G2 player Guy NertZ Iluz gave an interview to Players ahead of the CS2 IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs. He spoke about his emotions after losing a 1v4 clutch to Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov, as well as his team's steady improvement. In the playoffs, you will be playing against Team Spirit, who are arguably the strongest […]

Falcons player René TeSeS Madsen gave an interview to Players ahead of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 playoffs. He spoke about the changes in the team following the arrival of Finn "karrigan" Andersen. You will face Vitality in the playoffs, one of the strongest teams in the world. With karrigan now leading the team, […]

Brazilian esports organization Imperial Esports has announced that it has terminated its transfer agreement with Passion UA, the club founded by Oleksandr Zinchenko, regarding the signing of Santino “try” Rigal. The Brazilian organization is now working on regaining the player's rights. The parties did not disclose the reasons behind the decision, though it was noted […]

Today, June 18, the playoffs of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 for CS2 begin. The opening day of the playoffs will feature two matchups. The action starts at 16:45 Kyiv time. The playoffs will open with a match between Aurora Gaming and BetBoom Team, who have not faced each other before. Aurora Gaming entered the […]

The Players editorial team has prepared a digest of the key esports and gaming news for June 17, 2026. Number of Partner Teams in VCT Regions to Be Reduced to Eight in 2027 Brazilian Court Fines Riot, Valve, Ubisoft, and Other Gaming Giants $58.4 Million Over Loot Boxes ZywOo on the Loss to 9z: “It […]

Microsoft has revealed the second wave of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in June 2026. Over the next two weeks, subscribers will gain access to EA Sports FC 26, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Winds of Arcana: Ruination, and several other games. New additions to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass: Games leaving Xbox […]

The gaming industry has become familiar with workforce reductions in recent years, but this summer could bring one of the most significant waves of layoffs yet. While much of the attention is currently focused on the situation surrounding Xbox and its studios, other major companies may also be preparing for difficult decisions. Earlier this spring, […]

Pokémon Champions officially launched on mobile devices on June 17. The free-to-play title is focused entirely on competitive Pokémon battles, and all official tournaments are now held within the game. Alongside the mobile release, developers rolled out update v1.1.0, introducing 11 new Mega Evolutions. The update also revealed the abilities of these forms, including two […]

Sony Pictures has unveiled a new trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland in the lead role. The latest joint project from Sony and Marvel Studios is scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 31. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film takes place four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way […]

The twelfth match day of the second season of the Unbroken UA Mobile Legends: Bang Bang league delivered plenty of drama and a true test of endurance for the participants. The stars of the evening were the players of Falcons VEGA, who secured two victories. Meanwhile, it was a difficult night for Boars Valkyries as […]

Riot Games has finalized the number of partnered organizations in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) ecosystem for the next two seasons. According to sources cited by Sheep Esports, the new two-year cycle will reduce the number of partners in each region from ten to eight. Despite the reduction, partner status will continue to provide significant […]

The First Court for Children and Youth of Brazil’s Federal District has ordered major technology companies and video game publishers to pay a combined fine of 298 million Brazilian reais (approximately $58.4 million). The ruling follows public civil lawsuits filed by the National Association of Child and Adolescent Protection Centers (ANCED). The court found that […]

Vitality's sniper Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut gave an interview to Players ahead of the CS2 IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs. Let's start with the group stage game against 9z. How did it go? Why did you lose, and what went wrong? Obviously, we lost the game against 9z, and from our side, we didn't play well […]