Overwatch 2 is no more, as Blizzard has dropped the 2 altogether for an all-new rebrand. The game has gone back to just being Overwatch, and with the name change comes a complete refresh. The season – called Overwatch Season 1: Conquest – focuses on the theme of Talon’s rise to power. Overwatch 2 was not as favoured as the original Overwatch, but is the fresh start with Overwatch Season 1 enough to relive the golden years of Overwatch? 

Before we get into the Overwatch season 1 changes, let’s first take a look at the timeline of the Overwatch series. 

When Overwatch 2 was released, it faced negativity due to the dev team’s decision to scrap the planned PvE mode and the prices of in-game cosmetics. This was very different to Overwatch 1, which made obtaining skins very accessible if you put in the work and played consistently. For instance, I’ve been an Overwatch player since November 2016. I was able to collect a huge amount of Legendary skins simply by playing often. Loot boxes could also be bought back then, but spending real money wasn’t the only way to get your hands on the best cosmetics.

When Overwatch 2 released, I ended up spending stupid amounts of money to get skins that would have once been obtainable by just playing the game. Yes, Overwatch 2 was now free to play, but charging players upwards of $50 for skins borders on the ludicrous, especially considering the game’s previous structure. Of course, you don’t have to spend money. However, for those of us who have been around since Overwatch’s beginnings, and those used to the corporate cash grab design of free-to-play online games, it’s hard not to succumb to the temptation of spending your money. 

The new rebranding of Overwatch isn’t changing the monetisation elements hugely, as the game is still free to play. However, the changes Overwatch 2 made throughout its life have made the game more viable in the long run, such as the new Perks system and the Stadium game mode. It doesn’t feel quite as bad spending money on the game because of this content, and the new and improved Overwatch seems to be focusing on doing even more for the player to at least try and justify some of those skin prices. 

The Overwatch Season 1 update has brought about plenty of changes to the game’s structure, with promises of more to come to solidify the game’s future. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable changes. 

The biggest surprise with the reveal of Overwatch Season 1 in the Overwatch 2026 Spotlight video was that there would be five new heroes playable immediately when the season dropped.  The new heroes are:

One element of Overwatch that fans have been craving for years is more narrative content. With the reveal of Overwatch Season 1, a new cinematic was released called “Reign of Talon”. The cinematic sets up where we are in the story at the time of Overwatch Season 1. Set 10 years after the Blackwatch Retribution missions, Vendetta – daughter of the former Talon leader – takes down Doomfist and forcibly takes over her father’s criminal organisation. Doomfist is presumed dead. Vendetta reigns over Talon, and it is later confirmed that Widowmaker, Sombra and Reaper are no longer Talon operatives. 

The narrative significance can be felt in the game, too, such as the Colosseo and Rialto now donning Talon banners. The Overwatch story arcs have become an integral part of the game rather than an afterthought. Faction campaigns are also now available, which allows players to pick a side – Talon or Overwatch – and complete missions to earn rewards relating to their faction. 

Overwatch will now focus on structuring seasons around the lore, with new heroes becoming more common. Loot Boxes are also making a return, as they can be earned more easily and more often. There are also plenty of changes to certain hero abilities. Be sure to check out the most recent Overwatch Season 1 patch notes for more information on all the changes. 

So, are these changes really enough to bring back the golden days of early Overwatch? Honestly, I don’t think so, but it’s as close as it’s going to get. Blizzard managed to capture lightning in a bottle when they released Overwatch. It was hailed as one of the best games of 2016, and there is no doubt that without it, we wouldn’t have other hero shooters such as VALORANT or Marvel Rivals. 

That being said, the hero shooter genre has become oversaturated since 2016. It’s hard for any game to truly stand out among the masses, even a game like Overwatch, which was an OG. However, I do think Overwatch will continue its comeback thanks to the Season 1 changes. The game has already seen a huge return of its player base. I myself have played Overwatch more in the last week than I have in months. Can the game go back to how it was in 2016? No. Can it brush off the controversies of Overwatch 2 and maintain an established player base? If it continues as strongly as it has with Season 1, then yes, it most certainly can. 

