Renegades secured 5th-8th position at IEM Major: Katowice 2019 which eventually was a surprise to many. Later Aussies also placed 3rd-4th at StarSeries i-League Season 7. They displayed fantastic Counter-Strike. However, Sean “Gratisfaction” Kaiwai was facing paperwork issues with the VISA for the United States. Due to this, he could not attend ESL Pro League Season 9 (Americas) and CS Summit 4 and the Australian organization loaned Owen “smooya” Butterfield from BIG Clan.
Although, now the paperwork issue is sorted and Sean will continue alongside the rest of the squad at DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019. With Owen picking up the AWP, Renegades placed 7-8th position at ESL Pro League Season 9 (Americas) and 6th at CS Summit 4. According to HLTV global rankings, Aussies placed fifth after the major. But soon due to substandard results, they have dropped to tenth place.
With Sean’s return, Renegades’ lineup for DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019 will be:
Justin “jks” Savage
Aaron “AZR” Ward
Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad
Jay “Liazz” Tregillgas
Sean “Gratisfaction” Kaiwai
Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunoviฤ (coach)
Owen “smooya” Butterfield has now returned back to the BIG Clan’s bench. However, in an AMA session on his Instagram profile, a fan asked him whether he would again play for BIG if provided with an opportunity. “Yes, instantly leaving them (BIG Clan) was a mistake but it happened and there is nothing to change that,” he replied.
DotA 2 EPICENTER Major qualifiers have gathered 15,4 million views worldwide*. The qualifier matches for EPICENTER XL, last yearโs Major series tournament in Moscow, gathered nearly two times fewer views โ 7,8 million. Meanwhile the total amount of broadcast hours on Twitch amounted to 866 in 2019 as compared to EPICENTER XL 2018โs 1100 hours.
The viewer count for the qualifier stage of DPC 2018-2019 seasonโs fifth Major reached 177 147 during the CIS region grand-final of Virtus.pro versus Natus Vincere. Notably, EPICENTER XLโs qualifiers final viewer count peaked at 67 668 under the same conditions. Overall, more than 5,5 million unique users viewed EPICENTER Major, exceeding last yearโs figure by more than 1,2 million.
The Russian broadcast of the upcoming Majorโs qualifiers engaged more than 10 million views, with 3 million unique views. The previous yearโs CIS broadcast gathered 4,4 million views and 2,3 million unique users.
EPICENTER Major in Dota 2 with a prize pool of $1 000 000 will take place in Moscow from June 22 to June 30. 14 out of 16 participating teams advanced to the main event through CIS, China, Europe, South America, North America, and Southeast Asia regional qualifiers. Two remaining spots are reserved for the participants of the previous Minor.
The esports industry over the past couple
of years have boomed to new heights becoming a new attractive destination for
many celebrities and athletes to join their name with. Recently many big time
celebrities have shown interest in the industry and with that a new name will
joining that list today.
Mike Tyson, the former world heavyweight
champion turned celebrity have announced a strategic investment in esports team
Fade 2 Karma. Fade 2 Karma is best
known for its time in Hearthstone. Fade 2 Karma is an upcoming Professional Esports
and Gaming Entertainment organization founded in July,2015. Since than the
organization has expanded to include streamers from across the world and have a
team of professionals for competitive Hearthstone.
With the help of Tyson, Fade 2 Karma will
be constructing a new game streaming facility in Los Angeles in El Segundo,
California, this place also houses Mike Tysonโs marijuana company Tyson Ranch.
Ironically this new facility will be named The Ranch House and include live
streaming rooms, a performance stage for tournaments, content production and a
rooftop party deck. The Ranch House will also feature a new entertainment
production studio which will be operated by Fade 2 Karma.
Just the day before the announcement, Tyson
joined many of the Fade 2 Karma professionals for a livestreaming session
broadcasted on Alliestrasza aka AlexandraMacpherson’s Twitch channel. With the
short time on stream Tyson expressed his interest in the game and also told he
had played other games like Call Of Duty but Hearthstone was new experience for
him and it was his first time playing the game.
