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Valorant Patch 12.09 Full Patch Notes: Neon Nerfs, Shotgun Changes, and Bug Fixes

Aritra Patra
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Valorant Patch 12.09 Full Patch Notes: Neon Nerfs, Shotgun Changes, and Bug Fixes

Riot Games published the official Valorant Patch 12.09 notes on May 12, 2026. The update covers Neon nerfs, shotgun accuracy changes across all three weapons, bug fixes for several agents, a player behavior system update, and a new PC performance feature.

Jumping with High Gear active no longer provides any speed bonus while Neon is airborne. Instead, her air speed while sprinting will match melee speed.

That is the core change. The bunny-hop entry is gone. She can still slide, but the free momentum she picked up mid-air does not exist anymore.

All shotguns are now less accurate when moving. Run, walk, crouch-walk, and jump accuracy have been standardized across all shotguns. Crouching now provides a 15% accuracy multiplier for shotguns, matching rifles.

Valorant Patch Notes 12.09

Here is everything in the official patch notes:

ALL PLATFORMS

AGENT UPDATES

Neon has been on our radar for a while now, and we’ve been working through changes to address the amount of impact she can have in games. This is related to a more complex pacing and strategy problem with multiple elements to solve (strong Duelists and shotguns, weak Sentinels, higher Initiator signature cooldowns), but for the time being we are going to release Neon and shotgun changes first to more quickly correct the balance of combat. 

Her current role in breaking timings and creating pressure is correct, but her movement and evasiveness are pushing too far into combat space. We want to encourage Neon players to be intentional and make more meaningful decisions while playing her, so we’re making changes to her mobility in the air and giving her a greater resource tradeoff on High Gear. This should also allow opponents to have more opportunities for counterplay, as well as shave some additionally generously-tuned snowballing potential. 

For a deeper dive on all the upcoming changes and why, you can read more about it <here>. 

Neon

  • High Gear
    1. Jumping with High Gear active no longer provides any speed bonus while Neon is airborne. Instead, Neon’s air speed while sprinting will match melee speed.
    2. Fuel will only regenerate with a kill when Neon’s ultimate is active
      • Fuel will still regenerate passively
    3. Improved VFX to more clearly communicate the direction and origin of her slide

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

  • We’re testing MMR changes for modes other than Competitive, Unrated, and Swiftplay. These changes should result in better, more consistent matches. We’ll use what we learn to improve Competitive, Unrated, and Swiftplay in the future.

BUG FIXES

  • Agents
    • Chamber
      • Fixed a bug where ADS-ing while firing Chamber’s Headhunter created an animation that covers too much of the screen
    • Jett
      • Fixed a visual bug where Jett’s Tailwind was not playing the intended first-person animations when left-handed setting is enabled
      • Fixed a bug where using Jett’s Drift caused performance drops
    • Miks
      • Updated tooltip description of Harmonize.
      • Fixed bug where the preview cone for his ultimate would not show unless the ability was fully equipped
    • Sage
      • Fixed an issue where a full health Sage could use Healing Orb on herself while affected by Decay, because she is not actually losing any health. This would consume the ability needlessly, since her health returns to normal once Decay wears off. 
    • Tejo
      • Fixed issue where the Guided Salvo’s equip idle sound kept playing long after cast.
    • Viper
      • Fixed a bug where Sova’s Recon Bolt and Chamber’s Trademark were not affected by nearsightedness in Viper’s Pit
    • Vyse
      • Fixed a bug where possessable drones (Sova’s Owl Drone, Skye’s Trailblazer, Tejo’s Stealth Drone) would trigger the arming audio of Vyse’s wall

PLAYER BEHAVIOR UPDATES

We’ve improved our Riot Text Evaluation system to better detect and apply penalties for text comms abuse in the following languages: Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Chinese.

WEAPONS UPDATES

Alongside the Neon changes above, we are also changing the effectiveness of shotguns when moving and jumping to encourage players to use them defensively. Shotguns are intended to be most effective for holding tight angles and clearing close range spaces, but right now they’re a bit too effective in high-mobility situations. To reinforce their ideal usage, we are reducing shotgun accuracy while moving. This should make them more impactful when used deliberately and defensively, versus being aggressive on the move. 

