A gamer stays in an e-sports focused hotel for an extended period. He devastates the entire apartment and turns it into a trash heap. The hotel owners are shocked after his departure.
What happened?The U.S. Sun, a magazine from the United States, reports in a news article from December 17, 2025, that a gamer trashed a Chinese hotel room. The guest in question is said to have lived in the hotel room for over 2 years, during which he ruined the space. There were said to be mountains of empty bottles, trash, and food packaging piled up.
The condition was so bad that many areas of the room were inaccessible, and the staff reportedly referred to the e-sport player as “the guest from hell.” Furthermore, the gamer allegedly has an outstanding bill for over 10 days amounting to 300 British pounds or about 342 euros (as of December 19, 2025).
The creator of a cult classic received no money for his game for years, more about this can be found in the following video:
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He created a legendary game, but didn’t get paid for it – Today he’s still a millionaire
Decluttering and renovations are necessary
How did the hotel react? According to The U.S. Sun, the room had to be cleared out and then renovated before it could be used again. The decluttering alone, followed by disinfection, took over three days. After the cleaning, the full extent of the damage became visible. Further renovations were necessary.
The magazine reports that the hotel currently does not plan to take legal action against the gamer and has not reported the incident to the police. Because the unpaid overnight stays alone could pose legal problems for the guest.
The hotel is located, according to The U.S. Sun, in Changchun, the capital of the Chinese province of Jilin. There stands the Chengdu 567 hotel, which describes itself as an e-sports hotel. Whether the incident occurred there could not be verified by MeinMMO at the time of the news.
Jokes and comparisons with a well-known streamer
How is the community reacting? Users on X.com comment under the post from The U.S. Sun with questions, humor, and concerns:
Solomon Jones compares: “The Asian Asmongold”
Jace asks: “Can you stay in a hotel room for so long without anyone coming to clean it?”
Erica says: “The hotel needs to hire a professional cleaning company. I hope the hotel staff doesn’t have to clean it up.”
WoW demon Cortyn has sneaked through the neighborhood. One house has become particularly impressive – and it stood open.
Like so many others, I have spent the last days and weeks in World of Warcraft, focusing primarily on Housing. Luckily, I live in a neighborhood with many other players who have put way too many hours into this feature; many have their doors open and proudly showcase what they have built.
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So gestaltet ihr in WoW einen Weihnachtsbaum für die Feiertage
Today, I want to show you one of these houses because it combines many interesting ideas and is, for me, the most impressive house I have seen so far.
So let me show you the house of Ticks from my neighborhood!
6 secret rooms right at the entrance
From the outside, the house seems relatively inconspicuous, but it impresses with its dark appearance and the fact that the entire property is fenced. You get the impression that perhaps someone lives here who values their privacy (but since the door was open, I simply ignored that and intruded).
From the outside, it looks ordinary yet secure – a fence completely around.
The entrance area seems simple at first glance – a long corridor leading to the main room. But that is deceiving. Each of the bookshelves is a secret door, behind which lies its own chamber with playful, interesting details:
The wall decoration is creative, but each bookshelf hides a secret.
Behind the first door awaits a warning – a large, creepy scarecrow designed to chase away curious troublemakers.
The zonk. That must have been the wrong door.
Another door leads to a miniature room – apparently a dollhouse. Who knows if a child truly plays here or if a crazy wizard is shrinking his victims and keeping them trapped. Eh, I digress.
Surely, many a young elf will enjoy themselves here!
But my personal favorite is the “Pen & Paper” room. Here, a table is hidden, on which a tabletop game appears to be currently underway – the Game Master has concealed his area behind a book, the figures are positioned on the game board, and of course, everyone has junk food with them.
Just missing the dice …
The creepy library
After the entrance area, you enter the large main hall, evidently a library with a giant magical relic in the center.
The library could easily stand in Dalaran.
All bookshelves on the lower level have been hand-stocked and display different relics. From a small guillotine to miniaturized demon altars or alchemical potions, there is much variety. Just the countless small objects must have consumed several hundred thousand gold or meant many hours of farming work.
The content of this bookshelf is associated with a lot of time and gold.
It becomes truly impressive when you look up. You can see that the library goes up several floors and seems to reach for infinity. Several objects float in the air and appear to be attracted by a void portal on the ceiling. This reminded me a bit of Karazhan or the inscriptionist shop in Dalaran – but so far, I have not seen it implemented so coherently anywhere else.
Looking up, it looks particularly impressive.
More rooms with playful details and great windows
In one more room, there seems to be a workspace. Several desks, alchemical devices, and a large chimney. But what I find particularly interesting here is the artificially created window. Ticks has built a part of his garden in miniature behind a glass pane so that it looks like you could actually look outside and see the garden at night. An extremely creative and visually impressive solution!
The window is a clear highlight since you “see” the garden.
The sleeping area is somewhat less outlandish than the rest of the house (if you ignore the poison barrels on the side), but it also has some highlights. The bed has been made significantly more impressive with rugs and cushions and looks quite elegant.
One enjoys sleeping here.
Again, the view through the window is impressive. A beautiful moon and small stars are visible – it was built following a similar principle as the window in the workspace. Here, the overwhelming carpet was also used.
In these rooms, there is always a starry sky.
In another corner, there is a strange construct made of Draenei devices that apparently holds a bottle of wine in a state of stasis. It must be a particularly fine drop being preserved for eternity – or at least until I passed by and treated myself to a sip.
I don’t know what happens to the bottle of wine, but it was tasty.
I haven’t shown all areas of the house here. Partly because the article would then significantly exceed the planned length and also because you can still notice in a few corners that the decoration limit sets some smaller boundaries on creativity. And maybe also because I don’t want to know in detail what the room with the giant Xal’atath portrait and the small cloths on the floor is for.
