Ubisoft has revealed that China will become a new regional league for the Rainbow Six Siege esports circuit as CNL.

The developers unveiled the new league with a one-minute announcement trailer posted online during the Six Invitational 2026.

More details were shared by Rainbow Six Siege China’s Producer, Jiasheng Liang, during the Six Invitational 2026 shortly after Fluxo W7M defeated FURIA 2-1 in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals.

Year 11 of Rainbow Six Siege esports will introduce a 10-team professional league to China. It will be fully aligned with the global standard of the other four regions, and will offer qualification slots to majors and the Six Invitational 2027.

Additionally, CNL will join the R6 Share ecosystem, where teams earn a cut of the revenue generated from their associated esports cosmetics in-game.

CNL has joined the regional line-up for Rainbow Six Siege leagues in Year 11, standing alongside North America (NAL), South America (SAL), Europe MENA (EML), and Asia Pacifc (APL). Liang also revealed its logo, taking the form of a red dragon ‘Loong’ and phoenix ‘Fenghuang’ design.

2025 saw eight Chinese clubs joining the GVC Pioneer Series, a regional tournament which served as a direct path to the APAC Last Chance Qualifier for the Six Invitational 2026. Following its conclusion, All Gamers and Four Angry Man became the first CNL teams to compete internationally, though neither qualified for the Six Invitational.

The Six Invitational 2026 is the crowning event of the Rainbow Six Siege esports ecosystem, run by the game’s developer Ubisoft and tournament organiser BLAST. It is the closing event of the season, marking the transition to Year 11 following its conclusion.

The top 20 teams from across the regions have gathered in Paris, France to compete for the lion’s share of a $3m (~£2.2m) prize pool, in addition to claiming the champion title for Year 10.

As of writing, the competition has entered into the final stretch as teams compete for a place in the Grand Finals. Fan-favourite teams, such as Munich Major champions M80, have already been eliminated.

Deciding on a new FPS game to play can be tough; that’s why we’re weighing up CS2 vs Black Ops 7 so you can decide which shooter is best for you. We’re going through each game’s respective gameplay, graphics, release date, player count, esports scenes, and developer updates to help you make the right choice. 

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 release date was November 14, 2025, making it the newer of the two games. It’s the first time in the series’ history that two games came out back-to-back, similar to Modern Warfare 2 in 2022 and Modern Warfare 3 in 2023. Season 2 of Call of Duty: Warzone & Black Ops 7 began on February 5, bringing new maps and weapons.

Things aren’t as cut-and-dry with the CS2 release date. Counter-Strike 2 was less of a sequel or a full standalone game and more of a substantial Source 2 update for CS:GO. The game came out on September 27, 2023, replacing Global Offensive and making the previous version of the game completely inaccessible. 

The biggest deciding factor between picking up CS2 vs Black Ops 7 comes down to how the two games play, and there’s a world of difference. CS2 offers the traditional tactical Counter-Strike experience with a focus on good movement fundamentals, a high skill ceiling for aiming, and weapon recoil control. Every weapon handles uniquely with different spray patterns, distances, and movement (crouching or walking) to consider, which are less forgiving to beginners. 

Black Ops 7 gameplay leans on the Call of Duty series’ fundamentals, delivering on the action-hero fantasy the games have always been known for. Pistols, snipers, rifles, and larger machine guns all control in a friendlier way and prioritise faster movement and a faster time to kill. Games can be faster-paced and demand more out of you mechanically rather than mentally, as you’re more concerned with winning firefights than in securing objectives. 

While you should always play the objective in whichever CS2 or Black Ops 7 game mode you’re playing through, the core of Counter-Strike (Defusal) hasn’t changed in over two decades. Meanwhile, you get much more variety in what you can do in a multiplayer game. Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Seek & Destroy, and the likes of Warzone. While you can play Deathmatch, Arms Race, etc. in CS2, it’s far from the core of the Counter-Strike experience, which is Defusal. 

