Evil Geniuses to End Esports Operations Nov. 2

Evil Geniuses announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, that it will end its competitive and day-to-day esports operations on Nov. 2, 2026. The North American organization cited limited sponsorship opportunities and the rising cost of competing at the highest level.

CEO Chris DeAppolonio wrote that the organization had restructured its operations in recent years but concluded it could no longer run the business responsibly in the current environment.

Players on Evil Geniuses’ rosters are free to speak with other organizations. Its VALORANT players and coaches may sign with new teams on Nov. 2, which the organization identified as the end of the 2026 season.

Evil Geniuses will wind down its operations in an orderly manner and work with affected players, coaches and staff. DeAppolonio also offered to recommend organization members and help them find new jobs.

The announcement comes as Riot Games prepares changes to the VALORANT competitive circuit for 2027. The publisher plans to reduce the number of partnered organizations in each international league from 10 to eight. Evil Geniuses did not directly link its closure to the next partnership selection process.

Founded in 1999, Evil Geniuses competed in VALORANT, League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Dota 2. In 2023, it won the VALORANT Champions world championship in Los Angeles after defeating Paper Rex 3-1 in the final. The roster included Max “Demon1” Mazanov, Ethan “Ethan” Arnold, Kelden “Boostio” Pupello, Corbin “C0M” Lee and Alexander “jawgemo” Mor. Christine “potter” Chi was the coach.

Evil Geniuses also reached the Masters Tokyo final in 2023, losing to Fnatic. The organization continued competing in VCT Americas through 2026 after making several roster changes.

In League of Legends, Evil Geniuses won the 2022 LCS Spring Championship with a 3-0 victory over 100 Thieves. Riot Games announced in November 2023 that Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians would leave the LCS, reducing the league to eight teams for 2024.

Evil Geniuses entered Counter-Strike after acquiring NRG’s roster in September 2019. It won ESL One New York 2019 and later reached the top of HLTV’s world rankings. The organization left Counter-Strike in January 2024.

In Dota 2, Evil Geniuses won The International 2015 after defeating CDEC Gaming 3-1 in the final. The organization fielded a South American roster during the 2023 season and disbanded that division later the same year.