Katana Gaming Closes Amid UK Esports Investment Woes

Katana Gaming shuts down due to UK esports investment issues, while GIANTX revamps its roster for VCT.

Katana Gaming, a UK-based esports team, has announced its closure, attributing the decision to a lack of investment in the UK esports scene. The team plans to participate in upcoming events before officially ceasing operations, marking a significant moment in the UK esports landscape.

In contrast, GameSquare Holdings, a Texas-based digital media and esports company, has formed a strategic partnership with Spain`s GGTech Entertainment. This collaboration aims to enhance esports events, including the highly anticipated GAMERGY 2026 festival in Dallas, Texas. With GAMERGY attracting nearly 200,000 attendees in its previous editions, this partnership seeks to leverage GGTech`s collegiate esports expertise alongside GameSquare`s event production capabilities to elevate the esports culture.

Meanwhile, European esports organization GIANTX has made notable roster changes in its VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA Stage 1 campaign. The team has parted ways with initiator Emil ‘runneR’ Trajkovski and duelist Tomás ‘tomaszy’ Machado, bringing in Karel ‘Flickless’ Maeckelbergh and Hanceriuc ‘ara’ Eduard-George from UCAM Esports. This strategic move comes as GIANTX aims to improve its performance, having secured only one series win thus far.

Looking ahead, the Esports World Cup 2025 has confirmed its schedule, featuring 24 events across seven weeks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a staggering $70 million prize pool. Notably, VALORANT will make its debut at this prestigious event, highlighting the growing diversity in esports disciplines.

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