Evil Geniuses

Humble Origins in a Cyber Cafe

Evil Geniuses traces its roots to a Quake clan formed in 1997 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The original roster, which included players like Dakine, MikeJ, and Killboy, played from the Underground Onramp, the first cyber cafe in Victoria. This location provided a crucial advantage, a T1 internet connection, while most of the world was still on dial-up, making the clan a popular hub on the emerging West Coast gaming circuit. The clan members, including the EG girls Jasp and Mystique who were featured in Wired Magazine, would spar with players from other clans like DR, which included the world's first pro gamer, Thresh.

When the Underground Onramp closed shortly after the advent of home broadband, most of the Canadian roster moved into new careers, some in game development. The American members of the clan, however, continued to build the organization. The official founding of the Evil Geniuses organization is recorded as 1999. Philadelphia native Alex Garfield, who would become the organization's long-time CEO, started working for the team in 2004.

Strategic Expansion Across Major Esports

Under Garfield's leadership, Evil Geniuses began a deliberate expansion into new competitive titles. In 2007, it entered World of Warcraft Arena by acquiring a team, achieving success including winning the 2007 US Arena Championship and placing third at the BlizzCon world championship. On April 12, 2008, EG acquired its first Defense of the Ancients roster from team eMg. A year later, on April 25, 2009, it entered StarCraft: Brood War by recruiting top American players like Geoff iNcontroL Robinson.

The launch of StarCraft II in 2010 triggered another wave of signings, with EG bringing in prominent American player Gregory IdrA Fields and commentator Nick Tasteless Plott on September 9. In a controversial move that October, EG acquired the brand of fellow organization Loaded, though the deal primarily involved sponsors and a Heroes of Newerth squad. Also in 2010, EG expanded into fighting games by signing Justin Wong and Martin Marn, soon adding other stars like Ricki Ortiz and Japanese players Yusuke Momochi and Yuka Chocoblanka Kusachi.

Roster Turmoil and Key Acquisitions

The early 2010s were a period of constant roster movement. In March 2011, long-time member Manuel Grubby Schenkhuizen and division manager Tasteless departed. The Heroes of Newerth squad left for SK Gaming in July due to sponsorship issues. That same month, EG signed Korean StarCraft champion Ho Joon PuMa Lee, and soon after, top Canadian player Chris HuK Loranger left Team Liquid to join EG. By October, those StarCraft players moved to a partner Korean team, SlayerS.

EG returned to Dota 2 in October 2011 by signing a squad that included Clinton Fear Loomis and Jimmy DeMoN Ho. On December 5, 2012, it made a major signing in StarCraft: Brood War, bringing in the noted Zerg player Lee Jae-Dong. In January 2013, EG expanded into League of Legends by signing a former European team, but the squad disbanded due to extremely poor results. The organization also dismissed its long-standing Counter-Strike squad in January 2012, though player Jordan n0thing Gilbert stayed on to produce content.

Championship Era and Corporate Changes

Evil Geniuses entered a period of significant competitive success and corporate evolution. In December 2014, its parent company, GoodGame Agency, was acquired by the streaming platform Twitch, placing EG under Amazon's ownership. During this time, its players won major titles. The Dota 2 team's victory at The International 2015 came with a prize of over $6.6 million, the largest in esports history at the time. The Call of Duty team won the 2018 Call of Duty Championship.

In fighting games, Yusuke Momochi won the 2014 Capcom Cup and, in a controversial grand finals at Evolution 2015, won the title despite a hardware failure with his arcade stick. The organization also fielded teams in other titles, launching a Halo squad in November 2014 and entering Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege in November 2017 by signing the former Continuum roster.

In December 2016, EG and Alliance became player-owned organizations, with American Dota 2 player Peter ppd Dager named CEO of Evil Geniuses. In early 2017, ppd announced changes, disbanding the StarCraft II division and revamping the fighting game team, which included adding NYChrisG while players like Justin Wong and Momochi departed.

The PEAK6 Acquisition and New Ventures

In May 2019, the Chicago-based investment company PEAK6 acquired Evil Geniuses. Around this acquisition, the organization made several strategic moves in new games. It entered Fortnite Battle Royale in April 2019 by signing two players. In a significant return, EG re-entered Counter-Strike in September 2019 by signing the entire roster of NRG Esports, which shockingly won its first big event together, ESL One New York 2019.

EG also entered the Smash Bros. scene in March 2017 and returned to Rocket League in September 2021, signing a European roster called German Amigos. However, the organization exited Rainbow Six Siege in April 2020 by releasing its team and left Rocket League in January 2023. These entries and exits showed a constant strategic evaluation of its competitive portfolio.

The Improbable Valorant Champions Run

Evil Geniuses entered Valorant on January 27, 2021, with its first roster. In September 2022, it was selected as a partner team for the Valorant Champions Tour Americas League. The 2023 season began disastrously, with a 1-4 record and even a historic 0-13 loss on a map against LOUD. Facing elimination, EG overhauled its roster, moving player Brendan BcJ Jensen to the reserve team and promoting Max Demon1 Mazanov to the starting lineup.

This change sparked a major turnaround. The team narrowly secured a playoff spot, then performed well enough to qualify for both the Masters Tokyo event and the 2023 Valorant Champions tournament. At Masters Tokyo, EG defeated the champions of the Americas and Pacific leagues, LOUD and Paper Rex, to achieve a second-place finish. At the Champions event, EG began a flawless run until the upper finals, where it lost a close overtime map to Paper Rex. Sent to the lower bracket, EG then clinched a narrow 3-2 win against defending champions LOUD to advance to the grand finals for a rematch with Paper Rex. There, Evil Geniuses won the series 3-1, completing an unexpected run to become the first North American team to win Valorant Champions.

Following the victory, most of the championship roster disbanded after being offered pay cuts or the chance to explore options. Only player jawgemo and coach Potter remained. The organization rebuilt for 2024, but after failing to qualify for international events in 2024, it signed star player Jaccob yay Whiteaker for 2025. For the 2026 season, EG underwent another rebuild, bringing back 2023 champion Corbin C0M Lee and signing new talent for a fresh start.

Partnerships and Enduring Legacy

Evil Geniuses has secured commercial partnerships that reflect its stature in the industry. In March 2021, it partnered with American apparel company POINT3. The following month, it announced a partnership with cryptocurrency company Coinbase. In May 2023, it partnered with crypto casino Thunderpick.

From its beginnings in a Canadian cyber cafe to its status as a multi-game world champion owned by a major investment firm, Evil Geniuses has demonstrated considerable longevity. Its history is defined by strategic expansion into new games, the acquisition of top players, and the ability to win the biggest trophies under pressure, confirming its place as a foundational pillar of modern esports.