True to its namesake, CS2 runs on the Source 2 game engine. It’s actually the fourth Counter-Strike game, following on from 1.6, Source, and CS:GO, if you don’t count Condition Zero. The jump to Source 2 is huge; there’s now volumetric smoke instead of the old grey gradients of the previous game, guns and knives are stunning, and the CS2 map pool has greatly benefited from the new baked-in lighting and reflections. We also see a vast improvement in how character models look and move, which makes the game feel modern, on par with newer releases, where Global Offensive was starting to struggle. 

With that said, Black Ops 7 graphics look better, particularly on higher-end computers. The IW 9.0 game engine is stunning, having evolved massively from its use in Black Ops 6 and previous versions of Warzone. That shouldn’t be surprising, seeing that between eight and 10 studios had a hand in its creation, which is believed to have involved around 3,000 people over four years, and cost an estimated $1bn.

Despite Call of Duty being among the biggest gaming franchises in the world, the CS2 player count eclipses that of Black Ops 7. According to SteamDB, there are around 700,000 daily players, with an all-time peak of nearly two million daily, and monthly concurrents of around 31 million according to Valve’s metrics. 

It’s not exactly a fair comparison to weigh in Black Ops 7’s player count against these figures on Steam, as it’s not the game’s primary platform. The platform as a whole (encompassing Warzone, too) has around 50,000 daily players purely on Steam, which is a far cry from what Valve itself has garnered. There’s no public record of transparency for player figures on Xbox and PlayStation, but estimates have positioned it around the 80,000 daily mark at its peak (via GamesRadar). It’s safe to say Counter-Strike 2 is the far more popular game. 

A big decider in choosing between CS2 and Black Ops 7 is which platforms they are available on. You’re limited to just PC via Steam for Valve’s tactical shooter, whereas Black Ops 7 is also available on not only PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, but also PS4 and Xbox One as well. You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to what to play CoD on, which makes BLOPS 7 the clear winner in terms of availability. A major contrast barrier here, however, is price. 

CS2 is a free-to-play game on Steam, but the Black Ops 7 price, regardless of platform, is $70/£70 at MSRP/RRP. Then we factor in that CS2 can run on a lower-spec PC than Black Ops 7’s minimum and recommended specs. So it’s something of a give and take; you can play CS2 for free, provided you have a computer and an internet connection, but Black Ops 7 is available to most console users, excluding those on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. 

CS2 updates usually line up with the Premier schedule, which is Counter-Strike’s main competitive mode. These usually happen every six months, and see different maps added (or removed) from the current pool. Additionally, there can be balancing tweaks, new cosmetics, and other minor additions to the formula. 

In contrast, Black Ops 7 updates come in seasons and tend to coincide with sweeping new additions to Warzone. Black Ops 7 Season 1 dropped on December 4, 2025, shortly after the game was released, and Season 2 arrived on February 5, 2025. That means we can roughly expect new seasons every two months until the game is inevitably replaced by another CoD game near the end of 2026. It’s less of a live service model, but it shows that Activision is supporting its biggest franchise. 

CS2 esports is massive. Counter-Strike has a long and storied history in the competitive scene, stretching back more than two decades across its versions. But if we stick to just Counter-Strike 2 over the last two years, we still see the esports calendar dominated by Valve’s shooter, such as IEM Kraków, ESL Pro League, BLAST Open Spring, IEM Cologne Major, its appearance at the Esports World Cup, and StarLadder StarSeries scheduled for this year alone. 

That’s not to take away from competitive Call of Duty, which has come a long way over the last 10 or so years. The Call of Duty Challengers Series is the biggest for the game at this point in the year, leading to the FaZe-hosted Call of Duty League Championship Weekend in July 2026. It’s a fair amount of build-up, sure, but the Black Ops 7 esports scene still dries up come the summer, as from August to the end of 2026, all sights are turned to what’s next for CoD rather than this game. 

Deciding on playing CS2 or Black Ops 7 comes down to the type of FPS experience you want to have. Counter-Strike 2 rewards thoughtful, slower-paced tactical decision-making and more deliberate movement, whereas Black Ops 7 is all about high-octane action, a wealth of weapons and game modes to burn through, and faster, more immediate gameplay. If you play PC games, we recommend giving both a shot, as CS2 is free while Black Ops 7 is a premium product. If you’re a console gamer, then the decision’s already made for you. 