All shotguns:

  • All shotguns are now less accurate when moving
    • Run, walk, crouch-walk, and jump accuracy has been standardized across all shotguns
    • Crouching now provides a 15% accuracy multiplier for shotguns, matching rifles
      • Bucky: crouch accuracy modifier increased from 10 >>> 15%
      • Judge/Shorty: crouch accuracy modifier decreased from 25 >>> 15%
  • Shotguns are now much less accurate while using ropes
    • Your shotgun spread will increase significantly when you’re on a rope, especially if you’re moving:
  • Standing still: Accuracy reduced (spread increased from 0.075 >>> 0.75)
  • Walking: Accuracy reduced (spread increased from 0.09 >>> 1.5)
  • Running: Accuracy reduced (spread increased from 0.1 >>> 3.0)

Bucky: 

  • Bucky pellet damage in the 0-8m range decreased
    • Head 40 >>> 34
    • Body 20 >>> 17
    • Legs 17 >>> 14
  • Minimum spread increased from 2.6 >>> 3.0
  • Walking spread increased from 0.075 >>> 1
  • Running spread increased from .1 >>> 2
  • Crouch-walk spread increased from .05 >>> .5
  • Jump spread increased from 1.25 >>> 4

Judge: 

  • Minimum spread increased from 2.25 >>> 2.5
    • Note: this will only apply to PC for now- this spread change will apply to console in Patch 12.11
  • Walking spread increased from .075 >>> 1
  • Running spread increased from 0.75 >>> 2
  • Crouch-walk spread increased from .05 >>> .5
  • Jump spread increased from 2.25 >>> 4

Shorty: 

  • Fire rate decreased from 3.33 >>> 3.0
  • Walking spread increased from .075 >>> 1
  • Running spread increased from 0.1 >>> 2
  • Crouch-walk spread increased from .05 >>> .5
  • Jump spread increased from 1.25 >>> 4

PC ONLY

PERFORMANCE UPDATES

  • Added support for AMD Anti-Lag 2, which reduces input latency in certain GPU-bound scenarios. In order to use AMD Anti-Lag 2, you need compatible hardware, with updated drivers from March 9th, 2026 or later.

BUG FIXES

  • Agents
    • Neon
      • Fixed an exploit with her Fast Lane where using specific NVIDIA graphics settings impacted competitive integrity. Neon has returned to the game. 
  • Progression
    • Fixed issue where dailies shown while hovering over the icon did not match the dailies in the End of Game screen.

CONSOLE ONLY

BUG FIXES

  • Agents
    • Phoenix
      • Updated tooltip description of Curveball

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Modes
    • Skirmish 2v2: Ascension and Skirmish 1v1: Ascension – Timer is stuck at 00.50 sec in Overtime phase
    • Skirmish 2v2: Ascension and Skirmish 1v1: Ascension – Agent abilities do not show up on the Combat Report in the following round after affecting enemies

Sega Cancels Super Game Project 5 Years After Announcement

Aritra Patra
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Sega Cancels Super Game Project 5 Years After Announcement

Sega has officially pulled the plug on its long-running Super Game initiative, quietly confirming the cancellation in its latest financial results presentation.

What Was the Super Game?

Sega first announced the Super Game initiative in May 2021, describing it as a project that would “go beyond the traditional framework of games” through multiple big-budget titles crossing over Sega’s full range of technologies.

The Super Game was described as a “major title” that would scale globally, stand “head and shoulders” above normal games, and attract the “entire gaming ecosystem,” including players, streamers, and viewers. Sega’s CEO at the time also suggested the project could generate beyond 100 billion yen over its lifetime.

In 2023, it was revealed that the game would focus on user-generated content, with Sega targeting a launch by the end of the March 2026 fiscal year.

Despite years of discussion in investor presentations, the game was never shown publicly.

Why Did Sega Cancel It?

On May 12, 2026, Sega Sammy released its FY2026 full-year financial results. The cancellation notice appeared on Slide 32, tucked within a section reviewing the company’s Games as a Service strategy.

Sega reviewed its GaaS approach after several free-to-play projects underperformed, with Sonic Rumble Party cited as a specific example of weak performance. The company has lowered the priority of F2P game development in the future.

Sega confirmed there were “no additional costs associated with the cancellation.”

The Super Game was not Sega’s first live service failure. Creative Assembly’s Hyenas was cancelled in 2023 after years of development. That cancellation triggered a review of Sega’s European operations.

What Happens to the Team?

More than 100 developers who had been working on free-to-play projects have been reassigned to full-game development teams, with Sega saying it will focus on “mainstay IPs.”