After one of the most incredible Losers runs of all time, Cody Schwab has won the GENESIS X3 Super Smash Bros. Melee Major.

“Against all odds, I somehow won GENESIS through 11 sets in Losers, through every heavy hitter,” Cody said on X (formerly Twitter). “I’ve given this game everything I physically can, and despite everything, it’s been the greatest ride of my life.”

The Melee tournament at GENESIS X3 was stacked. So stacked, in fact, that the best players in the world found themselves in the Losers side of the bracket in Top 64. Zain Naghmi, Cody Schwab and Juan ‘Hungrybox‘ DeBiedma are the top-ranked players, but surprise upsets had them fighting to see who would make it through each other to reach Top 8.

This means that pretty early into the competition, Cody had to fight Zain and then Hungrybox to avoid elimination — all on the first day. Cody fought through his two tough opponents to make it to the Top 8, where he started on Losers against Kyle ‘Krudo.’

Cody Schwab, often considered the best Fox in the world, was on fire the entire tournament. His lightning-fast punishes, high IQ mix-ups and strong ledge play had him steamrolling his Losers opponents, whether the crowd liked it or not.

After Krudo, Cody took down Justin ‘Wizzrobe‘ Hallett’s Captain Falcon in a 3-0 stomp. He was then in Losers Semi-Finals against Alexandra ‘Salt‘ Rennie, a Captain Falcon player ranked #8 in the world after becoming a threat in the scene in the 2020s.

One of the newer names in the Top 8, the crowd was hyped by her GENESIS X3 run and rooted for her throughout the set against Cody Schwab. At one point, the one-sided chanting became so intense — with the audience screaming to ‘kill him’ — that Salt and Cody both gave the crowd stern expressions mid-set.

Even though the audience was hoping for a continued Salt run, Cody Schwab had a convincing final game and eliminated her from the tournament. After winning the incredibly intense set, Cody was met with more cheering for Salt, who had already left the stage.

After that, it was a Fox mirror with Miles ‘Soonsay‘ Foster. The audience was now in favour of Cody, who nobody could deny was playing like a mad-man all weekend. He ultimately beat Soonsay 3-1 to make it to the Grand Finals.

The battle against Jake ‘Jmook‘ DiRado was largely one-sided, with Cody taking every single game the first match. This is despite Cody continuously eating a green apple and getting pieces of the fruit noticeably stuck in his teeth during the set. Jmook, he 7th-best player in the world, was clearly growing frustrated and couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face.

Cody Schwab reset the bracket, meaning he’d have to beat Jmook one more time due to coming from Losers side. This match was a little closer, with Jmook seemingly gaining some confidence in the matchup. But Cody ultimately took the win, ending one of the most intense and challenging Losers runs of all time.

Ahead of GENESIS X3, it was said that this would be the last Major for Cody Schwab ahead of his break from Melee.

After winning, Cody addressed the crowd: “I need to work on myself as a person. And I need a team. […] I want to be the best person for this community and need time off to do that. I will come back the best player for the community, but that will include Z jumping, sorry.”

Cody has claimed he wants to leave the Melee scene in the past, but he never really took a long break. Only time will tell if he means it this time, especially after the continued toxicity from the crowd and social media during his run.

“Whether you love me or hate me, I want to be someone that can engross you in the game and bring fruit to the community that’s given me so much I’m going to do my absolute best to come back financially and emotionally secure, and give this game the GOAT Fox it deserves,” Cody tweeted.

“I’m not that person yet, but for all of you, I’ll try my best. Thank you Melee, the best game in the world.”

Despite the negativity, Cody Schwab’s GENESIS X3 run will be one to remember, whether you’re a fan or not. The incredibly consistent skill and grit he showed that weekend has cemented him as possibly the best player in Melee right now.

FaZe Clan assistant coach João Pedro ‘JP‘ Teixeira has criticised esports tournament organiser BLAST following the North American esports organisation’s victory at the Six Invitational 2026.

