Today, on January 23, 2024, the Spotlight Hour featuring Shmerbe starts in Pokémon GO. In this guide, we will show you everything about the times, shinies, and bonuses of the short event.
What kind of event is this? Every Tuesday evening, Pokémon GO features a Spotlight Hour for you. For 60 minutes, a Pokémon along with a bonus is in the spotlight. Niantic determines which combination of Pokémon and bonus is active at the beginning of each month.
Today you’ll encounter the Pokémon Shmerbe from the third generation. It is a Water and Ground type and can evolve into Welsar.
Spotlight Hour on January 23 – Start, Shiny and Bonuses
When does it start? As you may know from previous Spotlight Hours, the event today also begins at 6:00 PM local time. The content will be active for one hour. The event ends again at 7:00 PM.
What bonuses are active? During the event, you will see wild Shmerbe nearly everywhere in Pokémon GO. If you want to attract more of these Pokémon, you can use incense.
Additionally, you will receive double the amount of candy for catching Pokémon.
Today marks the fourth Spotlight Hour in January 2024. What to expect at the last event of the month can be seen here:
Can you catch shiny Shmerbe? Yes, the shiny form of Shmerbe has been available in Pokémon GO for a long time. With some luck, you can catch one during today’s event. However, keep in mind that the chances of finding shinies are not increased during Spotlight Hours.
Is the Spotlight Hour worth it today? Shmerbe itself is not a great attacker. Its evolution, Welsar, can be a strong Pokémon in the Super League during trainer battles, surprising your opponents. However, it is better not to bring this Pokémon for raid battles.
Will you participate in today’s Spotlight Hour? Share your thoughts here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss them with other trainers.
But is the effort worth it? That depends on which modes you like to play in Pokémon GO.
Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
Epitaff is really strong in the Battle League – Which attacks should you use?
Epitaff as a raid attacker: To keep it short: As of now, Epitaff is not a particularly strong raid attacker, as its stats are not well suited for these battles. Here you should focus on other candidates from the best attackers in Pokémon GO. However, the situation is different in PvP in the Battle League.
Epitaff in the PvP Battle League: Epitaff has already been rumored to be a strong newcomer for the PvP League, and this seems to be confirmed currently. Apparently, some professionals are already relying on the monster, which previously built on the popular Meditalis (via reddit).
In the simulation-based rankings from PvPoke, it has also worked its way up:
In the Super League, Epitaff is ranked 10th among the best monsters (via pvpoke.com)
In the Hyper League, it is in 23rd place (via pvpoke.com)
And in the Master League, it currently reaches rank 42 (via pvpoke.com).
In short: You can use Epitaff well in all three leagues, but especially in the Super League, it is among the best you can currently have in battles.
Which attacks should I use? Currently, the combination of Counter, Ice Punch, and Shadow Ball is considered the best moveset for Epitaff in the Battle League. This will secure you victories against typical favorites like Galar-Flunschlik, Meditalis, Panzaeron, Welsar, or Lanturn.
Alternatively, according to an analysis by PvP expert JRE47 (via reddit), you can also use the move Close Combat with Epitaff instead of Shadow Ball. This would allow you to do better against Rocara or Grypheldis but would put you at a disadvantage against other monsters.
The same applies in the Hyper League, where Shadow Ball is a good option, according to JRE47. In the Master League, however, it looks a bit different: there, you should better rely on Close Combat.
If you enjoy participating in the Battle League, you should make sure to secure a good Epitaff. With the Ghost-Fighting Pokémon, an interesting new fighter has entered the game. Will there be more to come in January? If you want to know what’s going on this month in Pokémon GO: Here you can find an overview of the currently known events in January 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The director Edgar Wright is known for some special films in recent years, such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, or Baby Driver. Nevertheless, MeinMMO author Schuhmann found it difficult to approach his latest film: “Last Night in Soho.” Now he has done it and does not regret it.
Why do I like Edgar Wright so much? Wright has a unique style of making films. He became famous through the “Cornetto Trilogy” alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. These are classic “buddy” films, with action and comedy: Films like Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead start off relatively normal and then devolve into wild action orgies, featuring quirky characters, silly one-liners, and many hidden and subtextual gags. The more you watch them, the funnier and better the films become.
In Wright’s films, it either revolves around men steadfastly refusing to grow up or how fiction and films have shaped our daily lives. These are themes that have always resonated with me.
But Wright has proven that he is truly skilled when he does something different:
With Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, he created a quirky comic world where video game logic applies – a cult hit
With Baby Driver, he delivered a classic action thriller of great quality – maybe one of the best thrillers of recent years
Start video
German trailer for ‘Last Night in Soho’
Last Night in Soho didn’t sound like Wright at all
Why did the new film put me off? In 2021, Edgar Wright’s latest film, Last Night in Soho, was released, and I resisted watching it for a long time because it didn’t sound like Wright at all.
The film is about a young woman who moves from the countryside to London to study fashion but then gets lost in daydreams of the glittering London of the 1960s: We are talking about glitter, glamour, nightlife. We are talking about women looking in mirrors and suddenly seeing another face. We are talking about men in suits swirling women in dresses around the ballroom.
No Simon Pegg, no car chases in hot cars, no silly one-liners – just nostalgia, self-discovery, and fashion. I was out.
Why did I end up watching it anyway? Well, Last Night in Soho was available on Amazon Prime, and if you pay the 9 € and already have the service, you might as well check it out to get the most out of your money.
