watched around the world and awarding millions in prizes.

To probably no one’s surprise, League of Legends (LoL) once again tops the charts in terms of peak viewership for esports games in 2025. On February 13th the game saw nearly 2m viewers at one point during the LCK Cup 2025.

In second place we have VALORANT, with peak viewership of over 1.3m during this year’s Masters Bangkok Grand Finals. Despite having fewer ongoing tournaments than LoL, it has offered a richer prize pool overall at $750,000 so far.

Counter Strike 2 (CS) is the last of the big three, with the highest number of ongoing tournaments at 10. As result, it has accumulated a staggering $3.7 million in total prize pool money. The highest prize pools were awarded at both PGL Cluj-Napoca and IEM Katowice 2025 at $1.25 million each.

Within Esports Chart’s top 10 esports games of 2025, three of them are classified to be on mobile platforms.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a 5v5 MOBA on iOS and Android that recently launched in China, ranks fourth, surpassing Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Dota 2.

Its Snapdragon Pro Series Season 6 APAC challenge finals attracted a peak viewership of over one million. 2024 was also successful with 167 tournaments, including the $3m EWC X MLBB Mid-Season Cup.

Another notable mobile game to highlight is Honor of Kings, another 5v5 MOBA game. Though not as successful as LoL, it boasts a larger total prize pool of over $300,000. With 85 tournaments in 2024, 2025 could prove to be even bigger.

Beyond the top 10, there are a few surprise titles that have not seen as much activity so far this year.

Marvel Rivals, the latest hero shooter craze, has topped Overwatch 2 in prize pool and viewership in 2025 so far.

Where Overwatch has offered $65,000 and has a 147,000 peak viewership, Marvel Rivals has given away $200,000 and over 175,000 peak views.

Other noteworthy titles ranked between 20-11 include Call of Duty, Rocket League, Street Fighter and Free Fire.

Though with this year’s Esports World Cup introducing several games in its catalogue this year, a resurgence in viewers may be on the horizon for several of these games.

Pro players in the Overwatch 2 esports scene are debating the return of 6v6 formats following the Classic experimental event.

With the original mode eyeing a comeback in quickplay and ranked in Season 15, is it time for the esports scene to follow suit?

The discourse surrounding Overwatch 6v6 has lingered since the sequel originally swapped to a 5v5 format to a mixed reception.

As the game grapples with balance issues, especially for solo tanks, players have long considered whether returning to 6v6 could fix many of its current problems.

In a post on X, popular streamer Samito said: “If Overwatch 1 was 5v5 role lock it never would have won GOTY or been loved for this long.

“6v6 has the special sauce, big moments, unique hero identity and skill expression via gameplay loop that no other game has touched in 8 years. Overwatch 2 will never be peak in 5v5.”

In a Directors Take blog post Overwatch 2 game director, Aaron Keller, shared how the Season 14 6v6 limited-time run accounted for nearly 10% of total community play time.

Keller said: “There’s definitely a demand for a mode with this team size, but it’s still uncertain how large that demand is. We’re going to run a mini-competitive season of 6v6 starting midseason 15.

“It’s still a little early to say what 6v6’s place is in Overwatch with a decent amount of people playing it, I think that it’s probably here to stay in some form, but so far, we’re not ready to swap the core format of the game.”

The original format has been gaining traction in the core player base, so much so that the esports scene has been brought into question.

It’s an interesting turn of events given how back in 2023, when Overwatch 2 first launched, several pros voiced their preference for 5v5.

On X William ‘Crimzo‘ Hernandez, former Overwatch pro player, said: “People were initially worried about the swap but I feel like after months of scrims, plus two betas, it’s a no-brainer that 5v5 was the correct approach.”

With 6v6 back in play, pros across all levels are loving it, and they’re pushing Blizzard to take it even further.

In a post on X Spacestation Gaming Xander ‘Hawk‘ Domecq said: “6v6 today reminded me how challenging Overwatch once was. The game is so much more mentally stimulating. Every role is incredibly powerful.”

Overwatch 2 esports has had a rough journey in the last few years, with both highs and lows including the closure of Overwatch League. As such, many pros are apprehensive about whether 6v6 will revitalise the scene or serve as the final nail in the coffin.

The return of 6v6 has sparked major excitement in the hero shooter scene, but not everyone’s ready to rush it into Overwatch 2 esports just yet.

It’s not a change that can happen overnight, at least not before this year’s Esports World Cup. It will take some time for teams to adapt to this format again.

