MMORPG company suddenly sues private servers after years – Some are closing down as a precaution

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

Other operators are also said to have started to become less conspicuous by hiding their online presence or changing their names.

More about MMORPGs on MeinMMO:

Why are there private servers for Ragnarok at all? There are several reasons for this:

  • In May 2018, the official servers for Ragnarok Online were closed in the West. Data protection was reportedly an issue back then. Many players then migrated to a private server.
  • Although there have been official servers via 4Game since 2021, offering a modern version of the game with Ragnarok Online Prime, many players do not want to play the current version, but the old one they loved in their youth. However, these Classic servers are not offered by Gravity at all.
  • Some players also avoid the official servers because they claim they are infested with hackers and bots. It is believed to be much more pleasant on many private servers.

Why exactly Gravity is now taking action against private servers is not entirely clear. After all, some of these servers have been around for years. However, Gravity is currently also releasing many new Ragnarok games that could be threatened by the private servers.

However, many of the new games are currently failing to impress:

New MMORPG for Ragnarok launches on Steam, is being torn apart – What has happened to the game of my youth?

What do you think about the situation surrounding the private servers? Are you currently playing on one or have you left the MMORPG behind?

However, many of the new games are currently failing to impress:

New MMORPG for Ragnarok launches on Steam, is being torn apart – What has happened to the game of my youth?

What do you think about the situation surrounding the private servers? Are you currently playing on one or have you left the MMORPG behind?

Other operators are also said to have started to become less conspicuous by hiding their online presence or changing their names.

More about MMORPGs on MeinMMO:

Why are there private servers for Ragnarok at all? There are several reasons for this:

  • In May 2018, the official servers for Ragnarok Online were closed in the West. Data protection was reportedly an issue back then. Many players then migrated to a private server.
  • Although there have been official servers via 4Game since 2021, offering a modern version of the game with Ragnarok Online Prime, many players do not want to play the current version, but the old one they loved in their youth. However, these Classic servers are not offered by Gravity at all.
  • Some players also avoid the official servers because they claim they are infested with hackers and bots. It is believed to be much more pleasant on many private servers.

Why exactly Gravity is now taking action against private servers is not entirely clear. After all, some of these servers have been around for years. However, Gravity is currently also releasing many new Ragnarok games that could be threatened by the private servers.

However, many of the new games are currently failing to impress:

New MMORPG for Ragnarok launches on Steam, is being torn apart – What has happened to the game of my youth?

What do you think about the situation surrounding the private servers? Are you currently playing on one or have you left the MMORPG behind?

Ragnarok Online is an MMORPG that was released in the West in 2002. However, the official servers closed a few years ago. Since then, many players have turned to private servers. Now, the developer Gravity is taking action against these.

What is Gravity currently doing? The Korean company announced almost two weeks ago that it would take action against private servers for Ragnarok. In a statement, it says:

In cooperation with official and private entities, we are investigating private servers and taking action in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. An illegal private game server is defined as a game server that uses copyrighted works and intellectual property without a license or proper agreement with the legally recognized owner. This harms the future development of the official game, as private servers deprive rights holders of revenues.

According to Gravity, there are currently seven lawsuits pending in North America alone, with many more worldwide.

What are the implications? The first private servers for Ragnarok Online have already shut down. Some others are still running, although they are already involved in legal disputes.

The developer of Ragnarok Online is also said to be taking action against Twitch streamers showing private servers of Ragnarok. Some streamers are complaining about copyright strikes that have led to deletions of recordings and even temporary bans (via reddit). There are mentions in several comments of 48-hour bans.

Currently, it appears that fans of the brand will only be able to play on official servers in the future – which many do not like.

Private servers rely on nostalgia and a different monetization

Which servers are currently at risk? The website MassivelyOP has a letter in which Gravity is suing the server NovaRO. This server is based in California. Despite the lawsuit, there are currently (as of May 6 at 16:30) over 2,600 players online at the same time (via NovaRO).

Another server, TalonRO, has already closed completely as a precaution (via reddit).

However, many of the new games are currently failing to impress:

New MMORPG for Ragnarok launches on Steam, is being torn apart – What has happened to the game of my youth?

What do you think about the situation surrounding the private servers? Are you currently playing on one or have you left the MMORPG behind?

However, many of the new games are currently failing to impress:

New MMORPG for Ragnarok launches on Steam, is being torn apart – What has happened to the game of my youth?

What do you think about the situation surrounding the private servers? Are you currently playing on one or have you left the MMORPG behind?