Just like clockwork, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has revealed that new heroes are joining the roster for the game’s release on August 6th.

The FGC had been voicing concerns about the fighting game’s small roster, wondering how a 4v4 title could succeed with only 20 heroes at launch. While the upcoming X-Men heroes are exciting, the roster size is still questionable.

During Sony’s February State of Play, Wolverine, Magik and Danger were revealed as part of the starting roster. The “Unbreakable X-Men” trailer showed off a bit of their gameplay.

Magik brings her iconic Soulsword, using powerful slashing, fire, and portal teleportation to control the stage. Wolverine uses his razor-sharp claws to aggressively rush down opponents. Danger is the third addition, using a wide arsenal of mines, laser guns and drills to bombard enemies.

The X-Men heroes will be joining the eight original fighters on the roster: Captain America, Iron Man, Storm, Doctor Doom, Star-Lord, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. Some further heroes from the starting roster have been leaked, but the total is currently 20 at launch.

The FGC has continuously critiqued Marvel Tokon for its small roster over the last eight months. The lack of hero reveals has left some concerned ahead of launch, but even the newly announced X-Men trio hasn’t stopped players from ranting about the 20 hero roster.

While it’s already considered pretty low for a fighting game in general, it’s even more questionable for a game that’s 4v4. It will become quite repetitive and monotonous to see the same heroes over and over again, since nearly half of the roster will be in each match.

Arc System Works has stated in the past, however, that it plans to support the game for 10 years. This means more heroes will be added to the roster as DLC as time goes on.

The game felt promising when Esports Insider tested it out at Evo 2025. But the FGC will need to wait for the full launch in August to see how the roster size impacts gameplay and success.

Thailand’s Crime Suppression Division has arrested former esports player Naphat ‘Tokyogurl‘ Warasin and her accomplice after she was caught cheating at the 33rd SEA Games in December 2025.

Tokyogurl admitted to having her partner play remotely on her behalf during the 33rd SEA Games’ Arena of Valor tournament. The suspicions started during Thailand’s fixture against Vietnam.

According to the Bangkok Post, Tokyogurl and former semi-professional Arena of Valor player ‘Cheerio,’ were charged with ‘colluding to obtain and disclose restricted computer access credentials and unlawfully accessing computer data protected by security measures.’

Before the match, Cheerio logged into Tokyogurl’s device and communicated with the player while the match was taking place. As a result of breaching tournament regulations, Thailand was disqualified from the SEA Games.

During a search by investigators, authorities reportedly discovered evidence on several mobile phones use to organise Cheerio remotely competing while Tokyogurl was at the event. Cheerio later admitted he was competing using software installed on Tokyogurl’s phone.

In addition to the disqualification from the tournament, Tokyogurl and Cheerio have breached Thailand’s Computer Crime Act, a law prohibiting unauthorised access to online accounts and manipulating systems in order to gain an unfair advantage. Violations of the Act are punishable with a two-year prison sentence and a maximum fine of 40,000 baht (~£942).

“This case is not a simple game fraud,” said Police Major General Pattanasak Bubphasuwan, Commander of the Crime Suppression Division. “It is a technological crime that harms the dignity and honor of the nation.”

Following the arrest of Tokyogurl and Cheerio, both pleading guilty, the case has been referred to the Pathum Wan District Prosecutor’s Office, with the court setting a verdict date of March 17th.

The incident continues to highlight the presence of cheating within the esports industry. Despite the best efforts of various stakeholders, teams and players continue to utilise underhanded tactics to gain an unfair upper hand.

In October 2025, the Champion of Champions Tour (CCT) issued bans to seven players across three Counter-Strike 2 teams after they were found guilty of account sharing during online matches during CCT Europe Season 3.

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has revealed that Rainbow Six Siege will join the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 line-up of competitive titles.

The tournament will debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 18th to 22nd, 2026, where 24 national teams will compete to be crowned the event’s first champion.

