More than a third of all users at Blizzard have disappeared in the last quarter. Nevertheless, there is great satisfaction – and there are many reasons for that.
Every 3 months, Activision Blizzard publishes the rough key figures regarding revenues and the general state of the company. This is to inform the shareholders about the current situation at Activision Blizzard and what the plans for the near future are.
Blizzard, in particular, had to take quite a hit, as they lost 40% of their users. The reason for this, however, could be quite simple – and apparently, the numbers are hardly affected by it.
What has changed at Blizzard? Even for the 4th quarter of 2022, Blizzard reported a total of 45 million monthly active users (“MAUs”). However, in the 1st quarter of 2023, this number has drastically dropped, with only 27 million MAUs now recorded.
This is a decrease of 40% compared to the last quarter. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2022 – in year-on-year comparison – the value has actually increased. Back then, there were only 22 million MAUs.
Where does the significant decline come from? The main reason for the massive drop in numbers is likely the incident with NetEase in China. Blizzard had a falling out with their Chinese partner, which led to World of Warcraft and other Blizzard games being unavailable in China since the end of January. All those Chinese WoW or Hearthstone players are therefore eliminated as monthly users – because they simply no longer have access to the games.
How is Blizzard doing in general? Based on the pure numbers, quite well – despite the loss of the Chinese player base. Blizzard alone is said to have achieved a growth of 62% in revenue compared to the 1st quarter of 2022. All three major franchises, namely Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo, are said to have contributed to this growth, especially with the pre-order for Diablo IV having had a significant impact.
The development of Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft is particularly highlighted, as both games receive content faster and more of it, which is well received by the players.
World of Warcraft can retain significantly more subscribers in the West than has been the case with other expansions in recent history.
Interest in Overwatch has decreased somewhat; however, Season 3 ran significantly more successfully than Season 2. The playtime is still at double the level compared to before the switch to Free2Play.
Diablo Immortal contributed significantly to growth, whether on mobile or PC.
Diablo IV has strong pre-orders, and it is expected that this will increase significantly on the release date in June.
The English Twitch streamer Lou, also known as “Poopernoodle”, wanted to open a new bank account. However, her application was immediately rejected when she accidentally provided an ambiguous job title.
How did this happen? Content creators often have a hard time explaining how they earn their money. A Twitch streamer, who performs online under the name “Poopernoodle”, faced this problem.
When she tried to request a card from a new bank online, there was no option for “I stream Lost Ark to nearly 500 viewers” under employment (via TwitchTracker). In her desperation, Poopernoodle chose the title that seemed closest to her job group – and was promptly rejected.
Start video
Do you recognize these German Twitch streamers by their dubbing voices in video games?
Twitch streamer accidentally posed as a sex worker
What did the streamer state? As Poopernoodle scrolled through a dropdown menu of possible job titles, she fell into a misconception: That she, as an adult woman entertaining people online, was an adult entertainer:
A few months ago, I applied at a very popular bank where you can use your card abroad. I was asked about my profession, and nothing really fit except […] “Online Adult Entertainer” [which translates to: “Adult Online Entertainer”], and I checked that.
I thought “Yes, that’s what I am. I’m an adult and I entertain people online, and then [the system] rejected me immediately.
In a statement to Kotaku, the streamer explained that she hadn’t realized that the term was a euphemism for sex work. She only brought this to her mother’s attention, to whom she described the situation.
You can watch the accompanying clip here:
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Why is this interesting? The streamer’s experience shows that the job description “influencer” is not as widely accepted in society as one might think when moving a lot online.
It’s quite uncomfortable to explain the job to people. [The bank application] gave me a dropdown list of job options to choose from, and those were all socially accepted professions like “Dental Assistant”. There was no option for “Streamer” or “Broadcaster” or anything like that.
On Twitter, Poopernoodle stated that she refuses to believe that other content creators haven’t made the same mistake. Helpful users gave her a tip for the future: When in doubt, the answer is always “self-employed”.
Although this case did not apply to the streamer, the incident also opened her eyes to how difficult it must be for sex workers to open an account.
A streamer who blurs the lines between content creator and sex worker is the American Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa. She seems to have had no difficulties so far in opening a bank account – perhaps she simply refers to herself as a “businesswoman”.
Redfall (PC, Xbox Series, Xbox Game Pass), the new co-op shooter from Arkane Studios, will celebrate its release on May 2, 2023. Today, the PC system requirements for the game were announced.
What is Redfall about? The city of Redfall is under the control of bloodthirsty vampires. Your task is to free the place from its plague.
Equipped with different weapons and gadgets, you take down the supernatural foes and uncover the mystery of how the vampires came to be. The game provides you with an open world full of details.
Redfall is a co-op shooter where up to 4 players can go vampire hunting together.
Not only were the system requirements announced, but also the launch trailer for Redfall was released today:
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Redfall – Official Launch Trailer
These are the system requirements for PC players
On Twitter, Bethesda Germany announced the PC requirements for Redfall. They are divided into three categories: minimum requirements, recommended requirements, and ultra requirements.
On which platforms is Redfall being released? On May 2, 2023, the co-op shooter will be released not only for PC but also for the Xbox Series X/S. The game will also be included in Game Pass from day one.
If you want more information about the game Redfall and its gameplay, you can find a detailed hands-on report from MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider here:
Participants in a study played Cities: Skylines on Steam to test their complex problem-solving abilities.
What is this study about? Ulrike Kipman, a professor of educational sciences, wanted to investigate the relationship between personality and depressive disorders and complex problem-solving abilities (via gamesradar+).
To see these abilities in action, study participants were to play the city simulation Cities: Skylines. In the game by the Finnish development studio Colossal Order, the goal is to build a functioning metropolis as efficiently as possible.
