Founder/Editor at Large, The Esports Advocate (@TEAdvocated). Former Esports Editor @sbjsbd/@esportsobserved. Contact: [email protected].
Berkshire County, Ma
Joined August 2008
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Announcement: I have been thinking about this for several months while recuperating from my surgery and taking preventative treatments to keep the cancer from returning; it is clear to me that I am no longer able to do the job I used to do in my current condition.
so I guess it is time to make it official: I have decided to resign as the Editor in Chief of The Esports Advocate. I will continue to contribute to TEA when I can in a new role as an Editor at Large, a purely unpaid position.
Given my current disability (the inability to talk) as well as a blockage in my abdomen that has already caused damage to my kidneys, I think this is the best course of action for the time being.
Again, I will continue to contribute to TEA as best I can starting in August, though I hope those folks who have been contributing over the last four months will continue to support our endeavors—I greatly appreciate their hard work.
Interesting week, BioWare shutting down, EA clipping 400 jobs in the process, and EG shutting down. Sheesh.
Two things can be true at the same time: AI is a powerful tool in the hands of professional creatives, programmers, etc. It will also be the source of a LOT of slop from idiots looking to make a quick buck. I am so glad I no longer review games.
My favorite spam is "we can get you booked on X number of podcasts." Yeah this would be great considering I had my voice box removed in March due to cancer...
James B Fudge retweeted
VCT China cuts its partners from 10 to eight for 2027-28. Weibo Gaming joins, Xi Lai Gaming moves up, and FPX, Wolves, Nova and Titan are out. People close to TJ Sports told TEA the selection favored financial commitment and parent-platform support.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT TJ Sports cuts VCT China Partner Slots from 10 to 8
Riot is cutting every VCT region from 10 partners to eight for 2027-28, leaving out Cloud9, KIWOOM DRX, ENVY and FlyQuest. Partners keep team skins in a league where digital goods made up $86 million of the $105 million-plus Riot paid teams in 2025.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT Riot Games cuts VCT Partner Slots from 10 to 8
James B Fudge retweeted
Riot is cutting every VCT region from 10 partners to eight for 2027-28, leaving out Cloud9, KIWOOM DRX, ENVY and FlyQuest. Partners keep team skins in a league where digital goods made up $86 million of the $105 million-plus Riot paid teams in 2025.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT Riot Games cuts VCT Partner Slots from 10 to 8
James B Fudge retweeted
I've started a monthly esports government policy recap on @TEAdvocated!
This first edition looks at how @EWC_EN
will shape future France regulations.
Also...why are there suddenly more nations cups that ever before?
1/
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
James B Fudge retweeted
France had some of the EU's only dedicated esports rules on the books when the EWC moved from Riyadh to Paris at short notice.
@TheUrbanShep on what's next for French policy and why four organizers now want to own the national-team tournament.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT Esports World Cup (EWC) Trophy presentation in Paris, France.
James B Fudge retweeted
FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 in Jeddah a day before the first match, with no new date. FIFA cited "logistical arrangements." Japan and Brazil had already withdrawn over security.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 in Jeddah
Love that Graham Ashton is writing for TEA. Great report, check it out!
France had some of the EU's only dedicated esports rules on the books when the EWC moved from Riyadh to Paris at short notice.
@TheUrbanShep on what's next for French policy and why four organizers now want to own the national-team tournament.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT Esports World Cup (EWC) Trophy presentation in Paris, France.
James B Fudge retweeted
Legendary level designer Richard 'Levelord' Gray has died pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/…
Sad to hear about the passing of Richard "Levelord" Gray. RIP.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richar…
James B Fudge retweeted
Forkast, the esports prediction market built by Community Gaming, is shutting down on Nov. 9. Lifetime volume: $100M+. Kalshi users traded $344M on esports in a single 30-day period. Worlds winner markets will be refunded before the Nov. 14 final.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT Forkast to Shut Down Esports Prediction Market as Kalshi and Polymarket Scale
James B Fudge retweeted
Evo France is leaving Nice for Paris in 2027 under NEO, a promoter that began operating in March. The stated reason is capacity: NEO says it has maxed out Nice's Palais des Expositions.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
ALT Crowd packed in front of the main stage at Evo France 2025 in the Palais des Expositions in Nice, with large screens and stage lights under the hall's arched roof.
James B Fudge retweeted
Team Vitality is pausing its LFL academy team, two days after Ici Japon Corp said it will shut down. Both point to the same gap: Webedia is reportedly leaving France's League of Legends league, and no 2027 operator has been named.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
James B Fudge retweeted
Ghost Gaming will sell sponsorships around a new Kennesaw State Call of Duty program as its commercial partner from 2026-27. Terms undisclosed. Ghost's $1M+ a year Georgia pledge covers far more than this one deal.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
James B Fudge retweeted
Brazil's betting ban outlaws betting sponsorship. Keyd Stars and LOUD have already left CS2, and BetBoom holds or sponsors most of Brazil's top-tier Counter-Strike broadcasts. Congress and the Oct. 25 runoff decide whether the ban lasts.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
I accept that most people, companies, and organizations are for sale and can be bought. That is the reality of the world we live in now. I don't judge anyone that had to do what they had to do. But i'm hanging on and holding out for as long as I can until my end, which, who knows, could be days or decades away.
TBD.
You know who would love a Game Changers talk, @SBJ ? Manahel al-Otaibi, but she can't see it or attend it because the PIF owner put her in prison for speaking about women's rights in Saudi Arabia.
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2…
James B Fudge retweeted
Thibaut Courtois has invested in Astralis owner Fusion Esports Group. Danish filings show Fusion raised about $484,000 at nearly 4x its earlier price days before the deal, weeks after Astralis's auditor flagged going-concern doubts. Terms undisclosed.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
James B Fudge retweeted
GameSquare told investors in April it expected to recover only about $500K of the $9.5M note behind Jason Lake's Complexity buyback - five months before Lake announced the shutdown. The settlement it expected hasn't appeared in any filing since.
esportsadvocate.net/2026/10/…
