The Esports Advocate
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ESL FACEIT Group Opens Regional Office in Riyadh
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has officially established a new regional headquarters and flagship esports venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has opened a new regional headquarters and flagship esports venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to serve as a hub for regional operations and international competition.
- The new 1,000-square-meter facility features a 500-seat capacity, 300 square meters of LED screens, and full production capabilities for broadcasts and brand activations.
- EFG is owned by Savvy Games Group, which is fully controlled by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
DreamHack Atlanta 2026 to Include IEM Atlanta, CDL Major III
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced that DreamHack Atlanta will return to the Georgia World Congress Center from May 15–17, 2026.
- DreamHack Atlanta 2026 will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center from May 15–17, 2026.
- The event will host the Call of Duty League (CDL) Major III, marking the first time a CDL Major has been held at a DreamHack festival.
- The 2026 festival will feature the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Atlanta, a Counter-Strike 2 competition with a total prize pool of $1,050,000.
PUBG Mobile Third-Party Tournament Program Launched
Krafton has introduced a streamlined third-party tournament program designed to simplify the process for organizers to host official PUBG Mobile competitions.
- Krafton has launched a streamlined, centralized program to simplify the licensing and approval process for third-party organizers hosting PUBG Mobile tournaments.
- The program supports a wide range of event types, including online and offline competitions, collegiate and inter-school leagues, scrims, and community-level tournaments.
- Approved organizers receive official resources such as copyright protection, access to PUBG Mobile assets, spectator client support, and technical integration for match data APIs and anti-cheat tools.
Esports Breakup: Why the IOC Backed Out of Saudi Esports Deal
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Saudi Arabian government have mutually terminated a 12-year agreement to host and operate the Esports Olympic Games.
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Saudi Arabian government have officially terminated their partnership to develop an Esports Olympic Games.
- The breakdown in negotiations followed the transition from former IOC President Thomas Bach to new President Kirsty Coventry, who opposed the Saudi proposal due to concerns over a lack of democratic processes and permanent Saudi government control.
- Disagreements emerged over the IOC charter's requirement to work with established federations, as the Saudi government sought to bypass existing bodies like the IESF and GEF in favor of creating its own entity.
Call of Duty League 2026 Season Details Revealed
The Call of Duty League has unveiled its operational roadmap for the 2026 season, focusing on a global expansion of event locations and structural adjustments to competitive formats.
- The 2026 Call of Duty League season will host four Majors in Dallas, Birmingham (March 27–29), Atlanta, and Paris, with the Championship Weekend taking place in Las Vegas.
- The league will expand its international presence in 2026 by including a stop at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Major I and Major II will feature an extended online qualifying stage where all teams play a full round-robin of 11 matches, with the bottom two teams eliminated before the Major II bracket.
Call of Duty League Team Toronto Ultra Becomes Toronto KOI
OverActive Media Corp. has officially rebranded its Call of Duty League franchise, formerly known as Toronto Ultra, to Toronto KOI.
- OverActive Media Corp. has rebranded its Call of Duty League franchise from Toronto Ultra to Toronto KOI to unify its North American and European team branding.
- The rebrand aligns the Call of Duty team with OverActive Media's existing KOI and Movistar KOI properties to create a single, global brand platform.
- Toronto KOI will launch new merchandise in December and plans to release in-game team packs for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 later in the season.
Riot Lays Out Roadmap for the 2026 LEC Season
Riot Games has unveiled its strategic roadmap for the 2026 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) season, introducing significant structural changes to the competitive calendar.
- Riot Games is replacing the LEC Winter Split with a new competition called 'LEC Versus – The EMEA Invitational' to kick off the 2026 season.
- The LEC Versus tournament will feature the 10 LEC partner teams competing against two European Regional League (ERL) guest teams in a single round-robin, best-of-one format.
- The two ERL guest teams for LEC Versus will include the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Champions, Los Ratones, and one additional team selected based on consistent 2025 performance.
Why Esports Illustrated Ceased Operations
Esports Illustrated, a digital publication launched in March 2023, ceased operations in October 2025 following a decision by the board of its publisher, GaudHammer Gaming Group.
- GaudHammer Gaming Group has shut down Esports Illustrated, a publication that had reached millions of monthly readers and achieved profitability.
- The closure was driven primarily by evolving Google search policies and SEO requirements, which the publisher deemed an unsustainable environment for long-term growth.
- Publisher Minute Media requested that the outlet pivot its editorial focus toward 'sports games' after Google classified portions of the site's content as 'non-sports,' a move the board rejected due to concerns over future profitability.
StarCraft II Returns to China
Blizzard Entertainment and the NetEase-owned Thunder Fire Group have confirmed that StarCraft II will officially return to the Mainland Chinese market on October 28, 2025.
- Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase’s Thunder Fire Group will officially relaunch StarCraft II in Mainland China on October 28, 2025.
- StarCraft II is the final Blizzard title to return to the Chinese market, following the previous re-releases of World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch 2, and Diablo 3.
- NetEase will host an international StarCraft II esports competition at the Hangzhou Esports Centre from November 29–30, 2025.
G2 Esports Rebrands Call of Duty League Team Minnesota ROKKR
G2 Esports has officially rebranded its Call of Duty League (CDL) franchise, formerly known as Minnesota ROKKR, to G2 Minnesota. The team will begin competing under this new moniker starting with the 2026 season.
- G2 Esports has officially rebranded its Call of Duty League (CDL) franchise, formerly known as Minnesota ROKKR, to 'G2 Minnesota' for the 2026 season.
- While adopting the G2 branding, the team will retain specific legacy iconography from the Minnesota ROKKR identity, including the purple Viking helmet.
- G2 Esports originally acquired the operating rights to the Minnesota ROKKR franchise and the assets of Version1 in December 2023.
Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup Licensed for India
The Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG) has entered into its first international licensing partnership with the India-based firm Acceler Edtech Private Limited.
- Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG) has signed its first international licensing deal to bring the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) to India.
- The new property, branded as CECC India, is scheduled to launch in Spring 2026.
- The partnership is with Acceler Edtech Private Limited, which will utilize its 'Asymmetrical Learning' platform to develop scholastic gaming infrastructure and competitive programming in India.
Fresh Round of Layoffs Hit ESL FACEIT Group
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), a prominent international tournament organizer and festival company, has implemented a new round of workforce reductions.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has initiated a new round of layoffs affecting approximately 80 to 90 employees, primarily within its EMEA division.
- EFG CEO Niccolo Maisto stated in an internal email that this reduction marks the end of the current phase of organizational change and that no further layoffs of this scale are anticipated.
- The company described the cuts as a strategic realignment intended to reduce operational complexity and focus resources on high-growth areas, rather than purely a cost-cutting measure.