And indeed, the film turned out to be different from what I had assumed based on the trailer and initial descriptions: Because the search for meaning and the London of the 60s quickly evolve into a psychological thriller like Black Swan. With Matt Smith (from House of Dragon), there’s a charismatic, shady character, and soon you find yourself captivated by Edgar Wright’s unique style and wanting to know what the hell is actually going on.
For behind every cut, behind every sequence, something is hidden that is more than it appears at first glance.
In theaters, the film was quite a flop because many fans of Edgar Wright likely thought the same way I did. But after nearly 2 hours and a gripping film, I was quite satisfied with myself for having watched the so-called “women’s film.” Because the film that begins so shy and dreamy quickly becomes incredibly thrilling and dark.
Last Night in Soho can be watched in German on Amazon Prime.
With Dragon’s Dogma 2, we will soon have the sequel to a popular role-playing game for Steam and PS5. The developers are already showing the complex character editor in a video.
Which role-playing game is it about? Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an upcoming game by the developer Capcom. It is the sequel to the first part released in 2012. Again, we play as a self-created character from a third-person perspective. The combat system is direct and action-packed. A special feature of the game is climbing the massive bosses during battles.
The game will be released in March. In a video by IGN, the developers around Game Director Hideaki Itsuno introduced the game’s character editor.
While the editor of the first part already allowed detailed settings, Capcom takes it a step further in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Especially the better hardware of current PCs and consoles enables a complex editor with countless customization options.
What can you do in the editor? According to the developers and the shown video material from character creation, you can really let your imagination run wild in the editor.
The game’s Game Director emphasizes that it has been a challenge to design the editor in detail while keeping the operation simple at the same time. It must be possible to implement one’s own ideas without being an artist.
If creating a custom character is not important to you, you can also save the work. For such players, Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers a simplified way of character creation.
There are two body types per race, and for each body type, there are nine pre-made bodies. Additionally, there are many finished heads from which you can choose one. If you still want to change minor details, that can also be done easily.
Twitch streamer Asmongold overwhelmed by the editor
What does Asmongold think of the editor? In a video, the streamer reacted to IGN’s report. He noted that he always just recreates himself in role-playing games like Dragon’s Dogma. Therefore, most of his characters are human, male, white, have long hair, and fight as knights.
Here you can see Asmongold’s reaction:
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In response to the countless customization options of the character editor in Dragon’s Dogma 2, the streamer reacted cautiously. Given the 40 different muscle types discussed in the video, Asmongold remarked, “I’ll steer clear of that.”
Do you usually spend a lot of time creating a character in a role-playing game? Dragon’s Dogma 2 will be released on March 22, 2024, for PC (Steam) and PS5. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk has already played the game.Here you can read his impressions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Tim Cook leads one of the most successful companies in the world. With a simple principle, he achieves more than others and makes Apple more productive as a result.
Some people tend to immerse themselves in too many different tasks at once. This leads to losing track and makes it feel like nothing is accomplished during a workday.
To counter this accumulation of tasks, for which one is not the ideal workforce at all, there is a simple trick. One focuses on the things that only they can handle and delegates all other tasks in parallel. Tim Cook demonstrates how Apple becomes more productive as a result.
Start video
How crash detection works on iPhone and Apple Watch
The “Only You” principle saves a lot of time and energy
What does the “Only You” principle mean? This principle is about focusing only on specific activities. These include all tasks that can only be accomplished by oneself because one possesses the required skills.
For a high executive at Apple like Tim Cook, this means limiting oneself to tasks that involve strategic decisions regarding the company’s direction. Those are his strengths and he has the necessary knowledge for that.
All tasks that can be handled just as well or even better by someone else in the company are delegated by Cook. He mentioned Apple’s product designers as an example.
Their specific activities can only be performed best by them. For this reason, he trusts these Apple employees. He understands that design is an important part of the company. However, he does not manage or determine this down to the last detail.
Why is this trick so effective? At first, one might believe that less would be accomplished. One delegates tasks and does not take on new ones in return. In reality, one now has more time for tasks that can only be performed by oneself.
This leads to more focus because one no longer has to worry about completing the delegated tasks. One becomes more effective in handling their own tasks and simply has more energy for them.
The other tasks should not ideally be passed on to just anyone. In the best case, these things will be handled in the future by someone who is more effective at them than oneself and the colleagues. Then, the productivity of everyone increases.
Can everyone apply the “Only You” principle? Yes, generally, but it obviously also depends on the profession one is in. Additionally, there is the working style. Is one the only person in their position or do they work in a larger team?
If one wishes to delegate some of their tasks to colleagues, it may also be necessary to discuss it with their own supervisor. This way, the supervisor might also come to the idea of focusing on their own strengths.
You can also play Pokémon GO while on vacation. We will explain why you shouldn’t send the Pokémon you catch right away.
Pokémon GO is a game that is not regionally limited or can only be played using a television. This means you can start hunting for Pokémon even while on vacation. And you should not send them to the professor right away, even if they are relatively bad. There are three good reasons for this.
Exclusive regional Pokémon: The first reason is the regional Pokémon. If you spend your vacation outside of Europe, you may encounter Pokémon that do not exist in Europe. If you save these for your friends, you can do them a big favor and help them fill their Pokédex. You can also find a overview of all regional Pokémon in Pokémon GO with us.
Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season “Timeless Travels” in the trailer
Benefits of Trading Pokémon
New IV when trading Pokémon: The second reason why you should keep even bad Pokémon from your vacation is because of trading. When you trade a Pokémon with a friend, the Pokémon receive new IV values. Thus, Pokémon that would normally be sent directly to the professor due to relatively poor IV values can, in the best case, arrive at your friends as Hundo.