Out of the 24 teams competing in the Rainbow Six Siege esports tournament, 12 will be directly invited based on the Siege National Team Ranking, 10 will have earned a spot through the regional online qualifiers, and the last two will come from Wildcard slots.

The Siege National Team Rankings are shaped by the official Six Invitational point standings in addition to the results of the Rainbow Six Siege tournament at the Esports World Cup. National rankings will then invite the top five players to form a national roster, with the cut-off point set for May 17th.

The qualifiers will take place from May 29th to 31st, 2026. They will include a double-elimination bracket, and will be held in North America, South America, Europe, MENA (Middle East and North Africa), and Asia, offering two slots each.

The national teams will compete across two stages. The Group Stage will divide teams into four groups of six, competing in a round-robin format. The Playoffs will see the top 16 teams play in a single-elimination bracket.

All Group Stage matches will be best-of-one, with Playoff matches featuring best-of-three, and the Grand Finals will end the tournament with a best-of-five showdown.

Rainbow Six Siege is the latest title to join the ENC, a global esports competition that gathers the best players across multiple games to represent their nation.

Since the EWCF first unveiled the event last year, various esports and gaming brands have partnered with the event to bring the inaugural esports competition to life, welcoming brands such as EA, MOONTON, Krafton, Ubisoft and more.

In addition to Rainbow Six Siege X, other titles revealed recently include Chess, Trackmania, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and more. In total, 16 titles are expected to feature at the ENC, which runs from November 2nd to 29th, 2026.

BBL Esports has defeated Gentle Mates to lift the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 trophy, advancing to VALORANT Masters Santiago as the region’s first seed.

As a result, the Turkish organisation will get a direct bye to the Playoffs stage of the international VCT event. Gentle Mates, meanwhile, has dropped to the Middle Bracket, where it will face Fnatic on February 14th for a spot at Masters Santiago.

BBL Esports acquired the PCIFIC Esports roster that finished in the top two at 2025 Ascension EMEA. Now, the rookie line-up has defeated some of the most experienced opponents in EMEA Kickoff to help the organisation win its first-ever VCT title.

The first map, Haven, kicked off in BBL Esports’ favour with a 4-0 scoreline before Gentle Mates snatched the lead away with six consecutive round wins. After a 6-6 first half, both teams continued to trade rounds until M8 eventually closed out the map13-11.

Gentle Mates carried the momentum gained into Abyss, putting 7-2 on the board. While BBL narrowed the gap to two rounds, M8 put a stop to the Turkish side’s win streak in the second half. Gentle Mates seemed to be moving towards a comfortable victory until BBL made a comeback by securing six back-to-back rounds. The map went to overtime twice, with BBL claiming a 15-13 win.

The third map Pearl also went to overtime, but this time it was BBL Esports having a dominating start, winning six of the first seven rounds. The rest of the rounds were secured by Gentle Mates as the first half tied up at 6-6. 

Once the sides switched, BBL once again didn’t give the French organisation enough room to reach map point, rushing to a three round lead. However, the team was not able to finish the job as M8 forced overtime, but BBL still managed to come out on top with a 16-14 victory.

Split was the first one sided map of the series, with BBL Esports being able to win just four round. The series entered the decider map, Corrode, with Gentle Mates securing the map 13-4. With that, all three VCT Kickoff Upper Finals so far across China, Pacific and EMEA were pushed to a fifth map.

Considering the momentum Gentle Mates had built on Split and the mistakes made by BBL Esports, it appeared as if Corrode would be an easy win for the French side. Although M8 secured the first two rounds, BBL found its footing and went on to take a 4-2 lead.

The opponents tried to retaliate with three rounds wins in a row, but it wasn’t enough to break the Turkish side. Heading into the second half with a 7-5 advantage, BBL Esports let Gentle Mates claim just one round before it closed the map 13-6 and series 3-2.

BBL’s Umut ‘lovers rock‘ Pekdoğan was the best performing player for the team with a 1.14 rating and 98/81/19 KDA, while M8’s Martin ‘marteen‘ Pátek topped the server with a 1.26 rating and 106/81/31 KDA.