Sega’s FY2027 forecast projects consumer sales growth from ¥219.9 billion to ¥246.0 billion, driven by four new full game titles based on established IPs.

The Super Game existed for five years entirely in investor slides. Nobody outside Sega ever saw what it was. Now it’s gone, and the studio shifts its weight back onto the IPs fans have been waiting for all along.

PUBG Mobile PUBG Mobile 4.4 Update Download is Now Live: Check Download Steps for Android, iOS, and APK

Aditya Parsutkar
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PUBG Mobile PUBG Mobile 4.4 Update Download is Now Live: Check Download Steps for Android, iOS, and APK

The latest PUBG Mobile 4.4 update is now rolling out globally for Android and iOS devices. Players can now download the update directly from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The new version brings a fresh gameplay experience with exciting features, a brand-new themed mode, and several gameplay improvements.

If the update is not showing on your device yet, there is no need to worry. The PUBG Mobile 4.4 update rollout is happening in phases, which means some users may receive it slightly later than others.

PUBG Mobile 4.4 Update Download Now Available

The PUBG Mobile 4.4 update officially started rolling out on 12 May 2026. Android users started receiving the update from around 7:30 AM IST, while iOS users may get access a little later depending on their region and device.

Players can update the game through:

  • Google Play Store
  • Apple App Store
  • Official PUBG Mobile APK download page

The PUBG Mobile new update introduces a fresh theme mode along with several new gameplay mechanics designed to improve the overall battle royale experience.

Download Guide

Here are the complete download steps for Android and iOS users.

Android Download Steps

Follow these simple steps to update PUBG Mobile on Android devices:

  • Open the Google Play Store on your smartphone.
  • Search for “PUBG Mobile.”
  • Tap on the “Update” button.
  • Wait for the PUBG Mobile 4.4 update download to finish.
  • Launch the game and enjoy the latest version.

iOS Download Steps

iPhone and iPad users can follow these steps:

  • Open the App Store.
  • Search for “PUBG Mobile.”
  • Press the “Update” button.
  • Wait for the installation process to complete.
  • Open the game and start playing.

Read More: India’s Two Slots for Esports World Cup 2026 Explained: KIE Rankings and BMPS 2026 Key

PUBG Mobile 4.4 APK Download Guide

Players who are unable to access the update from the Play Store can also use the official PUBG Mobile 4.4 APK file.

Follow these steps carefully:

  • Visit the official PUBG Mobile website.
  • Find the PUBG Mobile 4.4 APK download section on the homepage.
  • Tap on the download option.
  • Wait for the APK file to install on your device.
  • Open the game and enjoy the new update.

Downloading the APK from the official website is the safest option for Android users. It helps players avoid risky third-party websites that may contain harmful or fake files.

The 4.4 update is expected to be one of the biggest updates of the year. The update introduces a brand-new themed mode along with fresh gameplay elements and unique mechanics.

Some major highlights include:

  • New themed gameplay experience
  • Special abilities and combat mechanics
  • Improved battle royale action
  • Fresh in-game events and rewards
  • Gameplay optimizations and bug fixes

More features and events are expected to arrive throughout the season.

PUBG Mobile 4.4 Update Release Date and Time

The PUBG Mobile 4.4 update release date is 12 May 2026. The rollout began early in the morning for Android users, while iOS users may receive the update gradually over the next few hours.

Players are advised to keep checking their app stores regularly if the update is not visible yet.

Playground Games Threatens Hardware Bans After Forza Horizon 6 Leaks

Aritra Patra
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Playground Games Threatens Hardware Bans After Forza Horizon 6 Leaks

Forza Horizon 6 is out in the wild right now, a full week before Playground Games intended. A pre-release build of the game leaked on PC, spread across the internet, and is already being played by people who did not pay for it. Playground Games has responded, and the punishment they are threatening is not a slap on the wrist.

The studio posted a statement on May 11, 2026, on social media. Here it is:

Two things stand out there. First, Playground Games went out of their way to say this was not caused by a preload encryption failure, which is what many outlets had initially reported. Second, the penalties they listed go beyond a simple account ban.

What “Hardware Ban” Actually Means

A franchise-wide ban means you lose access to Forza games on your account. A hardware ban goes further. It blocks the actual device, not just the account. Even if a banned player creates a new account, the hardware ban prevents that device from accessing affected services. Microsoft and Xbox have used hardware bans before, but they are rare. According to Xbox’s own enforcement guidelines, account-level penalties are standard, with device bans reserved for serious or repeated violations.

