Alexander "VooDooSh" Shalchinov spoke publicly about the criticism he receives and reflected on how often people try to discourage others from starting something new. He warned that listening to those voices can prevent any progress. His comments were reposted by the LEGENDWP DOTA 2 channel in Telegram.

European organisation 9INE has announced that the buy-out clause for Swedish AWPer Love "phzy" Smidebrant has been triggered, and the player has left the team's active lineup. The club confirmed the change as the transfer clause was executed, prompting his departure from the roster.

Epic Games Store has launched a giveaway for Total War: Three Kingdoms. Players can add the game to their personal libraries at no cost until January 8 at 19:00 Moscow time (MSK).

Vladimir Kuzminov, known in the Dota 2 scene as Maelstorm, announced that he has signed a contract with the bookmaker BetBoom. The caster confirmed the partnership publicly and said the collaboration will open new opportunities in his professional activities for 2026.

Vikram Reddy, an insider with links to Valve, sent New Year greetings to the Dota 2 community and singled out support players in his message. He expressed a wish that the coming year would shine a brighter light on the support role and its contribution to matches.

Edgar Naltakyan, known in the scene as 9Class and serving as a support player for PARIVISION in Dota 2, posted a New Year greeting and a recap of his professional season on his personal Telegram channel. In the message he both congratulated his followers and reflected on his match activity over the past year.

An independent investigation has accused Riot Games and Tencent of manipulating statistics for League of Legends and Valorant, claiming that popularity metrics were artificially inflated ahead of major industry ceremonies, including The Game Awards and the Esports Awards.

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What draws viewers to eSports beyond flashy matches and tournament trophies? Besides great plays, many fans tune in for outspoken players, heated rivalries and scandals that spill out of the game and into public life. This review looks back at the most resonant conflicts and controversies of 2025, presented roughly in chronological order.

Streamer Alexander "Nix" Levin spoke about his attitude toward Dota 2 and League of Legends, focusing on their visual styles and the way matches feel. His comments were shared on the LEGENDWP DOTA 2 Telegram channel.

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Azbayar "Senzu" Munkhbold’s inclusion on HLTV’s Top 20 Players of 2025 marks an historic moment: a player from a fully Asian roster — and specifically from Mongolia — has broken into the list. The 19‑year‑old rifler earned the recognition after an outstanding season in which he collected four EVPs and produced a 1.30 rating during The MongolZ’s run to the BLAST.tv Austin Major grand final.

Aleksei 'Qikert' Golubev is set to leave MIBR, according to a report from a Brazilian outlet. His expected departure follows the organisation's announcement earlier this week that coach Jhonatan 'jnt' Silva had parted ways with the team, making Qikert the second exit in as many days for the Brazilian side.

Metizport have moved 16‑year‑old Liam "MaiL09" Tügel to the bench after concluding the organisation has struggled to find the best role for him within the current lineup. The club said the decision reflects difficulties with role allocation rather than a severing of ties with the young player.

Streamer Ilya Davydov, better known as Maddyson, shared his view on New Year’s celebrations in a post on his personal Telegram channel. He said that, with age, the holiday has lost its meaning for him.

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Epic Games Store has announced the next title in its holiday giveaway: players can add Chivalry 2 to their libraries at no cost for a limited time. The promotion is part of the store's seasonal campaign offering a rotating selection of free games.

On the last day of 2025 the digital storefront Epic Games Store offered what it billed as the 15th of a 17‑part series of 'secret' giveaways. To the disappointment of many users, the mystery title turned out not to be a new surprise but a repeat: the multiplayer medieval slasher Chivalry 2.

The MongolZ have confirmed the addition of Anarbileg “cobrazera” Uuganbayar to their active roster, naming the young Mongolian as the long-term replacement for Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold after Senzu was moved to an inactive role in October.

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According to a report citing unnamed sources at Newsis, NVIDIA plans to raise the prices of its flagship RTX 50XX graphics cards by almost two times. The company is said to be implementing the increases gradually over 2026, with the first adjustments scheduled to begin in February.

Russian esports competitor Abdul “degster” Gasanov sent fans his best wishes for the upcoming New Year, saying he hopes 2026 will be an improvement over the current year.

Professional CS2 player Vladislav Gorshkov, known as nafany, shared important conclusions drawn from the 2025 season and outlined his plans for 2026 on his personal Telegram channel. He reflected on lessons learned over the year and explained what he intends to do next while he looks for a new team.

Esports player Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov has explained why he will not be part of the main roster for BetBoom Team’s CS2 lineup. In a post on the team's official Telegram channel the player revealed that he was diagnosed with a hernia, which will keep him out of competition for the near future.

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Artem 'lovethelaw' Kazubai, manager and roster host for BetBoom Team's Dota 2 lineup, who previously worked as the team's cook during bootcamps, discussed players' nutrition and daily eating habits in an interview with the esports portal OFFSTAGE.

Paweł "dycha" Dycha is once again a free agent after Betclic Apogee announced that the 28‑year‑old has been moved off their active roster following a six‑month association with the Portuguese organization.

Apple has identified a critical security vulnerability in iOS that could be exploited by attackers to gain access to users' data. According to reports from the press, the company intends the forthcoming iOS 26.2 update to close the hole.

Brazilian organization MIBR have announced they will be looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Jhonatan 'jnt' Silva. The 31-year-old coach joined the project after a spell with FURIA fe and leaves the role after a nine-month stint.

Streamer Andrey "Dread" Golubev weighed in on what it takes to reach a very high rating in Dota 2, arguing that attaining 14,000 MMR is not a marker of superior intelligence. According to the content creator, the level is primarily achieved through mechanical skill, rehearsed actions and consistent execution rather than deep strategic thinking.

Developers at Riot Games inadvertently disclosed the launch date for the full release of their free-to-play team fighter 2XKO, which is set in the League of Legends universe. The information appeared ahead of any formal announcement, prompting fans to discuss the timeline on social platforms.

Adult Swim has announced the upcoming third season of the animated series Primal. The network revealed details about the new season and confirmed that the story will continue to follow its central characters as they face ever more hostile environments.

Netflix has announced information surrounding the final episode of the science-fiction series Stranger Things. The streaming service also shared promotional details tied to the season’s conclusion and its performance since the recent release.

Riot Games has scheduled the full release of 2XKO for January 20, 2026. The game will be available on PC as well as on current-generation consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Model and cosplayer Yulia Momo Yurakova has published a new set of photos in which she embodies Hornet, one of the main characters from the game Hollow Knight: Silksong. The images were shared on her VKontakte page and attracted attention for their faithful recreation of the character’s look combined with a playful holiday touch.

Russian esports player Abdul Gasanov, better known by his in-game name degster, has voiced support for Valve adding the classic map Cache to the official CS2 map pool. He believes that with some modest adjustments, Cache could take Inferno’s spot across tournaments and become a viable competitive alternative.

Developers of Marvel Rivals have officially confirmed the arrival of a Lady Loki cosmetic that earlier appeared in dataminer and insider reports. The announcement follows leaks and community speculation, and the studio has now made the skin's existence public.

FACEIT has released its list of the most-played Counter-Strike 2 maps for 2025. According to the platform, a clear majority of competitive games took place on just a few familiar locations, underscoring players' and organizers' continued preference for classic map pools.

The esports organization AVULUS has announced a change to its Dota 2 roster: carry player Ilya "ssnovv1" Kondrashov has been moved to an inactive status. The club made the decision public via its social media channels, citing recent observations of team practice and official match performance.

Owlcat Games, the studio behind Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, which has recently also taken on the role of publisher, announced plans to create its own game launcher called Owlcat Launcher.