Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) has announced a 25th Anniversary Counter-Strike Showmatch in partnership with its jersey sponsor, Rainbet.

The event will bring together NIP legends, such as Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg and Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund, as well as current roster members to face each other on November 5th at 5 PM BST.

The legendary duo of f0rest and GeT_RiGhT has been part of the Counter-Strike (CS) competitive scene since the early 2000s and competed side by side under NIP for over seven years. 

During their time on NIP’s active roster, the two players also set the record for the longest win streak in CS esports, with 97 consecutive wins from August 2012 to April 2013. One year later, they secured the coveted ESL One: Cologne trophy for the Swedish esports organisation.

“I’m looking forward to celebrating this significant milestone for NIP alongside my former teammates from over a decade ago,” commented f0rest in a press release.

 “Together we achieved a Major title and a win record that still stands today. It’s now time to prove that we have still got it against some of the best players in the world, who proudly represent NIP today.”

The remaining members of the showmatch’s all-star lineup will be revealed in the lead-up to the event.

Meanwhile, CS players Rasmus ‘sjuush’ Beck, Artem ‘r1nkle’ Moroz, and Kacper ‘xKacpersky’ Gabara, as well as Ksenia ‘vilga’ Klyuenkova and Mia ‘aiM’ Cooper from the women’s roster (NIP Impact), will represent the current era of Ninjas in Pyjamas.

The showmatch will be a best-of-three (BO3) series, with a bonus match if the series ends 2-0. 

Interested fans can tune into the spectacle via NIP’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as f0rest and GeT_RiGhT’s Twitch channels. Moreover, a limited-capacity watch party will be held at Stockholm’s Red Bull Gaming Sphere, where f0rest will also be playing and streaming.

Additional information about the event and watchparty tickets will be revealed across NIP’s social media soon.

League of Legends: Wild Rift is set to get its first exclusive mobile-only champion in 2026.

Riot Games teased that the champion, which hasn’t been revealed, will be a mage for the mid-lane. The announcement came during Wild Rift’s 5th Anniversary livestream.

Community speculation points to the new champion possibly being Norra, Yuumi’s long-referenced master in Runeterra lore. This is based on the teaser art and copy, though Riot Games has not formally named the character.

Wild Rift currently has more than 125 characters, all originating from League PC with some changes to optimise them for mobile. Riot Games’ decision to release an exclusive one for mobile is an indication of its commitment to Wild Rift.

The announcement coincided with Wild Rift’s fifth anniversary, with the game having launched globally on October 27th, 2020. The livestream also revealed a new anniversary anthem, Miss This Life, featuring aespa’s NINGNING.

Along with this, the livestream also announced the Wild Rift Round Smash. This annual event is set to be the biggest community event of the year for the game and is happening in Vietnam from November 14th to 16th.

It will feature competitions for the 5v5 and 1v1 ARAM matches. Teams qualified through regional competitions or through invitation. These include representatives from Vietnam, Turkey, the Philippines, Korea, and Brazil. Two pro teams from China will also be joining the competition.

Wild Rift Round Smash will be broadcast live and will also feature YouTube drops for fans.

Besides this, Riot is also bringing exclusive Wild Rift content around Worlds 2025. The League of Legends World Championship 2025 is ongoing in China, with the grand finals scheduled for November 9th.

French esports organisation Karmine Corp has announced the fifth edition of its community event, KCX.

Taking place from December 19th to 20th, 2025, the event celebrates the organisation’s fifth anniversary alongside revealing its new esports rosters for the 2026 season.

Announced on social media, the two-night event takes place at the Adidas Arena in Paris, France, with tickets available to purchase now.

The Adidas Arena is no stranger to esports. Moreover, in 2026, it will host the Six Invitational 2026, Rainbow Six Siege X’s season-ending world championship.

The opening night of the event will celebrate five years since the formation of Karmine Corp and feature ‘legendary players’ from its League of Legends and VALORANT rosters.

Night two turns the attention to 2026, featuring a best-of-five League of Legends match along with the “presentation of the new teams” that will represent the organisation.

Founded in 2020, Karmine Corp has quickly cemented itself as one of the largest esports organisations in Europe, achieving success in League of Legends and Rocket League.

In March, it won LEC Winter 2025 with a 3-0 sweep of G2 Esports in the Grand Final, earning qualification for First Stand 2025, where it finished second.

