2XKO is being dominated in Asia by a set of twins.

Haru and Toshi are twin brothers from Japan that are currently ranked first and second in 2XKO’s Asia servers. Going by the name 2WINz, the pair have also been competing in tournaments together, getting top placements and hyping up the FGC community.

2WINz have been streaming 2XKO on Twitch and competing in tournaments — and their story has excited fans for more than their undeniable talent in the game. The FGC believes this may be the beginning of something magical for the scene.

2XKO is Riot’s new fighting game that has two champions per team, allowing them to swap out and assist one another, creating dynamic combos and strategies. You can play both champions yourself or compete as a duo, with both players controlling one champion each.

What has made Toshi and Haru stand out on stream is their total synergy, with fans noting that they seem to play as one person. The concept of the twins fighting together in a duo game has tugged at the FGC’s heartstrings — some fans have even become emotional while watching them compete.

While the possible story unfolding with 2WINz is already intriguing, the FGC is becoming excited about the stories and connections that will unfold with duos in general. Fighting games are often played alone, showcasing complete concentration, skill and dedication. But 2XKO is bringing 2v2 play to the fighting game scene in a big way, building on the dynamic and emotional nature of FGC duos in games like Super Smash Bros.

2WINz have started sharing content on YouTube and Twitch about their journey and playstyle as twins. It looks like we are witnessing the start of something quite big in the fighting game scene.

The fifth day of the 2025 League of Legends World Championship left Western fans hoping for more.

G2 Esports gave LEC fans reason to be hopeful after a strong performance against Billibili Gaming (BLG), while FlyQuest’s expected win over Team Secret Whales was dominant enough for LTA North — now LCS again — fans dream of a Knockout Stage run.

At the same time, Hanwha Life Esports handed 100 Thieves a heavy defeat in what could be one of the organisation’s final matches at Worlds, leaving little room for a comeback. Gen.G showcased its full strength against longtime rival T1, controlling the game from start to finish and demonstrating why it is still the favourite to lift the Summoner’s Cup.

As the Swiss Stage progresses, all eyes are now on Western teams to see if they can gain momentum and make a deep run in the tournament or leave the BO5s to Eastern teams.

In a Swiss Stage loaded with upsets, the West needed a result to remind the world it still mattered — and FlyQuest delivered.

The LTA North representatives controlled the pace of the game from the start. Team Secret Whales made repeated mistakes that allowed FLY to roam freely around the Rift, extend its lead, and secure objectives. When Gabriël ‘Bwipo‘ Rau’s Sion began to scale, Team Secret Whales could not recover. FlyQuest kept its composure and stayed in command, moving one step closer to the Knockout Stage while Team Secret Whales fell further behind, now one match away from elimination.

Less than half an hour later, fans were treated to an iconic match between Gen.G and T1. But if some had hoped for an explosive game, others had predicted a classic LCK game, where First Blood does not happen until the 20th minute — and it was the latter.

However, this time First Blood came with an ace for Gen.G, which helped the organisation scale exponentially and punish overreaching from T1.

T1 struggled to find openings, and Gen.G punished every mistake. By midgame, Gen.G had built an insurmountable lead and controlled every fight, making it almost impossible for the reigning World Champions to win. 

With this win, Gen.G move onto 2-1 and reestablishes itself as a finals-level contender — while T1’s road looks steep and unforgiving.

For years now, Billibili Gaming has haunted G2 in the Worlds Swiss Stage. Time and again, when it mattered most, BLG knocked the LEC powerhouse out of the tournament. But not today. 

While BLG struck first — with an aggressive draft, early kills, constant pressure — G2 had drafted a scaling comp and was waiting for the right moment to push back. 

From the beginning of the game, BLG’s growing lead made it difficult for G2 to turn the tables. Yet a mistake from BLG around the second dragon fight gave G2 some crucial leeway in the game. The European team then took over the control of the Rift a few minutes later by collecting the Chemtech Soul.

Less than five minutes later, G2 “conquered their demons,” as the broadcast described it and defeated BLG. Now G2 sits at 2-1, and is no longer another Western team just trying to scrape by.

Still, the team may be the LEC’s last chance to prove legacy matters — and it is not the only organisation whose legacy must be cemented at Worlds

For 100 Thieves, today’s match might have been its penultimate match in competitive League, as the organisation announced it will exit LoL Esports after 2025, closing an era that began with them joining LCS in 2018. 

