Embark Studios Ceased The Finals Esports Operations

Embark Studios Ceased The Finals Esports Operations

Drama

23 February 2026 09:10

TL;DR

• Embark Studios has temporarily paused its outbound esports efforts for The Finals following community concerns about player conduct, with the developer stating it consulted external legal counsel before making the decision.
• The pause puts the recently announced 2025 Grand Major, a $100,000 tournament set to take place in Stockholm alongside DreamHack Stockholm 2025, into an uncertain position as Embark reviews its entire competitive system.
• Despite the pause, Embark reaffirmed that competitive play "remains an important part of our vision for The Finals".

Embark Studios has put the brakes on its esports ambitions for The Finals, at least temporarily. The Swedish developer announced via Discord that it is pausing its outbound esports efforts following concerns raised by the community about player conduct. It is an unusual move from a studio that had only recently stepped into the role of official tournament organiser, and it raises real questions about what happened and what comes next for one of the more inventive shooters in the current free-to-play market.

The announcement did not name individuals or describe the specific conduct in question. But the fact that Embark consulted external legal counsel before going public suggests the situation is more serious than a generic complaint about toxic behaviour in ranked play.

What Embark Said and What It Did Not

The language in Embark's Discord statement is careful, which is exactly what you would expect from a company that has just been through a legal review process. The studio said it had examined the community concerns "carefully, including with external legal counsel," and was confident that its decisions and actions were "appropriate and within the scope of our responsibilities as a publisher and organiser."

Embark then explained the decision to pause: "For the sake of our community, our players, our partners and the long-term health of our game, we believe it is responsible to temporarily pause our current outbound esports efforts."

Embark appears to be making a calculated choice to absorb short-term disruption rather than push forward and risk a more damaging outcome down the line.

The studio also committed to using the pause productively, saying it would "evaluate and review the system in its entirety, and determine the best way forward."

What Is at Stake: The 2025 Grand Major

The timing of this announcement is significant because Embark had only recently moved into official tournament organising territory. The 2025 Grand Major was announced as the first official The Finals tournament to be organised directly by Embark Studios, a milestone that represented a meaningful step up from the community-run and third-party events that had made up the game's competitive ecosystem until that point.

The event was scheduled to take place in Stockholm, Sweden, running alongside DreamHack Stockholm 2025. With a total prize pool of $100,000, it would have been the largest officially backed The Finals tournament to date.

More:FURIA Cuts Almost Entire Rainbow Six Siege Roster After Six Invitational Exit

Tags: Embark Studios

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake Submit news

Related news

View All

Embark Studios Targeted for AI Use

Patrick Söderlund, CEO and founder of Swedish game developer Embark Studios, has spoken out about the company’s use of artificial...

Drama

Jan 06, 2026

Fnatic Takes Action Against Player Death Threats and Online Harassment, Involving Law Enforcement

TL;DR

• Fnatic has announced a zero-tolerance stance on player harassment following a surge of online abuse and alleged death threats...

  Drama

  Feb 20, 2026

Leagues.gg Breaks Silence on NLC Payment Delays, Caster Releases and 2026 Format Changes

TL;DR

• Leagues.gg has issued a public statement addressing late payments to NLC broadcast talent, citing a failure to secure sufficient...

  Drama

  Feb 19, 2026

Clickout Media to Lay off Employees

TL;DR

• Clickout Media has laid off most editorial staff across its gaming and esports websites, including The Escapist and Esports...

  Drama

  Feb 18, 2026

Sega Reveals a Loss of $200m

TL;DR

• Sega Sammy reported a sharp drop in operating and ordinary income for the nine months ended December 31, 2025,...

  Drama

  Feb 16, 2026

Embark Studios Ceased The Finals Esports Operations

Drama

23 February 2026 09:10

Tags: Embark Studios

TL;DR

• Embark Studios has temporarily paused its outbound esports efforts for The Finals following community concerns about player conduct, with the developer stating it consulted external legal counsel before making the decision.
• The pause puts the recently announced 2025 Grand Major, a $100,000 tournament set to take place in Stockholm alongside DreamHack Stockholm 2025, into an uncertain position as Embark reviews its entire competitive system.
• Despite the pause, Embark reaffirmed that competitive play "remains an important part of our vision for The Finals".

Embark Studios has put the brakes on its esports ambitions for The Finals, at least temporarily. The Swedish developer announced via Discord that it is pausing its outbound esports efforts following concerns raised by the community about player conduct. It is an unusual move from a studio that had only recently stepped into the role of official tournament organiser, and it raises real questions about what happened and what comes next for one of the more inventive shooters in the current free-to-play market.

The announcement did not name individuals or describe the specific conduct in question. But the fact that Embark consulted external legal counsel before going public suggests the situation is more serious than a generic complaint about toxic behaviour in ranked play.

What Embark Said and What It Did Not

The language in Embark's Discord statement is careful, which is exactly what you would expect from a company that has just been through a legal review process. The studio said it had examined the community concerns "carefully, including with external legal counsel," and was confident that its decisions and actions were "appropriate and within the scope of our responsibilities as a publisher and organiser."

Embark then explained the decision to pause: "For the sake of our community, our players, our partners and the long-term health of our game, we believe it is responsible to temporarily pause our current outbound esports efforts."

Embark appears to be making a calculated choice to absorb short-term disruption rather than push forward and risk a more damaging outcome down the line.

The studio also committed to using the pause productively, saying it would "evaluate and review the system in its entirety, and determine the best way forward."

What Is at Stake: The 2025 Grand Major

The timing of this announcement is significant because Embark had only recently moved into official tournament organising territory. The 2025 Grand Major was announced as the first official The Finals tournament to be organised directly by Embark Studios, a milestone that represented a meaningful step up from the community-run and third-party events that had made up the game's competitive ecosystem until that point.

The event was scheduled to take place in Stockholm, Sweden, running alongside DreamHack Stockholm 2025. With a total prize pool of $100,000, it would have been the largest officially backed The Finals tournament to date.

More:FURIA Cuts Almost Entire Rainbow Six Siege Roster After Six Invitational Exit

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake Submit news

Related news

View All

Embark Studios Targeted for AI Use

Patrick Söderlund, CEO and founder of Swedish game developer Embark Studios, has spoken out about the company’s use of artificial...

Drama

Jan 06, 2026

Fnatic Takes Action Against Player Death Threats and Online Harassment, Involving Law Enforcement

TL;DR

• Fnatic has announced a zero-tolerance stance on player harassment following a surge of online abuse and alleged death threats...

  Drama

  Feb 20, 2026

Leagues.gg Breaks Silence on NLC Payment Delays, Caster Releases and 2026 Format Changes

TL;DR

• Leagues.gg has issued a public statement addressing late payments to NLC broadcast talent, citing a failure to secure sufficient...

  Drama

  Feb 19, 2026

Clickout Media to Lay off Employees

TL;DR

• Clickout Media has laid off most editorial staff across its gaming and esports websites, including The Escapist and Esports...

  Drama

  Feb 18, 2026

Sega Reveals a Loss of $200m

TL;DR

• Sega Sammy reported a sharp drop in operating and ordinary income for the nine months ended December 31, 2025,...

  Drama

  Feb 16, 2026