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Esports has an excellent opportunity to cash in on nostalgia right now
Nostalgia within the gaming industry is a surefire way for developers and publishers to generate huge profits. In the majority of cases, the remaster or re-release of a popular title from years gone by generates huge interest among fans looking to take a trip down memory lane.
The launch of an old title rarely captures the attention of the esports scene, however, which always uses the most up-to-date iteration at high-profile tournaments. Despite this, releases of classic versions and ports of popular franchise entries now give competitive gaming an excellent chance to jump on the nostalgia bandwagon. forumteam.blog
League Classic has huge potential
During the finals of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), Riot Games unveiled League Classic, an iteration of the MOBA designed to serve as a greatest-hits celebration of its early years. Featuring 60 champions, old-school mechanics, and overpowered items, the game will be guided by a dedicated community voting system and a balance philosophy designed to keep the feeling of nostalgia alive.
Soon after Classic appeared, League of Legends’ esports scenes quickly capitalized on the potential of gaining huge attention by embarking on a trip down memory lane. The LCS will host a Classic showmatch between TSM and Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), one of North America’s most iconic rivalries.
One of the most iconic rivalries in North America
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) July 12, 2026
Join us at LCS CLASSIC – taking place on Friday, July 24
Keep an eye on our channels for roster revealspic.twitter.com/4Ti1IuPK1H
While Riot Games hasn’t revealed which players are returning to the big stage, the hype generated has already demonstrated the value of nostalgia in esports. The announcement post on social media garnered over 340,000 views and 3,000 likes from fans already formulating their dream rosters.
Former TSM top laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill is one of several former pros who competed during the era of League Classic, and he revealed that competing over a decade ago was one of the most enjoyable moments of his life.
“I got to live the dream, play against some of the best players in the world, and make a lot of memories with the people who helped make League what it was,” he revealed. “It’d be nice to see all the OGs again, give the longtime fans some nostalgia, and show the newer players that I wasn’t always washed.”
For fans of European League of Legends, the LEC is also hosting its own showmatch, with many members of the community wanting legendary names from Fnatic and G2 Esports to battle on Summoner’s Rift once again.
Without League Classic, the potential to reignite historic rivalries and provide retired players one last dance wouldn’t be possible.
A golden opportunity for Call of Duty
Nostalgia frequently appears in the Call of Duty franchise in the form of multiplayer maps and weaponry featured in the latest annual release. The launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered in 2016 also showed Activision’s awareness of the impact of a throwback and its ability to attract interest in its product.
A decade later, the publisher has decided to play the nostalgia card once more with PlayStation ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Their launches have surpassed expectations, overtaking the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 on the PlayStation charts and proving a healthy appetite for old-school Call of Duty action.
Black Ops 2 was a simpler time for Call of Duty esports. An open ecosystem where MLG, UMG, Gfinity, and EGL would host several tournaments across the season in addition to Champs, enabling both amateur and professional teams to compete in the same tournament. As a result, lesser-known teams managed to spring surprises against the established names, a feat rarely achieved thanks to the current split between the CDL and Challengers circuits.
Capturing the attention of longtime franchise fans presents the Call of Duty League (CDL) with an excellent opportunity to cash in on the Black Ops hype for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s Championship Weekend. The season-ending tournament for the 2025/26 season will see the best players in the world competing for huge prize money and a chance to lift Call of Duty’s biggest accolade. Alongside the main event, the CDL can use the Black Ops 2 port to its advantage.
The concept of a showmatch to generate hype before a Grand Final is nothing new in esports. With Champs also revealing this year’s All-Star rosters and the Team of the Year, a best-of-five using Black Ops 2, a title renowned for its competitive pedigree, is a surefire way of cashing in on the renewed interest of the community.
Esports rarely taps into earlier builds or titles that laid the foundation for what the scene has become today. With Riot Games already organizing show matches for League Classic and Activision opening the door for Call of Duty to run a similar initiative, taking an occasional trip down memory lane could help publishers recapture the attention of fans who may have drifted away from the world of competitive gaming.
The post Esports has an excellent opportunity to cash in on nostalgia right now appeared first on Esports Insider.