Rocket League also remains a key part of Karmine Corp’s success. Victory at the RLCS Birmingham Major and the Esports World Cup has positioned the organisations as one of Europe’s strongest in the scene.

Now in its fifth year, KCX has continued to grow, attracting a large in-person audience and impressive viewing figures online.

KCX4 recorded a peak of 174,136 viewers as fans tuned in to see Karmine Corp’s League of Legends team take on MAD Lions KOI in a show match.

With announcements on its 2026 rosters and appearances from several players, KCX5 has the potential to surpass the figures achieved by last year’s event.

Fnatic has parted ways with Mihael ‘Mikyx‘ Mehle following a disappointing League of Legends World Championship 2025 campaign.

The Slovenian support player joined the UK-based esports organisation from G2 Esports in November 2024.

Announced on social media, Mikyx is the first member of Fnatic’s League of Legends roster to depart after crashing out of Worlds without winning a match in the tournament’s Swiss stage.

The player joined Fnatic after achieving a wealth of success at G2 Esports, winning all three LEC splits in 2024 and a top-four finish at the Esports World Cup 2024.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Miky this year and have him back in Fnatic,” said Patrik Sättermon, Chief Gaming Officer at Fnatic. “After discussing his future together, we’ve decided to let him freely explore his options for 2026 and build a team which better fits his vision and goals.”

According to the Riot Games Global Contract Database, Mikyx’s contract is set to expire in November 2026. Following his departure from the organisation, Mikyx’s next steps for the upcoming season remain unclear.

Despite failing to qualify for the Knockout Stage at Worlds 2025, Fnatic’s year showed signs of potential in regional competitions.

A third-place finish at LEC 2025 Winter, followed by a fourth at LEC 2025 Spring, cemented the team’s place among Europe’s top teams.

Victory over Karmine Corp in the LEC 2025 Summer playoffs secured a place at Worlds, but was unable to compete against CTBC Flyinh Oyster and Bilibili Gaming. The team’s year came to an end at the hands of Movistar KOI, losing its third-round match 2-1 to become one of the first teams eliminated from the tournament.

Having failed to win a tournament since 2019, the off-season is another opportunity for Fnatic to revisit the drawing board and build a roster capable of competing for championships once again.

League of Legends (LoL) has unveiled the Nova Series, a French esports competition for women and other marginalised genders.

Offering a €10,000 (~£8,700) cash prize, the circuit’s inaugural edition, Nova Series: Prélude, will take place from November 8th until December 6th.

“We have always been here. On the Rift. In every match. In every fight. Sometimes in silence… but always determined,” emphasised the announcement video from October 22nd.

“We have experienced defeat. We have grown hungry for victory. Carrying our teams. Shining in the shadows. Today, it is time to write our own history. A new era is beginning and it belongs to us.” 

The launch of the Nova Series comes amidst the first-ever League of Legends Game Changers (LGC) split, a dedicated LoL competitive ecosystem for women akin to VALORANT’s successful Game Changers project.

Following rumours arising in January, LoL developer Riot Games officially introduced the new EMEA league in June. Its inaugural split, LGC 2025 Rising, is about to conclude on October 31st with the Grand Final between Eterna and G2 HEL.

The Nova Series: Prélude will kick off with two qualifiers, taking place from November 8th-9th and from November 15th-16th, respectively. 

Each qualifier will see 32 European teams fight for a spot at the main event. Participants must first survive a seven-round Swiss Stage, featuring best-of-one (BO1) matches.

The top four Swiss Stage teams will qualify for the Playoffs, which offer two main event seeds per qualifier. All Playoffs matches will be best-of-threes (BO3s).

The main competition will commence on November 23rd, taking the four qualified teams into a single-elimination bracket. The Semifinals will once again be played as BO3s to determine the two finalists.

On December 6th, the Nova Series will crown its first champion through a best-of-five (BO5) LAN Grand Final in Paris. Additional details for interested teams can be found on the tournament’s official website.

Battlefield 6 and Counter-Strike 2 have more similarities than some may think. Despite launching in 2023 for PC, Valve’s sequel to one of the greatest first-person shooters has always been inspired by titles in the genre, like Call of Duty, Operation Flashpoint, and Battlefield. But for Battlefield 6, it has to ironically take inspiration from all of these to rescue the series from ruin.