Players are responsible for everything from infrastructure and taxes to the health and satisfaction of the residents. The game was chosen because it “continuously confronts players with new challenges that need to be overcome.”
Study participants were 242 individuals aged between 17 and 48 with 9 different personality disorders.
Start video
The world champion in Farming Simulator is a German, threshing virtual grain for 10,000 euros
Individuals with more pronounced disorders struggle more
What were the findings of the study? The study indicates that participants with more pronounced disorders were less successful in playing Cities: Skylines and thus in solving complex problems. The personality traits that most significantly impacted player success were:
schizotypal traits, characterized by social withdrawal
histrionic traits, meaning tendencies towards melodrama
depressive traits, including feelings of persistent sadness and loss of interest
Additionally, individuals with paranoid and dependent personality traits found the game more challenging, although the correlation was less pronounced. Conversely, traits such as resilience, action orientation, and design motivation had a positive effect.
Kipman is convinced of the usefulness of video games in research:
[The study shows] that we can best measure complex problem-solving abilities with simulation games and not with short tests.
If you want to prove your own problem-solving abilities, you can find Cities: Skylines, and you can get the city builder for PC or console. Highly recommended – and even mentioned in the study – is the Steam version, as the workshop offers countless additional buildings and content.
If you want to know how Cities: Skylines meets the parameters of a microworld according to Brehmer and Dörner and how it satisfies Funke’s standards of complex problems, you can read the entire study in English at Frontiers in Psychology.
The Swedish publisher Paradox Interactive is known for simulation and strategy games like Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and Victoria. With their next title, they are tackling a life simulation in the vein of The Sims: without violence, but with nudity, as is customary in Europe:
With Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, a new installment of the mech series from developer studio From Software is coming. The studio recently celebrated great success with the RPG Elden Ring. Fans are excited about the continuation, which is set to be released this summer.
The developer studio “From Software” recently made headlines with the huge success of the RPG Elden Ring. Now the creators are focusing again on a game series that has been quiet for several years.
With “Armored Core,” the game studio released several third-person shooters full of action-packed robot battles. The last game in the main series, “Armored Core V,” was released on January 26, 2012. The sequel, “Verdict Day,” came in September 2013.
With a gameplay trailer, the game studio provides a glimpse of the upcoming continuation of the robot games titled “Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon” and also reveals the soon-to-be release date. Fans are looking forward to it.
Here you can see the gameplay trailer for Armored Core 6:
Start video
ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON — Gameplay Trailer
Armored Core fans are thrilled and can hardly wait
When will Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon be released? The new game from From Software is set to be released this summer. The continuation of the mech series will come on August 25, 2023.
How is the community reacting to the trailer? Under the gameplay trailer on YouTube, there are many delighted comments from fans of the Armored Core series.
Some express happiness that they are getting a continuation after all this time. But some new players were also immediately drawn in by the gameplay trailer:
Jullia Capybara: “After 11 years we finally get more.”
Kred: “I have never played the series, but this looks great and dynamic. And mechs are always cool!”
Circuit Bird: “I have been waiting so long to see another Armored Core game. I will definitely buy it!”
Mountain TeaVII7: “I am so excited! I can hardly wait for my favorite mech series to come back. And the gameplay looks great too. I can’t wait.”
For which platforms will Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon be released? The game will be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Here you can find an overview of which new games we can look forward to this year in the multiplayer area:
The guardians in Destiny 2 are currently dreaming of a flawless loot shooter on a next-generation Unreal Engine. But why just dream? The fact that this is not so unlikely has long been hinted at by a former employee and some job descriptions.
Will Destiny 2 soon look better than ever? Perhaps not Destiny 2. But it is becoming increasingly likely for Bungie’s new and still secret project. At least if you believe the information that has been revealed online.
A new IP is supposed to take over the free-to-play model of Destiny 2.
The focus is supposed to be on competitive gaming and thus PvP.
Job postings have specified “experience with Unreal Engine 4, 5, Unity3Dor other modern development toolsets” as a requirement.
And now a former employee has also published in his profile that he “led the efforts to build a more extensive prototype [for a new game] in Unreal [Engine]” at Bungie.
Start video
Destiny 2: Lightfall – Launch Trailer
Is Bungie currently building the ultimate PvP shooter in Destiny style?
Where does the information come from? It has long been known that developer Bungie, the creator of the Halo and Destiny franchise, has been working with Sony on one or more ambitious projects for some time now.
Although the former employee and the job postings did not reveal comprehensive details, the community has still put two and two together and speculated that Bungie’s prototype IP could hint at a completely new PvP game that aims to excite players.
Engeln worked at Bungie from 2017 to 2019 initially on the development of a new game and a new IP and led efforts to “create a more extensive prototype in the Unreal [Engine].”
Between 2019 and 2020, he was co-responsible for project management for the new IP and “the creation of a robust prototype as well as the guidance of the project through the greenlight process”.
Bungie might actually be relying on the latest Unreal Engine in the ongoing development of its upcoming games, and Engeln may have ensured that it received “the green light” for funding and realization at Bungie.
What is the Unreal Engine? The Unreal Engine 5 is currently one of the most advanced gaming engines. It is developed by Epic Games, with whom Bungie is already collaborating, and has established itself as one of the leading engines in the gaming industry.
It not only offers developers a variety of tools and features to create games but also a powerful 3D rendering engine, an advanced physics engine, and a sophisticated animation system.
This allows extremely detailed 3D models to be rendered in real-time without compromising performance. In the end, a realistic and immersive gaming experience is created that blurs the lines between reality and virtuality.
By using this engine, the creator of Destiny 2 would thus rely on the latest and most modern technology and bring a sparkle to the eyes of the guardians.
