Well here's a post-surgery update for you: the short answer is i no longer have a voice box... jamesfudge.substack.com/p/the-other-...

On the (for me) wearing topic of the classification/regulation of #esports as sport, there's a very good and balanced perspective piece from @theurbanshepherd.bsky.social on @theesportsadvocate.bsky.social. Highly recommended reading. esportsadvocate.net/2026/03/why-...

Road Trip: Lamborghini will have a major presence at DreamHack Dallas in May, thanks to a new partnership with ESL FACEIT Group: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/auto...

Power Players: In a deal brokered by PIVOT Agency, R6 and fitness content creator YoBoyRoy teams up with Theta Network to create an AI agent to serve his various communities. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/thet...

Come Together: Switzerland-based SONIX has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of grassroots tournament platform RUSH Entertainment AG. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/soni...

Original Compositions: Esports World Cup Foundation has launched a new initiative to create a "musical identity" for the Esports World Cup aptly called the "Music of @EWC_EN ," teams with Audiotool for a contest. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/espo...

Grassroots: Riot Games reveals details on Legends Ascend South Asia, an online-only competitions for amateur League of Legends players: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/riot...

Greenlight: Jacksonville, Florida, Mayor Donna Deegan (D) officially signs a bill providing $3 million in funding for an esport center at the University of South Florida: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/jack...

Greenlight: Jacksonville, Florida, Mayor Donna Deegan (D) officially signs a bill providing $3 million in funding for an esport center at the University of South Florida: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/jack...

Back to School: Gen.G announces the Gen.G Collegiate Cup for Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates - under its Gen.G Global Academy initiative. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/geng...

Consolidation: PlayVS has acquired Playfly College Esports and Generation Esports for an undisclosed amount. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/play...

Line Them Up: Esports World Cup Foundation reveals the official schedule for its seven-week esports competition, the Esports World Cup. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/espo...

Bigger in Texas: GameSquare Holdings Inc. forms a strategic partnership with GGTech Entertainment to bring its GAMERGY festival to Texas in 2026. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/game...

Upgrade: Shikenso Analytics formally announces that Benedikt Becker has been promoted to VP of marketing. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/shik...

Star Power: BLAST reveals the celebrity duos that will compete in Los Angeles at the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) Pro-Am. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/blas...

Lap of Luxury: Miami Heretics ink a new deal with Anthros, partnership will be on display during the upcoming Call of Duty League Major 3 later this month. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/miam...

The Sound of Scrilla: Sonix raises millions of dollars in latest funding round, launches a crowdfunding investment campaign aimed at users: ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/soni...

Cooperation: Saudi Esports Federation signs a memorandum of understanding with Savvy Games Group to help grow the local esports ecosystem: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/savv...

Spring Braked: Generation Esports tells coaches at participating schools that it had to cancel its year-end, in-person LAN event for the HSEL Nationals. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/gene...

International ATM: The Esports World Cup Foundation announced that it has raised the total prize pool for the 2025 edition of the Esports World Cup to $70 million USD. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/espo...

Open For Business: Continuing its aggressive expansion, @NodwinGaming opens up a company in the United States. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/nodw...

Tracking: ESL FACEIT Group - EFG Group and Germany-based esports and gaming analytics firm Shikenso Analytics signs a multi-year partnership agreement. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/shik...

Fisticuffs: Challengermode is named the official esports and community platform for popular mobile fighting game Brawlhalla : esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/chal...

Team Up: Oddin.gg and Exort Esports announced a multi-year deal to utilize the tournament organizer's Tier 2 Counter-Strike 2 data: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/oddi...

Steering the Ship: Rivalry brings on XST Capital Group LLC to evaluate various options, lays off around 10 workers (according to sources and public social media posts) and raises $650K USD through a senior unsecured loan: Tobias Seck / @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/riva...

Phat Stacks: Global Gaming League announced Tuesday that it has raised $10 million USD for its Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) round led by Solyco Capital. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/glob...

Champions of the Galaxy: Team Liquid partners with developer Wildcard Alliance to refine and improve its CCG PVP MOBA Wildcard. Also pre-orders open for limited-edition jersey celebrating its 25th anniversary. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/team...