Just the day after the live streaming, Tyson made the official announcement of investing in F2K. In a report to ESPN, Tyson said:
It was pretty awesome. I had the opportunity to really engage with some millennials, which I never really actually do. This is the first time, and I thought it was pretty awesome. We played Hearthstone. I really sucked real bad. You have to start somewhere. I played games before, so I’m going to start over and see what happens from here.
Although no specifics of the deals were made public, one can hope for the new wave of content being released by Fade 2 Karma in collaboration with Tyson.
After the news was revealed to the general public, FaZe Banks, owner of FaZe came out and denied all the claims made by Tfue and claimed that FaZe Clan had collected only 60,000$ from Tfue in his time at FaZe Clan.
After a long maintained silence, earlier today, Tfue claimed that he had tried to get out of FaZe to release him from his contract multiple times but was rejected multiple times. He requested FaZe Clan to โrelease the contractโ signed between the two parties and started a movement called โ#ReleaseTheContractโ. The video on his YouTube channel has amassed a lot of popularity and has received 3 million views since it was uploaded.
After that, a website called, The Blast, has leaked the alleged contract signed between the 21-year-old and FaZe Clan, the internationally acclaimed esports organization.
The alleged contract has unfair terms and has been used by FaZe to eat through Tfueโs earnings through Fortnite and other revenue streams. In the contract, FaZe clan has rights over:
80% of the revenue generated through brand deals brought in by FaZe Clan.
50% of the revenue generated from In-game sticker/merchandise.
50% of the revenue generated from brand deals brought in by Tfue.
20% of all prize money through tournaments.
However, the misery doesnโt end here. The contract states that Tfueโs monthly salary was 2000$. If there is a material breach by the gamer, Tfue is not allowed to play video games publicly for six months following the termination of the agreement. Adding on, If Tfue receives an offer in the three months following his contract ending from any Fortnite team, Faze is obligated to be informed and may match the offer within fifteen days. If Faze matches the offer, they then have exclusive rights to Tfue.
The contract also has a clause about the confidentiality of the contract. It reads, โGamer and/or Gamerโs representatives shall not issue any press releases nor make any other statements about Gamerโs Services, the Team, Company, its affiliates, agents and/or employees, or any other party involved in the Services (e.g. the sponsors) in any media (including, without limitation, any online or print communications) without Companyโs prior written consent.โ
If this is breached, Tfue will be entitled to pay a fee of 125% to the organization of his monthly salary including all travel costs incurred by FaZe Clan.
Without know the details with @FaZeClan, I can only say we had a good contract agreement with the org. When I was benched they took good care of me, with a fair buyout and giving me time to wait out other offers.
Only positive experience with @FaZeClan. Even though I only signed as a sub they offered me a fair contract and helped me move on to Fnatic without problems. One of the best orgas I played for, and I've been in bad ones earlier in my career to know what that's like ๐ https://t.co/BtGo8tk7mi
However, Tfue is the only FaZe member who has complained about unfair contract terms. CSGO players such as Karrigan and Xizt have said that the organization has always supported them. Xizt said that FaZe supported his move to Fnatic and aided him with the procedure. Both of the players made their respective statements on Twitter.
Following Tfueโs decision to sue FaZe clan, they have not been able to solve the issue between them and is likely to be taken to Los Angeles County court where a decision will be made.
Earlier today, CSGO Dev pushed an update to the game to make sure that all grenades are now always displayed consistently between all players.
This update comes after Don Haci, a famous figure in CSGO community, showed that players can remotely reset the shape of the smokes without having to use the sv_cheats 1 command due to the smokes being client sided and would change the shape for the person throwing them, giving them an unfair advantage over the opposite team.
What the fuck????? There is a command that lets you "reset" the shape of smokes?? It works without sv_cheats 0 and on Valve servers
The same bug was also used in MatchMaking and on third-party services the bug was limited to being used only once per round compared to unlimited uses during warmup time.