Housing is just at the beginning – already surpasses everything
What fascinates me most about the whole house is probably how many details and what scope is already possible if one puts in the right effort. Because so far, housing is only available in Early Access and has quite significant limitations. Especially the limits for decorations and rooms or the selection of decorations will significantly increase after the release of Midnight – I am curious to see how this house will further develop.
Maybe you have gotten some inspiration through the pictures to understand what is possible with Housing. For my part, I know for sure that I will spend many more hours on my little mage tower to ensure my elf has a proper roof over her head for Christmas … Blizzard has already announced what else is to come for Housing – and that only makes it better.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The year 2026 is filled with new releases for fans of Warhammer 40,000. One of these games showcases powerful heroes in its new trailer – and when you can send them into battle.
Which game is being referred to? It is Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2, the sequel to the tactical game released in 2018, which is heavily reminiscent of the X-COM series. The new installment is also being developed by Bulwark Studios.
The release of Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2 is set for the year 2026. Fans probably won’t have to wait too long, as the game is expected to launch in spring. This is revealed by a new gameplay trailer, which also shows two leaders who will dominate the battlefield with their abilities.
You can watch this gameplay trailer here:
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Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2 showcases its mighty leaders in the gameplay trailer
Tech-Priests meet living machines
What is the game about? In Mechanicus 2, two factions from the Warhammer 40,000 universe fight against each other:
The Necrons – an ancient species of aliens (referred to as “Xenos” in Warhammer slang) that consists of soulless, living machines.
The Adeptus Mechanicus has unknowingly settled on a world of the Necrons. The Necrons then awaken their legions from millennia-long sleep to mobilize against the intruders.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2 features a campaign that you can experience either from the perspective of the Adeptus Mechanicus or the Necrons. Both factions have leaders who enter the battlefield as hero units and greatly influence how your troops fight.
These are the heroes: The new trailer gives a brief deep dive into two of the leaders. These are Tech-Aquisitor Scaevola for the Adeptus Mechanicus and Lord Ominekh for the Necrons.
Scaevola is a collector of Xenos technology. As such, her abilities become stronger the more “Cognition” she collects in battle. However, this comes at a high price: In combat, Scaevola can randomly overload and shock enemies as well as allies nearby.
Ominekh, on the other hand, specializes in resurrecting fallen soldiers. He is also expected to lead a diverse selection of Necron units into battle. His special resource called “Dominion” can, among other things, be used to heal allies.
Dune: Awakening gets its next chapter, which according to Funcom will be the largest update yet for the survival MMO. What new content awaits you in the endgame, what is planned for PvE fans, and when you can start, find out here.
Funcom has officially announced the next big update for Dune: Awakening and has already given an initial look at the upcoming content. The new content is free for everyone who already owns a copy of the survival MMO. Those who want to spend more money can additionally purchase the new DLC “Scavengers of the Wastes”.
When does Chapter 3 release in Dune: Awakening? Chapter 3 is expected to launch in early 2026 in Dune: Awakening. However, you will have the opportunity to try out a large part of the new content via the Public Test Client beforehand. Funcom will provide more specific information about the PTC at a later date.
The contents of the DLC cannot be tested there. The DLC “Scavengers of the Wastes” is also planned for early 2026 and will mainly bring new building parts and vehicle skins to the game.
Do I have to pay for new content? No, Chapter 3 is completely free as long as you already own Dune: Awakening. So all new story content, additional quests, and endgame expansions are available to you at no extra cost.
The optional DLC “Scavengers of the Wastes” is expected to cost around 9 euros. As of now, it does not contain any story or quest content, but focuses on cosmetic items. The DLC is also included in the Season Pass.
The trailer gives you an initial impression of the new content:
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Dune: Awakening shows Chapter 3 and the free content update in the trailer
New Content in Chapter 3 of Dune: Awakening
What content does Chapter 3 bring to the game? The free Chapter 3 update expands Dune: Awakening with new features for the endgame and additionally provides fresh content for PvE fans:
The Landsraad system will be revamped and complemented with new, repeatable missions.
New specialization skills allow you to further refine your playstyle – for example as a fighter, crafter, or explorer.
The overworld map will receive 10 new locations with new challenges, including 5 new test stations with adjustable difficulty.
With the new augmentation station, you can specifically enhance your gear with augmentations.
Two new weapons will be added: Dualblade and Pyrocannon, and the Rapier will be revised.
A new quest line will advance the story.
All new content in Chapter 3 of Dune: Awakening.
What content does the DLC bring? The DLC “Scavengers of the Wastes” expands Dune: Awakening with numerous cosmetic contents, including:
74 smuggler building parts
17 smuggler decorations
3 smuggler armor sets
2 smuggler weapon variants
one raider buggy skin
one smuggler texture and emotes
Are there currently discounts for Dune: Awakening? If you want to get an impression of Dune: Awakening before the big update, you can currently save during the winter sale on Steam. The survival MMO is available for about 32.50 euros until January 5, 2026. Additionally, owners of a copy of Conan Exiles benefit from an additional discount when purchasing Dune: Awakening.
With Chapter 3, Funcom will bring fresh content to Arrakis in early 2026. Especially the new specializations and the revamped Landsraad tasks are sure to appeal to PvE fans. If you wish to take a break in the meantime without leaving your base to the sandstorm, you can use a new tool that allows for easy saving of bases. More details can be found here: Dune Awakening gives fans with hundreds of hours of gameplay what they want: They can finally stop playing
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
An Indian developer has finally released her game after many years, but then Electronic Arts (EA) came along. Now she says thank you to everyone who played it anyway.
Which game is it? On March 7, 2024, Potions: A Curious Tale was released on Steam. The game was developed by indie developer Renee Gittins and is described as an adventure-crafting game.
You play as the young witch Luna, who fights monsters with self-brewed potions and solves puzzles on her journey to become a master witch.
The fantasy game is already rated for ages 6 and can be understood as a so-called cozy game.
