Pixel P&L: Esports World Cup Foundation Launches Partner Program with $20M Annual Development Fund

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 6 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• Esports World Cup Foundation opens National Team Partner applications with a $20M+ development fund.

• Jaipur hosted its first-ever game jam, producing 76 playable games in 48 hours.

• Discord reportedly files confidentially for IPO, potentially testing $15B valuation in public markets.

• Royal Never Give Up exits Chinese LoL after 11 years, becoming the second major org to leave LPL this year.

• GTA 6 delay speculation explodes from a podcast comment. Rockstar stays silent while betting markets react.

Let's get into it.

Esports World Cup Foundation Opens National Team Partner Applications

The Esports World Cup Foundation has launched applications for organizations to become official National Team Partners for the 2026 Esports Nations Cup, establishing the formal structure for country representation in the inaugural tournament.

Selected partners will build and manage national esports teams, coordinate coaches, and handle marketing and community engagement, though competitive integrity and player eligibility remain governed by ENC rules. The move addresses organizational challenges following this week's confirmation that full club rosters cannot represent nations.

"We are inviting trusted National Team Partners to help define the framework for how countries and territories are represented in esports," said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.

The foundation will establish an ENC Development Fund with at least $20 million annually from 2026, covering travel, logistics, and promotional activities like training camps and watch parties.

Eligible applicants include esports organizations, clubs, national federations, and government-mandated entities. Applications close January 31, 2026, with announcements expected early next year. The ENC debuts in Riyadh in November 2026.

Jaipur Hosts First Game Jam as India Expands Development Talent Pool

Jaipur held its inaugural game jam January 5-6, 2026, bringing 240 developers to create 76 playable games in 48 hours as part of the Rajasthan Digifest-TiE Global Summit.

The ₹1.75 lakh competition, organized by Rajasthan's Department of IT&C and Outlook Respawn with NODWIN Gaming, drew participants ranging from first-timers to experienced developers. Industry veterans including Aditya Subramanian, a former Rockstar Games programmer, mentored teams working under the theme "Caravans & Crossroads."

Team Elder Monk Interactive won ₹1 lakh for Spicy Vendor, while Phoenix's Caravan Crossroads and Daligo's Hawan claimed second and third places.

The event reflects efforts to develop gaming talent beyond traditional hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad. India's gaming industry has historically centered on mobile games and outsourcing, though local studios increasingly pursue original titles.

⚡️Quick Bytes

Discord Reportedly Files Confidentially for IPO

Gaming chat platform Discord has made a confidential filing for an initial public offering, according to Bloomberg, working with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase since March 2025. The company could still opt against going public. Discord boasts 200 million monthly active users who spend 1.9 billion combined hours gaming monthly. Discord raised $500 million in 2021 at a $15 billion valuation, though analyst Eric Bellomo called that figure "certainly lofty" for public markets. Microsoft reportedly offered $12 billion in 2021 before Discord rejected the bid.

Royal Never Give Up Exits Chinese League of Legends After 11 Years

Royal Never Give Up has ceased operations, leaving China's premier League of Legends circuit after eleven years, five domestic titles, and three Mid-Season Invitational championships. The departure, following FunPlus Phoenix's January exit, reduces the LPL to 14 teams amid financial pressures. RNG has faced lawsuits from former players over unpaid wages since early 2024. The LPL's structured slot repurchase program allows two teams to exit annually, down from 17 teams at peak.

GTA 6 Delay Speculation Spreads Despite No New Information

A casual podcast remark by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier sparked unfounded speculation about another Grand Theft Auto 6 delay, despite no announcement from Rockstar Games. Schreier noted GTA 6 was "not content complete" when last heard, mirroring Red Dead Redemption 2's delay pattern, but called the current November 2026 date more credible than the previous fall 2025 target. Headlines claiming a "third delay" circulated across gaming media and Reddit, prompting betting market activity. Schreier called the reaction "impossible to overstate how stupid this is."

⚔️Side Quest

🤣Laugh:

📺 Watch: Troy Baker discusses his roles in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Death Stranding 2, revealing how MachineGames recreated 1980s film camera techniques for authentic cinematic motion capture. He explores refusing performance playback, the games-to-Hollywood divide, distinguishing AI content from human art, and his transition toward directing original stories while emphasizing business-savvy career philosophy for aspiring creatives.

🎮 Play: Deadzone: Rogue delivers exceptional FPS roguelite gameplay with impressive build variety and gradual power progression that keeps surprising even in late zones. While the tech tree fills quickly and could use more weapon type diversity, the core loop excels beyond most genre competitors. Plus, Planty the companion plant is genuinely lovable and worth protecting at all costs.

📚 Read: Khee Hoon Chan argues unfinished games deserve recognition as art, using Adam Robinson-Yu's abandoned Untitled Paper RPG to explore how incomplete works reveal creative processes and unrealized visions. Like da Vinci's unfinished paintings, these games offer intimate glimpses at developer intent through half-realized landscapes and fragmentary scenes, yet remain stigmatized rather than celebrated as important cultural artifacts.

💡Did You Know

When Nintendo's Wii U console flopped in 2014, CEO Satoru Iwata took a 50% salary cut for five months rather than laying off employees. President Shigeru Miyamoto and other executives also reduced their pay by 20-30%. Iwata believed preserving the team's morale and talent was crucial for Nintendo's long-term success.

📜 Quote of the Day

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