Following the team securing back-to-back Six Invitational titles, JP claims that tournament staff prevented him from celebrating with the rest of the squad.

When attempting join the team celebrating on stage, JP stated that the incident “destroyed my experience of winning.” Additionally, the assistant coach mentioned that other tournament organisers have allowed other team members on stage to lift the trophy.

“Next time, just let me celebrate with my team,” wrote JP on social media. “Your on-stage staff are completely confused and destroyed my experience of winning by not allowing me to go on stage with the team after the first lift.”

As a result of winning the Six Invitational for a second time, FaZe Clan is the first esports organisation in history to win back-to-back titles. Throughout 2025, the all-Brazilian roster achieved a wealth of success, winning the South American League and finishing third at the Munich Major.

“We more than anyone else, especially in an extremely tactical and complex game like R6, deserve respect from the event organisers,” JP added in another post.

Team Secret coach Igor ‘Vivas’ Vivas agreed with JP, stating that coaches competing in Ubisoft’s first-person shooter title need more respect.

Coaches in any esport title are an integral part of achieving success on the biggest stages. Whether it’s providing information on tactics during a match or ensuring players have followed training programmes, they’re crucial for esports organisations looking to lift trophies regularly.

As such, preventing coaches from celebrating with the rest of their team can be seen as frustrating for those involved. JP continues to express his frustration about missing out on “a once-in-a-lifetime moment” as the dust settles on another Six Invitational.

On the final day of the Six Invitational 2026, Ubisoft unveiled the full roadmap for Year 11 of Rainbow Six Siege through a Reveal Panel.

The upcoming year promises to bring fresh content to the tactical shooter, including new and remastered operators, modernised maps, revamped game mechanics, balance changes and more.

Year 11’s first season, Operation Silent Hunt, will begin on March 3rd, 2026. Headlining the update will be the new operator Solid Snake, the main protagonist of the Metal Gear Solid series. He will join as an attacker, with one armour and three speed stats, as part of Ubisoft’s collaboration with Konami.

Solid Snake will come with a unique Tacit. 45 as his secondary weapon, along with the F2 and PMR90A2 as primary weapons. He will be equipped with the Soliton Radar MKIII, a gadget capable of detecting nearby enemy positions in real time. Additionally, Solid Snake will bring a distinct passive to the game, allowing him to pick up to five different secondary gadgets from dead players.

Operation Silent Hunt will also introduce a limited 4v4 game mode based on Metal Gear Solid. Other features will also be added, including balance changes aimed towards roamer and entry operators, a two-week-long 1v1 Arcade playlist, modernised maps for Consulate, Oregon, and Villa, alongside a new battle pass.

The second season will see attacker Dokkaebi remastered as she will no longer be able to target all defenders at once with her call, opting for a mysterious new gadget that targets individual players. Additionally, a new primary weapon will be given to multiple operators, including Dokkaebi herself.

Ranked 3.0 will also be added in Season 2. Ubisoft shared that the playlist will no longer have hidden matchmaking rating (MMR), and ranks will be displayed based on player skill. It will also mark the return of placement matches to Ranked, which will take effect at the start of each season. Five divisions will also be introduced to Champion, which is currently the highest in-game rank.

Other content arriving in Season 2 includes a new map called Calypso Casino, mouse and keyboard support for consoles, and three modernised maps. An esports tab will also be available in-game, allowing fans to keep track of all Tier 1 teams alongside player stats. Season 2 will also feature the arrival of rotating operator trials, where players will be able to test out a selection of operators they do not own.

Finally, the season will see the removal of Dual Front a year after the mixed operator mode was introduced. A new limited-time mode, called Final Assignment, will be available for Dual Front before it is shuttered.

Season 3 will bring a new operator to Rainbow Six Siege, codenamed FIREWORKS. Based on the teaser animated by YouTube channel Siege Tales, which was also showcased during the Reveal Panel, the operator can fire a projectile that pierces through enemy shields

Ubisoft also announced that the Legend Division will be added during Season 3 as a solo queue playlist exclusive to Champion players.