A very famous example of smoke behave differently for other players was when Styko posted a clip where he was unable to see a player as the smoke disappeared while the other was able to spot him and get the kill on him during a game.
The patch notes can be found here:
Small update today – smoke, HE grenade explosions, and fire (molotovs and incendiary grenades) are now always displayed consistently between all players. https://t.co/WrIfllLtkn
โ Smoke, HE Grenade explosions, and fire are now always displayed consistently between all players.
This update will fix the several inconsistencies that players have faced with the smoke bug and remove the advantages that the certain players face due to the smokes being client-sided in the game.
Continuing with the โTalkesport Interactโ Series, today, we will be interviewing Agneya “Marzil” Koushik. Marzil is currently playing for Signify, which was formed a day before DreamHack Mumbai, after having played for OpTic India. The team made it to final but were unable to convert it to silverware. Marzil not only plays the game professionally, but also streams the game frequently and has an entertaining personality.
Malav: At what moment did you decide that you wanted to go pro is CSGO?
Marzil: Itโs just something that I decided to do while playing the game a few years after I began. I didnโt have any specific moment really, I was just playing with teams that I made first; followed by teams and players that wanted to play with me, and finally teams that starting giving me a salary for playing. I think at some point I realized I actually have a knack for this game and was quite better than most players playing it. When this realization dawned upon me, I decided to go pro in CSGO.
Malav:What do you think makes an effective CS: GO, player?
Marzil: Being an effective CS: GO player is the same as being an effective player in any traditional sport. Apart from practice and having the skill to perform things in-game, the most important attribute is the mentality of a player. Itโs really easy to get triggered or be affected by small things in the game, and they can stack up to affect the decisions you make. Staying calm, composed and inspiring your teammates to perform better against all odds help guarantee success and makes you a valuable asset to the team.
Malav:You played with Escudo on TempusTroupe, how was the experience of playing with him?
Marzil: Escudo is a clever young kid with a lot of potential in the game. He does, however, have a peculiar sort of tunnel vision when it comes to learning about the game and is strongly opinionated. He also lacks consistency in terms of his performance. He strongly resembles me, when I was of his age. I hope he will be able to overcome this barrier really quickly. In my opinion, he has the potential to be one of the best players in South East Asia.
Malav:What are your views on the update on the ESL India Rulebook?
Marzil: I think the recent change in the rulebook is fairly sensible and benefits all parties. I donโt believe it was the intent of the organizer to have a rule that allowed team jumping or ladder jumping but to provide flexibility to teams to allow matches to occur with no delays and cancellations. That being said, Iโm glad that drama has come to a close.
Malav:Describe your teammates in one word (the ones you played with on Signify)
Marzil:
rite2ace- bubbly
yb- Megamind
deathmaker- sharp
crazyguy- stubborn
Malav:Someone you look up to regarding CS (Indian and International scene)
Aequitas
Marzil:
Indian- Aequitas and akS
International- Get_Right
Malav:Did your parents support gaming from a young age? What do they think about going professional is CSGO
Marzil: When I began gaming, they were very reluctant, as any parent would be when their child wanted to venture into unexplored waters. But slowly over the years after being a witness to all the tournaments Iโve participated in and spent time watching, theyโre more supportive. They are still hesitant in letting me carry the same forward, but at least now they know there is a future.
Malav:Where do you see yourself 10 years down the line?
Marzil: In 10 years, I hope to be in a reputed organization, continuing to play if Iโm still capable; or coaching a younger team.
Malav:Where do you see the Indian scene 10 years down the line?
Marzil: With eSports slowly being acknowledged by all age groups, owing to mobile games like PUBGM played by a lot of people in the country, I think the future is pretty bright. Itโs not long before the same people are exposed to other games and eventually end up at counter strike โ being the most competitive FPS that at least everybody has HEARD about.
Malav:If you weren’t playing CS, what would you be doing?
