Announcement: I have been thinking about this for several months while recuperating from my surgery and taking preventative treatments to keep the cancer from returning; it is clear to me that I am no longer able to do the job I used to do in my current condition.

so I guess it is time to make it official: I have decided to resign as the Editor in Chief of The Esports Advocate. I will continue to contribute to TEA when I can in a new role as an Editor at Large, a purely unpaid position.

Given my current disability (the inability to talk) as well as a blockage in my abdomen that has already caused damage to my kidneys, I think this is the best course of action for the time being.

Again, I will continue to contribute to TEA as best I can starting in August, though I hope those folks who have been contributing over the last four months will continue to support our endeavors—I greatly appreciate their hard work.

The Dallas Cowboys owners' investment fund has fallen to 4.46% of FaZe owner GameSquare after FanEngine's sellers took 30% of the company. It bought about $1.65M of stock this spring. Those shares now sit about 43% below cost.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/11/jones-…

A Ukrainian player was convicted of fixing ESportsBattle matches. BETER runs the series, prices the betting on it and polices it. ESIC, its accreditor, tells TEA that structure "creates integrity risks and potential conflicts requiring external scrutiny."

esportsadvocate.net/2026/11/ukrain…

Grup Mediapro plans to dissolve Fandroid, the company behind Spain's LVP, and keep its profitable contracts, per its 2025 accounts. Eighteen months after a €2.33M rescue, LVP lost €1.13M on €8.96M revenue as headcount fell from 182 to 52.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/11/mediap…

British Esports and Varkey Group launched EGAMES DUBAI27, a global schools esports competition with Dubai finals in April 2027.

No budget or prize pool disclosed, and British Esports runs on interest-free loans from a company its president controls.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/11/egames…

WE ARE OWED OVER $100,000 USD
by Saudi Arabian Esports team @AlQadsiahES!

@yagami2428, @THEJON07 & myself are owed over $100,000 USD between us, comprising of prize money, salaries and reimbursements extending as far back as mid-2024.

This total does not even include the many peopme department and other games, that have also experienced these persistent issues and who remain unpaid.

This situation is unacceptable and contributes to the increasingly poor reputation of the Saudi & Middle East based organizations.
If an @aramco owned organization, can fail so completely, then what hope is there for others?

Every possible effort has been made to resolve the matter directly with the team for unreasonably long period of time. Not a single amicle outcome was presented by the organization. We were only met with excuses, stalling tactics and complete disregard for the severity of the circumstances, eventuating in just being flat-out ignored.

Promises were made constantly but never kept and communication was near non-existent.
Not only did @AlQadsiahES not meet their payment obligations to the players and staff, but they were an organizational mess. Failing to properly support players in nearly every way possible, travel, visas, expenses, branding, social media.
Absolutely embarrasing.

One of the few outliers who always did their best for the players and staff he was responsible for, was @Haohken. We worked together closely, sharing the workload of over four different roles, but even he could only do so much when his hands were tied by the higher ups.

We continued performing our contractual obligations in good faith, whilst being beyond patient. Expecting improvement in the infrastructure of the teams, departments and the organization overall, as this was continually promised.

There's a lot more that is to be said regarding these circumstances, including threats and attempts to silence players from speaking out publicly regarding their treatment.

It's time that responsiblity is taken:
@AlQadsiahES @Al_Qadsiah @AlQadsiahEN
@aramco

I am hesitant to weigh in on discussions about 30+ year old details. I understand enough about memory in general, and mine in particular, to not have great confidence about it. I generally trust Romero’s memory more than mine — I was always a bit jealous of that capability.

In broad terms, multiplayer gaming was right up there with 3D gaming in my grand visions of what I wanted to accomplish. The early FPS games were very much “first person Gauntlet”, and Gauntlet had multiplayer.

I do clearly remember the first time I got two computers running Doom taking to each other. Moving around on one computer and seeing the character move on the other screen was sublime. And then, of course, I shot the other character. Every shared virtual environment inhabited by young men inevitably hosts deathmatch.

I suspect the confusion here may be around the fraction of people that originally bought Doom because of multiplayer. It was almost certainly well under 10%. Maybe under 1%. It wrecked some college networks, but most people didn’t have Ethernet cards or null modem cables. We probably did have some conversations correctly predicting that. Deathmatch was awesome, but most of our players never got to experience it.

Even four games later for Quake 3 Arena, being “deathmatch focused” was a huge internal battle, and not at all obviously viable.

SOOP's Q3 operating profit fell 60% as viewer donations hit a three-year low, even as visitors rose. Nearly 30% of the star balloon drop among its top streamers traces to one channel: Cheolgu, who went dark after a July gambling confession.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/soop-q…

Brazilian labor courts have held Corinthians liable in 10 of 13 decided suits over wages its esports licensee never paid. The club had licensed the whole operation to CDS. When CDS stopped paying, the bill came back to the badge.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/corint…

ENCE will file for bankruptcy after 13 years. Its accounts show revenue fell 79% in two years, from EUR 6.31M in 2023 to EUR 1.32M in 2025, as it lost top-tier results and then its Louvre partner slot. End-2025 equity covered under four months of losses.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/ence-b…

End of an era 💔

Interesting week, BioWare shutting down, EA clipping 400 jobs in the process, and EG shutting down. Sheesh.

Two things can be true at the same time: AI is a powerful tool in the hands of professional creatives, programmers, etc. It will also be the source of a LOT of slop from idiots looking to make a quick buck. I am so glad I no longer review games.

My favorite spam is "we can get you booked on X number of podcasts." Yeah this would be great considering I had my voice box removed in March due to cancer...

VCT China cuts its partners from 10 to eight for 2027-28. Weibo Gaming joins, Xi Lai Gaming moves up, and FPX, Wolves, Nova and Titan are out. People close to TJ Sports told TEA the selection favored financial commitment and parent-platform support.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/vct-ch…

Riot is cutting every VCT region from 10 partners to eight for 2027-28, leaving out Cloud9, KIWOOM DRX, ENVY and FlyQuest. Partners keep team skins in a league where digital goods made up $86 million of the $105 million-plus Riot paid teams in 2025.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/riot-c…

I've started a monthly esports government policy recap on @TEAdvocated!

This first edition looks at how @EWC_EN
will shape future France regulations.

Also...why are there suddenly more nations cups that ever before?

1/

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/esport…

France had some of the EU's only dedicated esports rules on the books when the EWC moved from Riyadh to Paris at short notice.

@TheUrbanShep on what's next for French policy and why four organizers now want to own the national-team tournament.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/esport…

FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 in Jeddah a day before the first match, with no new date. FIFA cited "logistical arrangements." Japan and Brazil had already withdrawn over security.

esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/fifa-p…

Love that Graham Ashton is writing for TEA. Great report, check it out!

Legendary level designer Richard 'Levelord' Gray has died pcgamer.com/gaming-industr…