It could not only mean a significant improvement for gameplay but also include impressive graphics and possibly new PvP mechanics.
At least the wait would be worthwhile: Currently, this is just a small consolation for the players in Destiny 2. Because Destiny, Bungie’s current game, is struggling with more and more bugs, which players speculate can be attributed to the old and outdated Tiger Engine.
Bungie itself has not yet officially commented on this. But the prospect that the developer may rely on a new engine, such as Unreal Engine 5, could mean a significant improvement worth waiting for.
This increases the curiosity of frustrated Destiny players about which projects are currently simmering in Bungie’s developer kitchen. Many believe that if the studio wants to continue to be among the top developers in the market and satisfy Sony, at least one of these projects must be a big success. Perhaps exclusively on the PS5.
Are you now also dreaming of a new Destiny in the Unreal Engine? Is this something you hope for Destiny 2 as well? And do you think it will be able to excite the guardians again? Then feel free to leave your opinion in the comments.
For fans of good story videos, this week was less pleasant, as a well-known streamer announced the provisional end of his Destiny career:
The new cooperative shooter Redfall (PC, Xbox Series, Xbox Game Pass) will celebrate its release on May 2nd. The new launch trailer provides a glimpse of what to expect with the release of the latest game from developer Arkane Studios.
What kind of game is Redfall? The setting of the game is the small town of “Redfall,” which is plagued by a grim fate. Vampires have taken control of the place, leaving the inhabitants cut off from the outside world.
Now it is up to you and your teammates to defeat the dark forces. Up to 4 players can work together to take down vampires.
Here you can see the new launch trailer for Redfall:
Start video
Redfall – Official Launch Trailer
Redfall offers you an open world that tells stories through small details. You explore it with four playable characters, each with their own unique abilities and skill trees. In addition, you have a variety of weapons and gadgets at your disposal to succeed in the vampire hunt.
Equipped with weapons like shotguns, UV lights, and sniper rifles, you will slaughter various enemies: From weak bloodsuckers to powerful bosses, everything is included. Stakes for impaling must not be missing from a vampire hunter’s inventory.
But not only vampires, but also their followers, the cultists, make your life difficult in Redfall.
By defeating vampires, you loot valuable rewards that can strengthen your characters. It is up to you how you approach the bloodsuckers: Are you strategic, sneaking up on your enemies, or do you jump into battle loudly?
For which platforms will Redfall be released? The game will be released on May 2, 2023, for Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game is also set to be available on Game Pass from day one.
The open world in Redfall is said to be full of small details and exciting stories. Even among the NPCs there are conflicts:
In FIFA 23 the TOTS event is approaching, and just in time, a new season begins in Ultimate Team. This brings extremely high rewards with strong icon cards and great free packs.
For the big TOTS event, EA Sports has significantly improved the rewards of FIFA 23 Ultimate Team and made them much more attractive.
What changes in the Weekend League and Division Rivals: From now on, the Weekend League rewards will include current TOTS cards instead of the mostly too weak Team-of-the-Week cards.
Additionally, Division Rivals will now feature TOTW cards as rewards, at least between Division 1 and 4. Players hanging around Division 5 to 10 will receive new TOTS loan rewards.
But especially the season rewards, which are often rather uninteresting and bring packs and cards that usually serve only as SBC fodder, surprise this time with extremely strong rewards.
These rewards are now available: The new season rewards that can be earned by collecting XP bring very strong rewards that have not existed in this form before.
Especially the FUT Birthday Icons of Rooney (92) and Desailly (92) stand out, as they are very popular in FUT 23 and have fantastic stats. Particularly, Rooney impresses with his 5-star skills and his amazing shooting, pace, and physical attributes.
Here are some highlights from the rewards:
Level 5: 1x TOTS Moments Reyna (91) or 1x Five Player Pack (85+)
Level 10: 1x TOTS Moments Payet (91) or 1x 85+-x10 Player Pack
Level 15: 1x TOTS Moments Caicedo (90) or 1x Fifteen-83+-Player Pack
Level 17: 1x 83+-Double Player Pack
Level 20: 1x FUT Birthday Icon Desailly (92) or Player Pick with 1 of 3 3+-EFIGS-TOTS (England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain)
Level 25: 1x Flashback Player Jesús Navas (92) or 1x Five Player Pack (85+)
Level 29: Rare Mega Pack
Level 30: 1x FUT Birthday Icon Rooney (92) or Player Pick with 1 of 5 90+ PL/La Liga/Ligue 1 TOTS
This is what the community says about the strong rewards: On Reddit, there is a discussion about the new season rewards, and most fans believe that EA got it right this time. Here are a few comments:
Resident_Cup740: “Fair play to EA. They really nailed it with these season rewards. They actually look worthwhile for once.”
GeorgeCuz: “They not only look fantastic, every decision is tough. You really have to think about which reward to take. It’s usually not even a question with the season rewards.”
M4ur1c100: “The best season of all time, great job EA.”
SHquilleOrKneel: “The worst part is that I have to decide. Do I take Desailly, Rooney and Navas, packs as fodder, or the guaranteed TOTS cards?”
SakisSinatra: “Is EA okay? Are they really bringing good season rewards? Wtf?”
What do you think about the rewards? Do you already know which ones you are going to get? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
If you want to know which RTTF cards can still receive upgrades, then check this out:
If you are looking for new ways to defeat raid bosses in Destiny 2 and have a bad connection, you should definitely take a closer look at an old exo shotgun. A new cheese currently allows you to multiply damage invisibly and even take down the toughest bosses.
This exo is about to be deactivated: After the emergence of a new cheese in Destiny 2, the community is sure: The exo shotgun “The Fourth Horseman” is on the brink of being deactivated.