Marzil: Iโve always wanted to be a video game designer. Iโd probably be working on my skillset to achieve that dream. Iโm studying engineering right now as well, worst case Iโd probably end up doing an IT job.
Malav:Your Indian CS dream team?
Marzil: Donโt really have one. If Iโm being honest, talent in the scene is pretty scarce. If I had to list out some players Iโd play with, they would be: Amaterasu, Deathmaker, rite2ce, Huntr but put together wouldnโt make my ideal โdream teamโ.
Malav:What advice you would you give to Indian CS: GO players who want to go pro?
Marzil: Youโre going to face a lot of toxicity and trash talk from multiple players โ some who may not even be as good as you. Donโt take it personally. Haters gonna hate. Try to extract from the criticism what you can work on and just focus on your game. Keep participating in tournaments and force yourself to play against better players. Getting destroyed by better players is the only thing thatโll help you grow.
I want to thank Marzil for his time and wish him the best of luck on his new endeavours with Team Signify. Donโt forget to check out his social media pages and stay tuned:
Zowie Divina has announced an all Womenโs CSGO Event called the Divina Womenโs Asia CSGO Championship 2019, which will feature the best Female CSGO players across Asia.
The event, which runs from June 20-23, will be Zowieโs second Women only event of the year, with the ZOWIE DIVINA Womenโs PUBG Thailand Championship 2019 being announced just days earlier.
Proud to announce the ZOWIE DIVINA Women's Asia CS:GO Championship 2019, being held from the 20th to 23rd June in Shanghai, China.
It will also serve as the Asia Qualifier for DreamHack Showdown with the top 2 teams winning spots at the main event.https://t.co/KL2nLnMqZ3
The most significant part of this tournament is that it will act as a qualifier for the upcoming womenโs only Dreamhack Showdown in Valencia, Spain, with 2 spots reserved solely for Asian teams through this event.
The 8 team event features 4 invites as well as 4 qualified teams, 2 each from China and Rest Of Asia.
Open Qualifiers (Online)
Date: 1st – 2nd June Teams: 64 Maximum for each Registration time: 00:00 22nd – 12:00 31st May Start time: 15:00 (GMT+8)
In a surprise to everyone, Steam just revealed a new Chat-Only mobile app which will feature the new modernized steam chat UI that we are using currently on the desktop client. Valve in a Steam Blog announcement detailed the new app and its feature. The new app is available for both iOS and Android and can be downloaded from respective stores.
The new app includes many things similar to the desktop version of chat, including the
Friends list:
just like the desktop version, your friend
list will be grouped by games being played so that it will be easier to spot
friends who are playing the game of your choice and play with them.
Rich Chat:
Another feature from the desktop chat we
get will be the rich chat. With rich chat we get the ability to link GIFs,
Videos, Tweets, Steam emoticons, Giphy, etc.
Invite Links:
With the new invite link feature, you will
be able to generate a never expiring link that can be copied and pass onto your
friends through text or email. The user clicking on the invite link will be
able to chat and add you to their friends list. Rather a neat feature than
going through all the โsearch by usernameโ step for adding new friends.
Group Chats:
The desktop version of modernized chat also came with a group chat feature which allowed users to make a group of friends or community and get everyone on the same front. With group chat organising events, game nights, gaming sessions or communicating with community became a breeze. Finally, the new mobile chat app will also be getting this feature making it easier to manage groups better and on the fly without the need of desktop all time.
Customizable Notifications:
This is rather a new mobile only feature
where we will be able to customize mobile notifications as per friends, group
chat and/or chat channel. This feature will help to moderate the notifications
we will be getting from an active community group chat or friend and give us
the ability to only receive notifications about important chats ( mobile
notification in drop down menu or lock screen).
But this isnโt the only thing that Steam have in mind. They are working on improving the Chat app over time to include voice chat feature. As for the older Steam Mobile app, it will receive a shift in focus towards security features. Steam plans to introduce new Steam Guard options such as QR codes and one-touch login. For now, Steam intends to keep dedicated Chat app and Security app so as both can be worked independently without one breaking the other. They might be merged later on, but they didnโt mention it.
