Edward Gaming

Founding and Early League of Legends Dominance

Edward Gaming was founded in September 2013 by SanShao, BingGui, and Edward Zhu, the latter being the namesake and eldest son of Zhu Mengyi, founder of the real estate company Hopson Development. The organization entered professional League of Legends by acquiring the LPL slot of the departing LMQ team. Their first signings in February 2014 included AD carry NaMei and jungler ClearLove, quickly forming a roster considered a super team.

EDG's dominance was immediate. They won the 2014 LPL Spring Split on May 25, then followed up by winning the 2014 LPL Summer Split, defeating OMG in the final on August 24. Beyond the LPL, they were consistently top two in every major tournament they entered that year, including victories at the International Esports Tournament in Yiwu, the X Championship, the NVIDIA Game Festival, G-League 2014, and the Demacia Cup Season 2. They secured China's first seed for the 2014 World Championship by winning the China Regional Finals on September 7.

Their first Worlds appearance was a disappointment, as they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by fellow LPL team Star Horn Royal Club. In response, EDG made major offseason moves, signing world-class talents Deft and PawN from the Samsung Galaxy organizations in November and December 2014. These signings set the stage for international success.

International Breakthrough and Sustained LPL Success

The 2015 season delivered EDG's first global trophy. After winning the 2015 LPL Spring Split, they qualified for the inaugural Mid-Season Invitational. There, they beat the South Korean team SK Telecom T1 in the finals to become the first MSI champions. This victory was a landmark moment for the LPL. However, their 2015 World Championship run ended again in the quarterfinals, this time with an 0-3 loss to Europe's Fnatic.

Domestic success remained a constant. EDG won the LPL Summer title in 2016, though they lost the Spring final to Royal Never Give Up (RNG). They added another LPL Summer championship in 2017, defeating RNG in the final. This period also saw them set a record by winning five consecutive Demacia Cup tournaments from 2015 to 2017. Despite their LPL skill, Worlds continued to be a hurdle, with a quarterfinal loss to ROX Tigers in 2016 and a group stage exit in 2017 with a 2-4 record.

The team faced a significant slump in 2020, placing ninth in the LPL Summer Split and missing playoffs entirely, their worst domestic performance. This made their 2021 resurgence more notable.

The 2021 World Championship Victory

EDG's 2021 season culminated in the greatest achievement in the organization's history. After winning the LPL Summer Split, they qualified for the 2021 World Championship. There, they made history by becoming the first team ever to win the world title while playing three full best-of-five series in the knockout stage. Their victory confirmed their place as the only LPL team to have won both the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship. They returned to Worlds in 2022 but finished 5th-8th after suffering a reverse sweep loss to DRX, only the second such loss in the tournament's history at that time.

VALORANT: From Debut to World Champions

EDG's foray into VALORANT began with their international debut at the 2022 Valorant Champions in Istanbul, where the original roster including Haodong, CHICHOO, and ZmjjKK placed 13th-16th. The duelist ZmjjKK immediately stood out for his mechanical skill. For the 2023 season, Smoggy joined the starting lineup, and the team began to find consistency. They qualified for international Masters events in Tokyo and Los Angeles, placing 5th-6th at both the 2023 Masters and the 2023 Valorant Champions.

The 2024 season was a story of adaptation and triumph. After winning the China Kickoff and placing 5th-6th at Masters Madrid, the team struggled early in the domestic Stage 2. This prompted major changes: longtime in-game leader Haodong was replaced, and new players S1mon and WoodAy1 were integrated, while assistant coach Muggle was promoted to head coach. The revamped squad stabilized, won China Stage 2, and qualified for the 2024 Valorant Champions in Seoul.

In Seoul, EDG managed a tough group with wins over FUT Esports and Paper Rex. In the playoffs, they went on an unstoppable upper bracket run, defeating Trace Esports, Sentinels, and Leviatán to reach the grand final. Facing Team Heretics, EDG won a dramatic 3-2 series to claim the world championship. This victory marked the first international title for the VCT China league, and star player ZmjjKK was awarded the tournament MVP.

The team carried this momentum into 2025. After an early loss in the China Kickoff event, they went on a lower bracket run, which included winning 30 consecutive rounds across matches against XLG Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming. They defeated Bilibili Gaming and then avenged their earlier loss by beating Trace Esports 3-1 in the grand final to win the VCT China Kickoff 2025 and qualify for Masters Bangkok.

Organization, Expansion, and Other Ventures

Beyond its flagship teams, EDG has explored numerous other esports. In January 2015, they started a Hearthstone division. A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division was established in January 2016. That same year, they also had a Heroes of the Storm team that finished as runners-up in the GHL Storm Hero Gold Finals before the project was suspended in June.

In 2017, the organization formally created a mobile gaming division, EDG.M, acquiring a championship roster. That July, EDG announced a strategic partnership with Tyloo to cultivate CS:GO talent in China, which later extended to a jointly owned PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds team. In October 2017, EDG partnered with Lyon Esports to establish Lyon China for competition in FIFA Online 3.

Financially, EDG confirmed its standing with a significant Pre-A round of financing in May 2018, raising nearly 100 million yuan with lead investment from the China Idol Entertainment Industry Fund. The League of Legends team, officially called EDG Hycan, plays its home games at the Shanghai Electric Industrial Park.

Honours and Legacy

Edward Gaming's trophy cabinet is among the most impressive in Chinese esports. In League of Legends, they are six-time LPL champions (2014 Spring, 2014 Summer, 2015 Spring, 2016 Summer, 2017 Summer, 2021 Summer) and five-time Demacia Cup winners. Their international honours include the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational and the 2021 World Championship.

In VALORANT, their domestic dominance is shown by four VCT China wins (2024 Kickoff, Stage 1, Stage 2, and 2025 Kickoff), in addition to earlier wins in the China Evolution Series. Their crowning achievement is the 2024 Valorant Champions title.

EDG is remembered for pioneering success. They broke the Korean dominance of League of Legends by winning MSI 2015 and later achieved the ultimate prize in 2021. In VALORANT, they quickly established China from a new region to a world champion. This consistent ability to compete at the highest level across two major global esports confirms EDG's role as a foundational pillar of competitive gaming in China.