Gittins began developing Potions: A Curious Tale over 10 years ago as portfolio work, but when the game piqued interest in her surroundings, she launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2016. It turned into a real game that was finally released for the public in 2024 – but EA intervened.
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The indie game Potions: A Curious Tale presents itself in the launch trailer
EA knocks indie game out of the trends with shadow drop
What happened with EA?EA released eight games from the “Command and Conquer” series on Steam on March 7. These are popular strategy games featuring base building and large battles. Additionally, EA released the strategy games “Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri” and “Sim City 3000 Unlimited,” as well as the role-playing game “Dungeon Keeper Gold.”
There are a total of 11 well-known and quite popular titles that had their original release years ago. These games now pushed onto Steam’s list of popular new releases.
There, games are listed that have been newly released and are already well-received by players. The higher a game is on the list, the more popular it is. EA’s 11 new releases all positioned themselves above the indie game and catapulted it out of the popular new releases.
This hit the developer emotionally hard, which she spoke about in a video on Tiktok in tears.
This is the latest development: Renee Gittins announced on December 11 that her game, Potions: A Curious Tale, will now be available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series.
In time for the console release, she wanted to, as she writes on Reddit, thank everyone who supported the Steam launch and played it at release with a free endgame update.
If you behave incorrectly in League of Legends, it can lead to you being banned. Now, a pro and Twitch streamer has been banned, and fans believe he deserved it.
Which pro is it about? The Swedish LoL pro Thebausffs plays as a Toplaner for the team Los Ratones. Together, the team has won the EMEA Masters twice in 2025 with some well-known Twitch streamers (lol.fandom.com).
Thebausffs is also a Twitch streamer, where he mostly plays League of Legends. After a ranked match, Thebausffs was banned in LoL for a week because he, as a Support, accumulated a total of 17 deaths within 30 minutes. However, he was unbanned after just one hour (x.com).
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The trailer of the new champion of League of Legends showcases his abilities in action
Why do fans believe he deserved it? Thebausffs is known for the champion Sion. This character has a passive ability that allows him to resurrect after his death for a short time and continue to attack with devastating blows. The pro and streamer often employs the strategy that while he dies with Sion, he achieves enough with his ability to make the death worthwhile.
However, during his round with Sion as Support and the 17 deaths, he was only able to achieve very little with the ability and consequently did not adhere to the official rules of LoL. The X user icardiadamya comments on the ban: “He deserved it.”
Too many intentional deaths lead to a ban in League of Legends
How does this behavior lead to a ban? In a Riot FAQ, all questions regarding the topic “ban” have been answered personally. It states that a ban may occur if the player “intentionally plays for the opponent”.
A Reddit user writes the following under the post about Thebausffs’ ban: “17 deaths on Support Sion in Master (the rank) are honestly just intentional feeding.” Intentional feeding describes a player like Thebausffs, who intentionally “feeds” the enemy with gold through dying.
With Thebausffs’ many deaths, without gaining any benefit from them, he fed the enemy a lot of gold, which gave his team a significant disadvantage.
It is not new that Twitch streamers are banned in League of Legends if they do not follow Riot’s rules. Streamer Bardinette set himself a strange challenge and harmed his team. He wanted to climb to a certain rank while defeating no minions, which are actually one of the main sources for the important gold: Twitch streamer sabotages his team in LoL through a special challenge and gets banned for it
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The creators of Baldur’s Gate 3 are returning with their next role-playing game in their own fantasy setting: Divinity. On Steam, you currently find 6 games from Larian set in this universe. In preparation for the new Divinity, two of them are particularly worthwhile.
What is Divinity? That’s not just the name of Larian’s new role-playing game, but also the name of the fantasy universe it takes place in. It began in 2002 with Divine Divinity. Since then, many other games have been released in the world of Divinity, which differ quite a bit in gameplay:
The first two games of Divinity, Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity, resembled more action RPGs like Diablo or the old games of Baldur’s Gate
Divinity 2: Ego Draconis was a 3D RPG in the style of The Witcher or Skyrim
With Divinity: Dragon Commander, Larian even developed a real-time strategy game in the fantasy universe
Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are turn-based cRPGs that are most reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3
With the multitude of games, it’s easy to get confused – especially if you’re only familiar with Baldur’s Gate 3. Fortunately, we already know quite a bit about the new Divinity. Therefore, we can already say which games you should play in preparation.
Here you see Divinity: Original Sin 2 in the trailer:
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Divinity: Original Sin 2 Trailer
Divinity ties back to the “Original Sin” games
Which Divinity games are particularly worthwhile? The new Divinity is supposedly a sequel to Divinity: Original Sin 2, even though it has dropped the subtitle. If you want to prepare for the new game, Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are especially recommended.
The two games also resemble the new Divinity in terms of gameplay: Divinity will be a classic RPG with turn-based combat, but without having to stick to the rules of Dungeons & Dragons.
Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are available on Steam in the “The Source Saga” bundle for €10.66. You actually pay a little less than if you were to get just part 2 for €11.24. This offer is valid until January 5, 2026.
Do I need to have played the two games to understand Divinity? No, Larian itself emphasizes that you do not need any prior knowledge for the new Divinity. Players of the predecessors may have a deeper understanding, but it is not strictly necessary to navigate the game.
If you are still interested in an even older Divinity game, there are also strong discounts. You can see an overview of all Divinity games on Steam here on Steam.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been awarded Game of the Year 2025. One reason for this is the original combat system, which head Guillaume Broche revealed in an interview regarding how the idea came about.
Why is the combat system in Clair Obscur the way it is? In an interview with the Japanese magazine Denfaminicogamer.jp and Hiroyuki Kobayashi, founder of the development studio Binary Haze Interactive, which develops the Ender series, Clair Obscur head Gillaume Broche discussed the combat system of the successful game.