The stakes felt personal. 100 Thieves’ journey now risks fading out in silence. But, by contrast, HLE has not made a statement at the event.  By 20 minutes into the game, HLE’s lead was undeniable. The organisation’s teamfights over the map and for objectives felt like inevitabilities, not possible turning points. 

Yet another Sion in the top lane was unstoppable, with Choi ‘Zeus‘ Woo-je pushing past expectations and claiming the record of most kills on a Sion in an international match. For HLE, as a whole, this win seemed to be a warning other competitors. But for 100 Thieves, this was a painful reminder that its time may be running out faster than predicted.

Tomorrow promises explosive matches as the first BO3 elimination matches of Worlds 2025 kick off from the Swiss Stage, with teams fighting to stay alive and avoid an early exit. All matches will be streamed live on League of Legends’ official esports Twitch and YouTube channels, alongside accepted co-streamers.

The League of Legends World Championships are – at the time of writing – currently underway in China. The annual tournament– also known as LoL Worlds or League of Legends Worlds – is a huge event for the League of Legends community as well as esports in general. 

Every year, one team takes home the Summoners Cup trophy along with a significant amount of prize money (though the exact amount changes every year). We’re going to be looking at every single team that has won the League of Legends Worlds tournament, the defining moments, and how much they earned.

The League of Legends World Championship began in June 2011, two years after League of Legends was released. Organised by Riot Games, the tournament has become hugely prestigious over the years. Not only is it incredibly popular, with its peak viewership reaching 99.6 million viewers in 2018, but it is also hailed as an elite event that is highly respected in esports. 

The tournament has been known to be an emotional ride for players and fans alike. It brings together the League of Legends community in one epic competition where memories are made and dreams come true for a select few, making for a truly thrilling and inspiring professional gaming tournament. 

Let’s dive into the winning teams of each League of Legends World Championship since the tournament began in 2011. The information regarding the prize pool and the winners’ takings has been compiled from EsportsEarnings and Liquipedia League of Legends. 

The very first LoL Worlds victory went to Fnatic, who took home a cash prize of $50,000 from the prize pool of $100,000. These were the early days of professional competitive League of Legends, so there were only eight teams participating. 

Fnatic beat the European team Against All Authority to take home the win. The MVP of the match was Maciej “Shushei” Ratuszniak, who tragically passed away in April 2025 from cancer. Fnatic’s victory remains as a way to remember where LoL Worlds started, but also as a memorial to Shushei and the impact on the competitive LoL scene from the very beginning. 

The Taipei Assassins shocked the LoL community with its win in 2012, surpassing expectations and beating the likes of China and Korea to win for the small LMS region (Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau). The underdog team beat its Korean rivals – Azubu Frost – to win the tournament. 

This was not only a groundbreaking win, but also one that set the stage for the future big budget LoL Worlds, as it was the first tournament to be a full production held on a live stage as a major event. There was also a major increase to both the prize pool and the winnings taken by the victors. The prize pool was upped to $2,000,000, with the winners taking $1,000,000. 

Get used to the name T1, you’re going to hear it a lot on this list. Led by a then-rookie, 17-year-old Faker, SK Telecom T1 was the first win for what would become the most dominant League of Legends champions in the world. The team won $1,000,000 from the slightly increased prize pool of $2,050,000.

Though not favourites, the team pushed through and were able to win via a 3-0 sweep against China’s Royal Club. Not only was this another great underdog story, but it was also the first appearance for Faker, who would go on to become the face of League of Legends and one of the most renowned esports players in the world. 

The Samsung White team’s victory in 2014 is often thought to be one of the most dominant runs in the history of LoL Worlds. In the group stages of the competition, Samsung White went 6-0 in an absolutely incredible run that proved just how talented the team was. 

They went on to score 2-0 in the quarter-finals and clinched victory with a 3-1 victory over China’s Star Horn Royal Club. The winnings were similar to the previous years, with Samsung White taking home $1,000,000 from a prize pool of $2,130,000.

The SK Telecom T1 team returned to LoL Worlds with another tremendous victory in 2015. The team were starting to truly establish itself as a force to be reckoned with at this point, as its teamwork, synergy, and coordination were second to none.

Faker also proved that he was a master in the mid-lane, able to use various champions, such as Viktor and LeBlanc, to switch up tactics when necessary. The team claimed victory against fellow Korean team KOO Tigers with a 3-1 win. The prize pool was exactly the same as the previous year, as the team took home $1,000,000 from a pool of $2,130,000. 