Other operators are also said to have started to become less conspicuous by hiding their online presence or changing their names.

More about MMORPGs on MeinMMO:

Why are there private servers for Ragnarok at all? There are several reasons for this:

  • In May 2018, the official servers for Ragnarok Online were closed in the West. Data protection was reportedly an issue back then. Many players then migrated to a private server.
  • Although there have been official servers via 4Game since 2021, offering a modern version of the game with Ragnarok Online Prime, many players do not want to play the current version, but the old one they loved in their youth. However, these Classic servers are not offered by Gravity at all.
  • Some players also avoid the official servers because they claim they are infested with hackers and bots. It is believed to be much more pleasant on many private servers.

Why exactly Gravity is now taking action against private servers is not entirely clear. After all, some of these servers have been around for years. However, Gravity is currently also releasing many new Ragnarok games that could be threatened by the private servers.

However, many of the new games are currently failing to impress:

New MMORPG for Ragnarok launches on Steam, is being torn apart – What has happened to the game of my youth?

What do you think about the situation surrounding the private servers? Are you currently playing on one or have you left the MMORPG behind?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

LoL: The best team in Europe challenges the strongest team in the world in a brilliant video

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In League of Legends, G2 Esports is the best team in Europe. However, the Korean LoL team T1 still has a score to settle with them: The Koreans, led by superstar Faker, are currently considered the strongest LoL team in the world. They are the favorites to win the MSI 2022 tournament. The challenge is articulated by G2 in an iconic clip: It revolves around the German top laner Broken Blade, the Topfather.

What’s going on with G2 and T1?

  • There are only a few occasions when teams from different regions play against each other in LoL: Either at the Worlds or at the MSI, the “Mid-Season” tournament.
  • In 2019, G2 Esports managed to knock out T1 in the semifinals of the crucial Worlds tournament as actual underdogs. They had long been playing a chaotic “brawling” style, which the strategically minded Koreans couldn’t cope with. Since then, Faker in particular has a score to settle with G2 and wants to take on the veterans, jungler Jankos and midlaner Caps – which he mentions at every opportunity.
  • Meanwhile, G2 enjoys their reputation as the “Korea Nightmare” and is already looking forward to the upcoming MSI 2022 tournament. Because they could meet T1 again. After a long break from the international stage and lackluster months, the MSI is a highlight for G2. And the social media team is once again in top form.
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Video about the “Topfather” aims to pump up fans for MSI

This is the video now: In a video lasting over three and a half minutes, G2 celebrates a parody of the film “The Godfather”: The mafia classic is known in English as “The Godfather”, so the German Turk Broken Blade suddenly becomes the “Topfather”.

His teammates come to him as supplicants and assassins. Jankos particularly shines in his role – he apparently missed his spear with Nidalee again, is mumbling and now has to bear the consequences.

Nidalee is a jungler in LoL: It’s tricky to hit with her spear throw. But that’s crucial for success. Jankos is known to carry extremely well with Nidalee when he hits the spears, and completely falls apart when he misses the spears. This is a Caps/Craps situation.

In the video, there’s also a jab at “Evil Geniuses”, who surprisingly became champions in the USA and dared to challenge G2: With these big-mouthed geniuses, who after a single success immediately start bragging, the Topfather announces he will make short work of them while talking to a duck.

Ultimately, team leader Ocelote also appears, who makes a request to the “Topfather” to ensure that G2 wins the tournament.

The Topfather replies that he cannot do that. But knocking T1 out of the tournament? That’s definitely doable.

More on the topic
LoL: A 19-year-old is the best player in Korea – He plays the most thankless role
von Schuhmann

Chaotic underdogs against the young team with the greatest of all time

How good are both teams? On paper, T1 has had the most dominant season of any team in LoL ever. T1 has simply never lost in Korea, they have won everything.

T1 has surrounded its star Faker, the “immortal demon king”, with outstanding young talents such as the supporter Keria and his brilliant bot-lane partner Gumayusi. After several weak years, the success-hungry T1 looks really strong in 2022. Faker is eager to finally win his fourth World Championship after 2013, 2015, and 2016.

2022 could be the year of T1 and Faker again after many years of drought.

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Jungler Jankos is having fun.

G2, on the other hand, has actually been considered out of form for years; the team even fell apart before 2022 and had to restructure. Ultimately, G2 was able to get back in shape after a mediocre season and even win the LEC championship again.