It was also mentioned that CO: Expedition 33 is inspired by classic JRPGs and how it significantly differs. In typical JRPGs, much of the combat system relies heavily on luck and chance. Players can respond to the opponents’ actions to some extent – but planning ahead and avoiding dangers is only feasible to a certain extent.
This leads many players to frustration, and that is exactly what they wanted to counteract, as Broche explains:
The reason why dying in typical turn-based RPGs is frustrating is that often luck is involved. For example, the boss might just attack the wrong character, and there’s nothing the player can do about it, or the boss has a random behavior pattern that cannot be countered. Such deaths lead to dissatisfaction among players.
The reason for the inspiration from JRPGs is mainly the level of challenge that it offers the player, and Broche personally enjoys it very much.
In Western games, it is rather unusual to encounter really difficult bosses early in the game. However, in his view, this also creates hurdles that one wants to overcome, creating an “irresistible feeling” when one masters the challenge and then becomes significantly stronger.
This is exactly the feeling they wanted to deliver with Clair Obscur, but without the frustrating luck factor.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hinterlässt bei den Spielern eine Leere
“A game where you can defeat the final boss at Level 1.”
How was this goal achieved? The biggest problem with classic JRPGs with turn-based combat systems is that players may try their hardest to figure out the game, but there’s still the element of luck that can ruin the best strategy. Therefore, the developers worked on a system that would allow players to react directly to all incoming actions.
This resulted in a hybrid of turn-based combat with real-time elements in the form of parry and dodge mechanics, allowing the player to completely avoid damage in a round and even deliver powerful counters. The developers asked themselves with every fight, “Can a boss using this mechanic be defeated without taking damage?” If the answer was “no,” the corresponding mechanic was discarded.
Broche wanted to ensure that the game could be completed without taking any damage at all. On his YouTube channel, Broche shares videos of his no-hit runs and proves that his team has done a great job.
Broche explains that Clair Obscur should be a game that can theoretically be completed at Level 1 if one masters the patterns and the combat system – without random components undermining that skill. However, it should not become too easy.
This is also a type of challenge that he loves in other games and which he wanted to perfect with Clair Obscur.
In Pokémon GO expect new events, raid hours, and spotlight hours in January 2026. Which ones? We will show you in the list.
January 2026 is approaching, bringing plenty of new dates in Pokémon GO. From spotlight hours to raid hours to various themed events, there are many opportunities to catch monsters.
Highlights are:
The Fusion Day with Kyurem, bringing you two of the best Pokémon in the game
The Pokémon GO debut of Klibbe in the event “The Perfect Trick”
A Rocket takeover at the end of the month
The overview of all dates can be found in the following list. As always, possible shinies are marked with an asterisk*. If there is further information about events, it can be found under the corresponding links.
As soon as more information about the events becomes available, we will add it here. So check back regularly to find out what is happening in January! And if you want to know which Pokémon are really worth it: Here are all the top attackers in Pokémon GO in the list.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In his new video, Marco Risch from the Nerdkultur channel talks about Tony Gilroy’s work on Rogue One and the series Andor, and how it has changed Star Wars forever.
Who is Marco Risch? Since 2015, Marco Risch has regularly been uploading videos to his Nerdkultur channel on YouTube that cover news, reviews, analyses, and interviews on various films and series. Among other topics, he discusses Star Wars and Andor, for which there is already an analysis of the finale of Season 2.
In addition, he and his colleague Yves Arievich discuss various topics from pop culture weekly in the Nerd & Kultur podcast.
Both projects are part of the Webedia network, which also includes MeinMMO.
In his new video, Marco once again addresses the Star Wars film Rogue One and the series Andor. Their two seasons told the backstory to Rogue One, which in turn is the prequel to Episode 4. In the video, Marco highlights the significance of showrunner Tony Gilroy for the franchise and what makes his work on Star Wars so special.
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Marco from Nerdkultur explains what connects Rogue One and Andor and makes it so good
Gilroy saved Rogue One from chaos
Why is Tony Gilroy so important? Right at the beginning of his video, Marco explains how Gilroy came to be involved with Star Wars. He was actually not a fan of the brand, unlike Gareth Edwards, the director of Rogue One.
However, Gilroy was supposed to help with advice after the shooting was completed. When he saw the first cut of the film, he reportedly labeled it a lost cause that could no longer be saved. Nevertheless, he did not want to give up, and many reshoots occurred, in which Gilroy’s ideas were incorporated. Among other things, Gilroy scripted the now-iconic appearance of Darth Vader at the end of Rogue One.
Because working with him had gone so well, Gilroy was able to submit his own pitch for a Star Wars project. He seized the opportunity and pitched the series Andor.
What makes Rogue One and Andor good? Marco emphasizes how differently the two projects feel compared to the rest of Star Wars. They are much more realistic, even in their presentation. Accordingly, Andor actor Diego Luna plays in a naturalistic way. The camera is especially hectic and excited with the rebels – with the Empire, it is much calmer and shows clear, clean images that at times remind one of Stanley Kubrick.
At the same time, Marco sees a clear visual language in the camera work: The camera often moves forward, showing a drive to move forward that perfectly fits the rise and strengthening of the rebellion.
The video also shows how much Rogue One and Andor reflect each other in some moments. For example, the introduction of Cassian Andor is presented quite similarly in both cases – only the character is much more experienced by the time of Rogue One.
Andor takes more time for the characters: While Gilroy had to deal with already shot material in Rogue One, he was able to work much more freely in Andor – together with his brother John Gilroy, who was responsible for the editing. This led to calmer moments where the characters come fully into their own and are not rushed in a cutting frenzy from one event to the next.
Supporting characters thus receive their well-deserved moments, even those who were not present during the filming of Andor: Gilroy used old, previously unused footage from Episode 4, explaining through the death of a pilot why Luke later receives a place in the flight squadron.