After the disappointing Battlefield 2042 in 2021, developer Battlefield Studios went back to basics to rediscover what made the series fun in the first place. In addition to seeing how and why Battlefield was different from others in the genre, it looks like their efforts have been rewarded, with great reviews for Battlefield 6, as well as over seven million sold in its first three days of launch. With both titles big in demand, we’re comparing the two below.

The Counter-Strike series has always been about 5v5 teams that consist of Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists. Working with players is crucial in making sure that some objectives are met, as well as winning the fight against the other team. These include bomb defusal modes, Deathmatch, and more, which hone in on Counter-Strike 2’s theme of precision and tactical planning. 

In addition, the weapons and items you buy can decide the outcome of a match. From shotguns to assault rifles, they can help your team turn the tide in a match. With roughly 13 maps to choose from, which include Ancient, Dust II, Mirage, Nuke, and more, Counter-Strike 2 refines what came before, but modernises the series.

The Battlefield series takes a bigger approach compared to Valve’s shooter. Known for its huge battles across sprawling maps, every match in BF6 has a cinematic feel, with four character classes to choose from. 

This includes Assault, Engineer, Recon, and Support. Each class has its own special ability when using certain weapons, too, which may give players a favourite class to choose from in every match. With over 40 weapons to choose from, and gameplay mechanics like fun vehicles to ride and seeing sights like exploding buildings, Battlefield 6 has ramped up the series’ gameplay to become one of the best entries in recent times.

Counter-Strike 2 builds on the game modes that have been present since the 1999 original, but they nevertheless differ from what’s offered in Battlefield 6. There are two-round matches, which include Bomb Defusal mode, where the Terrorist group has planted a bomb, with the Counter-Terrorists trying to find and defuse it. The other is Hostage Rescue, which is essentially the same mode but reversed. 

Deathmatch is the standard mode of eliminating other players until a score is met, Wingman is a 2v2 mode on smaller maps, and Arms Race gives players better weapons the more they rack up kills. All of these have the tropes that the Counter-Strike series is known for, such as teamwork, tactics, buying crucial weapons and items, all so the team can win the match.

Despite launching for just a few weeks, there are six Battlefield 6 game modes that ramp up the warfare across the huge maps the game offers. Deathmatch, Domination, King of the Hill, and Squad Deathmatch are the standard modes that players can jump into. 

But  Conquest and Breakthrough are the highlights of Battlefield 6, requiring players to tactically capture or defend certain points in a map to complete an objective.  Rush pits players in a 12v12 match where locations must be destroyed by planting a bomb, with the action being ramped up as the match progresses. The mode has been mixed so far, but with a battle-royale mode coming soon, players may flock to this instead.

As always, the Counter-Strike series has been known for requiring players to simply play as a Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist. Games like Call of Duty Warzone, VALORANT, and more have honed in on how these can be customized with purchasable cosmetics. But the gameplay mechanic in Counter-Strike 2 remains the same, as it has done since the series’ debut in 1999. 

However, the sequel has carried on the theme of Agents, first introduced in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. These are simply cosmetic appearances to give players their own personality, but nothing more.

As with older games in the series, there are four BF6 classes to choose from. This includes Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon, each with specific abilities that suit the classes, such as Engineers able to repair vehicles, Recon finding enemies via drones, and much more. 

These help differentiate the classes and give variety to each, something that Counter-Strike as a series simply can’t do, due to its design that has remained unchanged for years. It can help players discover which class suits them best, especially when playing in a team with friends, as it can help them win certain matches when tactics are crucial.

It’s fair to say that both Battlefield Studios and Valve offer both titles with very different types of support. For Counter-Strike 2, Valve has consistently supported the title since its September 2023 debut, with refinements to the weapons, maps, and anti-cheat improvements. 

It also constantly takes feedback from players, which is surprising, considering its lack of support for its other shooter, Team Fortress 2, in recent years. But Valve’s Steam Workshop, which lets players create their own maps and cosmetics, also helps to keep the longevity of Counter-Strike 2 going. The series has always been Valve’s jewel, and we’d be surprised if the title was left to the wayside anytime soon.