While Gentle Mates wasn’t able to punch its ticket to Masters Santiago, it still has two more shots before getting eliminated from VCT EMEA Kickoff.

PlayStation State of Play 2026 has revealed many release dates for numerous PlayStation Studios titles. It essentially paints a roadmap for the remainder of the year, and given all the titles coming out, it could be a big one for the PlayStation 5, especially with complaints that the generation hasn’t given players enough in its stint thus far.

Third-party studios also brought some PlayStation State of Play announcements, with Konami and Capcom being the headliners. Plenty of games were revealed, and from an esports perspective, particularly in the Fighting Game Community, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into.

So, let’s go over everything from the PlayStation state of play February 2026, including all new title announcements, release date reveals, and games of interest for esports fans.

State of Play was quite a PlayStation showcase for 2026, with many, many titles coming out this year. Those that haven’t revealed release dates have had more gameplay to show, and with demos and playtests abound, there’s plenty for fans to get excited about.

Launching with the 1.5 update of Ghost of Yōtei on March 10, Legends will be free DLC for owners of the game. It will be a four-player co-op mode with four different classes, where players take on the demonic Yōtei Six.

Capcom’s Pragmata got another trailer, releasing on April 24. For those wanting to see what the game will be like, a trailer is now available for PlayStation 5 owners, with the PlayStation State of Play time matching the demo drop.

Death Stranding 2 On The Beach had a PC port announced, with a release date of March 19, less than a year after its launch on PS5. The port will include quality-of-life upgrades, such as unlocked framerates, ultra-wide support, DualSense controller support, upscaling, and frame generation. Those wanting to get a slice of Kojima’s passion project on PC won’t have to wait long.

4:LOOP showed off more of its gameplay, with director Mike Booth announcing that Bad Robot Games will be hosting a playtest for its upcoming co-op shooter. There is no release date as of yet, but the game is starting to take shape ahead of its PC and PS5 launch.

There was yet another Resident Evil Requiem showing off even more Leon. Capcom showcased gameplay in the streets of Raccoon City and took players down memory lane with RE2’s RCPD. RE9 will release on February 27 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.

Remedy Entertainment’s Control: Resonant, a sequel to 2019’s Control, got an in-depth gameplay trailer, showing off the action-hack-and-slash gameplay, gravity-changing mechanics, and one of the early levels. While Dylan Faden’s journey has no release date as of yet, Control: Resonant is still aiming for 2026.

Somehow, Dead or Alive is back, proving that it is more alive than dead, despite fears. Dead or Alive 6: Last Round is coming to PS5 on June 25, and like the DOA 5 version, it will be an upgrade with all the DLC characters and a photo mode. New cosmetics will be coming to the game, too, which is as expected from Koei Tecmo. More excitingly, there was a trailer for the Dead or Alive 30th anniversary, hinting at a new project. Dead or Alive 7 could be on the cards.

Game Freak’s foray away from Pokémon is continuing to look impressive, with Beasts of Reincarnation revealing even more action gameplay. Beast of Reincarnation also showed off the deadly, flora enemies, and will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 4.

From the creators of the indie gem, Shovel Knight, comes Mina the Hollower, an upcoming, Zelda-esque pixel adventure. A demo will be dropping the day after the PlayStation State of Play, with a release date still aiming for sometime in 2026.

Nomada Studio’s Neva is getting a prequel DLC, returning to a beautiful, drawn world. It tells the story of how Alba and the young cub, Neva, met. Releasing on February 19 for PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC, there will be new mechanics and locations coming to Neva: Prologue.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer got a gameplay trailer, showcasing a narrative and more high-speed pod-racing fans have been dreaming of since The Phantom Menace. Releasing sometime in 2026, we will finally be able to race in Tatooine with speeder bikes and podracers alike. 

There was yet another 007: First Light trailer, inching closer to the May 27 release date. IO Interactive debuted a montage-style trailer, showing off a bit more of the story, with Bond being new to the 00 program and 009 seemingly acting as the overarching antagonist. More missions were shown, more cutscenes, gameplay, and we have a greater sense of where the story will be going.