On paper, G2 has no big chance of winning the MSI, and T1 is considered a strong favorite. Bookmakers see:

  • T1 at 1:1.57
  • Royal Never Give Up at 1:2.75
  • G2 Esports at 1:8

However, bad odds have never bothered G2. The Topfather will make it happen.

How important T1 and especially Faker are in South Korea is evident from news like:

Politician wants to change law so Faker can continue playing LoL

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The one mistake that CoD Warzone made and is now costing many players

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 3 minutes

The free battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone celebrated fantastic successes at its release in 2020, but then lost more and more appeal over time. This was largely due to a lack of exciting content and numerous problems within the game – which can be traced back to a slight misjudgment.

With Call of Duty: Warzone, CoD attempted its first Free2Play title on PC and consoles. And what can we say: Warzone skyrocketed, went through the roof, all the way to the moon. The battle royale exceeded all expectations for publisher Activision Blizzard.

Exactly here lies the problem with the title. Incorrect expectations quickly lead to misjudgments in the business environment. And the critical misjudgment with Warzone: The shooter was supposed to be merely an addition to CoD MW 2019.

“We messed it up” – Developer with an honest admission

The one mistake: They simply did not anticipate the incredible success of Warzone. And it’s hard to blame the responsible parties.

Warzone came at a time when virtually half the globe was in lockdown. In March 2020, Corona was really getting started. No one probably had this on their radar during development.

In a conversation with the press, people from the developer studios Infinity Ward and Raven Software, as well as from publisher Activision, summed it up with the following sentence: “We messed it up” (via CharlieIntel.com).

More on the topic
Developers of CoD Warzone admit: “We messed it up” – That’s why part 2 is urgently needed
von Jürgen Horn

Warzone was only supposed to last as long as CoD MW 2019 – at most until November 2020.

Then came the change of mind: Due to its great success, Warzone was to continue and take over thematic content of the following premium CoDs. Warzone received all weapons from Cold War and CoD Vanguard.

This led to Warzone losing more and more of its own character. The developers commented: “It no longer feels like Modern Warfare, but also not like Black Ops”.

Then there were the limited capacities. Call of Duty is a well-oiled machine with major annual releases. Developing another big game “on the side” is challenging.

This led to “significant development challenges” and they learned “the limits of the technology used”.

With the introduction of elements from Cold War and Vanguard, they were constantly chasing the mistakes and also failed to produce exciting content at a satisfactory level.

The peak of this development was seen at the end of January 2022. Vanguard and Warzone were full of bugs, and the entire franchise suffered from one mistake.

More on the topic
Call of Duty in the worst state in years – What is going wrong in Warzone & Vanguard?
von Maik Schneider

Cheaters also became a bigger problem during this time. The popular Free2Play Warzone attracted cheaters like a magnet, and it took until the end of 2021 to establish a new anti-cheat system.

Here too, one can draw the connection to the misjudgment that Warzone wouldn’t be so successful. Free2Play games are known to attract more cheaters because the cost of the game is not high when banned.

If they had anticipated the success, probably more would have been done in advance.

The numerous bugs and persistent cheaters caused Warzone to lose many players. The entire franchise lost 50 million players in a year.

More about Warzone on MeinMMO:

What’s next? The successor to Warzone is supposed to be presented this year and likely released in 2023. However, the current Warzone is not being completely neglected.

After the postponement of Season 2 of Vanguard and Warzone, things steadily improved, and many bugs were fixed. However, far from all. But the pace in Warzone has increased – in terms of content, changes in the game, and bug fixes.

Warzone 2 is to be completely rebuilt, thus avoiding the mistakes of the first part.

How the current Warzone will hold up until the release of its successor remains to be seen in the ongoing Season 3. With the most ambitious event so far, you can rampage over the map Caldera as Godzilla and King Kong. The battle royale can show what it is capable of once again.

We also want to know from you what you think about the topic. What mistakes do you think Warzone has made? Can a successor build on its success? Feel free to leave us a comment.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. CharlieIntel

Trymacs about the departure of GermanLetsPlay – „He will come back faster than we think“

Sayumi (Lena) Sayumi (Lena) Reading time 3 minutes

On April 23, YouTube veteran Manuel “GermanLetsPlay” B. announced in a video that he would be leaving the platform for an indefinite period. Some content creators are reacting to the video, and Maximilian “Trymacs” Stemmler is quite sure that GLP will be back soon.