Real locations, such as in London, make the series tangible and authentic. The fascism from Star Wars is successfully depicted, showing that it also destroys those who have worked for it.
Thus, the overall package Rogue-One-Andor, according to Marco Risch, tells an exciting new trilogy that has been overlooked, in which it ultimately comes down to who lives for what – not for what one dies. MeinMMO editor Karsten has experienced Rogue One and Andor similarly: Star Wars has a new “best trilogy” with about 1,400 minutes of runtime
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The development studio behind ARK 2 has finally mentioned a new release date for the survival game, but it will still take a long time.
What is ARK 2? At the Game Awards in December 2020, Studio Wildcard announced a sequel to the popular survival game “ARK: Survival Evolved”: ARK 2.
Like its predecessor, ARK 2 also relies on a futuristic setting complemented by prehistoric creatures.
With Hollywood star Vin Diesel, the team at Studio Wildcard receives prominent support. The actor is the executive producer of the title and plays the protagonist Santiago da Costa.
Unlike “ARK: Survival Evolved” and “ARK: Survival Ascended”, ARK 2 is intended to use a third-person perspective, a melee combat system inspired by Soulslike games, and movement reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed.
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ARK 2: Watch the 4-minute announcement trailer for the survival sequel
New release year, but long wait
What are the new details? The publisher of ARK, Snail Games, allowed the development studio to talk about ARK at an investor event at the NASDAQ Marketsite Building in Times Square, according to Epic Games. During this event, Wildcard co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz reportedly revealed the currently planned release year for the survival game ARK 2.
When is ARK 2 supposed to be released? The release of ARK 2 is currently planned for the year 2028.
Since further delays for ARK cannot be ruled out and no specific release date has been shared with players, but only with investors, a significantly later release is still possible.
How much later is that than expected? Initially, the release of ARK 2 was supposed to be in 2022, followed by 2023, before the survival game was postponed to 2024. At the end of 2024, ARK 2 then disappeared from Steam without further communication. There, players could at least read basic information about the game until then.
The planned release in 2024 did not materialize, and the developers remained silent. No new release date has been provided since. The last mention of ARK 2 was the announcement of the expansion “Lost Colony” for ARK: Survival Ascended, which aims to close the narrative gap between the expansions “Extinction” and “Genesis” and provide a transition into the world of ARK 2.
If you are currently looking for a new survival game, ARK 2 is probably not an option for now. But don’t worry, MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has 31 alternatives for you – most of them without dinos: The 31 best survival games 2025 for PS5, Steam, and Xbox
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The next expansion of World of Warcraft starts in January – at least the gigantic “Pre-Patch” will go live then.
Although we suspected from data mining and Blizzard’s general release cadence that the Pre-Patch for the upcoming expansion World of Warcraft Midnight must be released in January, we now have certainty. Blizzard has officially announced that the era of the 12th expansion of the MMORPG will begin in less than 5 weeks.
If you need a stylish look for housing for the holidays, check this out:
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So gestaltet ihr in WoW einen Weihnachtsbaum für die Feiertage
What has been announced? In a blog post by Blizzard, the developers announced that the Pre-Patch 12.0 of World of Warcraft will be released on January 21, 2026. As usual, due to time differences and different maintenance schedules, this will be half a day earlier on American realms, on January 20, 2026. From then on, the era of “The War Within” officially ends, and the major innovations of Midnight are already live.
What is already in the Pre-Patch? Although the Pre-Patch does not yet contain the new zones and quests, Update 12.0 already includes a large portion of the extensive revisions and innovations that belong to the expansion. These include the following features:
The Devourer Demon Hunter, the new specialization
Void Elves can become Demon Hunters
Many classes are being revamped and have new talents and abilities
The level event “Winds of Mysterious Fortune” starts once again
Aside from that, many of the addons may no longer work with the Pre-Patch, as Blizzard drastically limits functionality and offers its own solutions when necessary.
The weeks between the Pre-Patch and the actual release of Midnight are therefore perfect for familiarizing yourself with the innovations so that you can launch into the expansion well prepared later.
When will Midnight be released? The official release date for Midnight is March 3, 2026, so almost exactly 6 weeks later. From then on, all buyers of the expansion can dive into the new areas of Midnight, experience the continuation of the “Tale of the Worldsoul Saga”, and climb the 10 new levels up to level 90. However, note that pre-orders of the Epic Edition can start a few days earlier. They get access at least 3 days before – that would be no later than February 28, but maybe even on February 27.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
League of Legends is constantly changing. New champions, items, and gameplay elements are regularly added, or existing mechanics are altered. Now, Riot has announced one of the biggest updates in the history of LoL.
What kind of update is this? In a short on YouTube, League of Legends gave a small dev update. In this video, two of the developers discuss a completely revamped version of League of Legends.
The LoL launcher, which is currently still separate from the game client, is set to be completely eliminated. There will be a single client where game preparation or group creation will take place.
The Summoner’s Rift, where a game of LoL is played, will also receive a complete visual overhaul. Additionally, new gameplay elements will be introduced, and the rune system, which gives champions various bonuses, will also undergo some changes.
The final announcement is the revamp of the experience for newcomers to the MOBA. One of the developers says the following: “It should be the best time ever to bring your friends to League of Legends.”
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When are the announced updates set to be released? In the video, the developers clearly state that these changes will not appear until after 2026. However, there will be new information between the MSI, a tournament around the middle of the year, and the Worlds, which are held in the fall.
The information about the huge update shouldn’t be public yet
Why did the developers upload the short? In the Subreddit for League of Legends, the video was also shared. The Reddit user G0ldenfruit asks the following: “Why is the biggest LoL news in the last 8 years in a YouTube short, haha, what the hell?”
One of the developers from Riot commented under his question and confirmed that the information about the massive overhaul was not supposed to be released until January 2026.