Reports from GameSpot indicate the official Forza Horizon 6 UK social media account later specified bans of 8,000 years for players caught using the pirated build. Whether that number is literal or a warning shot, the intent is clear.

Only the PC Build Leaked

The leak involves a PC build of Forza Horizon 6 only. The Xbox version has not leaked. The full game file comes in at 155GB, and piracy sites moved quickly to host it via torrents after it surfaced. Some users have reportedly shared benchmark results from the leaked build, including performance tests on an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT.

Reports suggest Microsoft has already begun filing takedown notices against sites hosting the leaked files.

How the Leak Actually Happened

Early reports pointed to an unencrypted preload on Steam as the source. Playground Games denied that. Other theories since then suggest the leak may have come from a reviewer or content creator who had early access, though this has not been confirmed by the studio. The exact origin of the leak remains unclear.

Despite the leak, nothing about the release schedule has changed. Forza Horizon 6 launches May 19, 2026, for Xbox Series X and S, Xbox Game Pass, Steam, and Xbox PC. Players who purchase the Premium Edition get early access starting May 15. A PlayStation 5 version is planned for later in 2026.

For anyone thinking about tracking down that leaked build: the game is eight days away. The ban threat is real, and hardware bans do not expire when you make a new account.

Esports Foundation and JioBLAST Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch “India Rising: Road to EWC” Festival

Yash More
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Esports Foundation and JioBLAST Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch “India Rising: Road to EWC” Festival

India now has an official route to the Esports World Cup. JioBLAST and the Esports Foundation announced India Rising on May 11, a national competition that starts with Chess and runs qualifiers across the country before a live LAN festival in Mumbai. The winner earns a spot at EWC 2026 Chess in Riyadh from August 11 to August 15. This is India’s first formal pathway into the world’s largest esports event, backed by a Memorandum of Understanding that commits both organizations to expanding the initiative across multiple titles in future years.

Over 10,000 grassroots players are expected to register for open qualifiers. All titled Indian chess players will receive closed qualifier invitations. The event targets both elite competitors and the country’s expanding base of casual players. India is home to Grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Nihal Sarin, and Arjun Erigaisi. Two of them already represented India at EWC 2025. Sarin competed for S8UL and Erigaisi for Gen.G. Those performances signal India’s depth at the highest levels of competitive chess.

The festival happens offline in Mumbai with Chess finals on LAN, plus exhibition matches in VALORANT and Moba Legends: 5v5. Live music, cosplay, comedy, and interactive gaming zones will surround the competition. The structure mirrors what large esports events have done globally: bring competitive play and fan entertainment together under one roof. JioBLAST will handle design, delivery, and content strategy. Jio provides digital platform support. Chess.com powers the qualification system and ruleset.

Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer of the Esports Foundation, said: “India is central to that vision. With hundreds of millions of players, it is home to leading chess talent, elite championship Clubs and digital platforms redefining how fans engage with esports. Through partnership with JioBLAST, we are creating new opportunities for Indian players to compete at the highest level, while bringing the EWC closer to its fans in the country.” The statement frames India Rising not as a side event but as essential infrastructure for global esports. It signals that Riyadh recognizes India’s market size and player depth.

Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, framed the initiative differently: “India has the second biggest gaming base and one of the most passionate gaming communities in the world, but what has been missing is a clear and credible pathway from India into the biggest global stages.” He added: “Starting with Chess.com in 2026, this is about opening the door for Indian talent, building stronger connections between players, fans and publishers, and creating an ecosystem that can grow with the market over time.” Cowdrey identified the real problem. Indian players had talent and passion but no formal entry. India Rising solves that for Chess now and signals expansion later.

Avadh Shah, Country Director for Chess.com India, emphasized the talent pipeline: “India is one of the most exciting chess communities in the world, with incredible depth of talent across both the grassroots and elite levels. We’re proud to partner on India Rising: Road to EWC to help create a truly open and competitive pathway for players across the country.” India’s chess market has grown rapidly. The country produced four Grandmasters in recent years, a pace that would have seemed unlikely a decade ago. The ranking explosion from grassroots participation to elite levels gives India Rising a filled pipeline rather than a hypothetical one.

