On February 9, retired Counter-Strike player, Michael ‘Shroud�?Grzesiek made a big announcement during his charity stream: the official creation of his Marvel Rivals esports organisation. 

Following the confirmation, Shroud revealed plans to build his organisation’s first team. ‘To any esports team…send emails, send messages. We will respond. Let’s start up a Marvel Rivals team�? Shroud shared. However, he also mentioned that a name and structure for the organisation are still in the works.

Shroud promised the launch of this project if a $150,000 donation goal would be reached during his stream. The goal was met not long after, with a total of $21,500 donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The retired CS player has been a fan of the Marvel-themed game since its release in December 2024 and even featured it in his broadcasts. 

His start-up announcement aligns well with the game’s first major tournament, Marvel Rivals Championship Season 1. The event is set to take place from March 8 to April 6, featuring four regions: China, North America, Europe, and Asia, with a $14,500 prize pool.

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Brazil is making a big impact in the world of esports. FURIA Esports and RazaH Company qualified for the Six Invitational 2025 Finals. They earned their spots by winning crucial matches against DarkZero Esports and Virtus.pro.

In the semifinals, FURIA Esports performed well against DarkZero. They won the first game 7-1 on the Chalet map and continued their success in the second game, winning 7-3 on Border. Key players like Felipe ‘nade�?Ferreira, Diego ‘Kheyze�?Zanello, and Felipe ‘FelipoX�?Lucia made important plays that helped their team succeed. 

Meanwhile, RazaH Company had a tougher match against Virtus.pro. After losing the first map, they bounced back with an 8-6 win on Chalet. This win pushed the game to a third map, where RazaH won in a thrilling overtime, sending Virtus.pro to the Lower Bracket.

After these matches, DarkZero played against the winner of the W7M Esports and Team Falcons matches, while Virtus.pro faced the winner of FaZe Clan and Team Liquid.

The finals occurred on February 11, and fans were eager to see more from the two Brazilian teams. With skilled players and passionate fans, the future looks bright for Brazilian esports.

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On February 7, 2025, Riot Games (Riot) shared a ‘check-in�?video about the current season and money issues in League of Legends. The video starts with Andrei Van Roon, head of League Studio, and Paul Bellezza, the executive producer, talking about the new season format, which has shifted to focus more on lore. 

They also talked about Hextech Chests and skins, which have sparked debate due to costly gacha mechanics and fears of missing out. Hextech Chests were rewards given to players, allowing them to unlock free skins. 

Riot quietly pulls out these chests, causing a strong reaction from fans. In the developer (dev) update, Van Roon stated that free chests became the main way to get skins, allowing many players to build large skin collections without paying. He noted that while this created a ‘great player experience�? it was not sustainable in the long term.

Though Hextech Chests are no longer available, Riot plans to make up for this with Battle Passes in Season 2, featuring unique visual effects and model changes to skins. Riot believes this will enhance their value as a reward.

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The US has blacklisted two big Chinese companies, Tencent and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) as they are accused of having links to the Chinese military. This move is raising concerns in the gaming and electric vehicle (EV) industries. 

Tencent, the world’s largest video game publisher, and CATL, a leading EV battery supplier with clients such as Tesla, both denied the allegations and labeled the US action a mistake. Tencent holds significant stakes in major gaming firms, including Epic Games and Activision Blizzard.

After the news, Tencent's shares dropped almost 8% in New York. CATL also saw its stock drop. The company is also important in the EV supply chain and works with car makers like Volkswagen and Stellantis. The blacklist doesn’t put direct restrictions on these companies but makes American firms less likely to work with them. 

This adds uncertainty in industries already facing global tensions. While experts say the effects won’t be big right away, putting CATL on the list is seen as a setback for China’s growth in the EV battery market. It also makes things harder for the global car supply chain. Both companies are working to clear up the misunderstanding and say they focus on non-military areas. 

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On February 5, 2025, Aurora Gaming, a popular Serbian esports group, announced its decision to let go of its entire Dota 2 team from Southeast Asia. This decision means players Anucha ‘Jabz�?Jirawong, Abed Azel ‘Abed�?Yusop, and Worawit ‘Q�?Mekchai are now available for transfer to other teams.

Jinn Marrey ‘Palos�?Lamatao, Chon Kien ‘Oli�?Chan, and coach Jeong Jae ‘SunBhie�?Lee have become free agents as well. Aurora did not explain why it chose to let go of its Dota 2 team, but the squad faced tough challenges in early 2025. 

They qualified for DreamLeague Season 25 by winning their Southeast Asian spot, yet they finished 5th-6th in the ESL One Raleigh 2025 Southeast Asian qualifier. They also had a poor performance at FISSURE PLAYGROUND Belgrade 2025, ending up in 12th-14th place.

‘It has been an incredibly long and exhausting story. We have experienced both jokes and frustrations, successes and disappointments. Now, unfortunately, it is time to part our ways�? Aurora Gaming said, thanking their departing players.

Aurora’s decision to release its entire Dota 2 roster does not mean the organization is exiting the Dota 2 scene.

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Derrick 'Deryeon' Yee will remain in Global Esports' active roster for VCT Pacific Stage 1 as patrickWHO’s visa issues persist. The team confirmed the news in a social media post. Deryeon initially stepped in as a backup for the VCT Pacific Kickoff when it became clear that patrickWHO couldn’t secure his visa in time. 

With the Regular Season approaching, the problems remain unresolved, forcing Global Esports to keep Deryeon in the lineup. This isn’t the first time Global Esports has faced visa problems. In 2023, delays kept SkRossi and Lightningfast out for the first three weeks of VCT Pacific. 

Head coach Donnie 'Elevated' Chell said the team has to stay flexible. 'We built a roster and had to change it due to visa issues. We’ll keep moving forward with Deryeon, who has a great attitude and work ethic�? 

Deryeon played for Bleed Esports before, helping them win the 2023 VCT Ascension Pacific and earn a VCT Pacific League spot. However, Bleed had to leave early because of Riot Games' rules. 

After that, he joined DSG and did well in smaller tournaments. Now at Global Esports, he plays as a Sentinel while UdoTan switches to Duelist. VCT Pacific Stage 1 runs from March to May 2025. 

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