Legend will use a regional MMR leader board that opens every mid-season, which will display players’ top operators and their overall MMR. Following the end of a season, the developers will grant an in-game charm to the top 100 players.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 Season 3 will bring Operator Mastery, where players can level up a selected character. It will be divided into four tiers: Specialist, Expert, Veteran, and Master, each of which will reward player titles and card borders.

New modes will also arrive in Season 3, including 3v3 Arcade playlists and a Drone Racing event. Anti-cheat, account security and anti-toxicity will see improvements through the release of the R6 Shieldguard Secure Platform.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 Season 4 will see the last operator remastered, alongside the release of a new weapon, attacker secondary secondary gadget, and three more modernised maps.

The Hostage mode will also undergo a rework to make it more competitive, bringing the mode to the Ranked playlist.

Season 4 will see the release of the social hub, allowing players to access cross-platform friend lists, view recently played players, and send squad invitations through unique codes.

A new mechanic will also arrive to Testing Grounds, an in-game mode where Ubisoft trials upcoming mechanics for feedback before adding them to the game. This time, players will be able to experiment with half-raised reinforcement walls.

Classic events will also make a return in Year 11 Season 4. Larceny makes a comeback, which enhanced destructibility in the modified Hereford Base map as players fought for control over various safeboxes.

Sports betting services company Kambi Group has announced a multi-year partnership with iGaming operator ComeOn Group.

According to a release, Kambi’s esports division, Abios, will be integrating its odds into ComeOn’s multi-feed sportsbook platform as it looks to further expand into the esports sector. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Additionally, Kambi will also be offering supplementary support on ComeOn’s broader sportsbook portfolio, tailoring odds and markets to specific player preferences for localised strategies.

Founded in 2010 and active across several locally regulated markets, including Denmark, Sweden, Ontario, and the Netherlands, ComeOn Group has been increasing its ties with the esports industry. Aside from Kambi’s esports-focused partnership, the operator also partnered with esports team Astralis in 2025 through its ComeOn! brand.

Kambi acquired Abios back in 2021 in a deal that was valued at up to SEK 270m (~£22m). Since then, the latter has been the group’s main esports data provider, having worked with GRID and, most recently, online betting operator Kindred Group.

The technology provider has been expanding its footprint in recent times, following strong momentum from profitable financial results in both 2025 Q2 and 2025 Q3.

Aside from ComeOn Group, Kambi also became the official sportsbook partner of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation earlier this month, and signed a multi-year deal with Online casino games developer Holland Gaming Technology in October 2025.

Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi Group, commented: “We are delighted to welcome ComeOn Group as our latest Odds Feed+ partner. Odds Feed+ is built on the principles of quality, choice, and trust, and this partnership reflects the confidence leading operators place in Kambi’s odds service.

“By combining market‑leading pricing with the flexibility to scale and tailor their odds package on demand, ComeOn will be equipped to deliver a world‑class sportsbook experience to players across their markets.”

Two-time TI champions, Team Liquid, are the new Dota 2 BLAST Slam champions. After a gruelling back-and-forth series against Na’Vi, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Team Liquid, the champions ended Tundra Esports’ four-time BLAST Slam championship reign. With its dominating victory, Team Liquid reminded the other Dota 2 teams that they’re back and, possibly, better than ever.

Not only did Team Liquid capture the title from Tundra, but they also shaped the Dota 2 competitive meta going forward. The team’s adaptability and experience overcame Na’Vi’s chaos, propelling Team Liquid to the top of the mountain once again. Here’s how they achieved this feat.

While other teams were focused on experimental Largo-centric lineups, Team Liquid played it safe and stuck to its strengths. During the early stages of BLAST Slam VI, Liquid approached its gameplay with restraint, testing the waters with secure lanes, scalable cores, and flexible support duos that helped its cores: all the factors that made them successful in the past.

The result of this was a stable group stage, where Liquid won most of its series, only dropping a single game each to teams like Tundra, OG, and Yandex. After a 7-4 group stage, Team Liquid defeated GamerLegion during the play-ins and made it to the BLAST Slam VI playoffs in dominant fashion, placing third overall in the rankings.

