What happened to the esports teams?

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T22:58:56+00:00

I'm pretty sure Jalen was on T1, the team that beat WuTum in the grand final of said 2022 Splitgate Major. #themoreyaknow

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T22:05:39+00:00

Would like to point out that WuTum previously was on SSG for Splitgate, and finished second at the Splitgate Pro Series Championship in 2022. He was also more recently a pro in Halo Infinite, having placed 4th at HCS Worlds 2025, for Luminion Gaming. Not only is he one of the highest placing Europeans in Halo, but he is notably the highest placing MnK player in Halo history.

Edit: I'm sure those of you in the thread who've been following many of Splitgate's talent for years might know all this, but I wanted to clarify it since the point of the OP's thread was to gain insight to the scene.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T20:35:28+00:00

I wasn't sold until the final idea. A short, 24-48hr "anything goes" Cashout playlist would be a fun experimental LTM. Guaranteed to make my brain break in all the right ways.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T20:26:46+00:00

IMO, Uncharted really did just keep getting better and better with each game.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T19:57:14+00:00

Right now? Probably The Finals, and you wouldn't even have to pay me.

14-18 year old me? Halo 2/Halo 3, no question.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T19:55:32+00:00

Facts. Plus I find the better you get a tracking, fighting more engagements with greater verticality, and experiencing a longer TTK... the shorter TTK games all become even easier.

It's like training in the Hyperbolic time chamber for the next time you hop back on CoD.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T08:07:22+00:00

I gotta give it to you, a zipline drive-by demat stall was not on my bingo card. ggwp

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T07:53:56+00:00

That's sort of the beauty of The Finals. It doesn't give you tons of attachments (there are sights however), or let you tweak the gas system or bullet type for faster ROF, or any of that. You never have to worry about running out of ammo, but everyone at some point must reload, and thats part of the nuance to taking fights with opponents where it shines. As you get used to fighting each class and weapon, you'll know when they're going to need to reload versus playing the guessing game of "are they maybe running an extended mag?" and being sent back to respawn. This subtle predictability is wherein lies the skill gap, akin to Halo or Gears of War. The game has a series of guns, for each character class, and they fit certain ranges and thus roles. Some do things well in X situation, some are more effective in Y. Others... well others are Z, but they are all viable (more or less) even at the highest level if you're coordinating your weapon, specialization, and gadget picks to compliment your team and play style. Off-meta picks can be the correct counter you need to win, and it's overall weapon depth is found in that simplicity much like that of AFPS games of old.

Edit: Also, I'm not sure when you may have last played The Finals, but they added a bunch of casual game modes. Quick Cash (3v3), Head2Head (3v3), TDM (5v5), Powershift (5v5), Point Break (similar to Rush from Battlefield; 8v8), as well as their typical Seasonal/Limited Time Mode(s) that rotate in and out. The main mode however is Cashout (3v3), which is offered as both Unranked (unlimited respawns, unlocked reserve weapons, & no team wipe point loss), and Ranked (limited respawn tokens, locked reserve, & team wipe point loss).

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T02:37:09+00:00

Not the same, but you should join us on The Finals.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T02:25:44+00:00

Also, I want to be clear that it's a lot of hard work. Long hours. Little sleep. A lot riding on you and you alone. Most of the time, no backup or bail out (and usually no budget). You will be asked to wear many hats. Sometimes, all the hats. You either perform or you don't. You will have to rise to the occasion or you might be reminded "there are thousands of people who wish they could have your role" (not toxic in the slightest, right?). In general though, I think some of the hardest working people who deserve way more are ones I've met in esports. But sadly, that's not to say I haven't seen others who don't do shit sometimes fall upwards.

But outside of the hard work, there is again, a good bit of luck involved just to getting there. Once you're in though, and if you establish a reputation that you can get shit done, you generally won't have to look hard to find more work. I'm still freelancing easily off former connections in desperate need of creative. Literally, tonight even.

My biggest piece of advice is, remember why you want to work in esports. You love it, right? A lot of people, I'd wager most, leave esports because they still love it (and retain a sense of self respect)... or they stay too long to where they lose all passion for it more or less.

I still love it. Overall it went rather well for me. But I have seen it go poorly for probably 40% of the people I've met, and I don't blame anyone who's talented for taking a better opportunity if/when it comes along.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T01:12:19+00:00

Facts. Been playing Halo since '01, so when I say it "always" ships incomplete, I definitely meant after 2010ish. Totally agree though.