India’s gaming market itself is expanding fast. Projections suggest the country will exceed 500 million players in 2026, with player spending hitting $1 billion. Approximately 95 percent of players use mobile devices. This concentration on mobile explains why mobile titles have been India’s esports strength. BGMI dominance at EWC 2025 and the two PUBG Mobile slots for EWC 2026 reflect that reality. Chess, however, operates differently. It is not tied to any single region’s mobile ecosystem. A Chess.com partnership reaches players on any device, any platform. That universality made Chess the right inaugural title.

EWC 2026 Chess runs August 11 to August 15 in Riyadh with a $1.5 million prize pool. The field expands to 21 players this year following Magnus Carlsen’s inaugural title win in 2025. Qualification routes include the Champions Chess Tour, Chess.com events, and India Rising. The play-in stage means more entry points. Sarin and Erigaisi earned their 2025 spots through club pathways. India Rising creates a direct national qualifier. For Indian players outside the club system, this is the first structural opportunity to reach a global championship.

Future editions of India Rising will expand beyond Chess. The MoU commits both organizations to scaling the initiative as India’s esports market grows. VALORANT, Moba Legends, and potentially other titles could follow. The regulatory environment matters here. JioBLAST continues to engage with Indian regulators as gaming rules evolve. Chess already exists in a regulatory gray zone in some Indian states because it is classified separately from betting games. Other esports titles face stricter scrutiny. Building India Rising on Chess first allows the partnership to establish credibility and audience before navigating those regulatory complexities for multiplayer competitive titles.

The initiative reflects a broader shift in global esports. EWC 2025 showed that regional representation drives viewership. India contributed 10.5 million viewers to EWC 2025 despite limited Indian representation. S8UL and GodLike Esports are EWC 2026 Club Partners, expanding India’s presence. India Rising adds another layer: a grassroots pathway that feeds elite players into the global event. For someone watching from India, India Rising makes the EWC feel less distant. You can register locally, compete locally, and if you win, travel internationally. That accessibility is not trivial in markets where international travel remains economically challenging for most competitors.

S8UL already signed Grandmaster Pranesh M alongside Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram for EWC 2026 Chess. S8UL co-founder Naman Mathur said: “The Esports World Cup, with its scale of competition, diversity of titles, and quality of teams involved, is the biggest stage in competitive gaming. For us at S8UL, esports is no longer viewed through the lens of a single game or region, which is why we have built rosters that combine international stars with top talent from India.” That statement captures where Indian esports is heading. Domestic tournaments matter, but global stages define ambition. India Rising acknowledges both realities at once.

Global Esports Breaks 9-Year Losing Streak vs Paper Rex; Full Sense Sweeps T1 for Masters London

Satyam Kumar
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Global Esports Breaks 9-Year Losing Streak vs Paper Rex; Full Sense Sweeps T1 for Masters London

May 8 was not close. Global Esports beat Paper Rex 2-1 in the VCT Pacific Stage 1 upper bracket semi-final. Full Sense took T1 2-0 in the other semi. Both teams are now heading to VALORANT Masters London in June. For Global Esports, this is the first Masters event in their history. They are also the first Indian esports organization to qualify for a VALORANT Masters at all. For Full Sense, this is their first international LAN since 2021.

They are the only all-Thai roster in VCT Pacific and they just eliminated the reigning Masters Bangkok champions on the way out of Stage 1.

Global Esports had lost to Paper Rex nine times in a row dating back to October 2021. It was not a streak. It was a pattern, a curse, something that defined the matchup entirely. GE had been a VCT Pacific partner since 2023 and never made the playoffs until this year. In the group stage they went 3-2 and beat Nongshim RedForce, the team that just won Masters Santiago. Their first playoff match against RRQ was straightforward: 2-0.

Paper Rex was different. GE won Breeze 13-9, which seemed like they had found something. Then PRX crushed them on Lotus 13-6. Pearl was the decider, the same map where GE had an 8-4 lead in the group stage and still lost to these exact people. At 9-3 in the first half on May 8, you could feel the weight of every one of those nine losses. GE did not blink. They closed Pearl 13-5.

Head coach Hector “FrosT” Rosario said: “We played Paper Rex four times already. That is a full season worth of games against the best team in the world. Meanwhile, other teams don’t have to go through that gauntlet, but we persevered.” FrosT gambled on this roster. He signed Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza from Paper Rex just before the season started. Mendoza beat his old team in a playoff semi-final. This is not a coincidence or a subplot. It is the match. This is what people will talk about when they talk about GE’s run.

