European esports organisation G2 Esports has announced Marcin ‘Jankos‘ Jankowski as its latest content creator.

One of League of Legends’ most iconic figures in the European esports scene returns to G2 three years after he last played for the team. In this new role, Jankos will support G2’s content strategy and media output going forward.

The announcement came in the form of a humorous skit published across G2’s social media channels. The video features the Polish player wandering the G2 facility and being rejected from becoming G2’s new player or coaching staff. In the final frames, he then announces his return to the organisation to co-stream the LEC for 2026.

The former jungler spent the majority of the 2025 season as a co-streamer for Rogue first and then Natus Vincere, following the acquisition of Rogue’s slot in the LEC.

As one of the members who were part of the G2’s legendary roster that came close to completing the golden road, Jankos was often considered the best jungler in Europe throughout those years.

Thanks to his proactive gameplay and leadership, Jankos won five LEC championships during his tenure on G2, alongside a Mid-Season Invitational title and a Worlds final appearance in 2019, making it the most successful roster the LEC has ever produced.

At the end of 2022, Jankos then moved to Team Heretics, where he wasn’t able to repeat the same results from his previous stint. Throughout the two years, his best result was fourth place, achieved in the LEC 2023 Summer Split.

This year, while transitioning to streaming, he played as the starting jungler for NORD Esports in the Northern League Championship (NLC). That being said, Jankos’ main focus was still on content creation as the team was considered a streamer team, similar to Marc ‘Caedrel’ Lamont’s Los Ratones.

While it’s unclear whether Jankos will continue to compete in the tier-two scene while co-streaming for G2, the Polish content creator will support the team when the new season kicks off in January.

Ubisoft has revealed its latest Share Bundles for Rainbow Six Siege X (R6), themed around competitive esports teams.

The bundles include coloured drones, gun charms and operator card backgrounds inspired by teams LOUD, M80, and FURIA Esports (FURIA).

The 2025 Support Kits are available to purchase through the official web shop for 720 R6 Credits (~$5/£4.80). The bundles are a part of Ubisoft’s R6 Share partner programme, with 50% of profits generated directly supporting the associated team.

Fans who wish to support LOUD, FURIA, and M80 further can also purchase Full Kits or Weapon Kits released earlier this year.

These kits are the latest additions from Ubisoft aimed at supporting or promoting esports organisations. This year, the developer released pro team bundles featuring unique operator skins for various partnered teams, along with legacy sets to honour the best moments from Rainbow Six esports history.

M80 has had a fairly successful run in the 2025 season so far, winning the North America League Stage 2 after defeating Spacestation Gaming 2-0 in the Grand Finals. The organisation has also successfully qualified for the 2026 Six Invitational in Paris after winning the BLAST R6 Munich Major back in November.

FURIA’s highlight of the year was becoming the champion team of the R6 RE:L0:AD 2025, one of the first events to feature the Siege X update in a competitive setting. Other spotlight moments include the squad winning the South America League Stage 2 after defeating W7m Esports 2-1 in the Grand Finals. FURIA also placed third at the 2025 Six Invitational, but only time will tell whether it can make it all the way at the 2026 crowning event.

LOUD is a new contender in the space that entered R6 esports scene back in March 2025. It acquired the RazaH Company Academy roster, a team that placed sixth out of 20 at the 2025 Six Invitational. The Brazilian organisation has not qualified for next year’s invitational yet, but it could secure a spot by winning the South America Last Chance Qualifier.

ActiveVoices, an AI-powered content distribution platform owned by OverActive Media, has secured a multi-year dubbing agreement with an unnamed global media rights company.

The deal will see the platform provide a range of services for the unnamed UK-based company’s ‘international catalogue’ of content.

According to a release, ActiveVoices will provide translation, script adaptation, and multilingual voice production for the company, which specialises ‘in premium entertainment rights management’.

The partnership follows the company borrowing C$1m (~£542,040) to scale the growth of ActiveVoices, aiming to enable ethical content distribution and help content creators overcome language barriers to reach a larger audience.

“By securing this agreement with this major global rights-holder, we are demonstrating the immediate commercial relevance of ActiveVoices and its ability to solve real distribution challenges,” said Adam Adamou, CEO of OverActive Media.

“This agreement is aligned with our strategy to build ActiveVoices into a scalable, technology-enabled platform.”

In addition to the unnamed partner, the platform has already joined forces with Aview to assist with supporting AI-powered voice and localisation technologies.

Notably, OverActive Media is the parent company of esports brand KOI and Call of Duty League franchise Toronto KOI. KOI is known for its League of Legends roster, currently competing in the LEC. For 2026, it retained its 2025 roster for the upcoming season.

In November, the company released its Q3 financial results, reporting a 14% increase in revenue from 2024 along with a 3% decrease in operating expenses as a result of consolidating brands under a single platform.

Since appearing at this year’s China Esports Conference in Shanghai, ActiveVoices is growing into an AI-powered platform that has the potential to attract stakeholders looking for new methods to distribute content across the world.