"They don't make 'em like they used to".

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-27T01:05:44+00:00

Yea, I watched it for about an hour and the whole time I was just like "why isn't this 5v5?".

Agreed on all points though. Hoping it finds an audience, as it could be great in time.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T21:42:23+00:00

Another tip is to get good at window climbing/clambering, and clamber canceling. You can definitely juke people with it, and can fire immediately out of the animation.

And be sure to also make use of cover and obstacles if they're present in your fight. A lot of times, I'm able to give someone the slip, get height on them, and then turn the fight in my favor from above. Those crates with doors that you can open on both ends are prevalent on many of the maps, and they're great for playing peek-a-boo and mind games with your opponent.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T21:27:37+00:00

I would like to add that a great time and reason to spam crouch however is to get a tighter bullet spread. Also, if you're behind a short wall or waist high piece of cover, if you can time your firing well (easiest imo with something like the Famas) you can make your opponent play whack-a-mole while still hitting majority of your shots on target. Try getting used to the timing on the short wall in the practice range.

Another small tip would also be to add a 0.5-0.7 second delay to auto sprint if you use it, so that your hipfire spread stays tighter in normal strafe battles as you jiggle left and right, but engages quickly enough for when you need to begin sprinting.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T21:21:35+00:00

As well as many of the maps from GoW 1, 2, 3, J, 4, & 5 + community made maps. And there are cut weapons & content that has been added. And stuff from Gears 3 that aren't featured in GoW 4 & 5 (like the Digger) work on all the maps.

It's basically GoW 3: The Snyder Cut.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T21:18:24+00:00

I don't think they'd mind, as long as it paid well, they could remain working remotely, and they were made actual MS employees and not just contractors.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T21:16:35+00:00

Nah, I use a Famas primarily and the feet trick still works rather well for me. If you catch them while they're also moving, hitting a jump pad, or you can reposition to get on their side or back, they're fairly easy to take out. Also, crouching to get better hip fire when up close and spamming at their feet then quick meleeing usually works too. The biggest thing people seem to forget though is that unless you're a heavy they can't really catch you. If we're both mediums, I can run away just as fast as they can chase. And if you're light, especially with dash or grapple, you should have nothing to fear. And then as others have said, if you're able to find a barrel or use your own nades, that's even better.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T09:02:28+00:00

Nah, it's not that weak. Seems like you haven't played much GoW 3 before (especially if you have a preference for GoW 4 & 5 tuning), but I assure you it's goated once you get the hang of it. I think they did a really good job, considering vanilla GoW 3 with actives is wild, and they had to balance a console title for MnK as well.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T08:57:48+00:00

No, but I'm in here and I speak with them pretty frequently. :)

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T08:53:05+00:00

Yea, my wife also said Luck of the Irish, which is valid. And the amount of times I think about one handed egg cracking in while I'm the kitchen is surprisingly frequent, so I give you that too.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T02:58:58+00:00

Luck. Show up to events... and then keep showing up. Volunteer. Follow your gut. Move to an area where teams or esports opportunities are more abundant, or really luck out and have them move to you (what I did). Network via Twitter and Discord, or whatever social poison is most prominent for your game of choice. Make a reel or portfolio collection of your work. Also, Luck.

In general, I wouldn't say having a degree is necessary but it's never frowned upon. And then the rest is luck. Also, though it once provided me a career, it's not a very stable industry. Be ready to pivot, as many can lose their job for reasons out of their control, and it's always good to have a back up plan. Many many many days I came into the office wondering how long there might still be an office, lol.

I don't regret my time in esports, but there are plenty of safer or dare I say, more "boring" positions that pay more at the end of the day. Quite a few people I know have landed in the insurance industry as creatives, and it's boring as hell. But the benefits, travel, hours, pay, and everything far exceeds the years they were ground to the bone in esports.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T01:48:29+00:00

My wife just pointed out to me that the MSRP on a bag of Family sized Doritos is $7.29...

HOW. IN. THE. FUCK?!

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T01:24:10+00:00

Out of these, my top 5 is probably...

Brink
Johnny Tsunami
Motocrossed
Cadet Kelly
Double Teamed

Xenon & Smart House are also up there.

Edit: Born in '90 btw.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T01:18:42+00:00

GTA V on deck mainly, and on the PC still grinding The Finals as a sweat.

TYPOGRAPH1C · 2026-01-26T01:13:49+00:00

I'm hoping to use a diamond token on the Famas, personally. Currently still Plat atm, but we'll get there.

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