Furthermore, the employee RiotMeddler writes: “Some of this information has already leaked elsewhere, so we picked it up and published it today to give you the context directly from us.”
What are the community’s reactions? Many LoL players are excited about Riot’s announcements. Especially the new client seems to be a dream for YouTube user ZeekarPRIME: “A new client … I honestly never thought we’d see this day. Pinch me, am I dreaming?”
The news about the revamped experience for new players even excites veterans. Player lilnxss6411 writes on YouTube: “Okay Riot, this time you got me. I’m bringing you the souls of my friends.”
At the beginning of December, the developers of League of Legends just gave their last real dev update. There, they talked about the new season in 2026. In addition to many new changes for champions and the overall gameplay, there’s a new system that will make it easier for you to rank up if you should master every role: In LoL, you’ll climb faster to a higher rank, but you’ll have to learn all roles
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
While megacorporations rule Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, there are other powers that have a say in the streets of the city. In this list, we introduce you to the gangs that set their own rules.
In Night City from Cyberpunk 2077, the lives of people are not only determined by the megacorporations. Because even closer to human activity, in the dirt of the city instead of massive skyscrapers, where the lives of ordinary citizens actually take place, there are other groups that have a say. And even some corporations cannot intervene there.
Night City is a playground for various gangs that, while having their own territories, also create conflicts and gang wars. They can be found spread throughout the city, where they threaten both rival gang members and innocent citizens, who often also become collateral damage from violent confrontations between the groups.
It is not uncommon for people on their way to work or while shopping to lose their lives to an unluckily fired bullet because they show up at the wrong time at the site of an escalated dispute.
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Why are there so many gangs? The art book for the game “The World of Cyberpunk 2077” explains how the extent of these gangs has come to be:
When many companies and factories in the country had to close in the early 2020s, resulting in thousands of people losing their jobs, it was a death sentence for small cities and suburbs.
People fled to the big cities in the hope of finding new work, but the job market could not absorb this wave. They were placed in poor areas and mega-buildings, where they had to lead lives that were often truly miserable.
This desolate existence, mixed with a crumbling infrastructure and abandoned social institutions, led to an increase in gang formation that spread from neighborhood to neighborhood. By the year 2077, there are areas in many cities, including Night City, where gangs have completely taken over.
How was the list created? The book classifies the gangs according to various danger levels, which relate to the ideology of the gang and the “likelihood that they commit ‘random acts of violence.'” Of course, there are individual personalities in each gang that are particularly nasty and ruthless, but the danger level is determined by the group as a whole.
In this list, we want to present to you which gangs from Night City you should definitely not mess with – although one should not mess with any of them unless your name is Adam Smasher, V, or “Gonk”.
Rank 8 – The Mox
Danger Level: Low
Estimated Size: 200 – 250 members
Area: None, but mainly hangs out in Kabuki, their base is “Lizzie’s Bar”
The Mox are the smallest gang in Night City and only hold the 8th place on this list based on their danger level, which doesn’t mean they are harmless.
The greatest strength of the Mox is their protective instinct, their solidarity, their anger, and their ideology, which make them a fighting unit. Violence against their own, sex workers, sexual minorities, and other marginalized groups is not tolerated and is responded to immediately. Because exactly from these values, the Mox have emerged.
However, it must be emphasized – those who leave the Mox alone have nothing to fear, but if one confronts them, they have no fear of attacking much larger and more dangerous gangs in Night City. This makes them a group that should not be underestimated.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Generation Z consciously drinks less alcohol. This also leads to higher productivity compared to other generations. Because those who drink less alcohol are significantly more productive and creative, various studies report.
It has been known for some time that Generation Z has a different drinking behavior than older generations. Reasons for avoiding alcohol are often cited by young people as self-protection and control, which one would otherwise lose.
And this rejection of alcoholic beverages also affects productivity. And the fear of hangxiety.
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The fear of losing control and psychological symptoms makes Gen Z abstain from alcohol
What does hangxiety mean? Hangxiety is a portmanteau of hangover and anxiety and describes the psychological symptoms such as fear, panic, restlessness that can occur after consuming alcohol. This is reported by the English-language magazine TheGuardian.
Members of Generation Z consciously abstain from alcohol to avoid these problems. As a result, they are spared from hangovers or other cognitive impairments and can start their day more productively.
This behavior contrasts with other generations, such as older Millennials, who, according to the study, drink 20% more than Generation Z. Because these people, who have been drinking, struggle with the effects of alcohol for between 24 and 48 hours, while the others are significantly more creative and productive than their older counterparts who had too much to drink the night before.
Does alcohol really have such a strong impact on productivity? Yes, alcohol demonstrably reduces performance and productivity, both acutely and in the long term. This is noted by the German Headquarters for Addiction Issues e.V. (PDF file).
In Germany, it is estimated that alcohol annually causes productivity losses of over 16 billion euros, primarily due to errors, reduced efficiency, absenteeism, and accidents. This is reported by the independent information portal “Alcohol? Know your limit”.
Generation Z is therefore more productive over a longer period than individuals who drink regularly or more frequently and thus take certain risks.
The Twitch streamer NICKMERCS yelled for help in ARC Raiders at the top of his lungs. He did get help, but not in the Extraction shooter.
Who is it about?
It is about the American Twitch streamer Nicholas “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff, who was once among the biggest shooter streamers in the world.
NICKMERCS gained popularity during the Fortnite hype around Ninja, but later switched to games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, with which he celebrated the peak of his career.
In 2021, NICKMERCS had an average of about 42,000 viewers on Twitch, but after he lost a special deal with Call of Duty in June 2023 due to transphobic comments and was banned on Twitch in June 2024, he lost a large part of his audience. Today, he rarely reaches more than 10,000 viewers.
Currently, NICKMERCS is primarily streaming the Extraction shooter ARC Raiders. Recently, the Twitch streamer found himself in an uncomfortable situation.
