Evil Geniuses to shut down all operations, entire VALORANT roster to be released

Right after being left out of the VCT partnership program for the 2027 season, Evil Geniuses have announced they will cease all "competitive and day-to-day operations effective November 2, 2026."

After more than 25 years in esports, Evil Geniuses have made the difficult decision to shut down entirely. For VALORANT, more specifically, this means the departure of a team that reached both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during its almost 6 years in the scene.

Evil Geniuses to release entire VALORANT roster

As per their own announcement, the decision to cease all operations means that every player on the Evil Geniuses VALORANT roster has been allowed to speak to other organizations in order to find a new place to call home. Moreover, the entire lineup — currently composed of Douglas "dgzin" Silva, Banh "bao" Bao, Javan "zerona" Varela, Jake "Paincakes" Hass, Phat "supamen" Le — will officially become free agents on November 2.

Looking past the players, this is a rough bit of news for Head Coach Christine "Potter" Chi after more than 5 years spearheading the Evil Geniuses project in VALORANT. By her hand, EG managed to become World Champions after coming away with the trophy at VCT 2023 - Champions.

Since then, though, the team hasn't been able to qualify for an international tournament again, often finishing in last place in the Americas as they struggled to remain competitive.

Why are Evil Geniuses shutting down?

According to their statement on X, Evil Geniuses made the decision to cease all operations due to the fact that "business cannot be operated responsibly in the current environment." Riot Games' decision to leave Evil Geniuses outside of their partnership program for the revamped VCT 2027 season, paired with "limited sponsorship and the rising cost of competing at the top level," must have left EG with no clear path forward.

When it comes to esports, Evil Geniuses as an organization has been there since the very beginning. As such, they couldn't leave without first leaving a message to the fans:

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.

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Featured Image Source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games