The exotic shotgun from Season 10 with 4 shots for the energy slot and arc damage has recently become known for tripling your damage to dungeon and raid bosses in no time.
Players who also have the catalyst for the exo shotgun add a 5th round to the magazine and improve the reload speed, allowing you to deal even more damage.
It is likely that players won’t be able to exploit this loophole for long because Bungie usually quickly shuts down such drastic advantages. But the community jokes: “Use it, because Bungie doesn’t work on weekends!”
Start video
Destiny 2: Lightfall – Trailer for new weapons and equipment
How does the new cheese work? In order to make use of the cheese, you need to fulfill several conditions.
First of all, you need the exotic shotgun, preferably with a catalyst. You can buy this directly at the “Memorial of Lost Lights” if you have enough materials.
The masterwork catalysts drop randomly from strikes, Gambit, and crucible matches.
The last condition, which is a guess, states that the cheese is due to a connection error, as the streamer CheeseForever explains:
This error essentially triples the amount of damage it should cause in some cases. My friend was able to use this problem every time. But I could never get it to work. I even tried different frame rates. This leads me to believe that it’s a connection error. A bad and therefore slow connection is the reason why [this cheese] works.
explains CheeseForever about the damage output of the exo shotgun in his YouTube video
This means that players who normally might have disadvantages in the game due to their connection are now the biggest damage dealers in the endgame with the right shotgun.
To further enhance the effect, you should apply a weapon buff and debuff beforehand. Additionally, you can also use Lunafaction boots to deal even more damage.
This is the best part of the trick: You can use this cheese not just once. If you switch back and forth between a normal shotgun and the exo shotgun five times, you can leave the menu to trigger the glitch again. This way you can multiply the damage until you run out of ammunition.
Has Bungie commented on this yet? No, the Bungie support is still quiet about this new error. Although players joked that Bungie doesn’t work on weekends, this is, of course, not the case.
The developer is also at work on weekends and has also shown a fairly quick response time recently when disabling things, such as the glitch for farming legendary shards.
Players should therefore assume that this advantageous, albeit apocalyptic, damage bug cannot be used in the game for much longer.
When was the last time you used the shotgun “The Fourth Horseman”? Is the cheese now a reason for you to dust it off? Let us know in the comments. Or would you rather wait for Bungie to finally announce a new game that is more modern and fresh?
The trick is relatively simple: First equip a normal pellet shotgun. Then switch to the exo shotgun “The Fourth Horseman” and shoot at the boss. This shot will remove a part of the boss’s health in a similar way to the already known error of the glaive “Winter’s Bite”.
Even if the damage is not directly visible based on the damage numbers, the health bar of the boss enemy still shows that you have dealt incredible amounts of damage.
To further enhance the effect, you should apply a weapon buff and debuff beforehand. Additionally, you can also use Lunafaction boots to deal even more damage.
This is the best part of the trick: You can use this cheese not just once. If you switch back and forth between a normal shotgun and the exo shotgun five times, you can leave the menu to trigger the glitch again. This way you can multiply the damage until you run out of ammunition.
Has Bungie commented on this yet? No, the Bungie support is still quiet about this new error. Although players joked that Bungie doesn’t work on weekends, this is, of course, not the case.
The developer is also at work on weekends and has also shown a fairly quick response time recently when disabling things, such as the glitch for farming legendary shards.
Players should therefore assume that this advantageous, albeit apocalyptic, damage bug cannot be used in the game for much longer.
When was the last time you used the shotgun “The Fourth Horseman”? Is the cheese now a reason for you to dust it off? Let us know in the comments. Or would you rather wait for Bungie to finally announce a new game that is more modern and fresh?
The UK market regulator CMA blocks Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard for the important market in Great Britain. Judgments from the EU and the USA are still pending. What chances does the deal still have? MeinMMO looks at reactions from experts.
The scale of the merger prompted regulators around the world to act. Officials have been thoroughly examining the deal since then, with a focus on the authorities in the key markets of the USA, EU, and Great Britain.
In a statement on April 26, 2023, the regulator in Great Britain, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), announced that it would block the acquisition. Activision Blizzard subsequently lost around $7 billion in market value in just a few minutes.
The CMA cites the cloud gaming market as the reason, which also includes the Xbox Game Pass. This came as a surprise to observers of the deal. For a long time, Call of Duty and the console market were actually seen as the sticking points, as Sony has argued for months.
However, the British authority sees a greater risk that no other competitor would stand a chance against Microsoft in the future if the cloud gaming market takes off. The CMA states:
Cloud gaming is a rapidly growing market with high dynamics
Microsoft is already strong here through the Game Pass and could become even stronger with the games from Activision Blizzard – price increases that outweigh the benefits of the acquisition for consumers are expected
They see cloud gaming as a strong future market because players would not have to buy expensive PCs or consoles anymore
Microsoft’s arguments did not convince the regulators
Setback for Microsoft – But not the end yet
What are the chances for the deal now? Microsoft announced that it would appeal the decision. Activision Blizzard also remains committed to the deal and wants to “aggressively” fight with Microsoft to reverse the decision.
As an initial reaction, they want to challenge the decision of the British CMA. According to Bloomberg’s senior antitrust litigation analyst Jennifer Rie, this could take years (via bloomberg.com). The current decision should not be taken lightly.
Rie explains that the deal could indeed be at an end. It was stated in the acquisition contracts that the merger had to be completed by July 2023. Rie believes this deadline would definitely have to be extended. And negotiations have already been ongoing for over 15 months.