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Twitch streamer embarrasses himself in the neighborhood
How did the uncomfortable visit come about? The Twitch streamer was playing ARC Raiders when his character went down and started slowly bleeding out. Since in Extraction shooters like ARC Raiders you lose your carried equipment upon death, NICKMERCS repeatedly yelled for help in the voice chat of the game.
“Hello? Hello, is anyone out there? Hello? My friend and I are on the ground, and we need your help.”
Then it happened: A passerby outside the building heard the cries and rushed to help. According to NICKMERCS, he had forgotten that his window was open and attracted the attention of the concerned citizen.
The passerby himself did not listen, but apparently inquired about the well-being of the streamer and asked if he could help. NICKMERCS then explained that he was just yelling at his screen. This was obviously very embarrassing for him.
Here you can see the clip of the streamer on TikTok:
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For NICKMERCS, the situation ended in great laughter: “You should have seen his face when he saw the stupid headset on my head,” he told his teammate. The streamer was quite lucky that the passerby did not call the authorities.
In the past, NICKMERCS often received visits from the police, but not because bystanders were worried. Viewers repeatedly played a dangerous prank on the streamer called swatting, where local authorities are falsely informed of an emergency, which then storms the homes of the affected streamer armed. More on this here: Major Twitch streamer has already sent 2 viewers to jail – “I get swatted 3 times a week”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new series has recently launched on Netflix, quickly attracting many viewers. This is somewhat surprising since the reviews tell a completely different story.
What series is it about? The Abandons is a new series that was released on December 4, 2025, on Netflix. It comes from Kurt Sutter, who was responsible for Sons of Anarchy in the past. The first season of his new series contains seven episodes, each between 35 and 52 minutes long.
In terms of genre, The Abandons can clearly be categorized as a Western. The series tells the story of rancher Fiona Nolan, who founds a new family with orphans in the Wild West of 1850 and must defend her own land. It somewhat resembles series like Yellowstone and its spin-offs, which also revolves around protecting one’s property against various adversities – mostly in the form of other people.
Two real stars are featured in the main roles. On one hand, Lena Headey plays the protagonist Fiona Nolan. You probably know her from Game of Thrones, where she portrayed Cersei Lannister.
Opposite her, Gillian Anderson embodies matriarch Constance Van Ness. The actress is best known to most for her role in the mystery series The X-Files. The two women face off against each other in The Abandons and are clear adversaries.
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A huge success for Netflix – despite poor reviews
How did the series perform upon launch? From Netflix’s perspective, very well. In week 2 since launch, the series achieved 7.6 million views according to the official website and ranks 4th in its own ranking. Week 1 looked quite similar – here the production gathered 7.3 million views worldwide.
This is indeed a strong performance, especially considering that the successful series Stranger Things with its recently launched 5th season sits just one place higher. Although there’s a significant gap of about 3.6 million views, it’s still remarkable that a new series without a franchise behind it starts off this well.
Moreover, the Western genre has been living a niche existence. While it was very prominent in the 1940s and 1950s, its popularity dropped significantly by the 70s and 80s, and today only a few films and series from the genre are released.
The success of The Abandons shows that there are still many viewers who enjoy it. This stands in stark contrast to the ratings the series has received from critics so far.
What do the reviews say? If you look at the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, a bleak picture emerges. There, 40 reviews have given a score of 30%. Over 100 users have additionally voted and arrive at a slightly better 51%.
While critics praise the strong performances of the two lead actresses, they find their characters to be poorly written. The series also lacks originality and is described as not very engaging. Overall, this leads to a weak overall impression.
There are series that, despite poor reviews, still attract many viewers and often serve as a basis for exciting discussions. Therefore, we would be interested in your opinion. Have you seen The Abandons and formed your own opinion? Please feel free to let us know in the comments. The famous biker series of the showrunner was closely examined: Former Hells Angel reviews films and series about bikers, but the only top score is not for Sons of Anarchy
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO you can play the new research day on the weekend. What’s in it? We show you how to make the best of it.
When does the research day start? The research day takes place on December 20th from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, during the current winter holiday event. So you can go looking for the two Pokémon of the day on Saturday afternoon. It is themed “Heavenly Research Day”.
Which Pokémon are in focus? The Pokémon on research day are Sonnfel and Lunastein. They will appear in field research during the event period.
What is the highlight? An increased shiny chance for both Pokémon. You will encounter both Sonnfel and Lunastein with a higher likelihood of being shiny when you find them in field research.
Lunastein and Sonnfel as Shiny
How do I make the best out of research day with Sonnfel and Lunastein?
Basically, the shiny hunting on research day is the most exciting, as neither Sonnfel nor Lunastein are among the top Pokémon in the game or particularly useful in battles.
Your focus should therefore be on encountering as many specimens as possible to find the shinies. For this, you should proceed as follows:
Clear your field research by 2:00 PM on Saturday, so you have room for new event research.
Visit your first PokéStops. You can have up to three researches at the same time.
Make your way to the next PokéStop and try to solve your current researches while walking.
If you have researches that take too long: Simply delete them and get new ones that go faster.
Also, make sure you always have researches with the Pokémon encounter symbol. You can delete all others.
In the end, however, you mainly need luck to catch a shiny specimen of each.
What’s in the ticket? You can get an event ticket box for 1.99 US dollars (in euros likely similar) in the shop, which gives you a limited research and two special candies for the event. The research runs on research day from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. As part of this research, you will also encounter Lunastein and Sonnfel with an increased shiny chance.
This research ultimately only gives you more opportunities to encounter both. However, it’s not strictly necessary.
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What’s next in Pokémon GO? There are still a few dates until the end of the year. Currently, the winter holiday festival is running, where you can find costumed Mogelbaum, Akkup, and Donarion. And soon more Pokémon will join: The winter holiday part 2 starts next week. You can find all info about the second part of the winter event here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Legion Remix in World of Warcraft has an overarching story, with which we slowly bring about the demise of a beloved character.