As of December 10th, 2025, the Australian government’s social media ban for under-16s has taken effect, restricting how children engage with some of the most popular online platforms.

With various social media apps and streaming sites included in the list of affected platforms, Esports Insider looks at how this could impact the wider esports and gaming scene.

The Online Safety Amendment, passed by the Australian Government, prevents under-16-year-olds in Australia from setting up new accounts while forcing online platforms to deactivate or suspend existing ones.

The social media and streaming apps listed must convince the country’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, that the companies have taken ‘reasonable steps’ in preventing children from holding an account. If not, there are risks of facing a fine of up to AUD $49.5m (~$32.9m/£24.7) according to the FAQ’s.

However, the eSafety Commissioner has stated that under-16s will be able to see ‘publicly available social media content’ that does not require an account to access. For actions or content that necessitate an account, users will need to prove their age, although methods may vary depending on the platform.

The new law passed by the Australian Government will affect a total of 10 platforms from December 10th onwards.

The changes are not likely to impact the esports ecosystem directly. However, many of these platforms are used to promote esports and grow communities within the gaming sector.

These are the social media platforms that have been listed:

This will impact how young esports fans in the country engage with some of their favourite ecosystems, especially in discussion-centric apps such as Reddit and X. Those under 16 in Australia will be primarily unable to comment on posts and engage with content on social media platforms. However, some places, like Reddit, still allow users to see content without the need for an account.

What is interesting to note is that while social media apps have been restricted, some private chat platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and Discord have been excluded from the list.

Eager fans can still join private chat rooms dedicated to esports through apps like Discord, which often serve as a hub for community discussions and hold reward incentives.

Furthermore, the PC gaming store Steam will not be affected, meaning under-16s can still browse for esports titles and talk to friends with Steam Chat.

The three main streaming platforms Kick, Twitch and YouTube have also been named in the list by the eSafety Commissioner.

Fans often engage during livestreams of esports matches throughout tournaments, commenting on the events as they unfold. However, this will be unavailable to those under the age of 16, as an account is required to comment.

However, given that all three of these platforms allow for open viewing as a guest, the restrictions imposed will not prevent an under-16-year-old from watching events. However, the barriers imposed will prevent children from engaging with esports content on those platforms or receiving incentives such as Twitch Drops.

Mandatory wipes or resets are expected in the extraction shooter genre, but Arc Raiders adds its own spin to it. Instead of the universal server wipe, the voluntary prestige system is an individual choice, where players willingly give up all their progress to start fresh with a few bonuses and an essential hat for their chicken.

At first glance, it continues the accessibility Embark Studios brings into this punishing genre. Ironically, it’s that very same mindset that infuriated the playerbase, turning this voluntary expedition into a source of FOMO and burnout. At the end of the day, is all this effort and investment worth it?

The Expedition Project isn’t something new players should worry about until their character hits level 20. Once that happens, the Expedition Project opens up under the “Projects” feature. This is the game’s equivalent of the seasonal wipes as seen in games like Escape from Tarkov and Rust, but this time it’s completely voluntary.

If you’re ready to send your Raider into the unknown, you’ll first have to gather materials and resources through six stages:

For the departure phase, this will take into account your Raider’s total stash value plus accumulated credits, awarding a skill point per 1 million (up to five). You can start stacking up for the requirements as soon as you reach level 20, but the Expedition Window opens from December 17-22, where all committed players will finally send off their characters.

Again, this is voluntary. For players who didn’t commit their Raiders to die off alone in some barren area, they can always depart on the next project when it arrives. The best part is that your Expedition’s Project progress will be kept until the next window.

Players who came from other extraction shooters, Rust, ARK: Survival, or even ARPG games with their Leagues, know the intrinsic reward for wipes is the feeling of everyone starting fresh, but these are all mandatory. Meanwhile, Arc Raiders tries to strike a balance for veterans and casuals by making it optional, but offering rewards for those who wipe:

According to Embark, each Expedition Project will generally reward permanent unlocks, unique cosmetic rewards, and temporary account buffs. While these are modest buffs, keep in mind that skill points and stash space permanently stack, making these too good to pass up for anyone wanting to play this game long term.

Now that you’ve seen the incentive to go through the Expedition Project in Arc Raiders, it’s clear that wiping is worth all the effort, even as a casual player. The crux is that the grind, poor spawns for blueprints, and the overall effect on the game’s economy make everyone slowly working toward it feel like walking on glass just for the reward.

The requirements for the Expedition Project were already known since the game began, but Embark remained tight-lipped about the departure phase. The community had an idea that the stash value would contribute to skill points, but nobody had an idea that you needed five big ones for five skill points (1M for one point) two weeks before departure.

Needless to say, this blindsided the community and lit up public forums. Five million coin value (coins and stash) isn’t something most players stumble into; that’s many hours of successful raids, gear avoidance, and selling everything remotely valuable. This is a value that the likes of streamers, dedicated players, and hoarders have comfortably reached, but everyone else needs to catch up.