Analyst Piers Harding-Rolls, Research Director of Games at Ampere Analysis, is more optimistic. He shared his views with the US side VGC (via videogameschronicle.com). Harding-Rolls thinks that smaller appeals against decisions by the CMA could indeed be processed within a few months if Microsoft responds correctly to the regulators’ conclusions.
Examples of this come from Michael Pachter, Managing Director of Equity Research at Wedbush Securities. Microsoft could offer concessions or price guarantees.
Ultimately, the judgment depends on the CMA’s conviction that Microsoft will have pricing power due to its dominant market position in cloud gaming.
However, we firmly believe that Microsoft is willing to maintain pricing at $15 per month plus inflation and we believe that the CMA will change its position if Microsoft makes this offer.
If the appeal is unsuccessful, Pachter also brings up a separation of business areas. For example, the business with the Game Pass could be separated from the rest of the world and monitored directly by the CMA or designated third parties.
Pachter said: “We assume that this will be sufficient for the CMA to declare the merger acceptable, on the condition that Activision titles are not available on Game Pass.”
You see – after the CMA’s decision, the market is unsettled. The problem for Microsoft is that the regulator’s decision now stands for the time being. It will probably take at least a few months to change the CMA’s ruling.
In fact, there was even hope to leverage a positive decision from the CMA to stand better with the authorities in the USA and the EU.
It was a setback for Microsoft, but the deal is not dead yet. Now it remains to be seen how long the CMA will take to process the appeal and what decisions the EU (at the end of May) and the authorities in the USA will make (at the beginning of August).
World of Warcraft is once again offering some exclusive rewards through Twitch Drops. We reveal when and how you can get them.
At Blizzard, they have been heavily promoting for several months now, especially when it comes to the Twitch platform. Almost with every new release of a patch or new season, there are different goodies for the respective games.
Fans of World of Warcraft are particularly happy because they can grab rewards that would otherwise only be obtainable through a lot of money. Soon there will be two new great items that you can receive.
What rewards are available? For the launch of Patch 10.1 Fury of Neltharion, there are two rewards that were previously only available through the (long discontinued) “Warcraft Trading Card Game”.
Translucent Portal (Toy): A special Hearthstone that summons a portal when used, known especially from the Astral realms of the shattered world.
Flaming Hippogryph (Mount): A hippogryph with a unique fire look reminiscent of the Firelands.
The translucent portal is already waving at the start of the patch.
How do you get the rewards? To receive the two items, you must first link your Twitch account with your Battle.net account. Then during the respective event period, watch 4 hours of content related to World of Warcraft. Valid channels usually have a note indicating that they have “Drops” enabled. You can also check your progress anytime.
The hippogryph will be available in the second week after the patch launch.
When are the promotions active? Depending on which rewards you want to grab, you need to tune in at different times.
Translucent Portal: Watch 4 hours between May 2nd 7:00 PM and May 10th 8:59 AM.
Flaming Hippogryph: Watch 4 hours between May 9th 7:00 PM and May 18th 8:59 AM.
Do you have to watch actively? No, it’s not necessary. Those who are only interested in the rewards can open the stream, mute it, and just let it run in the background until the required time is reached. However, you might discover some interesting content creators whose content you enjoy along the way.
What do you think of these rewards? Cool that they are now coming into your possession? Or is it unfortunate for all who obtained them through the Trading Card Game back then?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Honkai: Star Rail, a special object in the game is currently being celebrated by both the main character and the community: We’re talking about the trash cans in the space RPG that lead to humorous interactions.
Yesterday, on April 26, 2023, was the big release of the new fantasy space RPG Honkai: Star Rail. It comes from the creators of Genshin Impact, HoYoverse. The game revolves around a group of Trailblazers traveling through space on the Astral Express.
As a player, you will find all sorts of hidden, partly humorous interactions with various characters and objects. You can give a funny response to some NPCs or hide in the “perfect” closet to deal with the “Hotel Devils”.
However, one particular item has captivated both the main character and the community: trash cans.
Here you can see the official release trailer for Honkai Star Rail:
Start video
Official Release Trailer – “Interstellar Journey” – Honkai: Star Rail
The main character and trash cans provide interesting interactions
As you walk through the administrative district of Jarilo-VI, you will see several trash cans that you can interact with. It quickly becomes apparent that the main character has a strong compulsion to rummage through them, which is evident in humorous internal dialogues.
It says, for example: “You’ve been staring at it for a while, but it’s just a regular trash can.” March 7th then asks what the main character wants to do now. “You’re suppressing the urge to open it,” is the response.
Here you can see the described trash can interaction in an English YouTube video:
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As you continue to interact with the object, the main character looks longingly at the trash can, which becomes increasingly alluring: “The edges were no longer rusty, and the dents were smoother.” Suddenly, the trash looks like treasure chests to the protagonist.
March 7th and Dan Heng comment on their companion’s trash can obsession. March 7th comments: “…and it happens again.” “There’s no turning back once you’ve gone down this path,” says Dan Heng.
What does the community say about it? The community celebrates the unusual relationship the main character has with the trash cans. Several artists have already published fan art about it on Twitter and reddit, and some players love to talk to the trash cans in Honkai: Star Rail.
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via Twitter Awsie6662: “I think what I like best about Honkai Star Rail is that every trash can has something unique about it. I literally spent an hour talking to every trash can I see.”
via reddit bockscar916: “I lost count of how many trash cans I’ve rummaged through; I just know that the game thinks I’m now obsessed with them.”
via reddit vernil: “I love trash cans too. So it’s a match made in heaven.”
What do you get as a reward for the trash can interactions? You will receive a trash can avatar for your profile as a reward for the object interactions. In the picture, you see a can with two arms giving a thumbs up.
Additionally, you will find items while rummaging through the trash cans, such as an ancient coin or just trash.