This is the situation surrounding GermanLetsPlay:

  • The YouTuber has been active since 2010 and has been uploading Let’s Plays without interruption. He is one of the largest German gaming YouTubers on the platform with 3.65 million subscribers.
  • GermanLetsPlay spoke in his farewell video about an incorrect diagnosis by doctors that led him to believe he would die soon for 10 years. Only at the end of 2021 did he find out that he does not actually have the terminal illness primary sclerosing cholangitis, but there is still something wrong. What exactly, no doctor has been able to tell him so far.
  • Now, due to his medical history, the 30-year-old announced that he would be leaving YouTube. GLP stated that he might return occasionally during major game updates like Rift or Minecraft, but he should not be counted on.
  • He is considered a childhood legend by many viewers, and many of his YouTube peers respect him. Trymacs stated in his reaction to the video, “He will come back faster than we think.”

Trymacs, Paluten, Rezo, and Niekbeats reacted to GLP’s farewell

What did Trymacs say in his reaction? He initially praised GermanLetsPlay and emphasized how long the YouTuber has been around as a Let’s Player. He only listed Gronkh and Paluten as comparisons. In addition, Trymacs notes that GLP is the most successful German YouTuber without a facecam.

When GermanLetsPlay mentioned in the video that he might bring a few videos during major updates, Stemmler said that he would definitely return faster than everyone thinks:

He will come back like that. (…) He will definitely take a break first, but he also enjoys it too much – he will definitely come back. (…) But you should not annoy him at all. He will come back faster than we think.

Trymacs via YouTube

Furthermore, Trymacs expressed his shock over the misdiagnoses by the doctors and stated that people in the USA have sued doctors for billions over false diagnoses. The video affected him more than he thought, and he wishes GLP a good recovery.

More on the topic
Trymacs dominates Twitch with Pokémon cards – soon opening display for $30,000
von Noah Struthoff

What did Paluten say about GermanLetsPlay’s farewell?

The YouTuber deliberately did not react to GermanLetsPlay’s video, as he does not articulate well on such topics.

Moreover, Paluten is one of GLP’s best friends and was already aware of the indefinite break before the video. Together with YouTubers Zombey and Maudado, they form the popular “Freedom Squad” among the viewers.

Fans expressed concerns that the Freedom Squad might dissolve, but Paluten denied this and reaffirmed that the four of them are more than just YouTube colleagues – they are very good friends.

Additionally, Paluten watched another video called “The End of GermanLetsPlay,” in which there were again some clips of him together with the other three. He sadly remarked, “That we won’t be sharing epic moments together anymore, that’s just – well…” and lowered his head.

Paluten also said that “something will simply be missing on YouTube” and fully supports his friend’s decision.

What does Rezo think of GLP’s video?

Rezo does not have many connections to GermanLetsPlay, but he was persuaded by his viewers to watch the video (via YouTube). He also stated that it must have been burdensome to live with a death diagnosis for 10 years that turned out to be wrong.

However, Rezo expressed understanding towards the doctors: “People just want to get through their day or make mistakes or make wrong decisions or whatever – everyone does that, it can’t be otherwise.” Doctors are also just humans, like, for example, a plumber, Rezo said, and you should always definitely get a second or third opinion.

Finally, Rezo emphasized that GLP made the right decision to take a break.

More news about Twitch streamers and YouTubers on MeinMMO

What did Niekbeats say about GermanLetsPlay’s farewell?

Niek said in his reaction that it’s really a “big deal” when someone like that leaves the scene. He also feels sorry for GLP and believes he deserves his break after working hard for many years.

In conclusion, Niek added: “You always think: The YouTubers and streamers are living their best lives and so on. But they have exactly the same problems as everyone else. Or also partly health problems. Everyone has those; you’re not immortal due to privilege.”

More news about Trymacs on MeinMMO: Box event demands a heavy toll from German Twitch streamer – “8 weeks without gaming. I am broken”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

GTA 6 is not even out yet and is already breaking a gaming record

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

The gaming community is eagerly waiting for more information about GTA 6. So far, little is known, not even the name is confirmed. Yet, the new GTA title is already breaking a record.

What’s happening with GTA? In September 2013, Grand Theft Auto V was released. With the associated GTA Online, it is the latest installment in the series. Fans have demanded a new installment for years, and in February 2022, Rockstar Games finally officially announced that the development of a new installment in the GTA series is well underway.

This caused a huge stir in the community. On YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and many other social channels, the news was widely shared and went viral. Without even the smallest official information about the game’s content, GTA 6 is already breaking a gaming record.