Legion Remix seems like a fun event at first glance. It’s a chaotic mess with absurd abilities, the fastest way to level up, and all sorts of rewards that you earn for bronze. We are supported by the “Eternal Dragon Swarm,” which is unusually cooperative. But this could be a dark plan, as the WoW community suspects.
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What is the plan? In World of Warcraft, there are very few things that are guaranteed. Even the greatest enemies are defeated and seemingly insurmountable obstacles are overcome. But one thing is certain: the bronze aspect Nozdormu will become Murozond and then die. For he has received a vision from the titan Aman’thul that depicts his death exactly.
We even know a variant of this death because we defeated it in the dungeon “End Time.”
The Eternal Dragon Swarm, essentially the corrupted version of the bronze dragons, has since been trying to ensure that Nozdormu becomes the dark aspect Murozond. But so far, this attempt has failed every time and has been thwarted. Meanwhile, some dragons from the Eternal Dragon Swarm have even “defected” and apparently appear as friends – like Eternus and the other dragons we see on the island of Legion Remix.
Remix creates Murozond and we bear the guilt
This is the theory of the fans: This is all a plan of the Eternal Dragon Swarm. Rather than forcibly and spontaneously transforming Nozdormu into Murozond, they are now proceeding more cautiously. The remix events, in which they are supposed to “experiment with timelines,” are meant to convince Nozdormu that sometimes it can be beneficial to engage with other timelines to gain insights. This is supposed to gradually open him up to the ideals and views that Murozond will eventually embody.
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In a post in the WoW subreddit, which was actually about a meme, player Crazymage321 proposed the theory:
“I seriously believe that the remix campaigns by Eternus are being used to slowly transform Nozdormu into Murozond.”
This would lead to a “friendlier” Murozond – but still a Murozond. Player AdamG3691 explains Nozdormu’s dilemma in more detail:
He knows that it is his destiny to become Murozond, because he knows how he will die.
If he follows the timeline shown to him by Aman’thul, he will ultimately become Murozond and die by our hand in the End Time. If he tries to change the timeline to avoid his death, then as a consequence he will become Murozond. And as a particularly nasty trap: If he does NOT attempt to change the timeline, then that counts as an attempt to change the timeline so as not to become Murozond.
What is NOT certain is how Murozond is. We have seen both an intelligent and evil Murozond in the End Time and also a wild Murozond who was never the Aspect of Bronze in the dungeon Dawn of Eternity. There is nothing that says there cannot be a nice Murozond, just that there must be a Murozond.
When considering all that we know, the entire End Time was just a show by Murozond since he knows that he will die this way. So he is simply staging an evil scenario, spewing evil things to convince us that he must die, even if he is actually a nice guy because he knows that our past involves killing him, so that our current self cannot exist unless he dies.
That the fight against Murozond in the End Time is just a show can also be suspected from another detail. Because Oshgoggles notes:
“I am a fan [of this theory], because in the dungeon where we defeat him, there just happens to be a huge hourglass relic that empowers us to defeat him.”
That such a relic, which we can use, is coincidentally standing next to Murozond seems quite illogical. It therefore seems likely that Nozdormu (or Murozond) knew exactly that we would come and that this is the timeline that must occur – which is why he even helps us to achieve the goal.
Even though time travel and timelines often cause confusion, the story surrounding Nozdormu and Murozond is one that the community largely loves. It is a beautiful time paradox from which Nozdormu cannot escape. And no matter which path he takes, in the end, everything will lead to the inevitable. This somewhat resembles Greek myths – and those are basically good, compelling stories. If you enjoy the story of the dragons – we have told everything up to the start of Dragonflight here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Another YouTuber and streamer is stepping out of his comfort zone to become part of a horror movie. Although he is not the first, the community is even more excited.
Which YouTuber is being talked about? The Irish YouTuber and streamer Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin is a well-known face in gaming on YouTube, whose channel grew rapidly in 2013 and now has 31.1 million subscribers. He primarily produces video game content, but has now ventured into a new project, surprising his community on X: “SURPRISE! I am producing an independent horror film.”
Indeed, the YouTuber is working as an executive producer on a new indie horror film called “Godmother,” for which he has already shared an image from the set along with information about the cast and other team members on X.
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Two YouTubers are working on horror projects that fans can look forward to
What kind of horror movie will Godmother be? The filming just recently started on December 2, 2025. The film is about a young couple who wants to spend a romantic weekend in the High Desert of Southern California, but their plans are disrupted by two overly friendly, disturbing retirees with sinister intentions.
The lead role is played by Paige Evans, who plays the 28-year-old artist Theo. She can be seen in the first images of the production, which suggest a ritualistic scene:
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Further information about when the film will be released and whether it will be shown in Germany has not been shared yet. However, fans are already excited about this first surprise, which fits perfectly with a past announcement. Because with this type of project, he is not alone: “First a Markiplier film and now one from Jacksepticeye – we are doing great, guys!” (@Wolfy0091 on X)
What are fans excited about? In the reactions to Jacksepticeye’s announcement, the community shares their joy about getting two horror movies from two celebrated gaming YouTubers. Because YouTuber Markiplier also wrote, directed, and stars in a film adaptation of the horror game “The Iron Lung,” released in 2022, which will premiere in the USA in January 2026.
“To think that you and Mark have transitioned from funny videos on YouTube, which shaped the childhood of many people, to independent films is crazy, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with,” writes @calistraal on X.
Jacksepticeye and Markiplier are both YouTubers who have become famous primarily through Let’s Plays and their humor. However, a few years ago he commented critically on another huge content creator for losing sight of what videos on the platform are actually made for and for continuing to contribute to: “He ruined YouTube”: Gaming YouTuber harshly criticizes MrBeast in a 43-second clip
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
