Evil Geniuses to Cease Operations After More Than 25 Years

One of the biggest esports organizations of the past 25 years, Evil Geniuses, will cease operations from November 2026.

The shocking news was announced in a statement by the organization’s CEO, Chris DeAppolonio, who explained that rising costs of competing at the highest levels and the scarcity of sponsorship opportunities had made this painful decision a necessity.

The statement reads in full:

Evil Geniuses will cease competitive and day-to-day operations effective November 2, 2026.

Over the last few years, we rebuilt how this organization operates and worked hard to bring it back. We stabilized operations, restored public sentiment, and grew our engagement and output, all while expanding into new titles and building out our creator roster. Unfortunately, esports continues to face significant headwinds, including limited sponsorship and the rising cost of competing at the top level. Despite sustained investment and the dedication of the EG team, it's been concluded that the business cannot be operated responsibly in the current environment.

EG will wind down operations in an orderly way and work closely with every affected player, coach, and staff member.

On the competitive side, every player on every roster is free to speak with other organizations starting today. All of our VALORANT players and coaches will be free to sign with new teams when the 2026 season ends on November 2.

One big request to anyone still reading: if you're hiring, please talk to our people. I will personally vouch for every player, creator, and staff member who worked here. Reach out to me directly, deapps@evilgeniuses.gg, if you have an opening or need a recommendation. My goal is to help as many of our people find a new role over the next few months.

To the players, the staff, and everyone who put their heart and soul into EG over the last few years: you were all amazing. We gave this organization everything we had. I could not have asked for a better team.

To everyone who has ever worn the EG logo, to the fans who kept showing up, and to the partners who supported this org over the last 25+ years: thank you for everything.

Evil Geniuses has been around since 1999 and has been active across various titles, but it also made a major splash within the FGC. It was the first team for the likes of Justin Wong and Marn. It was also a major presence in Japan, especially when it signed Momochi and ChocoBlanka. The organization would later sign SonicFox, and across those years, it achieved great success, including several Evo wins.

The only active fighting game player they had on the books was Supernoon, who is now a free agent and will be on the hunt for a new organization.

Tributes flowed from former players and fans who fondly remember the organization for all the joy it brought them. But the announcement also prompted conversations about the volatility of the esports environment and how difficult it is for organizations to keep going.

Evil Geniuses exits the scene as one of the legends of esports, and its impact will be felt for many years to come.