The storied American organization follows in the footsteps of its competitor, Complexity.
Evil Geniuses, stories American esports organization, has announced the cessation of operations effective on November 6th, 2026.
The organization posted a statement by their CEO, Chris DeAppolonio, describing their effort to “stabilize operations and restore public sentiment”, ultimately succumbing to the “headwinds” of esports, including “limited sponsorships and the rising cost of competing at the top level.”
Post-2019 acquisition difficulties
Initial success until boycott roadblock in 2014
Evil Geniuses started as a Quake team in 1999, and went onto be household names in top esports such as Counter-Strike 1.6 until 2012 and Dota 2, notably winning The International in 2015.
Evil Geniuses was presided by Alex Garfield since 2004, who was a pioneer in creating sponsorship deals in esports. After being acquired by Twitch in 2014, Evil Geniuses was threatened with a boycott from other organizations due to a potential conflict of interest, impacting their ability to compete.
2019 Acquisition
Evil Geniuses shifted to becoming a player-owned organization in 2016, until finally being bought by the American investment firm, PEAK6, in 2019. Under the leadership of Nicole LaPointe Jameson, Evil Geniuses initially had strong results, acquiring NRG’s Counter-Strike team that would win the final edition ESL One New York in 2019.
However, Evil Geniuses’s Counter-Strike teams would not improve further, spiraling until a low point in 2022 with the squad initially led by Jake ‘Stewie2k’ Yip, which would come last in four consecutive ESL Pro League editions.
The Evil Geniuses presided by PEAK6 also notably won VALORANT Champions in 2023, their last big title win to date. Right after that victory, the players were given a salary cut, leading to their departures.
Danny controversy and broadcast complaints
The PEAK6-owned Evil Geniuses was also subject to controversies. Their alleged mistreatment of League of Legends player Kyle ‘Danny’ Sakamaki in 2022 was investigated by Riot Games, eventually leading to Danny’s retirement at the age of 18 years old.
In repsonse to Evil Geniuses’ announcement, their ex-sports psychologist Edward Cleland replied that he was reprimanded by the organization due to bringing up the well-being of their player.
Evil Geniuses also notably interfered in the broadcast of ESL Pro League Season 17, filing a complaint due to a comedic segment that made fun of their team’s poor performances.
Shutdown
After 2023, Evil Geniuses still maintained a VALORANT roster, but after not being included as one of Riot Games’ four partners, have decided to shut down operations.
They follow in the footsteps of their old regional rival, Complexity Gaming, no longer an active brand in esports.
