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| (Image Source: Inven Global/Phygital International) |
UFL is set to return to the global stage as the official title for the digital phase of Phygital Football at the Games Of The Future (GOTF) 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The collaboration brings a competitive, skill-driven football experience to one of the event’s most popular disciplines. Designed for high-performance play, UFL emphasizes fairness, precision, and player control – key attributes for elite competition in a format that blends digital gameplay with real-world athletic performance. Teams will compete in UFL before transitioning to a live 5v5 match on the pitch, with combined results determining the winner. By integrating UFL into Phygital Football, the Games of the Future strengthens the connection between virtual and physical performance, underscoring the growing role of next-generation football titles in shaping hybrid sport.
The Phygital Football competition will take place on August 4–9, 2026 at the Athletics Sports Complex “Qazaqstan”, one of Astana’s premier venues for elite competition, where teams will compete for a total prize pool of US$625,000. As the competition builds momentum on and off the pitch, this announcement highlights the Games of the Future’s drive to unite leading gaming partners and football organizations in creating a new global standard for phygital competition. Phygital International Publisher Relations and IP Licensing Lead William Al-Badeesh said, “When you're building a phygital competition, the game title isn't just a licensing decision, it's a sporting one. UFL's emphasis on player control and true competitive balance means the digital stage genuinely reflects ability, not game mechanics. That's what makes it the right title for Phygital Football, and why we're bringing it back to a bigger stage in Astana.” Phygital Football has firmly established itself as one of the prominent disciplines within the Games Of The Future. At GOTF 2025 in Abu Dhabi, it emerged as a clear standout by drawing an average of 6,500 daily entries and generating 87.6 million cumulative views across streaming platforms. As it returns for GOTF 2026, the discipline builds on this momentum of driving excitement and shaping the future of sport. “This is another important step for UFL’s competitive and esports ecosystem. We’re excited to continue supporting a format where digital gameplay and real-world football performance come together while giving players and clubs an opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages in phygital sport,” said Strikerz Inc. CEO Eugene Nashilov.
With just under two months to go until GOTF 2026 in Astana, the Phygital Football roster is steadily coming together. Teams to have secured direct qualification – CD Holcattes (Guatemala), Peñarol (Uruguay), and Orlando Pirates (South Africa) – will compete alongside last year’s champions Mexico Quetzales Armadillos FC who will be looking to retain their crown while the final spots in the competition will be decided at Phygital Contenders 2026 Astana, set to be held on June 10–15, 2026, where clubs from Cyprus, Brazil, Peru and more will battle for their slots at GOTF 2026. Phygital Football is one of eight disciplines at the GOTF 2026 where more than 900 participants from over 50 nationalities are expected to compete for a total prize pool of over US$4M (4 million US dollars). Set to take place in Astana this summer, the event is also expected to welcome over 100,000 fans across its venues. Further details on participating teams, qualification pathways, and broadcast information will be available soon on the official GOTF web page at gofuture.games. Fans can also watch highlights from the Games Of The Future 2025 via Phygital+, Phygital International’s dedicated Direct-to-Consumer platform accessible thru tv.gofuture.games.
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PH Teams Sweep The Podium In Call Of Duty®: Mobile – Garena Summer Festival 2026
| (Image Source: PinoyGamer.ph/Garena) |
Call Of Duty®: Mobile – Garena has officially concluded its Summer Festival 2026, marking a milestone weekend for the local and regional Call Of Duty: Mobile (CODM) scenes. Held at the SMX Aura Convention Center in Manila last May 23-24, 2026, the two-day event staged the Grand Finals of the Garena Elite Philippines (GEP) and the regional Garena Summer Invitational (GSI), welcoming close to 4,000 attendees and reaching nearly 50,000 peak concurrent viewers across official broadcast channels.
The tournament weekend featured a combined prize pool of over US$100,000 across GEP and GSI competitions. The weekend's defining narrative was the Philippines' dominant performance on the regional stage. GSI 2026 brought together top teams from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and the Philippines, culminating in an impressive all-Philippine podium finish. Defending home soil, ELEVATE claimed the Championship title and secured its third consecutive GSI crown, followed by Alula SC in second place and Team Star Magic in third, reinforcing the Philippines' position as one of the leading forces in the regional CODM competitive landscape. With their Top 2 finishes, ELEVATE and Alula SC also secured direct qualification to the Group Stage of the Call Of Duty: Mobile World Championship 2026 Garena Qualifiers. Simultaneously, Summer Festival 2026 marked a major milestone for the domestic competitive scene through GEP 2026 which featured the first-ever official offline LAN Battle Royale (BR) tournament for CODM in the Philippines. LEAP UNBOUND emerged victorious to claim the inaugural LAN BR championship while SKAERI showcased dominant tactical execution to secure the Multiplayer (MP) title. Beyond the competition, the festival brought together the wider CODM community through live performances, creator appearances, fan meet-and-greets, merchandise giveaways, and interactive on-ground activities across the two-day event. Fans also gathered to meet popular CODM personalities and creators including Myrtle, Patsy, Sharlene, and Doc Z who performed "In the Zone" during the opening ceremony.
Summer Festival 2026 was made possible through the strong support of key brand partners Shopee and Infinix, the tournament's official gaming phone partner featuring the NOTE 60 Series. Throughout the weekend, fans enjoyed interactive booth activities, community games, exclusive Shopee vouchers, merchandise giveaways, and on-ground experiences while members of the championship-winning GEP and GSI teams were awarded brand new Infinix smartphones as part of the celebration. With the curtains closing on a successful Summer Festival 2026, Filipino players and fans can look forward to a diverse lineup of competitive, community, and creator-focused CODM initiatives in the months ahead as Garena continues investing in the growth of the local ecosystem. Upcoming initiatives include the return of Garena Masters 11 in July, the Philippines Collegiate Championship beginning in August, and the BR major Garena Survivors in September, alongside an all-new series of Community Gladiators rolling out across the third quarter. Players can also expect new in-game content, with the highly anticipated Persona 5 Royal collaboration recently teased across official Call Of Duty: Mobile – Garena channels. More details will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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Riot Games PH Reveals Php1M Prize Pool For Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open 2026 And Path To SMASH 2026
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| (Image Source: Pinoy Gaming Network/Riot Games Philippines) |
Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open returns with a more welcoming and equally rewarding tournament experience, featuring a whopping Php1,000,000 prize pool. The tournament champions will take home the lion's share of Php500,000, Php250,000 for second placers, and Php125,000 for third placers while the country's top players then earn the chance to represent the Philippines at Riot Games' cross-regional competition and celebration of the Wild Rift community event – SMASH 2026 in South Korea this November.
Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open is a community first-initiative and part of the broader Wild Rift competitive ecosystem. It focuses on strengthening community participation by spotlighting local talent, anchoring on entertainment, and igniting Pinoy pride moments. "With the strong return of Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open this year, we remain committed to lowering the barriers to entry for aspiring grassroots communities to compete on an international level. And beyond this capstone tournament, we're building an even more inclusive and engaging local Wild Rift ecosystem to champion sustained connection and shared experiences among our Pinoy Wild Rift players and fans," said Wild Rift APAC Regional Community Lead Lara Antonio. The 2026 edition of Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open will be held in two splits nationwide with Split 1 now happening until July 12 where teams are divided into four groups which can be seen across Wild Rift's official social media pages. Group stage matches kick off across the weekends of June and July with Groups A and B competing on June 13-14, Groups C and D on June 20-21, Groups E and F on June 27-28, and Groups G and H on July 4-5. The top two of each group stage match will advance to the playoffs qualifiers on July 10-12. The top four teams from the playoffs qualifiers will advance to the final community playoffs in September while the bottom four must compete in Split 2's group matches.