If you have a high friendship level with your trading partner, it is even more advantageous. The higher your friendship level, the higher the chance of receiving better IV values.
More candies when trading: The last reason is also related to the trading function of Pokémon GO. When you trade a Pokémon, there is a candy bonus. This is dependent on the locations where the Pokémon to be traded were caught. The greater the distance between the two locations, the higher the candy bonus.
If the distance is a maximum of 10 kilometers, you receive 1 candy. With a distance of more than 10 kilometers, you even receive 2 candies. And if the two locations are even more than 100 km apart, there are a whopping 3 candies as a bonus.
So it can be worthwhile not to send Pokémon from vacation right away. Your friends will thank you for it. If you want to know more about why you should trade in Pokémon GO, you will find that with us.
What do you think? Do you keep Pokémon from vacation and bring them home? If so, for what reasons do you do that? Do you even play Pokémon GO on vacation? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments. You can also get information about the events in January 2024 in Pokémon GO with us.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Capcom has given Monster Hunter Rise a new copy protection (DRM). As if that weren’t annoying enough, there are now users who can no longer play the game. With the new copy protection, the game no longer runs on the Steam Deck. Accordingly, players are expressing their anger and disappointment.
What kind of copy protection is it? Capcom, the publisher of Monster Hunter: Rise, removed the Denuvo copy protection of the game with an update. Instead, a new copy protection named Enigma DRM was introduced with the update. This is said to be not as aggressive as the Denuvo method. And this is not the first game where Capcom has done this and where there are supposed to be problems:
Recently, Capcom also added Enigma to Resident Evil: Revelations, where it also caused massive problems.
Some suspect that the license agreement between Capcom and Denuvo has expired and that Capcom now has to change providers. Much to the dismay of the players, who find this anything but funny.
How did the players react? Unsurprisingly, players found all of this anything but funny: The ratings on Steam plummeted, and people complained about the publisher and the copy protection: This action is anything but user-oriented.
And some are complaining that they can no longer play the game on their Steam Deck.
In the meantime, Capcom has apologized for the problems and has addressed the error. Capcom writes this on Steam.
Update 23.01.24: In the meantime, Capcom has addressed the problem, and the game works again on the Steam Deck. We have updated the article accordingly.
Monster Hunter Rise was considered “Verified”; it is now unplayable
What is the starting position? MHR was previously considered “Verified”: This means that the game works excellently on the Steam Deck without any additional adjustments. And that was used by according to Steam and reddit by quite a few players.
On the Steam Deck, the game ran with very good performance and without major issues. Anyone who wanted to play MHR on the go or mobile had to opt for the weaker Switch version of MHR. Presumably, for this reason, many players preferred the Steam version on the Steam Deck.
What is now the problem? However, with the Enigma update, exactly that has been nullified: Players are complaining on reddit and in the recent reviews on Steam that Monster Hunter Rise is no longer playable on the Steam Deck. And some say that they have really tried everything:
Uninstalled and reinstalled the game.
Switched the Proton version between the beta version and the standard version.
Some even reset their Steam Deck to factory settings.
However, nothing seemed to work. Some are now hoping for an update from either Capcom or Valve, the manufacturer of the Steam Deck, that will solve the problems.
More about the Steam Deck: If you’re looking for an alternative to the Steam Deck, take a look at the following article.
In EA FC 24, the Evolutions allow you to develop a variety of cards into enhanced special versions. To find the best players for potential upgrades, there is a helpful calculator that predicts the stats for you.
What is behind the new feature? In Evolutions, you can now enhance many of the common cards (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Event, Icons, and Heroes) with various upgrades. These range from stat boosts, improved skills in abilities and weak foot, additional positions, to new playstyles.
Different requirements apply for each individual evolution. To find out which cards are best suited for the respective upgrades, you can recently utilize a calculation system that we want to introduce to you in more detail.
Futbin shows you the best players for each evolution
Where can I find the best players for the evolution upgrades?FUTBIN offers one of the largest databases for EA FC 24. Here, you can also access the Evolutions calculator.
Once clicked, all available evolutions will be displayed on a page. Choose one of the categories and select it with a click.
Now, a new page opens, presenting the player suggested by the database as the most suitable for the upgrades of the evolution. Additionally, the number of levels will be displayed, what tasks you need to complete for that, and what upgrades you will receive after completing these challenges.
You can either follow the suggestion from FUTBIN or search for other players who might fit better into your team.
Sometimes, the player with the highest rating is not always the most sensible solution. Therefore, we have done the work for you and selected the two best options for the new Icon Evolutions.
How do I find more players for the respective evolution? Besides the supposedly best player, FUTBIN offers a wide variety of other players who are recommended for the corresponding evolution upgrade.
Initially, the cards that would have the highest rating after completing the evolution will be displayed. Here, you can browse through and weigh whether something useful for your team is included.
Another interesting option is provided by the subcategory “highest in-game stats” (see image). Unlike the highest ratings, the focus here is not on the overall rating, but on the sum of all stats.
With the FUTBIN Evolution calculator, you not only save time but also coins, as you do not have to purchase cards separately to see the preview of the upgrades.
Evolutions Preview: This is what your icons look like with upgrades
What is the Evolutions Preview? If you are not necessarily looking for the best player but are more interested in whether the icons from your club fit into the evolution, then Futbin has the right solution for you here as well. In another subcategory, the so-called Preview, you can equip any card with the upgrades of the selected evolution.
