Gaming
Pasha, NEO, Edward, HeatoN, kennyS and Maikelele announced as captains for the upcoming Kinguin Legends CS:GO tournament
Kinguin is today unveiling further details of its upcoming CS:GO tournament, Kinguin Legends. Kinguin Legends is an entertainment-first focused event that will see six CS:GO stars return to competitive play once again and create a captivating event full of nostalgia along with an exciting experience for all CS:GO fans to enjoy.
The “Legends” will battle it out for a share of the €50,000 prize pool and for the right to call themselves the first Kinguin Legends Champion!
Each captain will recruit players, friends, and pros to join them as they gear up to re-enter competitive CS:GO in the hope of emerging as champion. Tournament rules will be modified to highlight legendary captains and their old rivals. A custom designed Kinguin Legends 1v1 map has been exclusively created for the tournament. The only rule for all teams is that the average age of all five players must be 26 or over. The tournament kicks off on September 13th and will run until September 18, with teams playing through an initial round-robin tournament format followed by a best-of-three play-offs to determine who comes out on top.
The captains of the event are led by a group of legendary Counter-Strike players including:
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Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski, Polish legend, mostly known from the Golden Five. He has won many significant tournaments with Virtus Pro including winning and MVP of EMS One Katowice 2014, DreamHack Open Bucharest 2016 and Intel Extreme Masters VI. Pasha was ranked the 3rd best player of 2014 by HLTV.
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Filip “NEO” Kubski, Polish legend, also known from the Golden Five. He has won many significant tournaments with Virtus Pro including ELEAGUE Season 1, ESL Major Series One Katowice 2014 and Intel Extreme Masters VI. NEO was ranked the best player of 2011 by HLTV, rated the best CS 1.6 player of all time by 12up and voted ‘Player of the Decade’ (2000’s) by HLTV users.
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Ioann “Edward” Sukhariev, Ukrainian legend and veteran with a long career at NAVI. He was the trophy bearer for the IEM Katowice 2022 and was ranked the 5th best player of 2010 by HLTV for CS 1.6.
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Emil “HeatoN” Christensen, Swedish legend, best known for his career at Ninjas in Pyjamas and SK Gaming winning multiple CPL tournaments and becoming the first person inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame at ESL One: Cologne 2016. HeatoN was rated one of the best CS 1.6 players of all time by 12up.
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Mikail “Maikelele” Bill, Swedish legend, known for his career at teams including Team Kinguin, Ninjas in Pyjamas and Godsent. He has won multiple tournaments at Assembly Winter 2015 and WePlay! Forge of Masters Season 2 while coming 2nd at one of the biggest tournaments of 2016 at DreamHack Winter. Maikelele was the creator of the first international superteam in CS:GO history with Team Kinguin.
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Kenny “kennyS” Schrub, French legend, best known for his career at Team EnVyUs and G2 Esports winning multiple tournaments including DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015, World Electronic Sports Games 2016 and ESL Pro League Season 5. “kennyS” was named “Esports Player of the Year” at The Game Awards 2015.
The online stage of the tournament (13-15th September) will be casted by Mamoon “TeaTime” Sabri, Travis “TravCS” Landaw Mott, Harvey “Skriv” Rodgers and Michael “YouM3” Cassidy. James Banks will be hosting the casting team for the finals (17-18th of September) and will be joined by Jack “Jacky” Peters and Davis “DAVEY” Stafford. Accompanying the team will be Halvor “Vendetta” Gulestøl and Dominik “Neo” Dąbrowski from the analysis desk. Meanwhile, the Polish stream will be hosted by Filip “Testree” Mątkowski. Other guest appearances are expected from Counter-Strike personalities to help relive old moments and bring some entertaining ribbing to the legends.
Viktor Romaniuk Wanli, Founder and Creative Director at Kinguin said: “I am delighted to be welcoming such iconic players to Kinguin Legends to create an exciting entertainment event, with new stories for fans to watch and enjoy. Kinguin has a deep-rooted passion for esports and we hope that Kinguin Legends CS:GO will be our first step to creating a long lasting and fully-loaded entertainment experience for fans all over the world. To have kKennyS, Pasha, Edward, Neo and Maikelele playing against each other again is mind blowing! I recall HeatoN as the ultimate Counter-Strike player back in my early involvement with esports since CPL. It’s unbelievable that I may see him play to win again! We have big ambitions with Kinguin Legends and will be bringing more exciting esports events to our community in the future.”
