Riot Games was willing to give us the League Championship Series (LCS) back after the disastrous LTA experiment. But it looks like Riot was right after all about LCS: the League of Legends esports scene doesn’t care about it.

LCS Spring 2026 peaked at only 183,152 live viewers, according to Esports Charts, making it the least-viewed LCS season to date.

The LoL Esports scene was relieved when Riot finally gave in and brought back the LCS. The LTA rebrand was highly criticized by the esports community, with many feeling it didn’t really click with fans. Viewership drastically dropped.

Back in June 2025, Carlos Antunes, Head of League of Legends Esports Americas, spoke with Esports Insider about the backlash: “We knew things might start off slower — it takes time for people to get used to something new.

“And bringing them back — and introducing new fans — is going to take continued effort.”

But I guess Riot didn’t feel like putting in that effort, bringing the LCS back shortly after. Unfortunately, it didn’t win back fans. In fact, many had already left and refused to return.

For the second split in a row, the North American region didn’t surpass 200,000 peak viewers. And it didn’t really seem to matter which teams were playing or how exciting the matches were. Or how much was at stake. The average viewership remained around 64,000, a 29% drop from Lock-In a few months ago.

A major reason is co-streamers. We’ve debated the legitimacy of co-stream viewership at Esports Insider before, following incidents like this. Portuguese-language broadcasts and co-streamers used to really boost LCS’ viewership, but Esports Charts noted a 75% collapse in watch time. Were people actually watching the LCS back then? Or were they just watching whatever their favorite streamers were watching? As I previously argued, it doesn’t seem like the streamers’ fanbase has translated into a legitimate LCS fanbase that tunes in on its own time.

The LCS is just not that compelling to watch. You know how it ends: they won’t have any chance against teams in Europe and Asia, and they won’t qualify for the World Championship. It’s sort of like watching a suspense thriller film, knowing exactly who the killer is before you even sit down with your popcorn.

Riot is hoping to make the LCS a bit more interesting by bringing back best-of-three round-robin for the Summer Split. The playoff for that split will also be held at the Gas South Arena in Atlanta in front of a live crowd, which Riot is hoping will increase the hype. But I just don’t think it will completely turn it around. The LCS is cooked.

While there are some fun teams to watch, some juicy storylines, and some wild plays, it’s tough to feel invested when you know you’re essentially watching the “worst of the best.” Everything that feels impressive to watch during the LCS will be easily wiped by the LEC and LCK teams later. It’s just a bit disheartening. Not only are you watching a slow death, but you are watching a slow death of a team you are growing fond of.

It’s just a bit depressing.

It’s been over 70 days since the conflict between the United States and Iran began, with fighting in the Middle East resulting in sharp increases in oil prices, damage to infrastructure, and the inability to access the internet.

Before the conflict, Iran’s government focused on controlling its citizens’ internet activity, restricting access to social media and gaming platforms. Despite adversity, members of the country’s gaming and esports community continue to defy the odds as they seek to raise awareness of its fledgling scenes, which are struggling to amplify voices globally.

In many countries, access to the internet via a traditional Wi-Fi connection or mobile data is the norm. For residents of Iran, however, difficulties in accessing esports platforms, game servers, and communication channels remain. Not to mention, there was a countrywide internet outage following protests in January 2026. It was restored, but remains highly censored and unstable.

According to a source who wishes to remain anonymous, Iran’s government has implemented a tiered structure providing varying levels of access. The “white SIM card” offers unlimited access, the “pro SIM card” comes with limitations and platform restrictions, and the “National Network” requires citizens to pay for limited access. 

For esports players and gamers, there’s no access to international networks unless they’ve got access to a white or pro SIM card, or if they’re willing to pay the high cost of a VPN service.

“The monthly income of an average worker in Iran is less than $100,” the source told Esports Insider. “Streamers, online sellers, gaming media outlets, and gaming centers are all facing serious challenges. Everyone is now in survival mode, trying to stay hopeful while operating with the lowest possible costs.”