Turner Tenney aka Tfue is one of the
biggest Fortnite streamers on twitch and also one of the biggest talents in the
Fortnite pro scene right now. He is also a member of Faze Clan and recently
earned a spot in the Fortnite World Cup Finals while playing under the FaZe
tag.
On Monday, a report VIA The Hollywood Reporter stated that Tfue had filed a lawsuit against Faze Clan alleging the organisation of keeping a significant amount of his income (80% of his total income in some cases) as a part of Gamer Agreement he had signed with Faze in April last year. According to the agreement, Tfue canโt partake in promotional opportunities without the involvement of Faze Clan. Later he explained that when Faze Clan gets involved, they will negotiate sponsorships deal such that they become entitled to โCommission for sourcing the Dealโ which will grant them 80% of the revenue earned through these deals.
Tfue also added that he is required to pay 50% of revenue he generates through appearances, touring and similar activities. Tfue attempted to terminate his agreement in September last year claiming Faze Clan breached their deal, but the organisation rejected his termination and contended that he is still bound by the contract.
In the lawsuit Tfue has asked the court to
declare his Gamer Agreement as terminated and order the organisation to pay a
fair amount for his services as well as profits and punitive damages. The
lawsuit also states that Faze Clan isnโt licensed by the labour commissioner of
Californiaโs Talent Agency Act, which if court finds in favour of Tenny might
have a much broader impact on Faze Clan and the gaming industry as a whole.
“That Gamer Agreement is grossly oppressive, onerous, and one-sided. Faze Clan uses its illegal Gamer Contracts to limit Tenney to deals sourced exclusively by Faze Clan and to prevent Tenney from exploring deals presented by others; deals that are potentially superior to deals procured by Faze Clan; and deals that are not saddled with an eighty percent (80%) finder’s fee,” writes attorney Bryan Freedman in the lawsuit.
Later on, Freedman added that “Not only does Faze Clan take advantage of these young artists, it jeopardizes their health, safety and welfare. Faze Clan also continuously pressured and encouraged Tenney and others to undertake dangerous stunts while performing in videos. During one video, Tenney suffered an injury to his arm while skateboarding which resulted in permanent disfigurement.”
Tfueโs attorney Freedman alleged that Faze pressured Tfue to live with other members of the team in Fazeโs clan house in Hollywood Hills, where he was encouraged to gamble illegally and given alcohol before turning 21 (legal age to drink).
Yo this whole thing with @TTfue is pretty unbelievable. The first thing I'd like to say is we do NOT and have never taken 80% of anyones prize money. Not sure where that came from, but a contract like that has NEVER existed. We've collected $0 from Turners prize money. ZERO.
After the report by The Hollywood Reporter went viral, Faze Clanโs chief operating officer Ricky Banks said on twitter that the complaints are โunbelievableโ and โcollected $0 from Turners prize moneyโ.
Turner Tenny aka Tfue still hasnโt come out
and shared his view on the reports and shed light on allegations. But till then
Faze Clan will be taking the wraith of community and fingers will be pointed on
them unless they come out with proofs stating otherwise.
Queso, the Spanish Organisation, have parted ways with their lineup after the players were found to be guilty of losing a match on purpose in, a local tournament, Spanish LVP Superliga Orange.
In a game between Queso and the Tenerife Giants, Queso lost the game on purpose to avoid playing Giants in the playoffs of the tournament. The accused side made multiple erratic plays to throw away their advantage and lose the game 14-16 to the Tenerife Giants.
The tournament organizers caught onto this and contacted the Esports Integrity Coalition to generate links to betting and the result of the game. However, no link between the two variables was found, discarding the possibility of the same.
On further investigation of the game logs, players on Queso had admitted to having purposely altered the result of the game and “scarx<64>โ was caught saying โDE CT HACEMOS THROโ which translates to โOF CT WE DO THROโ according to Google Translate, which can be understood as โWe will throw on the CT sideโ