During the playoffs, Team Liquid levelled up even further. The new best-of-five format suited the team very well, knocking out fan favourites like Team Falcons and OG from the Dota 2 tournament, before defeating Na’Vi to become champions.

As mentioned earlier, most teams were trying to set up drafts built around Largo, sacrificing its strengths for the sake of the hero. Team Liquid was no stranger to the Bard Frog, seamlessly integrating him into its drafts without compromising the integrity of its gameplay. They used Largo to supplement their weaker heroes, offering great early-mid game heals.

When facing Largo, instead of banning the hero outright, Team Liquid would ban synergistic heroes prevalent in the BLAST Slam VI meta. Doing this ensured that Largo was reduced to nothing more than a healbot for weaker heroes, and could be safely ignored while dealing with the enemy team. Team Liquid showed discipline instead of playing a reactive game.

When they did use Largo, Liquid mostly drafted the hero for its offlane player, Ace. If they knew the hero was countered during the drafting phase, they would flex it to the support role, where tOfu would pick it up instead.

While Na’Vi set the early BLAST Slam VI meta by dominating most teams with its aggressive lineup and chaotic playstyle, Team Liquid played a more structured game while biding its time. Being two-time TI champions, the members of Team Liquid were used to high-pressure situations and very rarely reacted to Na’Vi’s constant provocations in the grand finals.

The only time Liquid faltered was during game two of the grand finals, where they were dragged into Na’Vi’s unpredictable chaos. Learning from this loss, Team Liquid stuck to its strengths, focusing on early lane dominance and a methodical playstyle that slowly starved Na’Vi out of the map in the third and fourth games, dismantling them from the inside.

The last two games were masterclasses in high-level competitive Dota. Liquid quickly took towers, placed aggressive wards, and controlled contested areas, shrinking the map for Na’Vi bit by bit until they were choked out completely.

Team Liquid’s monumental victory in the first major Dota 2 tournament of the year signals a competitive reset in the modern Dota 2 meta. While the early post-7.40 season showcased high volatility in drafting and overall gameplay, the meta wasn’t as defined as it is now. Liquid’s performance at BLAST Slam VI was a reminder that stability still wins championships.

Its strong performance throughout the tournament and subsequent championship win now positions Team Liquid at the forefront of the 2026 season. Teams that counted Liquid out early will now have the two-time TI champions in their crosshairs once again, formulating strategies to outplay them in the next Dota 2 tournament.

After Tundra Esports got knocked out by Heroic in the play-ins, it was up to a new team to stand tall and capture the Dota 2 BLAST Slam VI championship title. Team Liquid not only stepped up to the plate, but they also showed younger teams that they’re here to stay. Liquid’s quick adaptation to Patch 7.40 surprised a lot of younger teams and signalled a return to its TI form.

While Liquid had mostly been inconsistent throughout its 2025 run, its Dota 2 BLAST Slam victory could very well usher in a new era. Whether the team can maintain its momentum or if this is a single-event peak is yet to be seen, but it’s safe to say that Liquid is definitely the fan favourite going into the next Dota 2 tournament, DreamLeague Season 28.

Gaming peripherals brand ZOWIE has named French Counter-Strike player Dan ‘apEX‘ Madesclaire as its latest partner.

As part of the partnership, the four-time Major champion will collaborate with ZOWIE to offer feedback during the product development process and share insights from the perspective of one of Counter-Strike’s most successful in-game leaders.

Unveiled on February 14th, apEX will also take part in sports science testing to assist ZOWIE’s refinement of creating peripherals used by professional players in high-profile tournaments across a range of titles.

Notably, the partnership is a move away from ZOWIE’s usual approach of collaborating with entire esports organisations and their rosters. On January 9th, the brand partnered with North American organisation ENVY, with ZOWIE becoming the organisation’s official monitor partner.

Following the announcement, apEX thanked ZOWIE, alongside revealing that he’s “so excited” to begin collaborating with the brand.