With sanctions preventing access to platforms ranging from YouTube to Steam, Iran’s gaming and esports media sectors are heavily impacted when producing content. Described as “small and independent, lacking stable income, and operated with limited professional teams,” any kind of investigative journalism and in-depth analysis isn’t possible. 

Instead, outlets producing content have become increasingly difficult. He explained: “Coverage has become mostly superficial or based on translations. There is demand for esports content and an audience still exists, but models such as the National Network and smart disconnection systems act as a barrier between audiences and media.”

The esports industry is no stranger to uniting to support important causes, such as those affected by conflict. In 2022, tournament organizer ESL made donations to the UN Refugee Agency following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blocked Russian teams from competing in its tournaments.

As a result of numerous international sanctions, legal risks for stakeholders, and internet restrictions, it has become difficult for the wider esports scene to provide any support to those affected. Combined with the inability to access professional gaming platforms, Iran has struggled to establish a stable infrastructure to develop talent.

“The lack of a formal and domestic esports structure is the main reason for the absence of representation at the global level,” the source said.

Despite the lack of domestic infrastructure and support from international stakeholders, members of Iran’s fledgling esports community are breaking out onto the international stage.

eFootball player Hassan Pajani has cemented his place at the top of Konami’s sports simulation title. In February, he won the Arsenal FC Club Finals to secure a place at the season-ending World Finals in July. By winning the Club Finals, Pajani will represent Arsenal FC in the console tournament, competing against representatives from Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and FC Barcelona. 

Elsewhere, Kasra “Mikey” Mesbah continues to fly the flag in Dota 2. Since embarking on a playing career in 2019, he’s competed at several Tier 1 tournaments, notably achieving a third-place finish at DreamLeague Season 19 while representing Shopify Rebellion. 

It’s not just players who are looking outside of Iran and the Middle East to further their esports careers. The source told ESI: “At present, emigration has become a priority across many sectors, and there is a noticeable trend of migration among streamers and even journalists.”

Earlier this year, Counter-Strike team OxinGame moved to an Arab country to compete on the international stage under the flag of another country rather than its native nation. With players moving away to seek opportunities, Iran’s esports industry is at risk of falling by the wayside.

As conflict continues to engulf Iran, the country’s gaming and esports ecosystem hopes that the small signs of growth can blossom into a sector with greater global presence. 

In the meantime, the country’s industry is stagnating to the point that recovery may not be possible.

“The situation for esports in Iran is not good at all. We were previously stagnating, and now we are actually moving backward,” the source admitted.

Esports in some Middle Eastern countries is experiencing significant growth, thanks to heavy government investment, demonstrating the potential of professional gaming in the region. As the conflict in Iran continues, it remains to be seen if the country’s ecosystem is capable of recovering and reaching a level where Iranian esports holds a presence alongside other countries in the region.

Another Nintendo Direct, another disappointment. I didn’t even bother watching the livestream, and I’m glad I didn’t: just a bunch of remakes, DLC, and a bunch of other crap we’ve already seen before. No Super Smash Bros. 6.

We already knew this, of course. Masahiro Sakurai has essentially confirmed another Smash is coming, but given no details. He only works on one game at a time and has just finished his passion project, Kirby Air Riders. This means he only started working on the long-awaited fighter this year.

Of course, there’s a reason the Smash esports community is anxiously waiting. It needs this game.

I recently shared an interview with former Call of Duty Multiplayer Creative Director Greg Reisdorf that discussed the downfall of Call of Duty esports. What has made this esports scene fail to grab attention despite the games being so popular?

Reisdorf believes it’s due to Call of Duty’s annual releases, which dilute the game’s competitive intensity and integrity. When esports pros have to relearn the game time and time again, the buildup is gone. The inconsistency undermines any sense of prestige or elitism. It feels a bit chaotic.

“It always came up in development: why are we doing this over and over again? It’s always a topic of conversation with the players and within the devs because you are redoing it over and over again,” he expressed at the time.

So, you may be thinking: Why do you want Smash 6?

Well, Smash is built different. Unlike other games, the Smash scene has remained quite grassroots, without the massive production or franchising that other scenes have. It’s less linear. Nobody is forced to move forward, forgetting older games along the way.

At GENESIS X3, Ultimate was featured and had the largest bracket. But Melee, a game from 20ish years ago, was featured right along with it. Brawl and Smash 64 also had tournaments, albeit smaller. But that didn’t stop passionate competitors from flying out for them.

“I just f***ing love playing this game,” said top Brawl pro Christina “Chia” Korsak to Esports Insider. “It’s weird how it can still trap my attention, even more than the current titles. More than every other game. I’ll get sucked into a Zelda game for, like, three hours these days. But if you sit me in front of a Brawl bracket, I’m hooked forever.”

While the games may feel alike to casual players, there are so many differences that the games are practically nothing alike to the pros. I remember playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with Josh Brody. He’s considered one of the best N64 players out there. I beat him at Ultimate. He has spent so much time grinding Smash 64 that he’s used to that controller, those moves, those frame rates…

Every Smash game has its own distinct scene with their own personalities, rivalries, and vibes. It’s always been entertaining to see the constant drama between the Ultimate and Melee scenes. The games and their players couldn’t be more different. Melee pros are often calling out Ultimate for being less technical, while Ultimate fans often call Melee repetitive to watch.

When Smash 6 comes out, everyone will try it. Chia will undoubtedly take a break from Brawl to play it. Melee God Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma will grind it on Twitch. Many Ultimate players will switch over permanently. In fact, Smash 6 may take over Ultimate’s spot depending on how the gameplay is.

But the older games will live on. And Smash 6 will fuel them more. There will be more attention on Smash when the new game comes out, bringing in new fans and players. And that means more people checking out Melee, Brawl, and all the other games.

While Ultimate has often been given top billing, the game’s popularity has allowed other tournaments to exist. Now that Ultimate hype is dying out, Smash 6 will become the game that provides funding, attention, and fans for Smash, providing the other scenes with tourneys to compete in. The more Smash 6-focused events that pop up, the better, since they will also likely have brackets for Melee and other titles.

Let’s just hope there are no characters like Steve. We need fun battles again. We need fun rivalries again. We need consistent top players to follow again. Smash 6 is the Ultimate scene’s chance to feel hype, intense, and passionate like Melee. And that will only make the other scenes stronger.

Last week, we saw a previous king crowned yet again, a rising star challenge the throne, and some good *ss Tekken. However, what seemed like an exciting week was marred by yet another reminder that the Smash community still has its share of weird people.

While the allegations were retracted by the tournament organizers, people over at Reddit are saying that it’s getting harder and harder to defend the Smash scene because of what seems like a never-ending stream of sexual allegations thrown left and right.

And if you’re familiar with the fighting game scene, you’d see all this and say: Sounds like just another week in the FGC! Here are some of the highest and lowest moments, from epic tourneys to controversial issues.

Let’s get the uncomfortable stuff out of the way. On June 5th, the GeorgiaSmash Twitter account released a statement regarding Ryan “L4st” Krichbaum. In the statement, they retracted their allegations against L4st back in May.

They mentioned that a law firm contacted them on behalf of L4st, saying that the allegations provided to them were “largely unsubstantiated and categorically false.”

“Since the publication of our initial statement, Mr. Krichbaum admitted to an incident in 2023 that led to him being uninvited from an event. However, this recent letter states that our ‘reckless publication’ could be interpreted to falsely charge Mr. Krichbaum with the commission of a crime and (were) calculated to injure his reputation in his trade and profession within the esports and gaming industry,” the statement said.

People over on Reddit shared their opinions about the situation, and most of them are saying that L4st essentially lawyered up and strong-armed a volunteer group into retracting their statement, or risk getting sued. 

What bothers me here is the fact that L4st admitted to an incident in 2023. However, GeorgiaSmash didn’t mention what kind of incident it was, but the fact that he was uninvited to an event because of it speaks volumes regarding its severity.

Before this, L4st had already been privately banned from several tournaments in Georgia in 2024, which means that the allegations weren’t new. The details in this case are sparse and will remain so, especially since lawyers have stepped in.

Real or not, cases like these always leave a bad taste in the FGC, especially since the scene is already getting a lot of attention from outside. I wouldn’t be surprised if sponsors see the scene as problematic and not touch the Smash community with a 10-foot pole, which is very sad, considering that it was the first fighting game I competed in.

Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II, also known as “The Bull,” has finally won a major Street Fighter 6 tournament in his home country. Blink Respawn happened over the weekend, where global talents such as Noah “NoahTheProdigy” Solis, Victor “Punk” Woodley, and Michael “Riddles” Kim tested their mettle.

However, in the end, it was MenaRD who rose on top and defeated them all in front of his own people.

Blink Respawn has always eluded MenaRD since the release of Street Fighter 6. In 2023, he placed 5th; in 2024, 7th; and in 2025, only 17th. It seemed like a curse had been placed on him, winning every single huge tournament such as Evo 2025, Evo Japan 2025, and Evo Japan 2024, but he just couldn’t seem to get the title in front of his countrymen.

However, what happened on June 7th was one for the books.

The tournament featured a very hot NoahTheProdigy tearing through the bracket. He sent both Punk and MenaRD down to the loser’s bracket and waited for his challenger in the Grand Final. This meant that MenaRD and Punk had to fight each other in the loser’s bracket, which gave us some of the craziest games of the tournament.

I also think it’s worth noting that there’s only one Japanese player in the top 8 of this year’s Blink Respawn, compared to last year’s 5.

Riddles notably showed up and let everyone know that he’s still him, the Michael Kim, in his match against Lenny “Crossover” Almanzar, which featured a dash-up OD Rising Tackle to secure the game. I mean, just watch this. This guy’s built different.

In the end, though, it was MenaRD in the finals against NoahTheProdigy. Despite defeating MenaRD earlier in the bracket, some adjustments from MenaRD made it seem like NoahTheProdigy had lost the fight against him. MenaRD ended the tournament quickly with a 3-1 bracket reset and another 3-1 to close it out, finally being crowned the victor in his country. With this win, MenaRD finally qualifies for the Capcom Cup 13.

MenaRD is very hot right now. If he keeps his streak going, there’s no doubt that it’s his time to claim the Capcom Cup, a tournament he already won twice. Funnily enough, the last time he won the tournament was back in 2023, when it wasn’t the million-dollar event with atrocious prize distribution that it is right now.

Over to Tekken 8, Park “Mangja” Geon-ho finally shows us what good *ss Tekken really is. While Blink Respawn was happening in the Dominican Republic, SOOP Super Tournament 2026 was happening in Korea, on the other side of the globe. There, a 232-man Tekken 8 tournament happened, and Mangja reigned over them all.

Mangja’s records have always been solid. Second at the Tekken World Tour Finals 2025, 9th at Evo Japan 2026, and third at Combo Breaker 2026. It always seemed like he was the bridesmaid but never the bride. However, all of that changed after winning quite possibly one of the hardest Tekken 8 tournaments to date.

Just to give a little context, attendees include Evo Japan 2026 champion Kim “iKARi” Min-kyu, Tekken legend Bae “Knee” Jae-Min, and Tekken World Tour Finals 2025 champion Yoon “LowHigh” Sun-woong. That’s the level of competition he’s facing. So, who met him in the Grand Finals? None other than another player who’s suffering the same fate as him: Takaba Keisuke.

Keisuke has been competing since 2013 and has delivered great results. Second in DreamHack Atlanta 2026, second in CEO 2024, and 7th in Battle Arena Melbourne 15. Again, just like Mangja, he has yet to get his maiden Tier 1 win in Tekken 8.

The finals between Keisuke and Mangja have reached the maximum of 10 games. A 3-2 Grand Finals reset allowed Keisuke to have a real chance of taking the trophy away. However, in the final round of the final game, Mangja played much more solidly than him, which led to his loss. 

As a Keisuke fan, this is heartbreaking, as a single combo starter could’ve been him raising the trophy. However, I also can’t get mad at Mangja because this is his maiden Tier 1 win in Tekken 8 after always getting second.

Ultimately, I think the viewers are the real champions in this tournament. All throughout the event, amazing Tekken was shown. Glimpses of punishes, neutral, and movement were seen across matches, which pleases my Tekken heart.

Finally, some good *ss Tekken.

Now back to Smash! But Super Smash Bros. Melee, you know, the unproblematic one. While all of these tournaments are happening, Battle of BC 8 was also in progress. Kurtis “moky” Pratt has been a top player in Melee for quite some time now, and of course, if you’ve reached that level of play, you’re going to run into the only remaining active God of Melee: Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma.

If you’ve been in the scene long enough, you know how Hungrybox plays. Slow and methodical. Some people say lame, but hey, that’s their opinion. Anyway, a match between Moky and Hungrybox happened over at Battle of BC 8, where Hungrybox won 3-1. So, like any other competitor, Hungrybox offered a handshake after the set, but Moky denied it, insisting for a fistbump instead.

This shouldn’t be a huge problem; those are the common ways of showing sportsmanship before and after the set, after all. However, Moki posted something on Twitter shortly after.

In the tweet, he mentioned that he “lost in the lamest ways possible” and “the audacity to go for the handshake is insane there though.” He finished the tweet by saying that he has no respect for people playing “like that.”

Then, he doubled down:

I know how he feels. It’s always frustrating to get “lamed out” and lose to zoners or very defensive players. The FGC also prides itself on being raw and unfiltered at times, so showing your frustration in times like that shouldn’t be a big deal. Players are people too, and there will be times when things don’t go their way.

Let’s just be thankful that Hungrybox didn’t win the tournament, or his pop-off might’ve spelled the end of the universe.

European esports organisation OG Esports has renewed its partnership with algorithmic trading firm and cryptocurrency liquidity provider Wintermute.

Originally partnering in 2020, the two companies have worked together to explore the connections between esports, trading and crypto.

Wintermute is a trading firm specialising in digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, and has many partnerships with over 100 investments as of this moment. It creates liquid and efficient markets for digital assets, according to its website. OG Esports is its only partner in the esports space.

Founded in 2015, OG esports is most well-known for its accomplishments in Dota 2 where its team won the The International in 2018 and 2019. The esports organisation also boasts international lineups in Counter-Strike 2 and a Rocket League, and previously held rosters in Smash and VALORANT.

According to the press release, the partnership aims to develop ideas for long-term value creation by leveraging OG’s global presence in esports to strengthen Wintermute’s reach.

Cryptocurrency was previously one of the most active sponsorship sectors in the esports industry, but deals slowed down after prominent crypto firm FTX collapsed in 2022. However, these partnerships still have a place in the industry; for example Into the Breach recently partnered with crypto casino Shuffle.

Elsewhere, OG Esports recently launched a documentary series with 1xBet, and has previously worked with brands such as mobile app socios.com and gaming chair brand SecretLab.

Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute, said: “The world of gaming is something I have always been fond of and is engrained in the culture of the team here at Wintermute.

“There are many parallels between trading and gaming as the naturally competitive nature is needed in both roles, so when the opportunity to continue the partnership with OG was presented, we felt it was a no-brainer. We’re excited to support the OG esports teams as they consistently grow and succeed.”