The e-sport of League of Legends seems to be years ahead of all competitors. Because Riot Games and their partners have now understood how to stage the stars of the game. With 2 mumbled sentences of “English” and bombastic images made with the help of the South Korean Ministry of Defense, the 26-year-old Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok becomes an action star.
This is the fundamental problem of e-sports: E-sports predominantly targets a young, male audience and needs stars that can be staged:
One believes: The audience is actually fond of “tough, cool, ironic stars” that boys can somehow take as role models. People are interested in wrestling stars, action heroes, or super athletes like “The Rock,” Neymar, or LeBron James.
However, the stars in e-sports are mostly relatively slight, rather shy teenagers and twenty-somethings, who might have been bullied in school, spend 16 hours in front of a PC every day, speak mostly through headsets, and do not exactly come off as very articulate. This may be a nasty stereotype, but it is true in many cases.
Let’s put it kindly: If LoL players were characters in a role-playing game, many would certainly have fantastic stats in agility and intelligence, but very few would have a high score in “charisma.”
LoL: Seoul stages Faker as a hero in bombastic 46 seconds
This is the solution: An example of how to ideally solve the problem is shown by the city of Seoul. Here, the world championship will take place in 2023, the biggest event in League of Legends.
Seoul took the South Korean star player Faker and staged a maximally bombastic video around him, where Faker only has to say two sentences and otherwise has to look as serious and threatening as possible into the camera.
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The lion’s share of the work is handled by the sound design and the music.
The Korean league LCK proudly announces: The drone shots could only be taken with the approval of the Ministry of Defense.
The trailer almost reminds one of videos that mock the “bombastic style” of director Michael Bay (Transformers, Bad Boys, The Rock), who supposedly stages even getting the daily mail as a “huge action spectacle” (via youtube).
Riot Games has been practicing this staging for years. It actually started with the “trailers” for the Worlds. Here they took the star players and transformed them into iconic figures in comic style who experience adventures and pull off crazy stunts.
Meanwhile, they are increasingly successful in showcasing the actual players impressively:
The Twitch streamer Lacari exploded in a stream. Because a certain behavior from some viewers annoys him and drives him crazy. Some viewers vehemently urged him to play Persona 4 – but when he finally played it, there were no more viewers left.
Who is that?
Lacari is a medium-sized gaming streamer from San Antonio, Texas.
When he is on Twitch, he mostly plays League of Legends or Super Mario. On average, about 1,700 people watch him.
Lacari has been on Twitch for a long time, streaming about 2,000 hours a year for years.
Start video
Twitch streamer with only 1 viewer becomes famous through a nice gesture – This is her story
Viewer wishes drive streamers to explode
What annoys him so much: The wishes of viewers about what he should show on Twitch drove Lacari to white heat in one stream. In a recent stream, it was again the case that viewers told him what he should play. But he no longer complied.
Lacari explains: He hasn’t told anyone yet, but one thing has apparently been bothering him for a long time, which he has “locked away inside himself,” yet it is simmering in him.
Once he was literally spammed by his chat, saying he should play Persona 4. “Just play it – Let’s play Persona 4 – Come on, play Persona 4 – Wow, I can’t wait for you to play Persona 4,” it went in the chat, explains Lacari. So he complied – since there was so much enthusiasm.
He then waited 10 minutes for the chat to calm down and then played Persona 4.
But among the people who loudly demanded he should play Persona 4, no one was left at that time:
“I waited for 10 minutes for the chat to calm down and then I check: And none of the filthy sons of bitches who spammed Persona 4 were still there! Not a single one! Not one f***ing guy! And now you are mad at me because I am playing Variety. Then shut up.”
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What’s behind it: The phenomenon he describes here are players who are such big fans of a game that they become unpaid “PR managers” or “lobbyists” for the game and want to ensure that as many others as possible see the game. Therefore, they urge people with reach to show or report on the game.
They themselves do not watch the content they demand because they already know everything and have long found their sources from which they derive their material.
“People demanding things they don’t even make use of” is really something that drives content creators to white heat.
Even worse are people who additionally defend a game against any criticism, however justified. These players are called “White Knights.” These players often appear in crowdfunding games, where developers firmly expect such a “Our players form a wagon train around our game and protect it from the evil outsiders” situation.
Especially “cult games” like Persona 4 trigger this lobbying behavior. We also know on MeinMMO that fans of certain, “somehow underestimated” games repeatedly demand that we should write more about these gaming gems – yet when we actually do, apparently not even these people read and comment on that content.
As an example, in the MMO area, games like The Secret World, Final Fantasy XIV, or Warframe can serve – all somehow games that certainly deserve more attention than they receive, yet have a strong player lobby.
We have already described a woman who expressed her love for a game in a similar way:
Three years ago, the Dane Lasse Zacho Malver had no idea about programming, now he celebrated his game on the homepage of Steam. On Reddit, he shared how he accomplished it.
What kind of game is this? In October 2022, Lasse Zacho Malver released his auto-battler Mage and Monsters. In it, you play as a wizard and command an army to crush hordes of monsters.
With 91% thumbs up from a total of 567 reviews, Mage and Monsters is rated “very positive”. Currently, it is 25% off and available for €2.96 on Steam until May 2nd. If you opened Steam yesterday, you might have already seen the game with the Minotaur in the title image, as it appeared under the specials on the homepage.
Behind the game is a single developer, the Dane Lasse Zacho Malver. On Reddit, he shared how he went from being a complete programming novice to the homepage of Steam.
Start video
A survival game that becomes as important as WoW for MMORPGs? German developers want to achieve that
From Philosophy to Unity
How did the story become known? In the Gaming subreddit, Malver proudly shared a photo of himself and his game on the homepage. He revealed that he didn’t even know how to program three years ago.
