Maincast will not broadcast VALORANT, NIP earned over $14 million from cryptocurrency mining, playoff opening matchups of BLAST Bounty 2026 S1 decided — news digest for January 21

We have prepared for Players readers a digest of the main news from January 21, 2026.

BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 quarterfinal matchups determined

• The draw for the quarterfinal matchups of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 in CS2 has taken place. The full schedule of the tournament’s quarterfinals is now known.

Battlefield 6 received patch 1.1.3.5 with major changes to aviation and close combat

• Battlefield 6 has received update 1.1.3.5, which focuses on polishing key mechanics a few weeks before the launch of the second season. The patch addresses issues with unstable melee combat and overly powerful jet aircraft cannons.

Maincast declined the rights to Ukrainian-language broadcasts of VCT 2026: EMEA

• Maincast will not cover VCT 2026: EMEA in VALORANT in Ukrainian. This was reported by studio commentator ZBR4. The reason for this decision was a decline in interest among Ukrainian viewers in the matches.

NIP earned over $14 million thanks to its Bitcoin Mining division

• NIP Group, the parent company of the esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas, shared the results of its new bitcoin mining division. Over the first three months (from September to November), the company mined 151.4 bitcoins. The total value of the mined cryptocurrency is estimated at approximately $14.5 million.

Scotland aims to grow its gaming sector to over £1 billion by 2030

• Scotland plans to expand its gaming ecosystem to more than £1 billion by 2030 as part of the Game Action Plan initiative. Scotland’s gaming action plan aims to turn the country into a “gaming supercluster” and a global leader in creative technologies.