Ever since the announcement, there’s been a stark change in how players approach the game. Reaching the high value further validated gear fear when it’s already a prevalent issue in the game. Instead of raiders bringing their best gear topside, players are selling it, preferring to raid with modest equipment or spamming the free loadout. 

This is the antithesis of an extraction shooter and actively punishes players for engaging in the core gameplay loop or extracting and using better equipment. Extraction shooters are built around tension, risk, and reward, but now raiders are bolting for the exit as soon as they fill their pockets. How is this gameplay loop good for the game’s longevity?

The Expedition Project was once pitched as a flexible, no-pressure system that “values your time”, but it’s also the main way to fix issues with Embark’s lack of transparency on the Arc Raiders’ vague descriptions of their skills.

There’s no way to respec or reset skill points outside of the Expedition. If you misbuild your Raider, whether through a perk you regret or through balance changes, there isn’t a way to take those points back. Embark hasn’t made that easy. Skill descriptions are vague, and the value of many passives is unclear until tested. 

Worse, the studio has already nerfed key perks post-launch, like Security Breach, after players sunk time unlocking and building around them. Your only option is a full wipe, and that alone pushes many players who want to optimise their busted build.

Then there are the Expedition rewards themselves, which are initially underwhelming but permanent. These rewards compound each cycle, slowly but surely widening the gap between players who reset. 

Compared to games like Escape from Tarkov or Rust, where server wipes are a chance to equalise the playing field, this gives the hardcore players an unattainable, compounding advantage over the casuals.

It’s perhaps too late for Embark to back down on the requirements and rewards for now, especially with the first wipe rapidly approaching. But maybe they could use the lively feedback from the community to tweak the next cycle. Some great suggestions include:

Despite everything, despite how much the Arc Raiders Expedition Project hurts, it’s still worth it to wipe if you believe in the game long-term. For casuals, these bonuses won’t mean much in the short term, but they will stack up with each wipe.

The game doesn’t force a reset like other titles in the genre, but it rewards those who commit to it. The permanent unlocks are too good to pass up—except for the ugly raider cosmetic that you can’t pay me to wear.

The Expedition Project is a byproduct of the extraction shooter genre, one holdover that Embark chose to carry on like a tradition that nobody remembers why it’s still ongoing. While the studio strives for accessibility, the compounding rewards only made players, hardcore and casuals, want it even more.

Arc Raiders’ first wipe cycle may not be for everyone, but it entices everyone, and it definitely affects everyone. If you’ve been noticing fewer fights and more free loadouts in your game, you know that all the good gear is getting immediately sold off as a future investment.

Independent arts charity BAFTA has revealed all 64 games that have made it onto the Longlist for the 2026 BAFTA Game Awards.

Among the selected titles, several have established their esports ecosystem this year, from shooters such as Marvel Rivals to sport simulators like EA FC 26.

Marvel Rivals, one of the nominated esports titles, Marvel Rivals is a popular hero shooter that has fostered a competitive scene in 2025. It has held community events such as the seasonal Championships and has invited the best teams from around the world to compete in its professional circuit, Marvel Rivals Ignite.

Another featured title, Battlefield 6, is a large-scale first-person shooter game that was released back in October this year. Following the launch of REDSEC battle royale mode, EA revealed a $1m (~£763,850) esports circuit featuring a community-driven Open Series and a competitive Elite Series.

Call of Duty also made it to the Longlist thanks to the latest installment in the franchise, Black Ops 7. The longstanding series boasts an extensive esports history due to the Call of Duty League, which is now entering its 2026 season and continues to foster a franchised competitive ecosystem.

Various sports simulators were also including such as EA FC 26 and F1 25. EA FC 26 holds various esports circuits, including the FC Pro series, which hosted its inaugural World Championship in Germany in 2024. Additionally, EA has rolled out plans for next year, including a refreshed format for the ePremier League.

F1 25 was one of the last esports titles, which is a home to events such as the F1 Sim Racing World Championship, featuring the world’s best racing esports teams and players.

The full list of games that have been selected can be found at the BAFTA Game Awards website.

Founded in 2004, the BAFTA Game Awards is an annual show celebrating the best games released within the year.

This year’s Longlist was selected by more than 1,700 BAFTA members, which is comprised of professionals from across the gaming industry. A total of 64 titles are nominated across 17 award categories, including Game Design, Narrative, Artistic Achievement, Best Game and more.

Tara Saunders, chair of BAFTA’s Games committee, said: “The BAFTA Games Awards
longlists offer a fantastic opportunity to spotlight the creativity and craft shaping this year’s
games.

“This list showcases a wide range of games to dive into over the holiday season, honours the teams behind these standout titles, and shines a light on the incredible skill across our whole industry.”

Voting for nominations will begin in February, and the shortlisted titles will be announced on March 12th, 2026. BAFTA members will then vote on Best Game and British Game, while the jury will decide the winners of the remaining categories.

All the winners will be revealed at the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards on April 17th, 2026.