If you do not have a specific favorite card, you can experiment freely and try players who fit best into your team.
However, there is one catch. For the Preview, you can use any card so far, even if it does not meet the requirements. This means you should have a rough idea of the requirements for the evolution in mind.
While the third season of 7 vs. Wild has officially ended on YouTube, the CEO of Calivision Network reveals how the brand will continue.
Where was season 4 confirmed? Season 4 of 7 vs. Wild has been confirmed by André Schubert, the CEO of Calivision Network. Calivision Network acquired the rights to 7 vs. Wild before the third season and is producing the series together with the original founders Fritz Meinecke, Maximilian Kovacs, and Johannes Hovekamp.
Schubert recently gave an interview, which can be found at DWDL, where he extensively discussed 7 vs. Wild.
One of the participants of season 3 is Twitch streamer Jens “Knossi” Knossalla. You can see more about him in our video.
Start video
From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
Season 4 is already in planning
What about season 4? André Schubert revealed in the interview: “For Calivision Network, the planning for the fourth season is definitely continuing. Some details still need to be clarified.” It seems clear that there will be a 4th season. Recently, Knossi spoke with “7 vs. Wild” founder Maximilian Kovacs on the phone to try to get information about season 4.
Schubert hasn’t revealed what exactly season 4 will look like. However, he emphasized the interest from abroad in 7 vs. Wild. The fact that the show aired on Amazon Freevee is no coincidence.
At the same time, he mentioned that the United Kingdom and the United States of America are among the most important markets. Whether there will really be international seasons is unclear.
What is the deal with the female variant? Schubert is aware that 7 vs. Wild has provided not only content but also a large fan base for Amazon Freevee. He says:
We want to apply this recipe to other formats. These have nothing to do with ‘7 vs. Wild’ – but at the moment we are working on creating a female counterpart.
Here we can only speculate about what it is about. The successful concept should be clear: integrate famous participants who bring their own fans into a format that is interesting for viewers. Many shows attract viewers through prominent guests, like the Jungle Camp.
Schubert also had a few words about the Jungle Camp: “We are the ‘Jungle Camp’, but in a drastic way – with real dangers. We already have a similar viewer size as ‘I’m a Celebrity…’.”
What happens after 7 vs. Wild season 3? After 7 vs. Wild season 3, the channel is expected not to remain dormant for 9 months; at least that is one consideration from Schubert.
It is tempting to offer this community an additional format. We have an advantage: as producers, we are well-informed – we have gigantic data – and we have all senses on the community.
We would be interested in your opinion here; would you be happy about another format on the 7 vs. Wild channel? Would you only watch if it has something to do with 7 vs. Wild, or do you simply not care? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. RTL is bringing the template for 7 vs. Wild to Germany. You can find out how similar the two series are here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Last year, the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie was celebrated by fans. However, the actress was actually not the first choice for the role.
In 2023, Barbie became a massive success. The film adaptation featuring the Mattel plastic doll with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles was on everyone’s lips.
The film even managed to prevail against the strong competition Oppenheimer and became the highest-grossing film worldwide in 2023. You can read more about it here at our colleagues from Moviepilot.
Margot Robbie delighted many fans by giving the iconic doll emotional depth. However, she was actually not the first choice for the role.
Start video
The new trailer for the Barbie movie shows what the famous doll has to do in the real world
Three other stars could have been Barbie
The Barbie movie and its main cast went through a long development process. In 2009, the announcement came that a Barbie film was in the works. The project was overseen by Universal Pictures. Then, in 2014, Sony/Columbia Pictures acquired the film rights. The lead role of the Barbie film was to be taken by Amy Schumer (Trainwreck).
A few months later, however, the actress withdrew, citing scheduling conflicts with other projects.
In July 2016, Anne Hathaway (Interstellar) was then chosen as the new Barbie for the film adaptation. However, the project was never realized by Sony/Columbia Pictures.
So, in 2018, Mattel sold the rights to the Barbie film to Warner Bros, where Margot Robbie then grabbed the project as a producer.
As the actress revealed in an interview with Vogue Magazine, she actually had a completely different casting for the plastic doll in mind: Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot.
However, she was not available at the time. So, in the end, Margot Robbie stepped in and took on the lead role – with great success.
The new survival game Palworld reminds many fans of Pokémon. Therefore, the question arises whether there are Shinys in Palworld.
Are there Shiny Pals? In Palworld, there are no Shiny Pals that can be recognized by a different color. However, there is another special type of Pals: the Lucky Pals. These can be visually distinguished from normal Pals by their size, making them easily recognizable.
How do I recognize Lucky Pals? In addition to their altered size, Lucky Pals can also be recognized by two other features.
On the one hand, they possess a special sound that differs from that of normal counterparts.
This sound distinguishes them acoustically from the normal Pals.
Additionally, they are recognizable by a special glitter effect.
Start video
Palworld showcases the small monsters in massive action in the early access trailer
A special buff, two strong advantages
What are the special features of Lucky Pals? If you are lucky enough to snag one of the coveted Lucky Pals, you can look forward to a special buff for your Pal. Lucky Pals possess the passive abilities Rare and Workaholic. These increase the attack power by a whopping 15% and the work speed by 15%.
How do I find Lucky Pals? As already mentioned, Lucky Pals have a special sound that sounds different than that of normal Pals. If you follow this sound, you should have no trouble encountering the Lucky Pals.