The 2016 tournament saw the first consecutive win for SK Telecom T1. At this point, they were firmly established as the best of the best in the League of Legends esports community. The team composition remained the same as the previous year, with Faker, Bang, Bengi, MaRin and Wolf once again coming together under the tutelage of coach Kim Jeong-gyun (also known as kkOma). 

The final match between SK Telecom T1 and fellow Korean team Samsung Galaxy was fierce, and it seemed like T1 would go home without the trophy after a shaky start. However, comebacks from Faker and Bang along with strong co-ordination across the board led to that eventual, hard-earned win. The prize pool was much bigger this time around, as were the teams winning. From a pool of $5,070,000, the team took home $2,028,000.

The following year, Samsung Galaxy went face-to-face with SK Telecom T1 once again, and this time, got the win. Not only did they defeat the two-time consecutive winners, but they did so in a total 3-0 sweep. This clean-cut victory proved that Samsung Galaxy was just as competent, easily standing strong against T1 and ending its dominance (for the time being). Although the prize pool was a little less in 2017 – $4,596,591– the winnings for Samsung Galaxy were more, as the team took home $2,100,000. 

Invictus Gaming managed to beat the very first winners of the LoL World Championships (Fnatic) in 2018 to become the first Chinese team to claim the Summoner’s Cup. This win broke the firm hold that Korean teams had in the LoL esports competitive scene, which had lasted from 2013 until this win in 2018. The prize pool and the winners’ takings increased in 2018, with a prize pool of $6,450,000 and Invictus Gaming taking $2,400,000. 

China continued its winning streak in 2019 with a victory from the Chinese LoL esports team FunPlus Phoenix. This win proved that China was becoming a prominent force within League, especially with two clean sweep wins during the tournament (3-0 in the quarter-finals and 3-0 again in the finals). The team took home $834,375 from a $2,225,000 prize pool, though the pool can fluctuate significantly, and the actual earnings for the players may have been more. 

Korean team DAMWON Gaming was hugely successful, clinching the LoL Worlds in 2020. Not only was this the team’s first win and a return to form for Korea and the LCK teams, but they were also the fastest team to win the Summoner’s Cup after starting its journey into professional League of Legends, as they only formed in late 2019. The team took home $1,000,000 from the $2,225,000 prize pool. 

China came back strong in 2021 with a win from the LML team EDward Gaming. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final match were head-to-head face-offs against Korean teams, and the results were close. 

EDward Gaming defeated Gen.G 3-2 in the quarters, then DAMWON 3-2 in the semis. The final match against DWG KIA was a close call, but EDward Gaming took the victory with a dominating, fearless performance. Once again, the winners’ takings seemed a bit lower in 2021, though there could be various reasons behind these reports. The prize pool was reported as $2,225,000 again, and the victors took $500,000. 

Often referred to as a “Cinderella story”, DRX’s win in 2022 was a true underdog tale. The team almost didn’t make it out of the group stages, finishing second and achieving a 3-3 record. They were considered a weak team in the playoffs, and it was assumed that they would be eliminated relatively quickly. 

Despite this, DRX went on to win the LoL Worlds Championship, showing resilience and determination. The drama amped up in each game as DRX continued to progress. Eventually, they went on to defeat the legendary T1 team in an emotional and unbelievable turn of events. DRX took home the same winnings – $500,000– from the $2,225,000 prize pool. 

Now known simply as T1, the 2023 win for the team was its fourth victory at LoL Worlds. Despite facing early losses in their semi-final against Gen.G, T1 bounced back. 

Faker once again proved his legendary status, but the rest of the team deserved praise too. Oner, Zeus, Gumayusi and Keria came together alongside Faker to grab that victory, and it couldn’t have happened without extremely precise and well-coordinated teamwork. Money-wise, T1 took home around $445,000 from the $2,225,000 prize pool. 

At the time of writing, the most recent League of Legends World Championship win was in 2024, and it was another victory for T1, who earned $450,000 in winnings from the $2,225,000 prize pool. The team showed off its usual strategic prowess and excellent macro plays, achieving a 3–1 record in the Swiss Stage and a 3-0 sweep in the quarter-finals. They faced off against Gen.G in the semi-finals and Bilibili Gaming in the finals (both of which are teams that could stand a chance of winning in 2025). 