Not only would Overwatch Champions Series partner teams have to find a sixth player, but it would also demand countless hours of practice. With 6v6, things such as team comps, strategies, and communication would necessitate review.

With double tanks, matches will see more damage mitigation and more CC, something pro players will have to plan around.

The 6v6 format, once limited to arcade mode, is making its competitive debut midway through Season 15, offering a clearer picture of what high-level 6v6 play in Overwatch 2 will truly look like.

Weibo Gaming has entered Rainbow Six: Siege (R6) esports with its first R6 roster, featuring former Bleed Esports and Elevate players.

The Chinese esports organisation also announced a partnership with R6 developer Ubisoft, securing an Affiliate Team spot in the Asia Division of the game’s Asia Pacific League.

An announcement from March 8th on Weibo’s official X (formerly Twitter) account confirmed former Bleed Esports members Aldi ‘Hovenherst’ Firmansyah and Wu ‘Reeps96’ Weichen have signed as active players, then Patrick ‘MentalistC’ Fan will be taking the roles of Manager and Assistant Coach for the new lineup.

“The past five months have been one hell of a struggle, but I am glad we finally found a new home, along with some new talents,” shared Mentalist C on X after Weibo’s announcement. “For me personally, it’s time to take a step back and let the young guns cook while [meepeY] and I guide them the best we can from the background…”

Following the non-payment accusations against Bleed Esports, Hovenherst, Weichen and MentalistC had departed the organisation to compete for TEAM JOEL, an R6 team without organisational support. As part of Weibo’s first R6 roster, the trio is now reunited with former Bleed Esports teammate Taylor ‘Terdsta’ Ching.

They are joined by Yunos ‘SpeakEasy’ Mohamed and Razaan ‘Ape’ Adiprakasa, who won the Asia League 2024 – Stage 2 Grand Final against Bleed last year with their former organisation Elevate. R6 veteran and former coach for Rogue, KOI and Wildcard, Matthew ‘meepeY’ Sharples, will support the team as its Head Coach.

Founded in 2021, Chinese esports organisation Weibo Gaming is primarily known for its activity in League of Legends (LoL). Its LoL roster has consistently ranked highly within the LPL, the game’s Chinese league. Moreover, Weibo placed 2nd and 3rd at the LoL World Championships in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Most recently, the organisation signed Street Fighter 6 champion Saul Leonardo ‘MenaRD’ Mena II ahead of the Capcom Cup 11.

Although R6’s 2024/25 season concluded last month with the Six Invitational 2025 in Boston, U.S., Weibo Gaming will most likely compete in Ubisoft’s Asia League next season.

The Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) has announced a partnership with the Esports World Cup, a multi-title esports event organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation.

As a result of the deal, Street Fighter 6 will feature at the tournament from this year until 2027.

In addition to Street Fighter 6 featuring at the Esports World Cup, the partnership has overhauled the FGC ecosystem’s format.

Forty-eight players will secure their place at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 30 of them qualifying from Capcom Cup 11, the Street Fighter League, and the five Premier events taking place in 2025.

The winner of the Esports World Cup will also book their place at the 12th edition of the Capcom Cup, which will take place in March 2026.

Twenty-one of the 48 players have already secured their place at the Esports World Cup, with participants from tournaments such as Combo Breaker, EVO, and the last chance qualifier yet to be decided.

Prior to the partnership, the FGC highlighted the unusual prize distribution for Capcom Cup 11, where Japanese player ‘Kakeru’ took victory.

Instead of the prize pool being distributed equally across all participants, the winner took home $1m (~£774,287) while the remaining $282,000 (~£218,431) was split among the rest of the players.

Information on the prize pool for Street Fighter 6’s Esports World Cup tournament hasn’t been revealed but its boasting $60m in total prizing across all titles. The 2024 event saw players compete for $1m (~£774,287) in prize money.

Capcom is one of several game publishers that have collaborated with the Esports World Cup Foundation. In addition to the Capcom Pro Tour organisers, Riot Games has also partnered with the organiser to add League of Legends, VALORANT, and Teamfight Tactics to the tournament.

Street Fighter 6 is one of two fighting games that will be featured at this year’s competition. FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves will also hold a competition after the Esports World Cup Foundation signed a three-year partnership with developer SNK Corporation.

After a tough run at Kickoff and Masters Bangkok, VALORANT teams are now gearing up for VCT Americas 2025 Stage 1. The event will have Masters Toronto qualification and a total of 11 Championship Points on stake, along with a massive prize pool.

