Somehow it’s already the end of October, and that means we are less than a month away from the Esports Awards 2026 Presented By Thunderpick. Our team is putting together the finishing touches to what is set to be a great event, and one we expect to be the biggest gaming event Miami has ever seen.
With the event so close it has been non-stop here at Esports Awards HQ, with our final categories opening up for voting, some new partnerships being signed and the pretty important announcement of our venue!
But when things get busy for us, that doesn’t mean the rest of the industry stops. October has been full of major news and giant events, so to make sure you haven’t missed any crucial info, keep reading to get up to speed on all the big news of the month.
Industry News
It’s Almost Time To Head To Miami
Did we mention we’re going to Miami? Well, this month we revealed all the details you could possibly need around the Esports Awards 2026 Presented By Thunderpick, including our venue. On November 17 we’re taking over the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County for the biggest celebration of esports ever. We also revealed that ADR+ will be an official distribution partner, giving even more people around the world a chance to watch the ceremony.
There’s Still Time To Vote
As always the community gets to play a significant role in who walks away with one of our awards on the night, with fan voting still open until November 10. This month we revealed the finalists for our remaining awards, including the likes of Esports Team of the Year, Esports PC Player of the Year, Esports Controller Player of the Year and many more. If you voted when the first wave of finalists was revealed, now is the perfect time to jump back in and make sure your favorites get the votes they need to walk away with an Esports Award.
New VCT Format
The partnership era of the Valorant Champions Tour ended this month with Valorant Champions closing the 2026 season. Now details of what the next era for pro Valorant will look like have been revealed, with major LAN events set for locations such as Seoul, Valencia and Austin, which will host Champions 2027. Regional LANs will also take place around the world in places such as Warsaw, Tokyo and Mexico City. With no partnered leagues to speak of, these regional tournaments will make up the bulk of the season, with open qualifiers giving everyone a chance to play. It also means some teams previously in the partnered system have been removed, with the likes of Cloud9, Nongshim Redforce and GiantX all missing out.
Evil Geniuses Ceases Operations, ENCE Files For Bankruptcy
Another team that missed out on Valorant partnership for 2027 was former world champions Evil Geniuses, with the organisation announcing that it is ceasing operations earlier this month. That brings an end to one of the most storied teams in American esports, having won world championships across multiple titles. Also this month ENCE, the organisation best known for its Counter-Strike team filed for bankruptcy, marking the disappearance of another iconic name.
Pokémon Unite Set To Shutdown With $1 Million Tournament
The Pokémon MOBA Pokémon Unite is shutting down in 2027, but if a game has to go out, then it may as well go out in style and that is exactly what is happening. On March 20 & 21 2027 the Pokémon Unite Aeos Crown 2027 tournament, featuring a $1 million prize pool, will take place, then two days later, on March 23, the game will be taken offline. That’s a pretty baller way to close down a game and give the fans an appropriate send off.
Moonton And Qiddiya sign five year deal
Mobile Legends Bang Bang publisher Moonton Games and Qiddiya has signed a five year deal that will see the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Middle East and North Africa grand finals held in the city during that time. Starting in 2027 and running until 2031, the biggest MLBB tournament in MENA will head to Saudi Arabia for the annual showcase.
LoL Champion Cyanide Passes Away
Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, the youngest ever League of Legends world champion has passed away at the age of 31. Having won the Worlds at just age 16, Cyanide instantly became an icon in the European League of Legends scene during its early days, and was considered one of the best players in the world for many years. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Tournament Results
Credit: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games
Young LOUD Roster Wins Valorant Champions
Brazilian organisation LOUD claimed its second Valorant Champions trophy, having previously won in 2022 as well. By beating Team Vitality 3-1 in the grand final, the LOUD roster became the youngest to win Champions, with an average age of just over 20 years old. The Americas region took three of the top four spots at the annual world championship, with the home region of China vastly underperforming and failing to place above 13th-16th place.
Furia Claim First CS Trophy Of The Year At Thunderpick World Championship
After claiming multiple LAN victories towards the end of 2025, the Furia CS2 roster has had a difficult 2026, failing to lift another trophy until earlier this month. They finally beat their trophy-less streak at the Thunderpick World Championship, beating BetBoom 3-2 in a close-fought final. With CS2 legend and team captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo retiring at the end of the year, this could end up being his final victory.
Wolves Esports Takes Impressive PUBGM Global Open Win
Wolves Esports took a dramatic win at the PUBG Mobile Global Open Season 2 LAN event in Lahore, Pakistan, claiming the lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool. Wolves dominated the group stage, but in the finals they struggled to reach match point, with multiple other teams reaching the threshold before them. However, no one else could close it out with a win, and as soon as Wolves became match point eligible, they won the next match to claim the title in dramatic fashion, stealing it out from multiple other top teams.
Korea Unsurprisingly Dominates Early Stage Of LoL Worlds
The League of Legends World Championship is back for another year and, unsurprisingly, Korean teams are doing quite well once again. Both Dplus and Gen.G claimed the two 3-0 spots in the Swiss Stage, going undefeated, while defending champs T1 also qualified for the playoffs with a 3-1 record. At the time of writing Hanwha Life are the only Korean roster not to have locked in a place in the playoffs, but are still alive in the competition.
EVO France Crowns Multiple FGC Champions
EVO France has quickly grown into one of the biggest events in the FCG calendar, and the 2026 event provided a ton of memorable moments. Dual Kevin took the Street Fighter 6 competition, JeonDDing won Tekken 8 and GO1 claimed another Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trophy. It was also revealed that EVO France will be moving away from Nice and transitioning to Paris for future events.
Yandex Are The Dota Team To Beat After BLAST Slam Victory
Dota is slowly getting back up to competitive speed after The International back in August, but already Team Yandex has cemented itself as a top contender for this season with its new look roster. After winning PGL Wallachia last month, the roster then added the BLAST Slam VIII trophy to its collection in October, showing that the addition of Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf was the right choice during the off season.
And Finally
Faker Is Now A Minion
Multiple time League of Legends world champion, and arguably the most recognizable esports player ever, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, has been turned into a minion, and not the kind you are thinking of. No, he has not become a League of Legends minion, but one of the yellow ones from the Despicable Me, and later their own, franchise. A collaboration between T1 and Universal had seen the T1 League of Legends roster turned into Minions, with figures, stuffed toys and mousemats all featuring the players in their minion getups. We know Worlds is meant to be all serious and very important, but now we just hope that if T1 make it to the final again, they have to play while dressed as minions.