GTA 6 is the most popular on Twitter

This is the record: With the big news and the confirmation of work on the new installment of the GTA series, Rockstar Games earned the “most liked tweet of all time related to gaming”. In the tweet, Rockstar Games wrote on February 4, 2022:

“Given the unprecedented longevity of GTA V, many of you have asked us about the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we undertake, it is always our goal to exceed what we have delivered before – that’s why we’re very pleased to confirm that development for the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway.”

On May 6, 2022, at 1:35 PM, the tweet with 599,442 likes ranks first among gaming tweets. We include it here in the article:

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The CEO of Take-Two explained, why GTA 6 is coming, even though GTA 5 is doing well.

Which tweets are also popular? In second place among gaming tweets with the most “likes” are tweets from Sony and Splatoon.

  • Sony announced in June 2020 with a tweet that they would postpone the announced PS5 event, as it was not the right time to celebrate at that moment – The tweet has so far achieved 510,500 likes.
  • In third place in the ranking of the most popular gaming tweets, there is a tweet from Splatoon, which was posted on April 22, 2022. It announced Splatoon 3. It has received over 364,000 likes so far.
  • Outside the gaming theme, tweets have gathered many millions of “likes”. For example, Elon Musk tweeted recently, “Next, I will buy Coca-Cola and bring back the cocaine.” He received 4.8 million likes for the tweet.
  • In 2020, actor Macaulay Culkin sent a tweet into the world, writing: “Hey guys, want to feel old? I’m 40. Here you go.” Many still remember the actor from his role as “Kevin McCallister” in Home Alone, when he was ten years old.

The excitement for Splatoon is also palpable in our editorial office at MeinMMO. Our shooter expert Marko Jevtic explains, what makes Splatoon 3 the best shooter of 2022.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Path of Exile: New expansion makes enemies even tougher, angers fans with crazy idea for balance

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 4 minutes

On May 5th, the new expansion Sentinel for Path of Exile was announced. This will again make adjustments to the gameplay and bring the eponymous Sentinels, which you can collect and use to empower enemies. This innovation has received mixed reactions. However, players are much more concerned about the lack of balance adjustments.

What’s coming with the new expansion? The new expansion revolves around the Sentinels. These small drones can be summoned by you. Once summoned, the Sentinels provide buffs – but not for you, instead for the enemies.

These buffs depend on the colors and configurations of the Sentinels. Because you can make these buffs even deadlier through a skill tree.

In addition to the drones, there are further adjustments made by the expansion:

  • Your Atlas gets 20 new Keystone Notes, introduced with the last expansion, including buffs that give your enemies less health but more damage.
  • The Archnemesis mechanic from the last season is simplified, but still allows you to create your own minibosses.
  • There are adjustments to the UI.
  • Controller support on PC will be introduced, making Path of Exile playable on Steam Deck as well.
  • There are new unique skins that you can earn.
  • There will again be an organized league. Whoever defeats the new Pinnacle Boss first gets to design a unique item or a divination card, which will come into play in August.

Another peculiarity of this season is that there will be no balance adjustments. The developers want to give players the opportunity to continue playing with their current builds in the new season. However, this is not well received.

When will Sentinels be released? The release is planned for May 13th on PC and May 18th on consoles.

This trailer provides you with a glimpse into the new expansion:

Start video
Path of Exile Sentinel Trailer

Sentinels buff your enemies and are somewhat complicated

How exactly does it work with the Sentinels? The Sentinels are dropped by enemies. Once you collect the drone, you can summon it through special slots in the interface. Each color has a different effect:

  • Red Sentinels hover near you for a while and constantly buff the enemies around you
  • Blue Sentinels move directly forward and buff all enemies currently within sight once
  • Yellow Sentinels constantly buff like the red ones, but only rare mobs and boss enemies. They can become particularly strong.

The exact effects and behavior can be controlled via the so-called Sentinel Controller. This controller is structured like a branched skill tree, and over time you unlock more and more abilities:

Path of Exile Sentinel Controller
On the left is the Sentinel Controller.

Each Sentinel can only be used once per area. Additionally, they will eventually run out of batteries. In this regard, there is a new crafting item called Power Core.

For this item, you can scrap two Sentinels and create a new one from them. This one also inherits the perks of its parents, as this screenshot shows:

Path of Exile Sentinel scrap

Why should one buff enemies at all? Boosting enemies with the Sentinels simultaneously increases the chance for better loot from these enemies. A higher risk therefore brings a better reward.

How is the mechanic received? Generally, the mechanic is received positively, if not overwhelmingly well. Many players are looking forward to making certain enemies even harder and combining the Sentinels with the Atlas Passives.