With this win, Faker became the first League of Legends player to achieve five LoL Worlds wins as well as the first to earn two MVP awards in the finals. With a huge crowd watching at home and in person (the event sold out The O2 Arena in London, where it was held), T1’s victory was watched by millions, and the world will keep watching as the 2025 tournament continues. 

There has been a fluctuation in the teams that come out on top at LoL Worlds. From the humble beginnings of Fnatic to the domination of T1 and the incredible underdog story of DRX, the diverse nature of the competitors proves that you can never really know what will happen during a Worlds event. We’ll keep you updated on everything you need to know about LoL Worlds 2025, so be sure to check back for more on the tournament as it happens. 

The second annual Milk Cup all-women’s Fortnite tournament will take over TwitchCon later today, showcasing young female talent who are hoping to make it to the Fortnite Championship Series.

With $300,000 (~£223,000) on the line, this is the largest all-women esports prize pool in North America. While intimidating, the competitors are feeling confident and excited about the opportunity.

Ahead of the event on October 18th, Esports Insider was able to speak to the Duos ahead of the action.

This partnership between Gonna Need Milk and Twitch is a rare opportunity for young women in esports to participate in a high-stakes, professionally produced LAN with a built-in fanbase of convention goers that watch their streams on Twitch.

“It feels surreal to be back this year. Last year, it felt like a first step of something new we’re getting into. We’re more prepared this year. It feels amazing,” said Jaya ‘Fraanticc,’ an 18-year-old player who has been dominating this season along with her teammate Kanary, who just turned 16.

On the other hand, dieyuhs and Yqzmin had a tough run-up until the Milk Cup this year, with placements as low as 6th in some of the events leading up to TwitchCon. But that didn’t deter these young girls either.

“It was good in a sense for us to get 6th,” said dieyuhs. “It means we’re doing something wrong, but it helped us learn what we needed to do and how to prepare this time.”

A smaller iteration of the Milk Cup was held at Los Angeles Comic Con in 2024, but the competing women felt that it prepared them for the larger Milk Cup over the weekend. They were able to get a taste of LAN action and start to realise that being a pro esports athlete wasn’t just a one-time occurrence — it’s part of their life, something to feel confident about.

Fortnite is a game that is always switching up its content, gameplay, meta, and loot pool, which already creates quite the challenge for young players. However, the most significant change is switching from Trios to Duos. This split up a lot of Trios from the previous year.

While most of the competitors preferred Duos, they couldn’t help but feel conflicted about losing one of their teammates — and even competing against them.

“Duos is more competitive than Trios,” noted 20-year-old Nina ‘ilyynina’ Fernandez, who is now competing with Duo partner Vader, 18 years old. “It’s harder in a lot of aspects, but it’s easier to build chemistry with one teammate rather than two.”

While the competition is bigger and has a different format, the Milk Cup competitors have felt confident throughout this season. With the help of XSET, the organisation that signed many of the young players competing, there were scrims with 100 female players almost every day to keep them practising with their Duo partner.

“We are prepared,” said 21-year-old Moxie. “This time, we don’t have a coach, but we have a player who helps us. They have the in-game knowledge. He has really helped us. We’re ready to play. I’m excited.”

The competitors are also fans of the Chapter 6 meta, which they feel is balanced and competitive, with very few OP options that take away from the skill required to win. Kanary admitted it’s her favourite loot pool of all time.

“I personally love it right now,” added Vader. “I’m glad they brought back Crash Pads. Knowing it’s going to be Crash Pads, which I’m used to using, adds another level of confidence. I’m happy they brought it back.”

However, the toughest part of preparing for a battle royale tournament is still its unescapable RNG. Kanary explained: “If you can get Crash Pads, FlowBerry Fizz… It’s doable without it, but it’s harder to perform well. You’re always hoping you get one of those items. If not, you gotta make a play to get one.”

The other challenge of competing against the same group of talented players is knowing how each other plays. That means needing to plan for how they believe another Duo will behave, but also trying to shake up their own strategy to avoid being too predictable. Still, every team has their own strengths and playstyle.

“For my team, whoever shows up in our area is getting blasted,” said Fraanticc with a laugh. “We’re a very aggressive team and we fight a lot. I have confidence — we’re the two best fighters in the lobby. We have a lot of confidence in fights and never back down.

“If you want to come get it, come get it.”

Meanwhile, Yqzmin said her team is a bit more defensive: “It’s not always the best idea to fight anyone you see. You don’t know how they’re going to play. They may even stall you out and ruin your whole game if they know they can’t fight — so it’s good to not let anyone control your game.”

