Tobias Wren has been poking around the business side of competitive gaming for longer than most people have considered it a legitimate industry. He got hooked watching early LCS seasons and quickly realized the drama off the stage was just as interesting as anything happening on it. These days he spends most of his time tracking team valuations, sponsorship trends, and the broader money moves that shape where esports is actually headed.
Team Vitality confirmed its V.Hive headquarters in Paris was looted and vandalised during unrest on Saturday, 17 October, with trophies and computer equipment stolen and no staff or fans injured.
The organisation said its display windows were smashed and that the venue would stay closed while it assessed the damage. GosuGamers reported that the stolen trophies included the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 CS2 title; the full list of missing silverware has not been disclosed.
Footage described in GosuGamers’ report showed people removing gaming chairs and an individual carrying what appeared to be a computer monitor from the building. HLTV also reported damage at V.Hive amid the wider demonstrations, with early social media reports indicating that the StarLadder trophy had been taken.
The incident took place at V.Hive on Boulevard de Sébastopol in central Paris. Team Vitality issued its official statement on Sunday, 18 October, confirming the thefts and the absence of injuries.
The missing CS2 trophy came from a tournament won less than a month earlier. Vitality beat Aurora Gaming 3-1 in the final in Barcelona on 20 September, securing its sixth trophy of 2026 at the time. The result added another piece of silverware to the team’s season record, which is also reflected in Team Vitality’s 2026 prize-money and title standings .
The confirmed loss extends beyond that one trophy: Vitality said multiple trophies were stolen, but has not yet identified all of them. The missing items include both competitive memorabilia and computer equipment used at the organisation’s Paris venue.
Opened in 2019, V.Hive serves as Team Vitality’s headquarters and a community hub. The roughly 400-square-metre venue includes gaming stations, a café, a merchandise store and areas for training and community activities, and has hosted fan gaming sessions, tournaments and viewing parties.
Co-founder and CEO Fabien “Neo” Devide described V.Hive as a space intended to make esports accessible. The venue offered gaming sessions for €3.50 per hour, a price he said had not increased despite inflation. Its community role makes the closure relevant beyond the organisation’s office operations, while the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Team Vitality said V.Hive would remain closed during the assessment and that it would provide further updates later. The organisation has not announced when the venue will reopen or published a complete inventory of the stolen trophies and equipment.