At the time of writing, it’s difficult to judge Battlefield Studios’ support for Battlefield 6. But from the beta in August, players have been free to express their feedback in various ways, such as this Reddit thread, and Battlefield Studios was quick to release refinements during that time. 

It resulted in Battlefield 6 having a fantastic multiplayer mode upon its release, with a battle royale mode rumored to be coming soon. With the series now rescued from the brink thanks to Battlefield 6, we’re sure that Battlefield Studios plans to support the title for years to come.

It’s a close call, but Battlefield 6 already edges out on Counter-Strike 2, but only down to a couple of factors. The title’s four classes offer a lot of variety for players, with special abilities that will keep them coming back to see how each class works in matches. Yet Counter-Strike 2 still has the standard Terrorist and Counter-Terrorist groups that don’t add much depth to the game.

Ultimately, if you want to play a title for short bursts, to see how far you progress and which weapons you can buy, Counter-Strike 2 will be ideal for you. But if you want something with far more depth, a dedicated single-player mode, unique classes, and intricate game modes, Battlefield 6 could be the perfect title to play.

Matt ‘FormaL‘ Piper has teased his retirement from esports following the conclusion of the Halo World Championship 2025.

The 2022 Halo world champion and 2017 Call of Duty world champion has competed across both first-person shooter titles since 2011.

In a YouTube video alongside OpTic Gaming founder Hector ‘H3CZ‘ Rodriguez, FormaL revealed that the Halo World Championship 2025 is likely to be his last event as a player.

FormaL first competed in Halo in 2011 under the Believe The Hype banner until 2014, when he switched to Call of Duty. In 2022, he returned to Halo with OpTic Gaming, where he has represented the organisation for the past three and a half years.

“I’ve come to terms that this [Halo World Championship 2025] is probably my last event,” revealed FormaL. “Do I want to compete in CoD? Not really. I don’t want to tarnish any legacy that I have there.”

FormaL is regarded as one of the best FPS players of all time after scoring several tournament victories across Halo and Call of Duty. In 2025, he won the HCS Arlington Major and the HCS Dallas Open, cementing OpTic Gaming’s place as one of the world’s top Halo teams.

If FormaL decides to call time on his esports career after the World Championship, he will retire as one of the few players to switch titles and win the biggest accolades on offer.

With the HCS retiring Halo Infinite as its competitive title at the end of the 2025 season, it is unclear what the future holds for Halo esports, which could be a factor behind any decision FormaL makes.

Whichever direction FormaL chooses to take, he has left a lasting legacy in console esports, becoming a household name as part of two OpTic Gaming rosters that have conquered their respective titles.

Supercell has announced that Spacestation Gaming is leaving the Brawl Stars Esports Partner Program, marking the end of a two-year stint for the Utah-based organisation.

Fans who purchased SSG cosmetics will be keeping them permanently. The items will remain available in-game until October 28th, making it the last chance for players to get them.

The news comes as Spacestation Gaming prepares to compete in the Brawl Stars World Finals 2025, set to take place from November 28th to 30th in Sweden.

Spacestation Gaming hasn’t commented on its departure yet. However, Supercell said in its statement that the Partner Program is one of its ways to showcase moments from the Brawl Stars esports ecosystem.

“In that [showcasing moments] pursuit, we ask a lot of our partners and sometimes that means the program isn’t the right fit for everyone,” the developer said.

“With that, after an incredible two years of collaboration, Spacestation Gaming will be leaving the Partner Program.”

Spacestation’s Brawl Stars pro Daniel “bobby” Levitt also weighed in on the situation. He shared on X that SSG is a “great org” and highlighted that it was flying them to the Brawl Stars World Finals 2025 early despite being “kicked” from the Partner Program.

The Brawl Stars Partner Program, introduced in 2022, is Supercell’s way of working directly with leading esports organisations. As a part of this, select teams are featured inside the game with their own Pins, Sprays and Profile Icons, and receive a share of the revenue from player purchases.

Several organisations have left since its launch, though new ones have joined as well.

Most recently, STMN and Luminosity Gaming exited the program ahead of the 2025 season. Supercell hasn’t revealed the reason for these teams’ departure.

Following SSG’s departure, the Brawl Stars Esports Partner Program is home to nine teams. These are LOUD, Gen.G, Team Heretics, ZETA, NAVI, SK Gaming, Tribe Gaming, Reply Totem, and FUT Esports.