How common are Lucky Pals? The spawn rate for these special Pals is, as you might have expected, very low. So you should not assume that you will find Lucky Pals in abundance. One more reason to stay alert and immediately go on the hunt for a Lucky Pal when you encounter one.
What do you think about Palworld? Are you already actively playing the game and can’t get enough? Have you perhaps already been lucky enough to encounter a Lucky Pal? Feel free to share your opinion and experience in the comments. If you are looking for tips and tricks for the game, you will find them in the overview of guides for Palworld.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Palworld is currently all the rage. But have you checked out the new survival game yet?
Palworld is currently breaking various records on Steam. With over a million players logged in at the same time, the survival game featuring Pokémon-like creatures has seemingly become a huge hit overnight.
While many in our editorial offices have already dove into Palworld, we are also curious about your enthusiasm. Have you already immersed yourself in the game world and caught your first Pals?
For this, we have created a survey for you:
What kind of game is Palworld?
If you are now sitting in front of the screen scratching your head and wondering Pal-what?, you will find a brief content description of the game and platform availability below.
Palworld is a mix of survival, base building, and monster catching. Visually, it probably resembles the Pokémon games the most. Only now these are called Pals, carry heavy artillery, and shoot at other monsters.
Start video
Palworld showcases the small monsters in massive action in the early access trailer
In the open world, you will find a huge variety of such Pals. You can either chop them down or catch them to make them fight for you. Additionally, the creatures are also important for building your base.
A fire Pal, for example, heats your ovens while water Pals water your fields and help you with food production. Unlike in other survival games, in Palworld you don’t have to do everything yourself, but can get assistance.
Your little helpers are not only important in your base. They can also assist you during dungeon exploration and in battles against boss monsters. However, thanks to the multiplayer mode, you are not completely left to yourself and your Pals, but can receive help from friends, who can conquer the world with you, trade Pals or compete against you in joint challenges.
A glimpse of the first 30 hours of gameplay is provided by our colleagues in the GameStar review.
But enough of the explanations: Participate in the survey embedded at the top of the article and let us know if you are already playing Palworld, perhaps plan to do so, or if the hype around the survival game leaves you rather cold. And if you also explain in the comments how you came to your decision, that would be the proverbial cherry on top of the community whipped cream.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
According to data from a tracking site, over 400 million loot boxes were opened in Counter-Strike 2 in 2023. This would earn the Steam giant Valve about 900 million euros just from the sale of keys. Players complain: Valve makes so much money from the “Case Openings” in Counter-Strike that they no longer care about the quality of the game.
Where do the numbers come from?
The numbers come from “CS2 Case Tracker” and apply to the year 2023.
The numbers do not include all loot boxes: The 900 million euros come only from “Key Sales” on Steam.
Money that Valve earns from selling cases through the Steam marketplace or through the CS2 store, such as from the sale of the “Anubis Collection Case,” is not included in the revenues. The “Anubis Collection Case” is opened without a key.
Start video
Counter-Strike 2 heralds a new era – The most important changes in the video
Revenue nearly doubled compared to 2022
What is special about the numbers? Compared to 2022, Valve’s revenues have roughly doubled.
This is also due to the fact that the announcement and release of Counter-Strike 2 sparked enormous hype around loot boxes. In April 2023, an extremely high number of boxes were opened; a test for CS2 took place here: On April 25 alone, 6.6 million loot boxes were opened.
In October, shortly after the release of Counter-Strike 2, there was another peak in the number of loot box openings.
Additionally, the prices for loot boxes in CS:GO have increased significantly, by 178%, as reported by CS2 Case Tracker. The loot boxes “Dreams & Nightmares” alone earned 126.3 million $.
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What’s behind it: Such loot boxes have been viewed critically in public for several years because they operate with gambling mechanics. In CS:GO/CS2, it is particularly severe, as there is significant trading with skins, and it genuinely resembles a lottery with major prizes and duds.
In Counter-Strike, however, loot boxes appear to be established and usually do not provoke controversies.
The quality of Counter-Strike 2 probably has little to do with the enormous financial success of Counter-Strike 2. The game is viewed critically: on Metacritic, it received 8.3 out of 10 points from critics, but only 4.2 out of 10 points from players.
Shanks is currently one of the four strongest pirates in One Piece. Just through his Haki, he can make opponents flee before a battle with him. But why did he lose his arm in the first episodes? Several fan theories aim to explain this.
Why did Shanks lose his arm? A particularly popular theory ties back to the inspiration for Shanks. Just from the wooden figure of his ship, it can be seen that the red-haired pirate is based on Viking lore.
Shanks is said to have been inspired by the Norse god Tyr. Tyr sacrificed his arm to the Fenris wolf to ensure the balance of the Nine Realms. According to the theory, the one-armed pirate also willingly sacrificed his arm to ensure a better future through Luffy (via reddit).
The scene can be seen on the Crunchyroll YouTube channel:
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Alternatively, Shanks might have wanted to teach little Luffy a lesson with this action. The straw hat boy wants to become the king of pirates, but he did not behave accordingly in childhood. That’s why Shanks didn’t want to take him aboard his pirate ship.
It could be that the red-haired pirate wanted to show what it means to be a captain and to take responsibility through the lost arm. Moments later, he can scare away the Sea King with just a glance – Shanks would indeed have been capable of confronting the Sea King.
But there could be a much simpler reason: Oda originally did not plan for Shanks to lose his arm (via Twitter). In an interview in the Jump magazine from 2010, it was revealed that the idea came from his editor.