Others, however, find the mechanic cumbersome and confusing. They believe there could have been simpler methods to achieve the same effect.

It is also problematic that the Sentinels are overshadowed by another design decision. The lack of balance changes is not well received by many.

More on action RPGs on MeinMMO:

“Without balance changes, it will be a boring season”

What do players say about the new expansion? On reddit, many players criticize the decision not to make any balance adjustments. In the official statement from the developers, it says:

We are trying something new with character balance in this expansion. We deliberately will not make any changes to character strength. That means no nerfs, no buffs, nothing. Every single build and every single build guide created for Siege of the Atlas will function exactly the same in Sentinel.

You can now begin planning your league and can rely on knowing exactly how the character will play.

But some players return to a new expansion precisely because of these balance changes. Additionally, some classes are supposedly not particularly strong, which discourages fans of those classes:

  • jzstyles writes: “The most exciting thing about each league for me is playing different builds that arise from nerfs/buffs. This is quite disappointing.”
  • The user Lacain even loses all hype for the league: “No nerfs or buffs for skills is a mistake in my opinion. I didn’t realize how much this would ruin my hype for the league until they officially announced it.”
  • Iwanttemplates simply writes: “RIP Trickster.”
Start video
Everything that is known about Path of Exile 2 so far – in 2 minutes

Overall, players fear that the new expansion Sentinels will be more of a weak phase for the game, despite some good adjustments.

How do you see the season? Do you also need constant balance adjustments? Feel free to write it in the comments.

Anyone looking for a new hack and slash aside from Diablo 3 or Path of Exile will find this list helpful: Games like Diablo – Who needs Diablo 4? Here are 11 current alternatives.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Escape from Tarkov: Player discovers phone number on rifle – calls it and someone really answers

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 3 minutes

The hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov is considered one of the most realistic games in the genre. Now, a Tarkov player shared a clip on Reddit showcasing his recent discovery: He found a phone number on his rifle, called it, and hung up in panic when someone actually answered the call.

What is shown in the video? Reddit user u/JudgeDreddMain is in the middle of a raid in the shooter Escape from Tarkov while recording the video. He takes a closer look at his equipped rifle. He discovers a phone number and finds that it looks very realistic.

The player does not hesitate long and decides to call the phone number from the rifle in real life. It turns out that the phone number not only looks real – it is.

After several seconds of ringing, a woman’s voice answers the phone and asks what she can do for the caller. The player realizes that this is the actual customer service phone number of the American firearms manufacturer “Knight’s Armament Company.”

The video ends with the player’s astonished reaction, who ends the call in a panic. At the same time, his teammate, who could hear the call on speaker, says to him: “Hang up.” The calling player then replied laughing, “I did.”

If you’re interested in how the call went, you can watch the video from Reddit user u/JudgeDreddMain here:

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Reddit user u/JudgeDreddMain calls a phone number he discovered on a rifle in Escape from Tarkov

After the call: Players have questions for customer service

What does the player say about his experience? The player writes in the Reddit post with the video: “I know that Battlestate Games [Note: developer studio of Escape from Tarkov] is trying to make a very realistic shooter, but this might be a bit too realistic.”

In the comments on Reddit, there were numerous suggestions about what the caller should have asked support. However, u/JudgeDreddMain responded to one of those suggestions by saying he didn’t want to waste customer service’s time.

How did the EFT community react? The Reddit community of Escape from Tarkov had fun with the video. While some players expressed ideas with questions for support and wanted to joke around, others found the caller’s panicked reaction amusing.

But the level of realism shown in the call also sparked discussion. MeinMMO presents a selection of comments that the video received:

  • u/FetusMeatloaf via Reddit: “You should have asked about the weight of the handguard to see if it corresponds with the weight in-game.”
  • u/Immortal_Crab via Reddit: “Hahaha, I love this level of curiosity. And then the total panic and fear of wasting their time, lol. So funny. BattleState Games goes all in.”
  • u/VoodooSweet via Reddit: “So it’s actually the phone number of the real Knight’s Armament Company – pretty cool! They must be wondering: ‘Who the hell is Nikita [Note: Nikita Buyanov is the lead developer of Escape from Tarkov] and why are all these people asking when the wipe is?'”
  • u/jasonalloyd via Reddit: “You should have told them that you’re having problems with your rifle and need support. Then you turn up your volume and start shooting, lol.”

EFT: Hardcore shooter with long-term motivation

What is Escape from Tarkov? The hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov developed by Battlestate Games focuses on realism. Besides various mechanics that aim to depict real-life movements and weapon handling, the sound design of the shooter stands out especially.

