We break down the top stories on Esports.gg for the past week including the groundbreaking The Guard layoffs, the start of Dota 2 Lima Major, and more.
We are approaching the end of February 2023, the month when most esports' competitive circuits begin exploding with hype. There were many interesting stories that unfolded and the past week was no exception. If you are out of the loop, we are here to summarize the top esports news and stories from Feb. 18 to 24. From the groundbreaking layoffs in The Guard to the beginning of Dota 2's Lima Major - here are all esports articles of the week on Esports.gg.
The Guard massive layoff shook the esports scene
In a shocking report we received on Feb. 22, The Guard has laid off every single employee including the content team, social team, talent relations, and creative teams. However, it is still unknown if this layoff affects the team rosters. This LA organization has rosters competing in VALORANT, Halo, and Apex Legends. It is also associated with the LA Guerrillas of CoD League and the LA Gladiators of the Overwatch League. Many from the esports community reacted with rage and showed support for those affected.
Lima Major kickstarts with the world's top Dota 2 teams
Our Dota 2 section explodes with content as the first-ever Dota 2 Major in South America began on February 22. This Major pits the world's top 18 teams for a slice of the $500K prize pool and 1,900 DPC points. The tournament, hosted by 4D Esports x EPULZE, starts with the grueling Group Stage where six teams will face elimination. So far, Western Europe looks solid and China isn't looking too great. Keep up with the Lima Major on Esports.gg's event hub!
Dota 2 sees the largest ban wave in history
For a long while, there was a rise of complaints regarding cheaters in Dota 2 and Valve made a drastic action to prove it takes the issue sternly. On Feb. 21, Valve reveals that it has banned over 40,000 players that have been caught accessing "secret data" or in other terms, cheating in the game. This is a huge 7% of the active player population but Valve remarked that this is only the latest part of an ongoing campaign.
Interview with the two-time Capcom Cup winner MenaRD
Esports.gg had a chat with Saul Leonardo "MenaRD" Mena II who just won his second Capcom Cup championship. The two-time winner talked about his beginnings, his work and contributions in the Dominican Republic, and his experience clashing against Zhen in the grand final which he described as very intense. And speaking of Capcom Cup, there is more exciting news for the fighting games community..
Capcom Cup X will offer a $2 million dollar prize pool
On Feb. 20, it was revealed that the upcoming Capcom Cup X will host a $2 million dollar prize pool - the biggest in fighting games history. This is a massive step up as the highest ever was a $1.3 million Brawlhalla tournament in 2022. The Capcm Cup X will have Street Fighter 6 players compete for the lucrative prize pool and the winner will return home with $1 million dollars. An official date for Capcom Cup X has not been announced.
Call of Duty is coming to Nintendo Switch
Microsoft and Nintendo have entered a 10-year deal to bring the full console release of Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch consoles. This deal was confirmed by Microsoft President, Brad Smith, on Twitter. This move will definitely help to contribute to Call of Duty's push towards a casual audience. The game will remain on PlayStation, as well as Xbox, PC and soon Switch.
Hearthstone Arena in risk due to Chinese botting
The Chinese Arena had suffered for a long time from the consequences of botting. This practice has caused the inflation of the average deck quality and with many players engaging in this activity, the server had suffered from unfair play. With the Chinese servers recently taken down by Blizzard, there have been signs that the Chinese botting practice might have spread to other servers and can possibly ruin the game.
A big change to Azir is coming soon
Prominent League of Legends champion, Azir, is receiving some changes in the upcoming patch 13.5. The champion has been highly successful in competition, having a 54% winrate in the LCK. The changes will aim to nerf the Emperor of Sands on March 8.
The full Esports.gg articles of the week
Below you'll find the most interesting and surprising Esports.gg articles this week. Be sure to give them all a read and keep up to date on esports news!
Into The Breach, a British esports org, is reportedly venturing into Southeast Asia for a second Dota 2 roster. The report was then confirmed by ITB's CEO, Sam Cook.
Esports.gg sat down to have an interview with C9 EMENES, a Korean midlaner who will make his LCS debut after dominating the Challengers scene.
The internet is falling head-over-heels for Cammy's return in the upcoming Street Fighter 6. Have a look.
A brand new map arrives in Warzone alongside Resurgence called Warzone 2 Ashika Island. Check out everything about this new map and its best landing spots.
To celebrate the 20-year reign of the GameCube controller, Esports.gg introduces 'Controlling the Game' an interview series to talk about modded and customized GameCube controllers. Check out the first installment featuring Samuel "Dabuz" Buzby, a top Ultimate player.
Despite being the top player in the Smash Bros. Ultimate, MkLeo was still dropped by T1 and it has left the community shaken.
The VCT LOCK//IN is hot in action and the 100T in-game leader, stellar, had only positive things to say about the inclusion of China in the VCT.
One of the biggest streamers on Twitch, Kai Cenat, reaches a huge milestone in his career, becoming one of the three streamers to ever reach 200K subscribers on Twitch. The only two who has ever done so was Ninja and Ludwig.
QTCinderella's 2nd edition of the Streamers Awards finally reveals its full list of nominees including names like Ludwig, xQc, and Kai Cenat.
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for more articles of the week!