The reason for this was that it would add more spice to the story. Therefore, it could be that there is actually no reason within the One Piece story as to why the arm ended up in the stomach of a Sea King.
Currently, One Piece continues with the Egghead arc:
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One Piece: New trailer shows first images from the Egghead Island arc
How did Shanks lose his arm? 10 years before the start of Luffy’s journey to the Grand Line, he is threatened to sink in the sea. Shanks jumps into the sea and saves little Luffy from a Sea King that wanted to devour the boy. It is a gigantic and dangerous sea monster.
The Day Before is considered by some to be the flop of the year 2023. In December, the developers announced that the servers would close today. Now it has been revealed that the developers are already working on a new game.
Why are the servers closing today? The servers are closing today due to the major flop of the game. The developers commented in December in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) and called the game “financially failed”.
The Day Before was supposed to become a survival MMO, featuring realistic zombies and impressive graphics. The game made it onto more and more wish lists on Steam, but then everything went wrong:
The release was unexpectedly postponed in May 2022
After the release of new trailers, players began to doubt the quality
Due to a lawsuit regarding the name, The Day Before temporarily disappeared from Steam
The reason so many people bought The Day Before might lie in its trailers. You can watch the final trailer for the game here again.
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The Day Before provides new impressions in the final trailer
The Day Before is closing, but it doesn’t matter
Is anyone upset about the closure? Actually, most players should not care; the game had only one loyal player left who was actively playing.
On SteamDB, it is evident that only one player logs into the game daily for weeks. Who this player is and why he continues to play is unknown, but he is probably the only one still affected by the server shutdown. Since Christmas Eve, no more than two players have been in the game at the same time.
Can the game still be played after the closure? No, it can’t be played anymore. However, two modders have announced that they want to preserve the game for posterity. As one of the most controversial releases, the game likely holds some historical value for future generations. Our colleagues at GameStar have reported in detail about how far the modders have come.
The developers are probably already working on the next game
What about the developers? According to CD-ACTION , the developers are already working on a new game. Although the developer studio FNTASTIC has been closed, the minds behind it are said to have been planning their new project several months before the closure.
The laid-off developers from the studio reportedly received offers to work on the new mobile game, CD-ACTION reports, citing a source who likely worked at FNTASTIC.
What kind of game is it supposed to be? The game is reportedly being kept as secret as possible by the developers. So far, according to CD-ACTION, it has only been found out that it is a mobile game. According to the source, the developers want to keep the game secret to be successful despite the global embarrassment.
Did you play The Day Before back then, or are you perhaps the last person logging in? Many players felt cheated by the game. Steam refunded everyone their money, and The Day Before is no longer available. Whether that counts as fraud, we have discussed in our article: The Day Before: “Fraud of the Year” on Steam? – This is what a lawyer says
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Alan Ritchson plays the muscular Jack Reacher in the Amazon series Reacher. In an interview, the actor shared how testosterone helped him prepare his body for the role.
Initially, Alan Ritchson started working as a model. In 2005, he made his acting debut as Aquaman in the DC series Smallville. Later, he was seen as Castor in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
However, it was only with the Amazon hit Reacher that Alan Ritchson achieved great success. The first season premiered on February 4, 2022. The second season followed in December 2023.
In an interview with Men’s Health, the actor talked about how he prepared his body for the demanding role in Reacher. He clarified how, at the age of 41, he can still have so much muscle mass: testosterone doping is the answer.
Here you can see a German trailer for season 2 of Reacher:
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German trailer for season 2 of Reacher
“I don’t want to have to undergo surgery after every season”
Before the filming of the first season of Reacher began, the actor was supposed to gain 30 pounds (approximately 13.6 kilograms).
So Alan Ritchson built a home gym. However, he pushed his body to the limit with all the training:
“I harmed my body. I mean, I had a broken AC joint (Acromioclavicular) in my shoulder that I had to get repaired. There was a huge hormone imbalance in my body. I was falling apart. I made it, but it’s probably true that it shouldn’t happen so quickly and in this way.”
After the intense training came stress and exhaustion. For the preparation of season 2, the actor didn’t want to ruin himself completely again. So he used testosterone doping to help his body with muscle building.
Important note: We are gamers and not medical professionals, however, it is advisable not to start testosterone doping on your own. It can have huge side effects and especially in large doses can do more harm than good.
Alan Ritchson’s testosterone therapy was most likely medically supervised and as he himself says, he only takes small amounts to support his training.
Especially since the actor wanted to keep his body in shape for the long term, he explained that it was simply more sustainable: “For me, this is a long-term game. I want to play Reacher for 15 years […] I don’t want to have to undergo surgery after every season, and testosterone helps with that.”
Alan Ritchson is a big advocate of using testosterone in small amounts for muscle building. Especially for people over 40, it can be “life-changing,” as the actor mentioned.
However, he still has to train hard at the gym. So doping does not replace training itself, but leads to faster results, as the 41-year-old explained:
“It definitely helps with muscle growth. If you take a little bit of it and then work your butt off in the gym like you normally would, you will see enormous results.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 shines with its thousands of decision-making opportunities – the developers seem to have thought of everything. Many encounters you probably will never see. A YouTuber has now discovered an NPC that is so well hidden that you first have to eliminate his brother to find him.
Which YouTuber discovered the NPC? The probably rarest NPC encounter was discovered by YouTuber Proxy Gate Tactician. In a roughly 10-minute video, he presents what he considers the rarest encounters. Included are the Zentharim leader Friol, three ghouls in the towers of Moonrise, and a golden minotaur.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PS5 – Trailer prepares for console release
Which NPC is it? The NPC that Proxy Gate Tactician discovered is Honk. Honk is the brother of Henk, the bartender of the Singing Lute tavern. The bar is located in the Undercity of Baldur’s Gate, specifically in Act 3.