VCT Americas 2025 Stage 1 will take place from March 22nd to May 4th in front of a live audience at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, featuring 12 teams battling for the trophy.

The participating teams will be divided into two groups—Alpha and Omega, where they will compete in a round-robin format for a spot in the playoffs.

At the end of the Group Stage, the top four teams from each group will advance to the double-elimination playoffs. The first seed will get a direct bye to the second round, while the fourth seed will start in the lower bracket.

The Group Stage of VCT Americas 2025 Stage 1 will run from March 22nd to April 20th, followed by the Playoffs from April 25th to May 5th. Check out the daily schedule below:

Tickets will go live on March 10th at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 5 PM BRT. However, keep in mind that matches on April 5th, 6th, 19th, and 20th will be played in another studio without a live audience.

Fans unable to attend in person will be able to catch all the action live on the official VCT Americas Twitch and YouTube channels or tune into their favorite creator’s watch party for their valuable insights and reactions.

VCT Pacific Stage 1 will be extra spicy, with T1 entering the event as VALORANT Masters Bangkok champions. DRX will be aiming for another Pacific trophy, while PRX is back with redemption on its mind after an early exit in Kickoff.

To improve their performances and results, several VCT Pacific teams will be making roster changes before the transfer window closes. Below, we’ve compiled all the latest moves ahead of VCT Pacific Stage 1.

Most teams are sticking with their rosters for VCT Pacific Stage 1, with the exception of Paper Rex and TALON.

Paper Rex, after missing their first-ever Masters event, has responded by signing Patrick ‘PatMen’ Mendoza from NAOS Esports as 6th player on a contract running until 2027.

“As VALORANT reaches its 5th year, it’s no surprise that the VCT circuit is more competitive than ever, and we must energise and reinvigorate ourselves,” said Paper Rex Chief Gaming Officer (CGO) Harley ‘dsn’ Örwall. 

“An injection of new blood with young eyes brings fresh perspectives to our game. Adding PatMen to the PRX family allows us to widen our experiments with a greater breadth of playstyles.” 

Here is the roster going into Stage 1:

TALON has signed Tanate ‘killua’ Teerasawad from FULL SENSE and promoted Anupong ‘thyy’ Preamsak from the TALON Academy roster, both on contracts lasting until 2027. They replaced Peter “Governor” No and Joseph “ban” Oh in the team.

Here is TALON’s full roster:

VCT Pacific Stage 1 kicks off on March 22nd and fans will be able to catch the action live on VCT Pacific’s official Twitch and YouTube channel.

With the FNCS (Fortnite Champions Series) Major 1 Grand Finals concluded, Fortnite fans can look forward to a new addition to the FNCS season. Here is everything you need to know about the FNCS Pro-Am 2025.

The showmatch on May 10th event invites 20 of the game’s biggest content creators to team up with 20 FNCS players and compete for a $500,000 (~£387,000) prize pool.

The first edition of FNCS Pro-Am will take place at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center, Los Angeles, on May 10th. The 20 participating duos will face each other in Fortnite’s Reload game mode, where players are automatically rebooted as long as other team members are still alive.

The winning squad will be determined through a scoring system that awards points based on duo placements and enemy eliminations.

The games will be broadcast live on Fortnite’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. In addition to the English stream, fans can tune into the Portuguese and Japanese event coverage.

For those wanting to attend FNCS Pro-Am 2025, venue tickets offering various benefits, such as the Meet n’ Greet option, are available.

Although the full list of contestants is yet to be announced, several professional players and content creators have already been confirmed for the showmatch. This includes XSET part-owner Cody ‘Clix’ Conrod, who reached 3rd place at this year’s Major 1: NA Central  – Grand Finals.

Fellow XSET member Moxie will also compete at FNCS Pro-Am. The Mexican player won The Milk Cup Finals last year.

Other confirmed FNCS players include Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf, Iwo ‘Setty’ Zając, Kyle ‘Mongraal’ Jackson and Martin ‘MrSavage’ Andersen.

Among FNCS Pro-Am’s content creators are streamers and 100 Thieves co-owner Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop, as well as Lachlan ‘Lachlan’ Power, founder of gaming organisation PWR.

Moreover, popular creators Irina ‘Reddysh’ Andreea, Ali ‘SypherPK’ Hassan and Kayla ‘Sommerset’ Coy will join the competition.