Full Sense replaced Talon Esports, who Riot Games removed for financial mismanagement before 2026 began. Full Sense took the slot in December and finished the group stage 3-2. They beat Kiwoom DRX 2-0 in their first playoff match. T1 had beaten them in the group stage, so when they matched up again in the upper bracket semi-final, Full Sense had a chance to prove something. They did. FS won the first map 13-9.

On Lotus, T1 had not lost since the map came back into rotation. Full Sense took it 13-8 anyway. That 2-0 made them only the second Pacific team all year to beat T1, and they had done it in back-to-back weeks. The team that was supposed to flounder with a new org and new league has instead beaten some of the region’s most established names.

Papaphat “primmie” Sriprapha is the primary reason Full Sense keeps winning. He turned pro in 2024. In VCT Pacific Stage 1, he’s putting up an ACS of 272.3, ADR of 172, K/D of 1.42, and 0.95 kills per round. His last international event was VALORANT Champions 2024, where Full Sense lost in the first phase. Before that was 2021.

The trio of primmie, Crws, and JitboyS all played together under Talon in 2025 before that organization fell apart. They stuck together, got picked up by Full Sense, and now they are heading to London without having to play another match to get there. Their upper bracket wins guarantee the Masters slot.

GE and Full Sense play each other in the VCT Pacific upper bracket final on May 15 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Whoever wins gets the top Pacific seed heading into Masters London. The loser drops to the lower bracket but can still qualify for London if they win from there. Masters London starts June 6 and runs through June 21 at the Copper Box Arena. Twelve teams compete (three from each region), and $1 million is on the line. The champion takes home $350,000 and eight VCT points toward Champions Shanghai.

It’s the second major international event of 2026. The first was Masters Santiago in March. After London, teams head into their regional Stage 2 playoffs, which determine the final spots at Champions in the fall. For GE and Full Sense, both just getting there is enough for now. Both just proved they belong.

What Comes Next

The upper bracket final between Global Esports and Full Sense takes place on May 15 in Ho Chi Minh City at Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center. Both teams have already secured their Masters London spots by winning their semi-final matches, so this match determines seeding only. The winner gets a direct bye into the Masters playoffs. The loser enters the group stage but still makes the event. VALORANT Masters London begins June 6 with matches at the Copper Box Arena. The tournament concludes with the Grand Final on June 21. Matches will be broadcast on the official VCT Pacific Twitch and YouTube channels, with regional language options available.

Is Esports World Cup 2026 Moving to France? Rumors Explained

Yash More
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Is Esports World Cup 2026 Moving to France? Rumors Explained

A rumor is circulating. The Esports World Cup 2026 might not stay in Riyadh.

Multiple insiders have independently raised the possibility that EWC 2026 could be relocated to France. The tournament is officially scheduled to run from July 6 to August 23, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. No official change has been announced. But the fact that the same rumor has come from different corners of the esports scene in a short space of time is worth paying attention to.

Here is what has actually been said, who said it, and what remains unknown.

The Rumor Started on May 8

The first public mention came on May 8, 2026. The X account LPL Fanclub claimed that EWC 2026 could be moved to France. No source was cited. No details were provided beyond the country name.

That same day, Vladislav “harumi” Radvilovich, a Russian-speaking CS2 insider with a following on Telegram, echoed the claim. His message was brief: “There’s a rumor that the EWC is being moved to France.”

Again, no source. No city named. No timeline given.

Neither account explained where the information came from. That is not a small detail. Without that context, both posts are essentially unverified tips — notable enough to track, but not enough to treat as confirmed.

A Third Voice Had Already Said Something Similar

The May 8 posts were not the first time someone flagged this.

In April 2026, Dmitriy “Korb3n” Belov, manager of Team Spirit’s Dota 2 roster, said he had heard about plans to reschedule the event. His original statement was in Russian, and the wording left room for ambiguity. It could refer to a change of location, a change of date, or both.

Korb3n’s track record matters here. Before joining Spirit, he built a reputation as a credible insider. That does not make this confirmed, but it does make the timing of his statement harder to dismiss now that others are saying something similar.

Three independent sources, across different communities and platforms, all pointing toward the same possibility, in the same short window. That is the story. Not proof, but a pattern worth noting.

What the Esports World Cup Foundation Has Said

As of writing, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has not issued any statement about a venue change.