In fact, Honk is only mentioned in the game itself in an in-game note if you have not encountered him yet: HENK, MAKE NOISE IN KITCHEN WHEN CLOSED, HONK. With this, one brother is presumably trying to convey to the other to limit playing the lute to the kitchen and after closing.
This message is also referenced in a reddit post. In it, user IAmWeary asks who the mysterious Honk is. Until the release of the YouTube video, this was probably the only clear search result for the character on Google. Only one wiki for Baldur’s Gate 3 mentions him – on the page for the Singing Lute, edited on January 19, 2024.
How do you unlock the NPC? If you want the pleasure of Honk’s presence, you need to do two things:
You must have Karlach in your party and be in a romantic relationship with her.
You must have killed Henk, the tavern owner, before your Act 3 date with Karlach.
To win Karlach’s heart, you need to play a character that is explicitly good. For this, you should already save the tieflings in Act 1 and ideally also rescue the Emerald Grove. Smith Dammon is the most important NPC here, as he can craft Karlach’s hell machine in Acts 1 and 2.
You can read more and more detailed details on how to win over Karlach in our romance guide to her:
The second requirement, killing Henk, should be quite easy for you: Visit him in his tavern. You will find it at the waterfront of the Undercity. Karlach does not like unnecessary violence, so it’s best to leave her at the camp for this.
Once you reach the tavern, discreetly get rid of the bartender Henk. After that, you can reintegrate Karlach into the party.
We have marked the Singing Lute tavern for you here. Head towards the number house but turn right before the bridge.
If you now trigger the romance scene with her, Honk will appear instead of Henk. However, the sequence of the scene remains the same: Honk simply has a different hairstyle and voice than his brother.
What was your rarest encounter in Baldur’s Gate 3 so far? Will you try to meet the rare Honk? Let us know your comments.
In November 2023, the developer of Destiny 2 shook the gaming world with the news of layoffs. Of the approximately 1,100 employees at that time, 8% had to go, and the workforce shrank to around 1,000. However, a recent job posting states that the company now employs 1,400 people.
This is the puzzling employee turnover: Bungie, the development studio behind the online shooter Destiny 2, caused great outrage in its community in 2023 with the announcement of layoffs.
At that time, the management of the Sony developer informed employees that revenue for the current year was 45% below expectations.
As a consequence, the release of the next DLC “The Final Shape” was postponed from February to June 2024.
In 2024, Bungie, however, claims to now have 1,400 employees. Players and former developers are confused and wonder: What’s going on here?
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Destiny 2: Lightfall – Gather all Guardians trailer
40% Increase Since Last Year’s Layoffs
Where does this information come from? The information about Bungie’s current employee count comes from a recently published job posting by the company. They are looking for a “Payroll Manager”, that is, a head for handling international payroll.
Specifically, it states:
As the Global Payroll Manager at Bungie, you will lead a comprehensive payroll function and oversee a diverse workforce of 1,400 employees in the USA, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada.
This is the job posting with the employee information from 2024
Thus, Bungie would have suddenly hired 400 new employees a few months after laying off 100 employees.
What is speculated about the increase: Despite the impressive number of 1,400 employees that Bungie apparently reached in 2024 according to its job posting, there are some reservations and questions.
A closer look at the development of employee numbers raises doubts about whether the expansion is really as massive as it appears at first glance.
Reportedly, Bungie significantly reduced the number of job openings in 2023 and removed many positions from the job board.
The developer may have hired back in some areas but not to this extent and pace.
It is also speculated that included in this total are some employees from subcontractors and possibly some employees from the Sony studios who are now providing support at Bungie due to shortages.
There has been no official announcement so far that other Sony studios might be joining Bungie. However, many now consider this possibility likely, as a leak had already suggested this.
This was the Annual Pass for Forsaken. Bungie was unable to maintain that pace without Activision.
This is what a design leak has revealed: A design leak published on January 19 about a “The Final Shape” exotic may indicate that Bungie is receiving external support. The leak itself has since been deleted, but there the publishing designer stated: “This model was created by the Asset Team of PlayStation Studios Malaysia.”
What kind of new positions have been created and what role they play in the development of Destiny 2 remains open.
This, however, reminds some players of the time in 2018 when Bungie was in a similar crisis and once received support from Activision’s support studios in creating content for Destiny 2. The result was Forsaken, a DLC with its seasons that many players still remember fondly. This would thus also make sense in 2023, as Bungie wants “The Final Shape” to be the best expansion they have ever made.
What does the community say about the numbers? Some do not believe in the possibility of the increase and rather suspect that the employee count was simply not updated when reposting the advertisement. Destiny player NeoAmron also believes this.
“[…] It is likely that the number in the description has not been updated since the layoffs because figures are not always updated. To be precise, Bungie did not hire many people after the layoffs.
The player FinAeros says: “I have seen companies reuse job postings that were over 18 months old, so I’m actually not surprised by [this number].”
ZacAttackLeader thinks: “[…] If you lay off experienced veteran developers (who had benefits and stock options) just to save money and then hire new ones, you deserve to be shut down. Game companies aren’t the name, but the people who work there.”
Aksis_21 on the other hand is outraged and comments: “Then why the hell did they fire developers who have been there for over twenty years?”