Feeding off a Metal Gear Solid announcement, Konami and ZDT Studio revealed more for Darwin’s Paradox, a quirky game where an octopus is thrust from his ocean home and onto the streets. While the game won’t come out until April 2, a demo is out now.

While it has been quiet since the controversy, Marathon finally revealed a new trailer, with E33 and BG3’s Jennefer English voicing over horror-esque scenes. The game is releasing on March 5, with a ‘server slam’, essentially an early access playtest, available on February 26.

From House House, the studio behind Untitled Goose Game, comes another trailer for Big Walk, a delightful-looking co-op adventure that seems perfect for the growing genre, showcasing a natural proximity chat. It will be coming to PC and PS5 later this year, but an exact release date has not been confirmed.

Saros has been turning heads ever since it was announced, and its latest trailer showed off the survivors of Echelon 4, progression systems, challenge modifiers, and what looks to be a hub. Releasing on April 30 for PS5, Saros’ frantically exciting gameplay looks like it could be something special.

Adding to one of the most exciting years in the FGC is Arc System Works’ Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, which revealed the Unbreakable X-Men in the roster. The new additions include: Magik, Wolverine, and Danger, and it has also been announced that there will be 20 launch characters. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls releases on August 6 for PlayStation and PC.

PlayStation+ is getting a few new additions, which includes the critically acclaimed Spider-Man 2, and two classics: Tekken: Dark Resurrection and Time Crisis. These new additions will join plus from February 17.

Along with updates for demos, gameplay, and release dates, a myriad of new projects were announced, too, with Konami having a lot to share at this event. There has notably been nothing from Square Enix, which is strange given the anticipation for the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some massive news.

Ember Lab is now a PlayStation Studio and revealed a sequel to Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Kena: Scars of Kosmora looks like a huge, technical upgrade on the original Kena, following an older protagonist who can help the living as a spirit guide. Despite the reveal, Kena: Scars of Kosmora is aiming for a 2026 launch, going bigger and better for Ember Lab’s sequel.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the last title in the Soul Reaver saga, which first released in 2003. The remaster, creatively called Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, will feature new character skins, lost levels, and a photo mode, breathing new life into a cult classic.

PlayStation State of Play 2026 also saw a sequel to Happinet’s tactical JRPG series, Brigandine Abyss, coming later in the year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. It comes with over 100 unit classes and six main stories, being the perfect revival for the series and for strategy JRPG lovers.

Crimson Moon is a brand new IP from ProbablyMonsters. Players take control of a half-angel, half-human protagonist in co-op, RPG adventure with plenty of action and gore. It’s a gothic, dark fantasy journey, where players fight through hordes of skeletons, coming to Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5 in Fall 2026.  

Despite all its issues, Ubisoft has not forgotten the Rayman series, with the Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition bringing the classics to a new generation. It includes Rayman’s five original versions and an interactive documentary. The game is available now digitally, and will be available physically on June 26. 

One of the strangest titles at PlayStation State of Play was Project Windless, by Krafton, based on the Korean novel, The Bird That Drinks Tears. Despite the bizarreness of the protagonist, the game looks gory, violent, and ambitious, and the graphical fidelity is incredible, showcasing fights with massive monsters and zealous armies. No release window has been announced yet, but Project Windless is one to keep an eye on.

Coming to the PS5 in 2027, ACQUIRE and Shueisha Games showcased Yakoh Shinobi Ops, a stealth, action title with a unique take on the genre, given its isometric camera. Players will take control of one of four ninja infiltrating a feudal, Japanese castle-town, and it looks to be one of the more unique projects coming to PlayStation.

Konami had a huge presence at State of Play PlayStation, and it wouldn’t be Konami without Metal Gear Solid. The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 will finally bring MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots to modern consoles, finally giving it a home outside the PS3. There has also been an update to the MGS Master Collection Vol. 1, with new graphical options. 