The foundation previously addressed concerns about regional instability in March 2026, when a drone attack on Riyadh prompted questions about the event’s safety. At the time, an EWC organizing official stated clearly: “EWC and ENC will proceed normally as scheduled.” They added that “both events are still months away from being held” and that “tournament preparations are moving forward without disruption.”

That was March. The situation in the region has continued to evolve since then. Iran struck multiple targets across Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states as part of the wider conflict that began in late February 2026. A ceasefire was declared in April, but the stability of the region heading into summer remains a legitimate concern for anyone planning a mass-scale international event.

The EWCF has not updated its position since its March statement.

Why a Move Would Be Unprecedented

The Esports World Cup has been held in Riyadh since its launch in 2024. Before that, its predecessor event, Gamers8, was also a Saudi production. The tournament is funded through the Esports Foundation, a nonprofit backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Its entire identity has been built around being a Saudi summer event.

A move to France would be the first time the EWC left Saudi soil. That is not a small logistical shift. It would involve relocating an event that in 2025 hosted 2,000 players, 200 clubs, and an audience across 140 countries, with a total prize pool of $75 million across 25 competitions in 24 games.

France as a host country has infrastructure for major events. Paris hosted the 2024 Olympics. But the logistics of shifting an event of this scale, this close to the scheduled start date, would be substantial.

What Remains Unknown

The list of what we do not know is longer than what we do.

No specific city in France has been named. No venue has been identified. No source has been traced to EWCF or any party with direct knowledge of a decision. No official body connected to the event has confirmed, denied, or commented on the rumors.

The EWCF continues to run Road to EWC qualifiers. Teams are still preparing for Riyadh. EWC 2026’s Club Partner program confirmed 40 organizations in March, including India’s S8UL and GodLike Esports. Nothing in the publicly visible organizational apparatus suggests a change is in motion.

That could mean the rumor is noise. It could also mean that any decision is being managed quietly, as would be expected for a move of this sensitivity.

The Regional Context Cannot Be Ignored

It would be a mistake to look at these rumors in isolation.

Riyadh has received Iranian strikes as part of the 2026 conflict in the region. The Saudi capital was directly targeted multiple times. A ceasefire was announced in April, but the situation remains fragile. Teams, players, and their families would need to feel safe traveling to and spending weeks in Riyadh this summer for the event to function as planned.

That is the question sitting beneath all of this. Not whether France makes logistical sense. Not whether the EWCF has the resources to relocate. But whether players, sponsors, and broadcasters are willing to commit to Riyadh under current conditions, and whether the organization believes they will be.

The EWC 2026 officially remains on schedule. Three insiders are saying something different. One of those things will eventually prove true, and the esports world is watching closely.

FAQ: EWC 2026 France Relocation Rumors

Is Esports World Cup 2026 moving to France? No official announcement has been made. Three separate insiders, including CS2 insider Vladislav “harumi” Radvilovich, X account LPL Fanclub, and Team Spirit manager Dmitriy “Korb3n” Belov, have separately suggested a possible venue change to France. The EWCF has not confirmed or denied these reports.

When is EWC 2026 officially scheduled? EWC 2026 is officially scheduled from July 6 to August 23, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Why might EWC 2026 move out of Riyadh? Insiders have not stated a reason. Independent reporting points to regional instability following the 2026 Iran conflict, during which Riyadh was targeted by Iranian strikes. A ceasefire was announced in April 2026, but safety concerns for a large international event remain part of the broader conversation.

Has the EWC Foundation commented on a venue change? As of writing, no. The EWCF last addressed event concerns in March 2026, confirming the event would proceed as scheduled following an earlier drone attack on Riyadh. No update has been issued since.

Where in France might EWC 2026 be held? No specific city or venue in France has been named in any insider report. France was identified only as the country, not a specific location.

PGL Astana 2026 Day 3 Recap

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
PGL Astana 2026 Day 3 Recap

PGL Astana 2026 Day 3 has finally come to an end, following a series of tough matches where we found the teams who will be making it to the next stage of the event, as well as the teams who will be heading out.

Teams Going Through

9Z, taking down giants like Falcons and MOUZ, will go into the next round, becoming the first team to do so. Playing sharply on their offence, along with their perfect defence protocols, ensured their qualification. Team Spirit, securing their third win in a row, saw them pick up a win in the fixture of the day to become the second team going through.

Teams Still Fighting

Heroic faced a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Gentle Mates, which speaks to the poor form the team has been in and has now put them a loss away from elimination, making it critical to secure a win in the next. Gentle Mates’ win would see them reach the touching distance of qualification with a buffer match under their belt.