The post gathered 107,000 upvotes and received numerous comments where users congratulated the developer, praised the game, and asked him how he pulled it off. We have embedded the post here:
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How did the developer achieve this? In the comments, Malver explained that he has no technical or at least mathematical background. Rather, he studied English and philosophy. He took his first steps in programming with this Unity tutorial on YouTube.
The developer says he just felt he had to try it; otherwise, he would have regretted it forever. He won the starting capital through online poker. He was always aware that he could fail, but he didn’t have a problem with that.
To others pursuing similar projects, he advises simply to work on it a little every day. You never know what you’re capable of until you try.
I did my best to get a little closer to completion every day. I knew I would be disappointed in myself if I gave up on the project. And if I ever want to make a career out of it, I need to be able to finish projects.
However, he also warns: The path to financial independence as an indie developer is rocky and long.
Malver already released the free-to-play title Calturin and Clone in 2020, followed by Calturin in 2021. When Calturin didn’t sell well, he used his acquired skills to work for others in game development.
Especially for smaller developers, it is complicated that Steam takes 30% of every purchase. Many devs and gamers are upset about it. However, YouTuber Bellular, who recently released his own game on Steam, explained why he has no problem with it.
Shawn Lord worked as a quest and later as lead designer on EverQuest 1. Last year, he announced a new MMORPG called Monsters & Memories, which is hosting a free stress test this weekend.
There are supposed to be 18 different classes and 12 different playable races.
The game world is divided into different zones, including heaven and hell. There is also supposed to be a dynamic weather system.
The focus is on group content in the open world. While solo players should be able to experience a lot, a group is essential for long-term enjoyment. Instanced dungeons, like those typical in WoW, will not exist.
Equipment is supposed to play an important role. In addition to typical armor pieces, there will also be a backpack, books, and lanterns to help you stand out visually. However, you can also hide these elements.
The MMORPG relies on a monthly subscription; there will be no microtransactions. The developers state that “coolness must be earned in-game.” Those who still wish to support the game will be able to purchase merchandise in the form of t-shirts, jewelry, maps, and stickers.
Aside from Shawn Lord, Twitch streamers, a former developer of Mortal Kombat 11, and a college teacher for game design are involved in the development of Monsters & Memories. The team behind the MMORPG brings a wealth of expertise but is still in the early stages.
Here you can watch some initial gameplay:
Start video
Monsters & Memories – Trailer for the MMORPG by the creators of EverQuest recalls other times
Free Stress Test on April 28 and 29
What is this test about? The stress test will take place in two phases:
Phase 1 runs on Friday, April 28, from 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM.
Phase 2 runs on Saturday, April 29, from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Both tests aim to stress the servers of the MMORPG and may be extended if necessary, the developers stated. A very early pre-alpha version of Monsters & Memories will be played. So, don’t expect too much content.
Who is this interesting for? Basically, the MMORPG targets a small niche. They want to appeal to PC players who miss the old times and want to relive them in a new game.
The developers themselves are big fans of old MUDs and pen & paper games. That’s why they are eagerly working on such a game.
When will Monsters & Memories be released? When the MMORPG will be released is still completely unclear. Everything is still in a very early stage.
What do you think of the new MMORPG? Are you interested in Monsters & Memories or does the old-fashioned graphics and gameplay ideas put you off?
On the Twitch channel of HandOfBlood, you can watch a dart tournament between numerous influencers today. Here you will find all the information about the event.
What kind of event is this? The German content creator HandofBlood/ Hänno announced in January 2023 that he wants to host a dart event on Twitch. This event will take place today, April 27th, under the title “Influencer Darts World Championship”.
A total of 24 individuals will compete in 12 teams in a tournament. The whole event will be accompanied by a live audience as well as a broadcast on Twitch.
Moreover, Hänno already suggested in January that the participating streamers might drink “1-2 beers” during the event.
When does it start? The tournament is supposed to start on April 27th at 7:00 PM. It is uncertain how long the event will last.
Where can you watch the event? The tournament will be broadcast live on Twitch. You can watch it on the channel of HandOfBlood (via Twitch).
Who participates in the event? Hänno announced the 12 teams and their participants on Twitter:
Etienne Gardé & Simon Krätschmer (both RocketbeansTV)
Additionally, HandOfBlood himself and German dart professional Martin Schindler will commentate on the events. They will be supported by streamers Shurjoka and Freimraumreh, who will act as reporters, as well as by Nico Haymer (Calcio Berlin) as moderator. The caller (referee) duties will be handled by dart professional Ioannis Selachoglu.
Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe is a well-known German YouTuber and streamer. On his main channel, he has over 2.58 million subscribers and was among the 9 largest German gaming YouTubers of the past year.
In 2021, the YouTuber from Berlin founded the eSports team Eintracht Spandau, which is active in Riot Games’ MOBA League of Legends.
Furthermore, HandOfBlood was awarded in April 2022 at the German Computer Game Awards and received the title as Germany’s “Player of the Year”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A gamer bought a new pre-built PC. But when he opens the package, he is quite astonished. Because the PC is in a terrible condition. Especially the graphics card has taken a hit.
Normally, people buy a ready-made gaming PC to save themselves a lot of stress and work. Because components only need to be selected to a limited extent, and the assembly is taken care of by the manufacturer/seller.
A gamer recently purchased a new system and received the gaming PC by mail (via reddit.com). However, the condition is quite poor:
The motherboard is severely damaged.
The PCIe slot is dented.
The RAM has come loose and was lying freely in the case.
In particular, the graphics card has taken a hit. Because the RX 6700 XT is severely bent. Some people from the community are already joking: The perfect graphics card for curved monitors.