The gameplay of Tarkov even establishes a new genre term among shooter fans: EFT-Like. These are shooters that, like Escape from Tarkov, focus on raids where PvEvP is played. The goal is to collect equipment and continually upgrade one’s possessions and base.

MeinMMO summarizes some core aspects of EFT or EFT-like games:

  • No shrinking zone: The map remains unchanged throughout the entire raid.
  • You can bring equipment into a raid that you’ve collected, purchased, and potentially upgraded in previous raids.
  • While in a Battle Royale the goal is to win the round (the last survivor wins), in EFT the progress over a longer period matters.
  • Long-term motivation through wipes that reset all progress of the past months and remove collected equipment from a player’s possession.

If you’re interested in more about Escape from Tarkov:

Escape from Tarkov has been a successful shooter for several years, regularly exciting its fans. On the streaming platform Twitch, EFT is also a real viewer magnet.

After the last wipe in December 2021, EFT averaged 125,000 viewers in January 2022 (via SullyGnome.com)

If the realism of EFT appeals to you and you’re wondering how and where you can buy Escape from Tarkov, MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has compiled all the information you need.

How can I play Escape from Tarkov and where can I buy it?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny 2: Bungie comments on abortion – Gets told: “Better stick to your games”

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

The video game developer Bungie (Destiny 2) has commented on a current political debate concerning the right to abortion in the USA. This, in turn, sparks a discussion about whether Bungie should clarify its political stance. Some Twitter users believe they should focus on games instead. With such an attitude, they only anger one half of the player base. However, Bungie and another part of the users see it completely differently.

What is it about? The Supreme Court in the USA has been populated with conservative judges under Donald Trump. The court is currently obviously in the process of overturning a landmark decision regarding abortion rights from 1973, “Roe v. Wade”. Thirty years ago, it was established that a woman can decide for herself whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy.

However, there are now efforts in the USA to declare abortion generally illegal, except when the birth endangers the mother’s life.

The Supreme Court in the USA has now shown a tendency to return the decision of whether an abortion is legal or illegal to the states. It is assumed that up to 26 US states would then prohibit abortions (via Guttmacher Institute).

A bill is circulating that, although not yet final, already causes a lot of excitement (via Politico).

Ultimately, the decision is about whether abortion remains legal and is to be a decision for the woman, or whether abortion becomes illegal in large parts of the USA.

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Bungie takes a clear stance.

“A blow against freedom in America”

This is what Bungie says: Bungie has published a blog post and has clearly taken a stance:

  • Bungie believes everyone has the right to choose their own path and this freedom applies to all facets of life
  • The recent decision of the Supreme Court is a “blow against freedom in America”
  • Bungie is convinced of preserving freedom and will support all employees affected by the decision

Bungie is therefore clearly positioning itself against the Supreme Court.

More on the topic
The Division 2 avoids politics because it is bad for business
von Tarek Zehrer

“Stick to games” vs. “We stand by our values”

This is the discussion: A discussion broke out under the tweet, as several people reminded Bungie: “You make video games” – “You are a video game company”.

It was said that if Bungie chose a side, they would only anger the other side. Bungie should stay out of it and focus on making people happy with their games. That is their job.

However, Bungie states that the court’s decision is very significant for its employees. They will “never stop” speaking out on political issues.

The developers of Destiny 2 emphasize that the values they stand for also extend beyond their own games. They have chosen a side – and it was not difficult.

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There are also people who specifically praise Bungie for their clear stance in this case. Especially from women comes support. A Twitter user says: “That’s why I still play Destiny at 66 years old despite the grind.”

The decision should lie with each woman. The government should stop interfering in women’s lives.

Bungie as the “Anti-Ubisoft”

This is what it’s about: Bungie proves to be the “Anti-Ubisoft”. Ubisoft often deals with political issues in its games or allows its games to take place in politically highly charged settings, such as “The Division 2”, where one goes armed to Washington to take down a corrupt government.

However, Ubisoft keeps emphasizing that they are not political.

In contrast, Bungie creates a science fiction shooter that has little to do with current political discussions but takes a clear political position.

In December 2021, there was an insider report that Bungie is also struggling with internal problems:

Bungie writer says she was not promoted because she was “not good enough in Destiny 2”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. pcgamer

In Destiny 2, a cult rocket launcher dominates all activities – How much longer?

