Evil Geniuses has announced that it will end both its competitive and day-to-day operations on November 2. The date coincides with the official end of VCT's 2026 contracts and the start of free agency ahead of the 2027 season.
CEO Chris DeAppolonio said the organization had tried to keep going, including by stabilizing operations, expanding into other titles and growing its creator roster. He cited limited sponsorship and the rising cost of competing at the top level as the reasons for the shutdown.
The announcement came shortly after the eighth and final VCT Americas slot in the next partnership cycle was revealed, leaving no place for EG as a partnered organization in 2027. All players can speak with other organizations immediately, and all VALORANT players and coaches will be free agents once the season ends on November 2. This also applies to Evil Geniuses Academy, which was formed earlier this year and last competed in the FunHaver circuits on October 3.
EG leaves behind a notable legacy. It is described as the first North American organization to lift an international trophy in the modern era of VALORANT and the first to win a Champions trophy in the partnership era. It entered VALORANT in 2021 with Temperature, ALEKSANDAR, Osias, clawdia and potter, who later that year became the team's second and last head coach.
Founded in 1999, the organization was active in at least 20 titles. Its Rocket League, Dota 2, Counter-Strike and League of Legends teams were all disbanded by 2024, leaving VALORANT as its only active title in recent times. The final roster consisted of Paincakes, supamen, bao, dgzin and zerona, with manager pho, head coach potter and assistant coach Faded.