While the women all had their own opinions and strategies, the respect between them was real. These players have all become close friends. This can sometimes make competing against one another hard, but it’s all just part of the game.

The Milk Cup 2025 will take place on October 18th at 11:30 PST / 7:30 PM BST. Fans not attending TwitchCon can also watch the event on Twitch here.

NetEase Games has revealed that Marvel Rivals will introduce its first-ever PVE mode, Marvel Zombies, based on the popular Disney+ show in collaboration with Marvel Animation.

The new mode arrives in the hero shooter on October 23rd, 2025 during Season 4.5, where players can choose from a select group of heroes to take endless waves of zombies.

In the new mode, players can select one of five heroes to fight waves of zombie residents in the Midtown map. These characters bring unique abilities and traits exclusive to the mode.

The zombies mode will also feature zombie Namor and Scarlet Witch as bosses to fight, who will also arrive later in Season 4.5 as purchasable skins.

Here are all the playable characters and their unique modifiers in Marvel Zombies:

The announcement was made during the Thailand Game Show, and was initially teased during the Dev Vision Volume 10 vlog covering Season 4.5.

Marvel Zombies is the latest Marvel Rivals mode made by NetEase Games, which has previously introduced arcade modes such as Ultron’s Battle Matrix Protocol, an isometric auto-battler, and Giant Size Hive Mind, a PvP deathmatch with duplicate heroes.

The announcement of a new mode interestingly comes at a pivotal point in Marvel Rivals esports, as Ignite Stage 2 concludes and all eyes are set on the Ignite Grand Finals.

The international LAN event will see the top 12 teams from across the regions compete in DreamHack Atlanta from October 27th to November 2nd, 2025. It will feature a $1m (~£740,000) prize pool, the highest cash prize of any Marvel Rivals event to date.

The international event heads to DreamHack Atlanta, a popular annual gaming festival featuring esports tournaments across various titles such as the SNK World Championships, and DreamHack Knockout, a Counter-Strike 2 qualifier for ESL Pro League.

Fans who cannot attend the festival to watch the Ignite Grand Finals matches in person won’t miss out, as livestreams will also be broadcast through the official Marvel Rivals Twitch and YouTube channels.

Riot Games has announced the return of the beloved Winter Map to League of Legends for Patch 25.23.

The Winter Map tradition was introduced in League of Legends’ release year, 2009. As part of the Winter Snowdown seasonal campaign, the Summoner’s Rift was transformed into a winter wonderland packed with Christmas trees, ornaments and candy canes. 

The event previously featured Christmas-themed champion skins for the first time, such as ‘Snowbunny Nidalee’ and ‘Workshop Nunu’. Later winter events saw the additions of animated log-in screens, seasonal game modes and more in-game accessories. 

While the Snowdown editions of 2013-2015 came without the Winter Map, Riot Games cancelled the event entirely in 2019. At the time, the publisher explained that a winter-themed Summoner’s Rift wasn’t possible due to the recently added elemental drakes.

Other time-limited events, such as ‘Night and ‘Dawn’, were held in the following years, but none featured the Winter Map or Snowdown’s signature festive atmosphere.

However, earlier today, Riot unveiled that winter will return to the Summoner’s Rift with Patch 25.23 set to drop on November 19th. Rumours about the news first began circulating in August following a post by League of Legends Leaks & News on X (formerly Twitter).

“Winter Map is coming back everyone,” revealed League of Legends Executive Producer, Paul ‘Pabro’ Belleza, in today’s announcement video.

Although a dedicated winter event has not been confirmed, the announcement video provided a first look at the upcoming Winter Map.

For League of Legends’ festive comeback, Riot has transformed the nexus into a snowglobe encircled by a Poro train. Minions in charming coats patrol the snowy landscape, and the Baron has been equipped with a Santa hat and mittens.

Whilst the Winter Map comeback will likely spark excitement throughout all corners of the LoL community, the game’s competitive scene still has its eyes set on the ongoing League of Legends World Championship 2025.

The largest international tournament in the annual League of Legends competitive calendar kicked off on October 14th. Sixteen teams from across the globe have shown up at the Swiss Stage, but only one can lift the 2025 Worlds trophy on November 9th.

As the Swiss Stage heads to its conclusion, today’s matches saw Anyone’s Legend and KT Rolster become the first teams to qualify for the Knockout Stage.