The Split 2 registration period will open from July 13 until August 2. Split 2 qualifiers will take place on July 23-26 and the group stage matches during the weekends throughout August. This will all culminate during the Road to SMASH playoffs on September 25-27 where the top eight teams will go head-to-head for the chance to represent the Philippines in SMASH 2026. Riot Games PH, through Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open 2026, is also gearing up for influencer-led tournaments, creator activations and community events, bringing even more ways for fans and players to celebrate, compete, and connect with the Wild Rift community. Stay tuned for updates on all things Wild Rounds: Pilipinas Open by following Wild Rift's official Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts.
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Lineage W Officially Opens, Millions Of Players Eagerly Join The Race To Dominate Aden
| (Image Source: PinoyGamer.ph/NCV Games) |
At 9:00 am on May 27, 2026, Lineage W officially launched in the SEA market after a long period of intense anticipation from players. Even before the launch, the game had already achieved massive numbers: 3 million early registrations and more than 1 million pre-created characters. It goes without saying that the massive influx of players rushing into Lineage W in the first few minutes exceeded all expectations. From the huge number of players flooding in from across SEA, the dense presence of costumes from the six major factions in the game was immediately noticeable. These are the six exclusive SEA version skins, designed with inspiration from six real-world cultures, and were given as rewards for early registration.
With these exclusive SEA-inspired skins, Blood Pledge (guilds in Lineage W) began forming just around 30 minutes after launch. From the first few names, the list of newly created Blood Pledge grew rapidly, with many members joining. It seems that pre-organized gaming groups are now urgently executing their long-planned ambitions. The Ultimate Blood War among the six factions fighting for the throne has officially begun on the continent of Aden. From another perspective, players also started their own activities by continuously updating and reporting in-game situations on social media, YouTube, and especially the official Lineage W Facebook group where countless screenshots and videos capturing the lively atmosphere began appearing. At the same time, other players were sharing their personal progress, showing off their characters, or asking for gameplay tips. Hundreds of gamers are livestreaming Lineage W on YouTube, including streamers from Russia, showing that its appeal is not limited to the SEA region. The publisher further fueled the excitement with a series of in-game and out-of-game events. The World Level Ranking race and the Hall of Fame event, with many categories for both individuals and Blood Pledge, along with attractive rewards, have added even more motivation to the competition. Meanwhile, Blood Pledge members can perform daily check-ins to earn rewards, use the Pine Stick to summon bosses to train together in the Blood Pledge Training Grounds, and prepare for worldwide boss hunts following the Red Knight’s Raid Orders. Blood Pledge members can also collect Gold Tokens and register in the Blood Pledge Codex to receive weekly PvE combat buffs for all members. The more bosses a Blood Pledge defeats, the stronger the entire guild becomes! In particular, the first Blood Pledge to defeat the Death Knight will have its glory immortalized with a statue placed in the central square. All warriors who visit the monument can purchase powerful combat buffs, carrying the glory of the victorious into battle.
Lineage W has drawn huge attention from players through three grand 5-star showcases in the SEA market. With its dark-fantasy setting, unique power struggle, and the one-of-a-kind Blood Pledge system that binds players together through oaths of honor, players can experience collective cooperation on a whole new level. In addition, numerous convenient features are integrated such as auto-translation, offline play, and especially the PURPLE system, allowing players to enjoy smooth cross-platform gameplay anytime, anywhere. More information about and updates on Lineage W can be found on the game's official website, Facebook, Discord, and YouTube.
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Gravity Game Unite (GGU) Successfully Concludes OBT For PC MMORPG "Ragnarok Zero: Global"
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| (Image Source: ANTARA News/Gravity Game Unite) |
Gravity Game Unite (GGU), the Malaysian subsidiary of global gaming company Gravity, has successfully concluded the Open Beta Test (OBT) for its PC MMORPG Ragnarok Zero: Global. GGU conducted the OBT for Ragnarok Zero: Global last May 20-28, 2026, targeting users in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Through this OBT, the company verified overall gameplay quality, including server stability and optimization.