Where was the problem? The user explains himself: The seller did not secure the hardware properly: The gaming PC was indeed in the manufacturer’s official box with Styrofoam, but otherwise, there was no securing of fans or the hefty graphics card.
The user states in another post that the bent graphics card would still work. Nevertheless, many advise him to return everything. Because he cannot see if the hardware inside has been damaged even more.
Do not accept damaged packages at all
If you order a computer or anything at all, you should pay attention to the condition of the shipping box. If this box is already in a disastrous condition, you should refuse acceptance.
Even though such a rejection has become more difficult today: Because since the Corona pandemic, many service providers have started to ring once and then leave the package at the door. This is not unproblematic: Because with your signature, you confirm that the package has arrived in perfect condition.
In the case of a damaged shipment, there is usually a material defect. This means that you have the right of withdrawal and a refund in this case. This also applies if the seller tries to shake off the liability for transport with special clauses. Because that is not legal.
Such broken packages are no longer a rarity. Just recently, a user showed his “delivery” – and it quickly became a meme on the internet:
In FIFA 23 the big TOTS event is coming up and you can now vote for the Bundesliga Team of the Season. We will tell you which players are available for votingand which stars are missing.
Finally, the big TOTS event starts. Tomorrow, on April 28, the Community Team of the Season starts, for which the community was able to vote. This is now also possible for the Bundesliga TOTS.
We will show you the candidates, tell you where you can vote, and present the players who are not nominated.
When does the Bundesliga TOTS come? The Bundesliga TOTS will be available in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team starting Friday, May 12 at 19:00.
FIFA 23 Bundesliga TOTS Voting – These players are available for selection
How the voting works: Overall, you need to build a team consisting of four defenders, three attackers, three midfielders, and one goalkeeper. You can select players from a pre-selection and assemble your personal Bundesliga TOTS.
Included are stars like: Füllkrug, Diaby, Wirtz, Brandt, Thomas Müller, Kimmich, De Ligt, or Bellingham.
These 5 players are missing from the voting: It is striking that especially Bayern stars are missing among the candidates for the Bundesliga TOTS. You cannot vote for the following players from the record champions this year:
Sadio Mané
Upamecano
Manuel Neuer
Choupo-Moting
But also Dortmund’s Marco Reus is not available, presumably due to inconsistent performances.
How to participate in the voting: The voting for the Bundesliga TOTS can be found here (via EA).
Here are all the players you can vote for:
Goalkeeper:
Gregor Kobel – Borussia Dortmund
Kevin Trapp – Eintracht Frankfurt
Mark Flekken – SC Freiburg
Frederik Rönnow – Union Berlin
Koen Casteels – VfB Wolfsburg
Defenders:
Jeremie Frimpong – Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Alphonso Davies – Bayern München
Nico Schlotterbeck – Borussia Dortmund
Raphaël Guerreiro – Borussia Dortmund
Mitchell Weiser – Werder Bremen
Benjamin Pavard – Bayern München
Willi Orban – RB Leipzig
Danilho Doekhi – Union Berlin
Matthijs De Ligt – Bayern München
Christian Günter – SC Freiburg
Midfielders:
Julian Brandt – Borussia Dortmund
Serge Gnabry – Bayern München
Joshua Kimmich – Bayern München
Wataru Endo – VfB Stuttgart
Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund
Jamal Musiala – Bayern München
Dominik Szoboszlai – RB Leipzig
Vincenzo Grifo – SC Freiburg
Jonas Hofmann – Borussia M’gladbach
Thomas Müller – Bayern München
Ellyes Skhiri – 1. FC Köln
Ritsu Doan – SC Freiburg
Florian Kainz – 1. FC Köln
Leroy Sané – Bayern München
Jae-Sung Lee – FSV Mainz 05
Forwards:
Niclas Füllkrug – Werder Bremen
Randal Kolo Muani – Eintracht Frankfurt
Marcus Thuram – Borussia M’gladbach
Sheraldo Becker – Union Berlin
Moussa Diaby – Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Christopher Nkunku – RB Leipzig
Mergim Berisha – FC Augsburg
Karim Onisiwo – FSV Mainz 05
Dodi Lukebakio – Hertha BSC
Florian Wirtz – Bayer 04 Leverkusen
What do you think of the selection? Are there any important players missing? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
If you want to know which RTTF cards can still receive upgrades, take a look here:
Throne and Liberty is starting a new beta test in Korea. Players will be able to try out the new MMORPG for several days and provide feedback. A beta is also expected to begin soon in the West.
From May 24 to May 30, players from Korea can play the new MMORPG. Registration for this will open on May 2 and run until May 14. Only players from Korea are allowed to participate, although it is not clear how this will be verified.
It may suffice to have a Korean phone number and an external provider for downloading the client, as was the case with previous tests by NCSoft. For example, players were able to try Blade & Soul 2 early. Even with Lineage 2M, players could participate from outside despite region locks, using a VPN.
If there is no NDA on the test, we will finally be able to see new information and real gameplay. The beta in Korea could therefore have many positive aspects for us.
However, we in the West are also supposed to receive a beta. Officially, it is stated that the test will be conducted by Amazon in North America. When exactly is still unknown.
Who is interested in Throne and Liberty? The new MMORPG places a strong emphasis on PvP. There will be open battles everywhere in the world with a karma system, while at night (3 hours of day, 1 hour of night), PvP is even possible without any penalties.
It also relies on tab-targeting with long animations and battles for fortresses in endgame. For PvE players, there will be story content, world bosses, and dungeons in the open world. The weather system is interesting, as it is said to influence battles, monsters, and areas.
Personally, Throne and Liberty sounds a bit daunting to me at the moment, but I am still looking forward to it. Why I explain here:
