#Riot

Reported VCT China partner lineup for 2027 shrinks to eight teams

Sheep Esports reports that eight organisations are expected to be VCT China partners in 2027 and 2028, as Riot Games cuts partner teams from 10 to eight across regions. The reported lineup includes EDward Gaming, JD Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, TYLOO, All Gamers, Trace Esports, Xi Lai Gaming and Weibo Gaming. FunPlus Phoenix, Nova Esports, Titan Esports Club, Wolves Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming are reported to miss the next cycle, and Riot has not officially confirmed the teams or China format details.

Riftbound Digital Version: Riot Games Hints at an Online Release for the TCG

Riot Games Game Director Dave Guskin hinted in an August State of the Game post that Riftbound could eventually be playable digitally, while stating there are no announcements yet. A same-month job listing for a "Publishing Product Manager" also called for digital game experience and TCG familiarity. Riftbound supports up to four players, and a digital client would need some form of communication, something Riot has experience with through League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and VALORANT.

GTA 6 leaker says full game goes public if token hits $30 million, demands Rockstar ship a physical disc

Anonymous hacker CyberLeek said in an October 10 post that a full GTA 6 build with the complete story mode and end credits would be released if the $CYBERLEEK token reaches a $30 million market cap; it currently sits around $2.4 million, about 8% of that goal. The leaker also demanded Take-Two release a real physical disc and apologize publicly, while Rockstar's support page states the announced boxed version contains only a download code. CyberLeek has framed earlier demands around consumer rights but has also promoted the token, and on August 27 a wallet linked to the leaker withdrew fees from the token pool and sold tokens for over $200,000, after which the price fell about 40%. No one has verified whether the leaker holds the full game, and Take-Two is still tracing the source of the leaks.

Riftbound: Radiance Rarest Cards - Riot Games Music Crossovers Dominate the Set

Riftbound's new Radiance set features rare cards dominated by Riot Games Music crossovers, including Oversized Heartsteel cards, SP K/DA cards, and an Oversized Ekko, Revolutionary using Ekko's original True Damage skin. The set's only Ultimate Rare is Battlefield: Packed Amphitheater, appearing in about 0.025% of booster packs, or roughly 1 in 4,000 packs. Radiance Pre-Rifts start at local game stores on Oct. 16, with booster boxes, packs, and vaults available on Oct. 23.

Riftbound: Radiance Hands-On Preview and Interview - Riftbound Embraces Complexity

Radiance, the fifth set of the League of Legends TCG Riftbound and its final set of the year, introduces the Disarm, Show Off, and Deploy mechanics. Executive producer Chengran Chai said in a joint interview that Deploy will likely disrupt the meta by changing how players think about defending. The author went hands-on with the set at a Pre-Rift tournament, where a player kit typically costs $35 USD and includes a promo card, five booster packs, and a 15-card seeded deck.

EU takes action against Activision, Riot, Ubisoft and seven others over in-game monetization

The EU announced action against ten companies including Activision Blizzard, Mojang, Ubisoft, Riot Games, Crytek, Supercell, InnoGames, King, Plarium and Playrix, led by the Italian Competition Authority, over platform-specific virtual currencies that rarely match the price players want to pay. The press release also cites virtual currency bundles, dark patterns, inadequate parental controls and a lack of assistance when accounts are blocked. Epic has said that starting this month players can spend exact amounts of V-Bucks on specific purchases, except on PlayStation.

Tidebound Reunites Four TI 2025 Players for 2026-2027 Return

Team Tidebound has returned to competitive Dota 2 after a 10-month hiatus, with Ning "xiao8" Zhang coaching the roster for the 2026-2027 season. The lineup brings back four players from its TI 2025 roster — Shiro, NothingToSay, plAnet and y` — with Yang joining in the offlane. The organisation had been inactive since December 2025, after placing seventh-eighth at TI 2025.

Vitality.Bee Closure Puts LFL's 2027 Plans Under Pressure

Team Vitality announced on October 9 that it is closing Vitality.Bee and pausing its LFL activities, calling the move a pause rather than a permanent departure. The decision followed Ici Japon Corp Esport's October 7 plan to cease operations at the end of 2026, while Joblife ended its League of Legends division in September. The LFL's 2027 operator, format and team count remain unknown, with Webedia reported to be leaving the league's organisation from 2027.

T1 Survive Paper Rex Comeback as 100 Thieves Crush Nongshim

T1 and 100 Thieves both won 2-1 lower-bracket series at VALORANT Champions Shanghai, eliminating Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce. T1 rallied from 9-3 down on Summit to win 13-11, with iZu named series MVP, while 100 Thieves closed out Ascent 13-1 behind Cryocells' MVP performance. On October 11, 100 Thieves face the G2-Vitality loser and T1 meet the NRG-LOUD loser.

BBL confirm MistR signing

BBL have announced the signing of former Sashi member MistR, replacing Boye, who has been moved to the bench. It marks the first roster change since the Turkish organization entered Counter-Strike. BBL are currently ranked 38th in the global VRS and will look to earn Valve points at Stake Pulse Beat III and DraculaN Season 7 before the November 2 invite cut-off for the Singapore Major.

Maden joins BIG Academy as in-game leader

BIG has announced the signing of Pavle "Maden" Bošković to its academy team, where the 27-year-old will take on the in-game leader role. Maden was previously benched by fnatic before becoming a free agent, and said he wants to lead a team and help young players grow. BIG Academy's roster also includes prosus, doni, aZe and 16-year-old Hrdina, with sprayxd as coach.

Lana Del Rey to Play Delta Dawne and Co-Host Back Country Radio in GTA 6

Lana Del Rey is set to appear in GTA 6 as the character Delta Dawne, co-hosting the in-game Back Country Radio station alongside Morgan Wallen. Her husband, Jeremy Dufrene, will also voice the character Mud Dog Mike on the same station. Rockstar Games recently revealed GTA 6's in-game radio stations, which also feature Bad Bunny and Slayer's Kerry King and Tom Araya; the game launches November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

EU opens enforcement over in-game currency against nine companies including King, Supercell, Riot and Ubisoft, as two European game associations push back

On September 30 the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network announced coordinated enforcement against nine companies including King, Supercell, Mojang, Riot Games and Ubisoft over how in-game virtual currency is sold and managed, with Crytek, InnoGames, Plarium Europe and PLR Worldwide Sales also named. The same day, Video Games Europe and EGDF jointly objected, questioning the legal basis and arguing in-game currency is not a crypto-like digital representation of value, saying they had asked for that basis since spring 2025 without reply. The dispute centers on whether in-game currency counts as a digital representation of value, which would make each in-game exchange a new consumer contract with its own 14-day withdrawal notice; the associations offered six commitments including clear real-money pricing and refunds for unused currency within 48 hours, conditional on resolving the legal uncertainty.

QT DIG∞ parts ways with Pkm and margaret

QT DIG∞ has announced the departures of Park "Pkm" Kang-min and Kim "margaret" Ji-woo after their contracts expired. The pair helped the team win the Japan Season Finals and earn a spot in the VCT Pacific Stage 2 Play-Ins, where QTD went 0-2 against VCT competition.

neT leaves GIANTX after one split

GIANTX has announced the departure of American import neT alongside Jesse. neT joined the European squad ahead of EMEA Stage 2, where the team went 1-4 in the group stage and finished 13th-16th. Earlier in the 2026 season he played for NRG Academy and FlyQuest, lasting just three matches with the latter before being benched.

Riot Games announces a final update for 2XKO with a new character this month

Riot Games announced a final update for its fighting game 2XKO, with a new character joining the roster this month. Eurogamer's report links to the update and character announcement.

Riot Games announces 2XKO's final major update, with Sett joining the roster this month

Riot Games released a final gameplay trailer for 2XKO, confirming the fighting game will be sunsetted later this year and that its last major update goes live on 27th October. Samira had already been confirmed as the game's 16th character, and the trailer also revealed Sett, a long-requested fighter shown with a powered-up state and a super that grabs both enemy characters at once. The game will remain playable for the foreseeable future, with the microtransaction store removed in favour of a one-time purchase unlocking all in-game cosmetics.

Cyberleek leaks nearly 25 minutes of GTA 6 footage, including nudity

The hacker group Cyberleek released nearly 25 minutes of Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage, including nude scenes with Jason and Lucia, dirt bike riding, and racing. The video also includes a segment promoting Cyberleek's own cryptocurrency, after the group leaked clips before Rockstar's extended look on Netflix in August. Rockstar has not responded, and the article notes Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for release Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

2XKO adds Samira and Sett on October 27

Riot Games announced that 2XKO, its free-to-play tag fighting game based on League of Legends, will add Samira and Sett as playable characters on October 27. Samira was previously announced, while Sett is newly revealed. The game is available now on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.

2XKO adds Samira and Sett on October 27

2XKO will add Samira and Sett on October 27. The news comes via a Gematsu report.

Exclusive Riftbound Radiance Reveal: Ziggs, Explosive

Riftbound, the League of Legends card game, will release its Radiance set on October 23, and Game Informer exclusively reveals one of its new cards: Ziggs, Explosive. The purple "Chaos" card costs 4 and has 4 Might, and can exhaust resources to deploy a Bomb gear token whose Deathknell deals 2 to an enemy unit there and kills all other Bombs you control there. When Ziggs defends, he may kill a friendly gear to gain an additional 2 Might this turn.

NRG continues Champs form with T1 sweep

In the first match of the Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs, NRG swept T1 2-0 to advance to the upper bracket and send T1 to the lower bracket. T1's Lotus pick ended in a close 13-11 loss, and NRG took Summit 13-7 to close out the series.

ZETA DIVISION allows Xdll to explore options

ZETA DIVISION has allowed Yuto "Xdll" Mizomori to explore his options as a restricted free agent this offseason. According to Riot's VCT Global Contract Database, his contract with ZETA was set to end this offseason, and he said he is open to playing the Initiator, Sentinel, and flex roles for a new team. Xdll is the first member of ZETA's 2026 team to announce his future plans.

Xan leaves Rex Regum Qeon

Rex Regum Qeon has allowed Xan to explore his options as a free agent this offseason, with his contract having run through the 2027 season per Riot's VCT Global Contract Database. Xan said he is looking for opportunities as a Duelist or Controller and is open to all regions and languages. RRQ enters the offseason with an empty coaching booth after head coach Jovi and assistant coach Warbirds both left the team.

Rockstar Says GTA 6 Won't Be 'Too Specific About Any Particular Person, Event, or Movement'

Rockstar senior vice president of narrative Rupert Humphries said GTA 6 will not be too specific about any particular person, event, or movement, since the games take a long time to make and would risk feeling dated. He noted that previous GTA games have never really focused on national politics, and that GTA 4's Homeland Security and Patriot Act themes stemmed from post-9/11 New York. GTA 6 launches on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles on November 19, 2026.

Eight teams advance to the VALORANT Champions Shanghai playoffs

VALORANT Champions Shanghai enters its playoff phase on October 7, with eight teams advancing to a double-elimination bracket after a group stage held from September 24 to October 4 at Jing'an Sports Center in Shanghai. According to Inven Global, all four Americas teams and three Pacific teams survived the group stage, while Team Vitality was the only EMEA side to progress and all four CN region teams were eliminated. T1 faces NRG and Paper Rex meets LOUD on October 7, with Nongshim RedForce against Team Vitality on October 8.

Riot anticheat head says hardware bans last four months

Riot anticheat head Phillip Koskinas asserts that the company's hardware bans last four months, and cannot "infect" other components when inserted into a new system.

Used CPU Report Raises Questions Over VALORANT Hardware Bans

A German VALORANT player says the game kicked them out immediately after installing a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D bought on the German marketplace Kleinanzeigen, and Riot support told them the CPU's ID or serial number had been blacklisted in Vanguard on August 12 over the previous owner's alleged cheating. The claim has not been independently confirmed by Riot, and the report notes that secondhand buyers cannot readily check whether a used component is tied to an anti-cheat flag before purchasing.