Ragnarok Zero: Global modernly recreates the classic charm of the original Ragnarok Online while differentiating itself with a new storyline expanded from the existing universe as well as changes to its growth structure and overall game progression. The game also provides a more comfortable play environment through upgraded UI/UX, auto-combat features, improved movement convenience, and expanded camera functions. Users who participated in the OBT responded positively overall, particularly praising the leveling system and localization quality. To support smooth gameplay for global users, GGU provided support for seven languages. In addition, players who participated in the OBT page attendance event received 20,000 Free Kafra Points once per day. Exclusive benefits available only during the OBT, including limited titles and limited costume items, were also provided to further encourage participation. User feedback collected through the OBT survey will be reflected in future tests. Ahead of the official launch, GGU plans to hold a Ragnarok Zero: Global user meetup in July to communicate directly with players. In particular, at the time of official launch, the game plans to introduce a global server across Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania, marking the first PC-based Ragnarok IP title to do so. This is expected to help activate cross-regional user communities. In addition, GGU plans to introduce a UGC (User-Generated Content) system that allows users to participate in creating in-game content.
"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all users from Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania who participated in the OBT. We plan to actively reflect the feedback received during this test into the game. We ask for your continued interest and support for Ragnarok Zero: Global until its official launch," said GGU President Harry Choi. Meanwhile, GGU is currently holding pre-registration for Ragnarok Zero: Global. Players who pre-register will receive special in-game rewards after launch. More details can be found on the pre-registration page at https://roz.mygnjoy.com/en/event/prereservation.
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The Pokémon Company International Announces Mobile Release Date For Pokémon Champions And Unveils New In-Game Features
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| (Image Source: THE MAGIC RAIN/The Pokémon Company International) |
The Pokémon Company International recently announced that Pokémon Champions will launch on iOS and Android devices starting June 17, 2026. Pre-registration for the mobile app version of Pokémon Champions is now open, bringing Pokémon battles to an even wider audience. Players can pre-register via the iOS App Store and Google Play Store ahead of the global release.
To celebrate the mobile launch, The Pokémon Company will introduce a special in-game campaign featuring Raichu. From June 17 to September 2, players can receive Raichu, Raichunite X, and Raichunite Y by checking their in-game mailbox. These rewards will be available in both the Nintendo Switch and mobile app versions of the game. During the event, players will be able to Mega Evolve Raichu using the newly introduced Mega Stones. When holding Raichunite X, Raichu can Mega Evolve into Mega Raichu X while holding Raichunite Y enables Mega Evolution into Mega Raichu Y. Raichu may also be obtained through other methods, and these Mega Stones may become available through the in-game shop or other features at a later date. In addition, The Pokémon Company revealed details about the abilities of Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y in Pokémon Champions. Mega Raichu X, the Electric-type Mouse Pokémon, features the Ability Electric Surge, which turns the battlefield into Electric Terrain for five turns upon entering battle. While Electric Terrain is active, Pokémon on the ground experience a 30% boost to Electric-type moves and cannot fall asleep. Mega Raichu Y, also an Electric-type Mouse Pokémon, has the Ability No Guard, ensuring that all moves used by and against it will hit with 100% accuracy.
Pokémon Champions is a free-to-start title (with optional in-game purchases) that focuses on delivering engaging and accessible Pokémon battle experiences. The game supports cross-platform play between Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, allowing players to enjoy complex, strategy-driven battles seamlessly across systems. An internet connection is required to play, and players can access their save data across devices by logging in with the same Nintendo Account. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch version is already available via Nintendo eShop including a free update for Nintendo Switch 2. With its upcoming mobile release, cross-platform functionality, and exciting Mega Evolution mechanics, Pokémon Champions aims to expand the Pokémon battle experience and welcome players of all skill levels to compete anytime, anywhere. For more information on Pokémon Champions including details on gameplay, services, and updates, please visit the game's official website at champions.pokemon.com.
