Embark wants THE FINALS esports to matter between the big events
The studio said the TGM26 Online Series gives teams four cycles to stack points, while community events and larger seasonal drops remain part of the plan.
Embark Studios is trying to keep THE FINALS esports moving all year instead of leaving everything to one giant finish line. In a May 7 interview with Dot Esports, community lead Oscar Lundberg and design director Matt Lowe said the TGM26 Online Series was built around four competitive cycles, giving teams in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC several chances to collect points for The Grand Major 2026.
Lundberg said that structure gives players something to chase on a regular cadence, with each cycle offering its own finale, points, and prize money. It also gives organizations more reason to commit early rather than waiting for the open qualifiers at the end of the season.
Teams are not locked out if they join late. Lundberg said a squad could, in theory, win two cycles, skip the other two, and still earn a direct invite into the close qualifiers. Embark is also working on the schedule with competitive players so the series stays useful for both competitors and viewers.
Community events still have a path forward
Before the Online Series, Embark had floated the Regional Fame Index as a community-driven points system. That is no longer part of the studio’s 2026 plans, but support for grassroots competition is still on the table. Lundberg said the team is talking to organizers such as Pro Hubs, Ape Squad, and The Heist Games, and has been helping with exposure, sign-ups, and exclusive Twitch Drops.
On the balance side, Lowe said Embark learned from last year’s mistake of holding changes back too long. This time around, the studio is more open to pushing balance updates a week or two before a tournament, as long as they do not land right on top of a new season. The team still plans to update THE FINALS at its normal pace, but it wants the competitive meta to keep moving.
Big seasonal drops are part of the push
That approach also ties into the game’s content rhythm. Lowe said Season 12 is planned to be the biggest release yet, and Embark is leaning into a model where three of the four yearly seasons are regular updates while one is a larger content drop. Those bigger seasons should help bring players back, pull in new ones, and give esports another chance to stay visible.
“The esports will grow as the game grows,” Lowe said, adding that the team wants to keep adding events through the year. Embark also plans to use in-game spaces to point players toward the competitive scene, whether that ends up being calendars, schedules, or something else in the menus.
For now, the studio is trying to build a scene that has more than one moment to matter. If that plan holds, THE FINALS esports will have a better shot at staying in front of players all year long. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
ARC Raiders
Developed by Embark Studios
ARC Raiders is a multiplayer, extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.
- Genre: Shooter
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes: Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2025-10-30
- Publisher: Embark Studios
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Age Rating:
ESRB T / PEGI 16 / GRAC 15+ / USK 18 / CLASS_IND 14 / ACB M
- IGDB Rating: 89.7/100