As if a miracle, Castlevania is getting a new Metroidvania title, acting as a direct sequel to Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, taking place 23 years after. Konami has pulled off a tactical masterstroke that even Pep Guardiola would be proud of, with acclaimed indie developers Motion Twin and Evil Empire creating Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. With its 2.5D and stylised aesthetic, it looks to be exactly what Castlevania fans want. It is also planned to come out later this year.  

After a critically acclaimed remake and title within a year of each other, the Silent Hill series isn’t slowing down. Silent Hill: Downfall takes the franchise to St. Amelia, showing off first-person gameplay and the grotesque body horror the series is known for. Coming later this year, the question becomes if Silent Hill can release a hat-trick of strong titles back to back to back.

In development for the PlayStation 5, and without a release date announcement yet, Konami has revealed a new IP, Rev. Noir. Rev. Noir is a JRPG hoping to cultivate the “heartfelt moments that define JRPGs,” with a 3D, anime aesthetic.

Keanu Reeves is becoming a common face in both cinema and gaming. Saber Interactive has announced a blend of these worlds, revealing a John Wick game, showing off cinematics and a little bit of gameplay. So far, the game captures the essence of the John Wick Series, and while there isn’t a release date yet, players can take control of the Baba Yaga on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Closing the night was perhaps its biggest announcement: a remake of the God of War Trilogy, with legendary voice actor TC Carson returning to the role of Kratos. While Santa Monica had nothing with the game to show, not even a release date, it’s a huge announcement, and it’s great to see Carson back in the black-soaked sandals of Kratos. Still, Santa Monica didn’t leave its fans empty-handed.

God of War: Sons of Sparta was shadow-dropped at the same time as its State of Play showcase. A retro, side-scrolling action title, players will take control of a young Kratos and Deimos, his brother, with Santa Monica teaming up with Mega Cat Studios for a beautiful, pixel-art aesthetic. It’s available right now for PS5 owners and shows that, while the God of War series has gone quiet, it doesn’t mean it has been dormant.

While Marathon is the big name as far as esports is concerned, it may not kick off, due to being a PvPvE extraction shooter. This then puts it in the same genre as Arc Raiders, and while that game has done exceptionally well, it hasn’t kicked off from an esports perspective.

Then, there’s Star Wars: Galactic Racers, which could potentially have some esports life in it as a racer, but it’s a bit of an unknown quantity, given its nature as a Star Wars game. It does look very fun so far, however.

The real highlight comes from the fighting game community. The Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls announcement was expected, given that it’s a PlayStation Studios game, and seeing the X-Men, as well as having confirmation for its debut roster size, bodes very well. With 2XKO’s troubles, Marvel Tōkon could end up being the dominant tag-fighter of 2026.

The surprise came from Dead or Alive making a comeback. DOA 6: Last Round would raise enough eyebrows on its own, but the announcement of a new title in the series means that Team Ninja is continuing to invest in Dead or Alive. With a Virtua Fighter being worked on too, and Tekken 8 still going, fighting games look to be thriving for 3D, not just 2D.

PlayStation State of Play 2026 was a big one, having a lot to show off and is painting a healthy picture for the PS5 for the rest of the year. Fighting games got a particular highlight from an esports perspective, especially given how niche the community is, and Konami seemed to come to the event in force. 

Still, there were some notable exceptions. Many hoped for news on Final Fantasy 7 Remake part 3, yet Square Enix had nothing to show. This could mean that news is being saved for the Summer season, although this State of Play for February has been meaty enough without Square Enix, especially with Capcom and Konami picking up the slack.

Nongshim RedForce has become the second Ascension team to win a VCT Kickoff event after defeating RRQ in the 2026 Pacific Upper Finals.

Following in the footsteps of America’s G2 Esports last year, the South Korean organisation won 3-2 in the Upper Final and will head to VALORANT Masters Santiago as the region’s first seed.

RRQ, on the other hand, still has two chances left to qualify for Masters Santiago before facing elimination from the event.

Ever since Nongshim RedForce requalified to the Tier 1 ecosystem after finishing second at Ascension Pacific 2025, it hasn’t lost a single series. This includes a victory over Masters Bangkok champion T1.