In and Out: Even as Esports World Cup Foundation announces that Star Craft II will make a return to its multi-week event this summer in Riyadh, ESL FACEIT Group - EFG announces that its EPT circuit for the game will not continue in 2025: ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/star...

New Markets: BLAST will form a joint venture with Reliance subsidiary RISE Worldwide Limited, with help from Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited to build esports competitions in India. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/blas...

Are You Ready for Some Football: G2 Esports launches a football club aptly called G2 FC in Kings League Germany: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/g2-e...

Update: We erroneously reported a story this morning on ESL renewing its contract with Esports World Cup - the source of that story was actually from last year. We apologize our readers, ESL FACEIT Group - EFG, and Esports World Cup Foundation for the error. - @jfudge.bsky.social

Leap of Faith: efuse enters into a strategic partnership with The Tebow Group, and WaterStone Impact Fund: esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/wate...

New Friends: @groundzerooce.bsky.social teams up with Philips Evnia to serve as its official monitor partner for the rest of the 2025 competitive season. esportsadvocate.net/2025/04/grou...

Canceled: BLAST Premier Monterrey has been canceled, with the competition being moved to BLAST's studios in Copenhagen, the company announced Monday. The story was first reported by Dust2us. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/blas...

FaZe Out: GameSquare divests its remaining interest in Faze Media to FaZe Banks and his partners, gets $2M from the Jones Family (Dallas Cowboys), and plans to launch new divisions to tackle events and collegiate esports. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social / Tobias Seck esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/game...

Crossover: WWE stars including WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley (among others) become playable characters in Supercell's Clash of Clans, ahead of WrestleMania 41. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/wwe-...

Power Play: Fnatic names sports marketing agency IMG its exclusive commercial agency on a global basis. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/fnat...

Big Changes: Ubisoft creates a new subsidiary to handle Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry IPs, backed by a $1.25 billion investment from Tencent , who will have a 25% stake in the new entity. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/ubis...

Report: Natus Vincere is in "advanced negotiations" to acquire Rogue's LEC slot, according to reporting from Sheep Esports. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/repo...

School Rivalries: NECC, Rally Cry , Army National Guard, EGF, SAMSAT, and students from around the U.S. will gather together in San Antonio, Texas, in May for the Scholastic Esports Championship. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/scho...

Gear of War: ASUS ROG expands its partnership with Team Vitality to provide the latest desktops, laptops, and handheld PCs to Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant Champions Tour EMEA players. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/team...

Eye Spy With My Little Eye:PlayVS teams up with eyewear brand Zenni Optical to support the PlayVS Cup later this year: ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/play...

Let's Stay Together: Red Bull renews its partnership with Riot Games for Valorant Esports (VCT EMEA) and League of Legends Esports (LEC) in Europe. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/red-...

Gonna Need a Glass: Raidiant, ThePeachCobbler, MilkPEP's Gonna Need Milk, and others team up once again to bring The Milk Cup, a Fortnite competition for women, back in 2025 with a new format and a larger prize pool. ✍🏼 @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/the-...

Center Stage: Overactive Media announced that the Call of Duty League Championship Weekend will be hosted in Canada (at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in the Waterloo Region) in partnership with its CDL team Toronto Ultra and its long-time partner Bell. esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/over...

Triumphant Return, of Sorts: Riot Games announced that the the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI 2025) will be hosted at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver this summer. esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/leag...

Improved Connectivity: Florida-based Internet latency technology firm ExitLag becomes the official sponsor of TALON's team across Asia. esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/exit...

Going With the Flo: BLAST announced that Progressive Insurance will serve as the presenting sponsor for the remainder of the Rocket League Championship Series 2025 season. esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/prog...

Integrity Play: DACH-focused (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) Counter-Strike 2 tournament organizer DACH CS GmbH joins the ESIC. esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/dach...

A Formal Debut: @giantxeng.bsky.social announced the launch of a new creative marketing agency called Night Mrkt, which has done some work already in stealth mode for ESL and Opel. @jfudge.bsky.social esportsadvocate.net/2025/03/gian...