In recent years, ZOWIE has continued to apply a range of innovations to its esports-focused product line. In June 2025, it opened an esports science lab to apply sports science to the design of esports peripherals.

apEX isn’t the only Counter-Strike player to collaborate with ZOWIE. In recent years, fellow French player Richard ‘shox’ Papillon has represented the brand as an ambassador, frequently appearing in content showcasing products at events across the world.

In addition to partnering with the world’s top players and several notable organisations, ZOWIE continues to join forces with the biggest esports tournaments. January saw it provide its range of monitors for IEM Kraków 2026, an event where apEX’s Team Vitality secured victory to cement its place as the world’s top Counter-Strike team.

The collaboration with apEX demonstrates ZOWIE’s ability to attract the biggest names to its partnership programme. As one of Counter-Strike’s most experienced players, his insight, feedback, and participation in sports science testing will prove useful in the process of developing products optimised for esports.

After launching Team Capsules in January, Riot Games has announced the 2026 VCT Season Capsule, scheduled to release on February 19th at 7 PM GMT. 

The bundle will feature an exclusive melee skin called the VCT Sigil, having five different variants, including four themed around each International League and a general VCT one. The knife skin will also come with new custom animations and a special Champions Aura, which will be activated for the top-fragging player in a match. 

Other items offered in the 2026 VCT Season Capsule are regional player cards, designed to ‘capture the energy and represent your regional fandom’, along with the VCT 2026 Flex inspired by the Kickoff trophy.

“From animated visuals to reactive top-frag effects, every piece of the capsule is designed to feel at home on the world’s biggest competitive stages,” Riot Games stated.

While Riot Games hasn’t officially revealed the cost of the bundle, if the publisher keeps the same pricing as the 2025 edition, players will be able to purchase it for 5,850 VP.

The 2026 VCT Season Capsule is not just a way for fans to support their region, but also to help teams financially, as the revenue generated from its sales will be split evenly across all organisations.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that these skins will only be available for a limited time period. Once the 2026 VCT Season Capsule leaves the in-game VALORANT store, it will not make a return, even through the Night Market or the daily store rotation.

Alongside announcing the Season Capsule, the 12 teams competing at VALORANT Masters Santiago have also been decided. Taking place from February 18th to March 15th, organisations will battle in the Swiss Stage, followed by the Playoffs, to determine the first global VCT champion of the year.

The opening matchups for the Swiss Stage, featuring eight teams, have been drawn, with the VCT Kickoff champion from each region getting a direct bye to the Playoffs.

Fans can buy tickets via Punto Ticket to attend the tournament in-person; however, matches will also be streamed live on VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.

Esports tournament organiser BLAST has announced it will host the 2026 Brawl Cup in Berlin, Germany.

The announcement comes after BLAST signed a new multi-year partnership with Brawl Stars at the end of 2025. As a result, the Brawl Cup will have its first-ever live event at the Uber Eats Music Hall, from May 15th to May 17th. Ticketing information and pricing will be announced at a later date.

According to a release, the partnership between the esports title and BLAST will see the latter introduce a global calendar of events, as well as expanded live broadcasts and arena shows.

Aside from Berlin, there will be two new locations hosting the live events in the 2026 competitive calendar, although those are yet to be announced.

Earlier last month, Supercell unveiled the esports roadmap for Brawl Stars, featuring a total of six online seasons as well as three in-person events spread across nine months between February and October. The combined prize pool for this year’s season amounts to $2m (~£1.46m).

As part of the partnership, BLAST will also deliver 32 broadcast days for the online seasons and will operate the live events featuring the top teams from the five regional competitions, which include EMEA, South America, North America, Southeast Asia, and China.

This year’s Brawl Stars Championship will be open to all players who can reach the monthly qualifiers through the in-game Championship Challenge event. The best eight teams from each qualifier will advance to the Monthly Finals. At these events, teams compete for prize pools and leaderboard points that will determine qualification to the Brawl Cup, Last-Chance Qualifier, and the World Finals.

Starting this year, Brawl Stars fans will have an elevated experience with the introduction of match predictions, allowing them to earn rewards such as icons, pins, and drops upon guessing the winners correctly.