Jake: Lifting Webb Ellis Cup all that matters
Former Springbok boss Jake White argues that rugby’s fixation on the World Cup cycle has reshaped how coaches approach match preparation and squad development.
Writing for RugbyPass, White suggests that coaching decisions, contracts and team planning are now built almost entirely around a single six-week tournament every four years, rather than sustained performance in between.
“When I coached the Springboks, the All Blacks had been top dogs for about eight years but hadn’t won a World Cup,” he writes.
“The pundits and the scribes said, ‘it doesn’t matter about World Cups, they’re not the most important thing, it’s about being No 1 in the world’ but nowadays, everyone is working on World Cup cycles.
“It influences the selection of coaches, support staff, contracts, players you bring in, and the age-profile of squads.
“Everything is geared towards those six weeks every four years, where you hope your players are peaking and you have a squad primed to win seven consecutive games and lift the Webb Ellis Cup.”
MALLETT: Rassie’s got Bok balance spot-on
The 2007 World Cup-winning coach also notes that statistics increasingly distort how results are perceived, allowing coaches and analysts to shape favourable narratives regardless of the scoreboard.
He points to Scotland’s defeat at Loftus last week as an example, noting the Boks lost the territory and possession battle by significant margins yet still won comfortably, illustrating how heavily manipulated data can be to suit a particular story.
BISMARCK: ‘Players do things Rassie wants them to do’
White extends this into a broader argument about rugby’s ongoing search for a “perfect game”, outlining how law changes have handed defending teams more tools to turn possession over that makes it easier to win a match without controlling the ball for long periods.
Photo: @Springboks/X
The post Jake: Lifting Webb Ellis Cup all that matters appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Lions rugby team announce new arrivals
The Lions rugby team have announced a number of new signings who’ll join up with the team ahead of the 2026/27 domestic and international seasons.
The union recently reached their first United Rugby Championship quarter-final after finishing in the top eight after the league season. Mziwakhe Nkosi’s Currie Cup side also finished runners up in the Premier Division last year.
The new Currie Cup season gets underway this weekend, with the Lions hoping to go one better than last season.
URC head coach Ivan van Rooyen will, however, be most pleased with the addition of six players to the squad.
The big-name signing is that of former Springbok No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe. The experienced loose forward previously played for the Sharks, before moving to Montauban in France where he spent the last two years.
Lock Hyron Andrews, also a former Sharks man, will also be available for the Lions.
Boeta Chamberlain, another man who played for the Sharks after joining from the Western Province after school, has joined the Joburg team and will add depth at flyhalf and fullback.
Wing Dan Kasenda, lock JP du Preez and scrumhalf Asad Moos have also joined the Lions.
All these players are expected to be available immediately, for the start of the Currie Cup. The Lions get their campaign underway on Sunday, in Bloemfontein against the Cheetahs.
Ligue 1 : première recrue pour le promu Troyes avec Iron Gomis
Le milieu Iron Gomis devient la première recrue estivale de l’ESTAC, promu en Ligue 1 cette prochaine saison.
L’ESTAC a officialisé, ce jeudi, l’arrivée d’Iron Gomis. Libre de tout engagement après son départ de Zira FK, club d »Azerbaïdjan, le milieu de terrain de 26 ans s’est engagé jusqu’en 2028.
Formé à Amiens, Iron Gomis découvre la Ligue 2 avec le club Picard. Un championnat où il totalise 99 matchs pour six buts après un passage à Dunkerque avant de rejoindre l’étranger. En 2023, Gomis signe en Turquie à Kasımpaşa avant de signer en Serie A à la Salernitana où il dispute 5 matchs avec l’équipe première. En 2024, il rejoint le Zira FK, en Azerbaïdjan, jusqu’à cet été.
« Joueur d’expérience au profil complet, Iron Gomis vient renforcer l’entrejeu troyen après un parcours construit entre la France et plusieurs championnats européens. Capable d’évoluer dans plusieurs registres, il se distingue par son volume de jeu, son impact dans les duels et sa capacité à apporter équilibre et intensité au milieu de terrain. », a commenté le club aubois dans son communiqué concernant son premier renfort.
The post Ligue 1 : première recrue pour le promu Troyes avec Iron Gomis appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.