Riot Games, in association with Aftermath Ventures, has officially concluded the inaugural Legends Ascend South Asia, with S8UL Esports emerging victorious after four months of intense competition. The win secures them the coveted spot at the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) Wild Card Playoffs, set to take place between August 28 to August 31, where they will face top teams from across the region for a chance at LCP 2026 promotion.

Legends Ascend South Asia, announced in April 2025, set out to provide a structured, competitive platform for the region’s League of Legends talent. With a total prize pool of INR 10,00,000, the tournament brought together 95 teams from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan, competing across three open qualifiers, a round robin league stage, and double-elimination playoffs.

The tournament kicked off with three open-registration qualifiers held from April to May, producing nine standout teams: S8UL Esports, Kakao Gaming, PnX ASCENSION, Revenants, SUVO HATERS, Jetfire’s Dojo, Syndicate, Poro Patrol, and Report Precog Gaming. These teams advanced to the Round Robin Stage in June and July, where S8UL Esports, Kakao Gaming, Revenants, and Syndicate emerged as the top four to enter the playoffs.

The Double Elimination Playoffs in July and August delivered high-stakes best-of-three and best-of-five clashes, with S8UL Esports displaying consistency, adaptability, and fearless drafting en route to the championship title. The final standings were:

1. S8UL Esports – Champions (Advance to LCP Wild Card Playoffs)

2. Kakao Gaming

3. Revenants

Spanning over 29 broadcast days, Legends Ascend South Asia generated more than 1.3 lakh YouTube views and attained a reach of over 7 lakh through the Aftermath Ventures’ FragNation channel. The event also saw 12 community watch parties across the region, amassing an additional 1.25 lakh views from grassroots fan hubs.

Speaking on the conclusion of the tournament, Arun Rajappa, Country Manager, India & South Asia, Riot Games, said: “Legends Ascend was about discovery, growth, and empowering the South Asian League esports landscape by providing them with a structured pathway to compete alongside global talents. Seeing S8UL lift the trophy after such a grueling journey is a testament to the depth of talent here, and we couldn’t be more excited for them as they head to the LCP Wild Card Playoffs.”

Mansoor ‘Nabu’ Ahmed, Founder & CEO, Aftermath Ventures, added: “From the first qualifier to the final game, Legends Ascend showcased what South Asia’s League of Legends community is capable of. The passion from players, fans, and watch-party hosts has been incredible. Congratulations to S8UL Esports for not just winning, but setting an example for the next generation of players in the region.”

As S8UL Esports prepares to represent South Asia at the LCP Wild Card Playoffs, the success of Legends Ascend South Asia underscores Riot Games’ long-term vision of building sustainable competitive pathways for amateur players in the region.

Fans can relive all the action from Legends Ascend South Asia on the FragNation YouTube channel, and follow Riot Games India & South Asia for updates on the region’s next big competitive milestones.

VIP Play, a leader in AI-driven sports entertainment, has announced a new partnership with Vokol (formerly Staked AI) to bring immersive, hyper-personalised audio experiences to sports fans worldwide.

“VIP Play is committed to redefining how fans connect with the sports and entertainment they love. Partnering with Vokol, a leader in AI-powered audio creation, allows us to create immersive, hyper-personalized audio experiences that bring our fans closer to the action than ever before. Together, we’re combining cutting-edge technology with authentic storytelling to deliver the next generation of fan engagement,” said Les Ottolenghi, CEO of VIP Play.

Vokol’s AI-powered audio platform revolutionises the way sports content is created and delivered. By leveraging automation, intelligent scriptwriting, conversational AI voices and streamlined distribution, Vokol helps teams, leagues, betting and fantasy platforms, and creators produce high-quality, on-brand audio in seconds.

“Our team is excited to partner with VIP Play as they embrace the future of AI in sports betting. Vokol blends automation with fan-focused authenticity, delivering tailor-made audio that drives results. Our personalized audio content creation platform fits seamlessly into VIP Play’s forward-thinking approach to AI-enhanced fan experiences. This partnership comes at a great time as we launch our latest platform updates,” said Chris Shreeve, Co-Founder and Head of Growth at Vokol.

This partnership underscores both companies’ shared commitment to innovation, personalisation and enhancing the way fans experience sports. By merging VIP Play’s vision for AI-driven engagement with Vokol’s cutting-edge audio technology, the two companies are setting a new standard for how sports content is delivered, consumed and enjoyed, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before.

TipRanks, a leading financial research platform with more than 9 million monthly active users, has announced a strategic sponsorship with Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, a 5-time US Chess Champion who is currently ranked 2nd in the world. Powered by a new set of AI tools, the partnership is designed to help investors make better, data-driven decisions through the combination of TipRanks’ cutting-edge tools and Nakamura’s strategic mindset.

As part of the partnership, Nakamura will create and manage a Stream Portfolio on TipRanks. Viewers and fans of Hikaru will be able to track his investment research in real time on his widely followed video channels and social media — plus share ideas in the stream chat to help shape the portfolio’s holdings. Working with TipRanks’ award-winning platform, Nakamura will showcase how he evaluates opportunities, while emphasizing that all content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

Nakamura’s dominance in chess stems from his ability to absorb vast amounts of information, analyze multiple outcomes and make decisive moves under pressure—skills that closely mirror successful investing.

“TipRanks offers a wide variety of insights on thousands of stocks and equities, helping me to think strategically about all of my investments. Just like in chess, beating the market depends on making wise, fully informed decisions. Harnessing data to think several moves ahead is second nature to me,” said Nakamura.

“While other investing websites might sponsor more popular spectator sports such as soccer, our partnership with a chess champion is pitch perfect. We are tailor-made for investors who seek to act strategically, just like Hikaru does,” said Uri Gruenbaum, Founder and CEO of TipRanks.