Aurora’s young squad securing a win over PARIVISION, which was arguably the upset of the day, has put them a win away from qualification, and PARIVISION would need to win all their remaining matches if they are to qualify for the next round.

From the teams with a 1-1 record, G2 fell to MongolZ, while Falcons outlasted Monte, which ensured the competition remains tough among these teams, making it difficult to tell who goes through and who doesn’t.

Teams Heading Out

Fisher College and K27 became the teams that will be heading out of the tournament, and it was anything but unexpected. Not only were they the lower-ranked teams, but they also failed to perform at the level that events like this require of them.

Forza Horizon 6 Game Files Leaked a Week Before Launch

Sonu Banerjee
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0
Forza Horizon 6 Game Files Leaked a Week Before Launch

As we stand, only a week away from the launch of Forza Horizon 6, the most hyped racing game in years, the entire set of game files has been leaked online.

And what’s even more surprising is the fact that it’s likely Microsoft itself that is at fault this time. The company reportedly uploaded the full, unencrypted PC build of the game to Steam, effectively handing it to pirates on a silver platter.

Not a partial build or a demo, but the entire game. All 155 GBs of it got leaked as a result of this catastrophic blunder by Microsoft and Playground Games.

Unsurprisingly enough, a number of players have already started playing Forza Horizon 6 after downloading the leaked files, with some even showing the audacity to stream the gameplay live on Twitch.

How Did Forza Horizon 6 Get Leaked?

The massive Forza Horizon 6 leak on Steam seems to be the result of human error that happened when publishing the preload files on the platform, but the exact cause still remains unclear.

For the uninitiated, Steam allows publishers to push preload files on the platform ahead of launch, encrypted builds that players can download but not run until release day. Playground Games pushed their preload files ahead of time, but skipped the encryption part.

SteamDB, which tracks every Steam update in real time, flagged the anomaly almost immediately. Within hours, piracy forums exploded, and the CrackWatch subreddit was posting instructions.

Note that Forza Horizon 6 ships without Denuvo or any heavy-duty DRM, so once the files were out, cracking them required almost no effort. The game reportedly runs offline from the pirated build, but trying to log into Xbox’s online services will get you banned instantly.

This is not the first time something like this has happened, either. Last year, GOTY contender Death Stranding 2 suffered a similar unencrypted preload disaster. The industry keeps making the same mistakes.

Luckily, despite this pre-launch disaster, FH6 still holds its head up high at number two on the Steam Top Sellers charts, just behind Counter-Strike 2, and the game’s not even out yet.

Forza Horizon 6 is officially scheduled to launch on May 19, 2026, for the Xbox Series X|S and PC. Players who buy the Premium Edition will be able to play the game four days early. So if you’re looking to get a head start over your competition on the streets of Japan, be sure to check out our guide on how to play Forza Horizon 6 early.

How to Play Forza Horizon 6 Early This Week

Sonu Banerjee
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0
How to Play Forza Horizon 6 Early This Week

Forza Horizon 6, one of the most anticipated games of 2026, is all set to release next week. Developed by Playground Games, the title officially launches on May 19, 2026, for the Xbox Series X|S and PC, leaving fans of the open-world racing franchise counting down the days. However, did you know that there was a way for you to play Forza Horizon 6 early this week before its official release?

Play Forza Horizon 6 Early With the Premium Edition

While the official release of Forza Horizon 6 is still over a week down the road, players who purchase the premium edition of the title will be able to jump in four days early, with Early Access beginning on May 15.

So, if you’re eager to hit the streets of FH6 before the rest of the world, here’s exactly how to play Forza Horizon 6 early this week:

  • Go to Steam or your platform of choice and look up Forza Horizon 6.
  • Look for the Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition.
  • Purchase the Premium Edition and finish the checkout process.

Once done, Forza Horizon 6 will be added to your Steam Library, and you’ll be able to access the full game starting May 15, 2026.

The only downside is that the Premium Edition has a steep price tag compared to the Standard Edition, and you’ll be paying a notable premium purely for the privilege of early access and a handful of extras.

That said, if you’re a die-hard Forza Horizon fan who wants to get ahead of the pack and dive into Japan before everyone else, it’s a price that may be well worth paying.
Whether you’re planning to buy the Standard or Premium edition, be sure to check out the Forza Horizon 6 system requirements beforehand to see if it will run on your PC.

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