T1 earns first Champions top-eight finish as Shanghai 2026 playoffs take shape

T1 and LOUD claimed the final two playoff spots at VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 on 4 October, beating FUT Esports and Global Esports 2-0 respectively. T1 reached the top eight for the first time in its third Champions appearance and will face NRG, while LOUD meets Paper Rex in the opening round. The eight-team field includes four Americas teams, three from Pacific and EMEA's Team Vitality, with first-round losers dropping to the lower bracket.

Valorant player claims to have inherited hardware ban through secondhand CPU, Riot anticheat boss disputes parts of story

Valorant player claims to have inherited hardware ban through secondhand CPU, Riot disputes story https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valor...

Valorant Player Banned Due To Previous CPU Owner’s Cheating Ways

"While the CPC Network asserts it is applying existing laws, it appears to be extending them, potentially beyond permissible limits," say...

Grand Theft Auto 6 may be the first GTA to have full-on "sex scenes", Hot Coffee not included

An age-rating description for GTA 6 on the PlayStation Store in New Zealand and Australia mentions "sex scenes", which if accurate would make it the first Grand Theft Auto game to directly depict sexual intercourse. The descriptions, spotted by IGN, are not separately searchable on the relevant ratings boards' websites, and the UK PS Store listing mentions "sexual content" with a PEGI "sex" symbol. Grand Theft Auto 6 releases 19th November.

Metal desks nearly destroyed a Valorant tournament

Custom metal desks at the Valorant Champions tournament in Shanghai interfered with wireless mouse signals, causing repeated tech pauses and forcing players to switch to wired mice. In a FUT Esports vs 100 Thieves match, player xeus could not fire; Riot said a round rollback should have been allowed but kept the match result. Riot believes the metal material may be the cause, and some mice without USB Type-C ports would need to be swapped entirely.

Riot needed 2XKO to hit hundreds of thousands if not millions of players, which the author says doomed it from launch

Riot expected 2XKO to reach "high hundreds of thousands, if not millions" of players, an expectation the author argues was impossible from launch. Using Street Fighter 6 as a benchmark, the author estimates from its 30,000 PC concurrent peak that even a generous reading puts its monthly active users barely above 500,000, while Guilty Gear: Strive peaks at 1,580 concurrent players over 24 hours. The author questions whether Riot misjudged the size of the fighting game market.

Riot exec says 2XKO needed hundreds of thousands to millions of MAU to sustain itself

Riot Games CPO Marc Merrill said 2XKO would have needed a monthly active user base "in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions" to support its live-service model, and its actual audience was "not nearly enough." 2XKO ended active development in August because it cost substantially more to operate than it brought in and engagement stayed flat despite larger updates; it remains free to play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S with servers online "beyond 2026." Merrill also cited Street Fighter 6's release as a factor and said leadership changes led to a lack of alignment on strategy and managerial fracturing.

Riot Games' 2XKO would have had to attract a base of monthly active users "in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions" to be sust...

Riot Games Co-Founder Says 2XKO Needed Hundreds of Thousands, if Not Millions, of Monthly Active Players to Survive

Riot Games co-founder, co-chairman and chief product officer Marc Merrill said on The Lemonade Stand podcast that 2XKO would have needed monthly active player numbers in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to justify its cost structure. He said Street Fighter 6's 2023 release disrupted their plans and that a lack of internal alignment caused managerial fracturing, so Riot issued full refunds and canceled further content updates after player numbers fell short of supporting the live-service design. Riot had already announced it would end active development after December 2026 while keeping online play supported.

EU CPC Network launches coordinated actions against nine companies over in-game currency

On 30 September 2026, the EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation Network launched coordinated actions against nine games companies to enforce the EU's Key Principles on in-game virtual currencies, covering titles such as Hunt: Showdown 1896, Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, Valorant, Clash of Clans and For Honor, alongside a parallel action with Activision Blizzard UK over Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. The CPC Network argues that purchases made with in-game currency should also show real-world prices, while the author notes that bundle pricing and earnable currency make real value hard to assign and could create duplicate notices and a double right of withdrawal. The author also points to inconsistency with the EU Commission's EU KIDS Act draft and a Digital Fairness Act draft expected in November.