Richard Lewis

Articles by Richard Lewis

Lolesports Editor Announces Departure from Riot Games

The editor of the lolesports.com website has announced that he will no longer be working for Riot Games. Frank “Mihri” Fields has been in the role since July 2013 and has very often been the public face of some of the websites bigger failings.

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Top ‘League of Legends’ Commentators Publicly Criticise Riot Games over Pay

Riot Games’ Mid Season Invitational (MSI) is one of the centrepieces of the League of Legends calendar. Along with the teams, Riot also usually assembles the best commentary team, with fan favourites and regional experts, to augment the viewer experience. This time however, due to a dispute over pay, this won’t be happening.

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Intel Extreme Masters Schedule Problems Leave Pro Players, Fans Frustrated

The Intel Extreme Masters tour is considered one of the best that eSports has to offer. Run by the company many proclaim to be industry leaders, the Modern Times Group-owned Electronic Sports League, the tour started in 2007 and has held tournaments in major cities all across the globe. Despite receiving plaudits over the years, the latest stop in the Polish city of Katowice, ran into many problems, most of which seem to be of ESL’s making, leaving many of the attending fans and competitors alike unsatisfied with their experience.

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Team Liquid Face Accusations of Tampering in Koosta Signing

Team Liquid announced the signing of North American rising talent Kenneth “koosta” Suen two weeks ago, as first reported on Breitbart, to cement their position as the most talented squad in North American Counter-Strike. The move had seemingly come from left-field, with Suen having reportedly turned down multiple approaches from other squads to remain with the NME organisation. However, Breitbart has learned that Team Liquid reportedly first approached Suen in December and that this approach was initially made without NME’s knowledge.

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North American CS:GO Star to Join Team Liquid

One of the leading gaming organisation’s in the world, Team Liquid, will sign one of the hottest young prospects to their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster.

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Yahoo’s New Esports Journalism Section Immediately Involved in Plagiarism

One of the latest outlets to throw their hat in the eSports coverage ring is troubled tech giant Yahoo, who as Breitbart reported had reportedly expressed interest in purchasing North America’s leading eSports tournament organiser MLG before a deal with Activision Blizzard was struck.

The Associated Press

Lolesports.com Editor Forced to Apologize over Opinion Piece

A senior editor for Riot Games, Frank “Mihri” Fields, had to make a humbling public apology for publishing an opinion piece on the lolesports website in a bid to quell the anger it generated among the players it wrote about.

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The Gonzo Awards: The Worst of Esports in 2015 Part 2

Yes, we did it folks. This year is the year that eSports became legitimatised… again. And we owe all of ourselves a collective pat on the back. Without us, none of this would have been possible. Award after award, reams of press releases that read like balance sheets, fixed mannequin grins until someone cracks and growls “now cut me my fucking paycheque” to the highest bidder.

The Associated Press

Security Issues Raised After Fans Storm Stage at DreamHack Event

This weekend saw LAN organizer DreamHack take its tour to Leipzig for the first time, and the event featured some of the best Counter-Strike teams in the world and produced some excellent games. Unfortunately, an incident disrupted the broadcast, one that calls into question security at DreamHack-run events.

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FaZe Players Reportedly Threatened with ESL League Ban During G2 Acquisition

The purchase of the G2 Esports Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad by Call of Duty giants FaZe Clan, seemed to be a straightforward deal. The team, populated by several fan favourites, made the move officially on the January 21, but it had been in the works for some time prior to that.

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It Was Personality, Not Professionalism, That Put Esports on the Map

You’ll have noticed that eSports created another little ripple in the world of mainstream entertainment a few weeks ago. I’ve been on the road for some time and haven’t had an opportunity to put thoughts about it to paper. The moment was the Turner network’s “Road to Vegas” event for their upcoming foray into esports broadcasting, entitled E-League.

The Associated Press

The Gonzo Awards: The Worst of Esports in 2015 Pt. 1

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when it comes to eSports the self-congratulatory end of year scenes are akin to what the average British public schoolboy would encounter in the dorm after dark: a sweaty, frenzied mass of guilt-free circle-jerking where everyone gets their turn, a blend of giddy exhaustion and gratification leaving the group satisfied.

AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File

Whatever You Think About Stewie2k, There’s No Better Place for Him Than Cloud9

Since Sean Gares stepped down, the search for Cloud9’s fifth has been underway. The bar started incredibly high, with the legendary Swede Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund the front-runner to step in as the old management of Ninjas In Pyjamas seemed intent on running the organisation into the ground.

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German Town Bans Fireworks to Prevent ‘Triggering’ Refugees

What makes a good end of year celebration? Drinking with friends? Music? Gathering outside for a traditional fireworks display to start the new year, and all those empty resolutions, with a bang? Well, at least one group of people had to shelve their celebrations as liberal party-poopers deemed fireworks to be potentially emotionally scarring to their refugee population.

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Twitter to ‘Wage War’ on Internet Trolls

A front-page report in The Independent has confirmed that Twitter will continue to “wage war” against individuals they label as trolls as the platform becomes increasingly politicised.

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Campus Crazies at Oberlin Cry Cultural Appropriation Over Canteen Menu

In one of the more pathetic examples in the “anti-racism” student activism of 2015 students at Oberlin College have accused the institution of insensitivity and “cultural appropriation” based on the menu in their dining hall. This is supposedly because the

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Riot Games, eSports Team Owners Reportedly Clash over Merchandising Strategy

Riot Games currently have their annual League of Legends team owners conference underway. The event is where Riot orientates new team owners, discusses rule and strategy changes, as well as discussing matters that they believe to be of an overarching concern for teams and their product alike. After only the first day, sources have contacted Breitbart to inform us that several team owners are outraged at some of Riot’s proposals for the upcoming season.

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