While the gaming world eagerly awaits more information, the question remains unresolved whether there is contractor involvement, internal shifts, or simply an oversight.
Feel free to let us know in the comments what you think about the unexpected discrepancy in Bungie’s employee count. In 2024, Bungie will make even more announcements about Destiny 2, which are highly anticipated to assess the future of the game. The first was, for example, a quality of life change that has been overdue for 9 years: In Destiny 2, you will soon be able to undo your character design sins: “Finally, I can take off the helmet”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A bug in Palworld can permanently reduce your catching skill if you use a certain item. Even the developers warn against using it.
What kind of bug is it? The developers of Palworld have warned on the official Discord server of the game against using an item, as a game glitch can permanently affect your character’s abilities.
According to this, the item “Memory Reset Drug” is said to decrease your catching skill due to a bug. The item is normally used to reset your distributed skill points so that you can redistribute them if you made a mistake during distribution. It works similarly to the Potion of Forgetting in ARK: Survival Evolved.
This means your catching skill would be permanently decreased if you consume the item, as according to the developers, it is “impossible to recover from it” (via Discord).
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Palworld showcases the small monsters in massive action in the early access trailer
What is catching skill? A higher catching skill helps you to be more successful when catching Pals. The calculated catching chance during a catching attempt is then potentially higher than if you have not increased your catching skill beforehand.
If you want to increase your catching skill, you need to approach a “Statue of Power” and choose “improve own abilities,” and then sacrifice so-called Lifmunk statuettes there. These are small, green-glowing statues of the Pal “Lifmunk”.
You can find and collect Lifmunk statuettes all over the map. Often they are even located on slopes or small hills and mountains. Due to their green glow, you can find them particularly well at night.
Palworld is currently a huge success on Steam. Many players on Steam spent numerous hours in the “Pokémon with guns” over the past weekend – probably very few expected such success.
A small game from Stuttgart has surprisingly become a success on Steam. At its peak, the €5 title “Halls of Torment” reached 26,005 players on Steam. The main reason for its success was the Twitch streamer Asmongold, who fell right into the developers’ trap. Because Halls of Torment combines the addictive gameplay of “Vampire Survivors” with players’ nostalgic feelings for Diablo: and Asmongold perfectly represents the target audience they wanted to reach.
The player controls a hero, while enemies relentlessly rush towards them, and the player must fend them off by shooting wildly. The player determines the hero’s weapons and skills by leveling up the hero. The genre designation is “Roguelike Shoot’em Up”. It involves looting, shooting, and leveling up.
“Halls of Torment” was developed by a team in Stuttgart, Chasing Carrots, and was designed to reach players who enjoy Diablo. They wanted to capitalize fully on the hype that Blizzard would create for Diablo 4 in the summer of 2023: Halls of Torment was released on May 24 – Diablo 4 on June 5.
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Career and life of Asmongold in 3 minutes – What makes him special?
Twitch Streamer Shows the Game to 21,000 Viewers
What was the breakthrough? The Twitch streamer Asmongold discovered the game in July 2023 and played it live for 13 hours, averaging 21,282 viewers.
Other major streamers like LIRIK, Sodapoppin, and the German channel Bonjwa also started to take notice of the game.
This led to player numbers for the title increasing by 450% in July 2023, peaking at 26,000 viewers. Apparently, many who discovered the game through the Twitch streamers liked what they saw, as the reviews for “Halls of Torment” on Steam currently show an excellent 96% positive rating.
Although the hype was not sustainable and player numbers have now settled at around 900 players online on average, this “second spring” triggered by Asmongold was a welcome windfall for the studio.
Team Capitalized on the Hype Blizzard Created for Diablo 4
What does the developer say about it? In a podcast (via okcool), the mastermind behind the game, Paul Lawitzki, spoke quite calmly about the hype: Before “Vampire Survivors,” the team had worked for years on the simulation “Good Company,” which did not sell well and required a lot of effort:
Good Company had an absolute peak of 199.7 players on average and 1,222 players online at peak times on Steam.
Halls of Torment had an average peak of 8,264.6 players and 26,005 players online at peak times on Steam.
The studio lost numerous employees for various reasons during the development of Good Company, was financially on the brink, and had to take on contract work. Lawitzki was not happy about that at all.
Ultimately, they recognized the opportunity to develop a “Vampire Survivors” clone with minimal effort. Even though Lawitzki was initially resistant because he distrusted such a “current hype game,” he realized the fascination of the gameplay and “swallowed his pride.” Ultimately, they wanted to create something that would generate some revenue.
They then specifically tried to steer their version of “Vampire Survivors” towards Diablo and play with the fact that fans were eager for “more Diablo,” that there were few alternatives available, and that Blizzard was stoking the desire further. Already in October 2021, Lawitzki recognized the opportunity to profit from the players’ hunger for Diablo:
“I saw a preview of Diablo 4 the year before, and then […] I thought: Ah, I would love to play Diablo now, but Diablo hasn’t been released yet and won’t be for a long time. What happened then? I started playing Path of Exile. I looked for a substitute. And then I thought: I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling this way. We can use that to our advantage.”
It seems that this worked perfectly. At the moment Asmongold, the “typical Blizzard player,” talked about Halls of Torment on stream, played it later, and enjoyed it, it was clear that they had something special.
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Just one YouTube video, showing Asmongold playing “Halls of Torment” and titled “This Game Changed My Life,” reached 1.3 million views. That’s an audience and advertisement for the game that is priceless.
Halls of Torment costs €5 on Steam and is currently in Early Access.