That trend continued against RRQ as well, though the win didn’t come easily. The first half on Corrode ended with a 6-6 scoreline already hinting at a nail-biting best-of-five series.

While RRQ kicked off the second half with three back-to-back round wins, Nongshim RedForce snatched away six of the next seven rounds to reach map point. RRQ pushed back to force overtime and eventually took the early series lead 14-12.

On map two, Nongshim RedForce recorded a dominating start on Bind, rarely giving the Indonesian side many chances in the first half as the scoreline reached 9-3. What seemed like a one-sided affair turned into a close battle as RRQ won five of the first six rounds in the second half to put the team only two points behind.

That said, RRQ failed to finish the job this time as Nongshim RedForce gained momentum back to close out the map 13-8 to level the series.

The South Korean side once again had a strong showing on Haven to put 9-3 on the board. Moreover, unlike Bind, RRQ could only manage to claim five rounds in total as Nongshim RedForce moved one step closer to winning the series, achieving a 13-5 victory.

RRQ found itself on the back foot once again on Abyss, with its VCT Ascension opposition gaining an early 6-1 lead. However, the experienced roster wasn’t ready to give up just yet, as it won the rest of the rounds in the first half to level the score. While Nongshim RedForce stole a few rounds in the second half, RRQ dominated the latter half to secure a close 13-11 win and take the series to the decider.

The fifth map, Breeze, nearly saw Nongshim RedForce’s biggest blunder of its entire VCT Pacific tenure. The team destroyed RRQ to reach a 12-1 lead and was just one round away from punching its ticket to Masters Santiago.

However, Pujan ‘FNS‘ Mehta’s worst fear was close to becoming a reality as RRQ took the game to 12-5. In the end, though, the South Korean organisation avoided a brutal collapse. Nongshim RedForce claimed the one round it needed to lock in a Masters Santiago appearance, taking the map 13-7 and series 3-2.

Nongshim RedForce’s initiator Jung ‘Xross’ Hwan was named MVP of the series with a 1.19 rating and a 79/62/20 KDA. However, the team’s duelist Lee ‘Dambi’ Hyuk-kyu scored the highest ACS of 224.

While Nongshim RedForce will now start preparing for its first international VCT event, RRQ will face T1 in the Middle Final on February 14th for another shot at Masters Santiago qualification. The match, just like the rest of the tournament, will be streamed live on VCT Pacific Twitch and YouTube channels.

The Champion of Champions Tour (CCT) has revealed the roadmap for its European Counter-Strike 2 esports season.

The tournament organiser will host 34 events across its regular, Challengers, and Contenders circuits for the first-person shooter title.

Revealed on February 13th, this year’s CCT Europe season features a progression system that enables amateur and semi-professional teams a chance to compete for the trophy. The Contenders circuit sees 16 teams from open qualifiers competing for a $2,500 (~£1,833) prize pool and two places in the next Challengers tournament.

The Challengers circuit also features 16 teams, with the top two Contenders rosters joining 14 teams invited from the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) to battle for $5,000 (~£3,668) and two places in CCT Europe’s main event.

CCT Europe’s main event is the largest of the circuits, with 36 teams competing across the Play-Ins, Group Stage, and Playoffs to determine the eventual champion. The highest tier of competition also features the largest prize pool, $25,000 (~£18,341).

Contenders’ action begins on February 21st, with the first round of matches. The first matches run from March 7th to March 15th, with the last Contenders Series happening in late October. The main circuit gets underway on April 27th with the opening Play-In matches.

Since its launch in 2022, CCT has become one of Counter-Strike’s largest Tier 2 circuits with teams across Europe and other continents competing for prize money. This year, the Global Finals head to Portugal, where eight teams will face off for a $75,000 (~£55,044) prize pool and an additional $75,000 through club and player revenue-sharing initiatives.

Elsewhere, CCT operator GRID joined forces with New Breed Agency in a deal integrating the Parken Challenger Championship (PCC) LAN events into the CCT’s online tournament ecosystem.