Global Esports Ends Competitive Era After Pacific Title

On October 19, 2026, Indian esports organization Global Esports (GE) announced the complete shutdown of its competitive operations and the release of its entire VALORANT roster and staff. Founder and CEO Dr. Rushindra Sinha made the announcement via a video posted on social media, marking the end of nearly a decade in competitive esports and the beginning of a new chapter as GE Studios (also referred to as Global Esports Studio), with a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence.⁠

A Peak Year Ends Abruptly

Global Esports entered 2026 as India’s sole partnered team in Riot Games’ VCT Pacific league and closed the season as its champions. In September, the organization won VCT Pacific Stage 2 in Busan with a dramatic reverse sweep of Nongshim RedForce (3-2), coming back from a 0-2 deficit. The title secured their place as Pacific’s top seed for VALORANT Champions 2026 in Shanghai, where they made their first appearance, defeated 2024 world champions EDward Gaming, and exited in the group stage.⁠

The roster that delivered this success featured Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza, Go “UdoTan” Kyung-won, Savva “Kr1stal” Fedorov, Xavier “xavi8k” Juan, and Kale “Autumn” Dunne, with Daniel “Platoon” Zhou as head coach. Supporting staff included assistant coach Derren “Aimix” dela Cruz, analyst Sam “Fields” Greenfield, and manager Vatsal Uniyal. All players and staff were released as free agents.⁠

Why the Exit?

Sinha stated that the decision had been in motion since November 2025. When Riot Games inquired about GE’s future amid restructuring of the partnership system, he indicated that 2026 would most likely be the organization’s final year in esports. The new partnership cycle beginning in 2027 is reported to reduce the number of partner teams in Pacific (from ten toward eight) and alter the terms significantly. Sinha explained that continuing would have required running an entire organization primarily to keep one roster intact, an arrangement that risked collapse if even a single player departed and that limited opportunities for the players themselves.⁠

“We tried everything to keep this roster together; they deserved it more than anything or anyone else,” Sinha said. “This roster has been very, very close to my heart, but to run an entire organization just to keep a roster together did not make sense… With the new rules and everything that’s setting in, it didn’t make sense to continue an entire company just to keep the roster together, and it also didn’t make sense to steal away other future opportunities that the team would have.” He added that October 19 marked “the official last day of Global Esports as a competitive roster.”⁠

From Competitive Team to GE Studios

Rather than continuing in esports, Global Esports is transitioning into GE Studios. Sinha described the move as amplifying a decade of work in content, media, events, and community building through AI. “This is going to be the start of GE Studios. Everything we have done in the last decade is now going to be powered and amplified with AI. Artificial Intelligence is already changing how games get made, how stories get told, and how communities get built,” he stated. “We are ending our Esports chapter just so that we can pave the way for a brand new chapter.”⁠

The organization already operated an in-house production studio led by co-founder Mohit Israney, responsible for films, broadcasts, brand campaigns, and events. Past work includes the official anthem for Skyesports Champions Series (“South Asia Arise”), full production of the Free Fire Pro League 2021 (reportedly generating over 100 million social views), Fight Night events, Face Off showmatches, and various creator collaborations. The studio has accumulated hundreds of millions of content views and impressions across platforms.⁠

Founded in 2017 by Sinha and Mohit Israney, Global Esports grew into one of India’s most prominent organizations, fielding numerous rosters across multiple titles before focusing primarily on VALORANT after becoming a VCT Pacific partner. It was among the few Indian esports organizations to achieve sustained operations and profitability in a challenging market. The exit removes the only Indian partnered team from VCT Pacific at a time when the region is adjusting to structural changes in the competitive circuit.