Kinguin Legends Captain and ex-CS:GO professional “pashaBiceps” Jarosław Jarząbkowski said: “I am very happy to be able to participate in the Kinguin Legends project. This is a great initiative that will definitely allow us to feel the emotions associated with the great CS:GO scene again. I’m looking forward to the duels with NEO, Edward, HeatoN, kennyS and Maikelele. It will be a great show!”
For this tournament, Kinguin is partnering with the CS:GO matchmaking portal, Esportal, who will be hosting the Kinguin Legends streams on its front page as the official technology partner.
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eSports
eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans
From hoodies to short-sleeved jerseys: the entire collection has been developed to meet the specific needs of gamers – uncompromising, highest-quality and thought-out down to the last detail.
“There is the right functional clothing for every sport – for soccer, tennis, golf… Gaming used to have this gap. Not anymore!”, say the founders.
The debut collection features 4 products and thus offers the right piece for all gamers: hoodie, longsleeve, shirt and pants. Each combines innovative functionality with comfort and style. Smart gadgets – including special ventilation zones, padding and other features to promote reaction, focus and grip – make this clothing a real support in the game.
Developed from the ground up specifically for playing at a PC, “aim.one is for everyone who wants to take their gaming to the next level – from high-end eSports pros to hobby gamers,” say the founders. “With this collection, gamers finally get their own clothing tailored to their passion!”
The product launch will take place via Kickstarter on the 5th of August!
Until launch, Gamers can unlock MVP status for only a €/$1 donation. This grants up to 35% discount during the campaign — plus a free nickname print on their apparel.
The post eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years
After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.
Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.
‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’
The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.
About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.
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METABORA, a global casual game developer and blockchain project operator, has announced a strategic partnership with LINE NEXT Inc. Through this partnership, METABORA will distribute Web3 games via the LINE Messenger–based Dapp Portal, expanding its reach in the Web3 gaming space.
The Dapp Portal is a platform built on the KAIA ecosystem that offers Mini Dapps (decentralised applications) directly within the LINE Messenger app. Users can enjoy a variety of Mini Dapps—ranging from games to social features—without needing to install separate applications. Since its launch in January this year, the platform has garnered significant attention, surpassing 100 million cumulative users.
Through this new partnership, METABORA and LINE NEXT will work closely to accelerate the growth of the Mini Dapp’s gaming ecosystem. Leveraging its network of development partners and global experience in game development and publishing, METABORA will supply Web3 games to the Dapp Portal. LINE NEXT will expand accessibility to Web3 games and support marketing of these games through its platform.
As part of the collaboration, METABORA will also expand the utility of its BORA token within the LINE Messenger–based Mini Dapp ecosystem. The company plans to implement a payment infrastructure that enables users to purchase in-game items currently planned for upcoming titles to be released under the BORA brand. Additionally, METABORA will apply Gas Abstraction technology, allowing users to make in-app purchases with BORA without needing KAIA tokens to cover gas fees. This feature is expected to be fully implemented in the second half of the year.
By expanding the utility of the BORA token, METABORA aims to elevate its value beyond the confines of the BORA Chain, laying the groundwork for broader integration across the Web3 ecosystem.
In addition, METABORA and LINE NEXT plan to continue their collaboration by researching and developing infrastructure to support the use of stable coins such as USDT, further enhancing the Web3 gaming experience within the LINE ecosystem centered on the Dapp Portal.
Lim Youngjun, Co-CEO of METABORA, said: “We’re pleased to partner with LINE NEXT, a company making remarkable strides in the global Web3 gaming market with its vast user base. Through our strong network of development partners, we will carefully select and bring high-quality games to the Dapp Portal, working together to create a leading example of Web3 gaming reaching a mainstream audience.”
Kim Woosuk, CSO at LINE NEXT, said: “Through this partnership with METABORA, we look forward to creating a major success case for Mini Dapp. Moving forward, we will continue working closely together across multiple fronts, including enabling USDT stablecoin support to improve game onboarding and the overall user payment environment.”
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