Britta ♤ BeAngel Britta ♤ BeAngel Reading time 3 minutes

In Destiny 2, the Gjallarhorn has narrowly avoided a nerf and has temporarily been spared by Bungie. However, the exotic rocket launcher has a long history in the space shooter and its reputation as the ultimate weapon icon precedes it by miles. MeinMMO tells you why the nerf for the Gjallarhorn is still on the table.

Many players expected a clear nerf for the Gjallarhorn during the biggest TWaB of all time. But that didn’t happen right away. Bungie left the Gjallarhorn as it is, and players could breathe a sigh of relief. However, the popular “Gjally” is still not really safe from a nerf, and the players know that.

The Gjallarhorn continues to be one of the most powerful weapons in the entire game.

  • The exotic rocket launcher has two rockets in the magazine due to its catalyst.
  • “Gjally” is a 3-in-1 weapon that is strong for add-clearing, against champions, and against bosses.
  • The Exo also has tracking projectiles, and with the Gjallarhorn, unlike the raid Exo “Eyes of Tomorrow”, you do not have to wait for the target acquisition.
  • In Gambit, the Gjallarhorn is a must-have for many players and a plague at the same time.
  • The usage rates of the icon in PvE and PvP continue to rise, according to Warmind.

The players simply see no reason not to use it, because right now it tops everything. That, however, was once the reason why the weapon received a hefty nerf. Bungie will not allow history to repeat itself.

gjallarhorn1-ikone-destiny2
No Guardian wants to forgo the Gjallarhorn, even in 2022.

The Gjallarhorn knows how to dominate Destiny: The exotic rocket launcher is not without reason the most famous weapon in all of Destiny. The entire PvE in year 1 of Destiny was overshadowed by the Gjallarhorn. Many teams demanded that you possessed the weapon. Without the Gjallarhorn, you were sometimes not allowed to participate in the endgame.

Everyone wanted to play at the top, so everyone wanted the Gjallarhorn. The hype around the weapon was huge, and, as it is today, not unfounded.

  • Back then, the Gjallarhorn scored points for quick reloads and always had 2 rockets in the chamber – in case something could still crawl after the first atom strike.
  • The damage was so high that many game mechanics could simply be bypassed or broken with the Exo rocket launcher.
  • Even raid mechanics could be easily circumvented with the Gjallarhorn.

History repeats itself: The Gjallarhorn once received the nickname “the golden crowbar” because of this strength.

Where can you currently get the Gjallarhorn? The exotic rocket launcher returned to the game with the 30th Anniversary Bungie pack at the end of 2021 and was meant to remind of past times. Players must first purchase the “30 Years Bungie” pack to obtain it. After that, they can quickly obtain the Exo rocket launcher and its catalyst within the framework of the exotic quest “All Wolves Fly High” in the dungeon “Sog der Habsucht”.

MeinMMO has created a guide for this quest:

More on the topic
Destiny 2: How to get the new exotic rocket launcher “Gjallarhorn” and its catalyst
von Britta ♤ BeAngel

If you take a look at the current weapon meta statistics for PvE, then the Exo rocket launcher has also become an all-purpose weapon in 2022 that prevents players from being creative. It ranks first among the weapons currently used by players in both PvE, Gambit, and even PvP. The old icon is thus on track to once again live up to the nickname “golden crowbar”.

Find more about Destiny 2 here:

Even Bungie sees this development. In its current state, the exotic rocket launcher is really very strong. The Gjallarhorn has been the number 1 power weapon for weeks.

A nerf could align the Gjallarhorn with other power weapons and ensure that players find more diversity in their power weapon slot.

What do you think? Are you among the players who take the Gjallarhorn into every activity? Or are you so annoyed by the exotic rocket launchers that you would welcome it if Bungie made some corrections? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. GameRant

Get the free Combat Pack Season 3 for CoD Warzone on PS4 & PS5 now with PS Plus

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

The new Combat Pack for Season 3 in Call of Duty: Warzone and CoD: Vanguard is available. As a PS Plus subscriber, you can now secure a skin, two blueprints, a calling card, and more content.

What is this “gift”? Through the collaboration between Call of Duty and PlayStation, special content regularly appears for players on PS4 and PS5.

The new Combat Packs play an important role, as they provide you with skins, blueprints, and more. At least if you have an active PS Plus subscription. We will show you what is included in the pack.

Combat Pack Odyssey for Season 3 – What’s included?

What’s in the pack: The new Season 3 in Warzone revolves around the battle between Godzilla, King Kong, and the map Caldera. To ensure you’re properly equipped for this, you will find the following content in the latest Combat Pack:

  • Legendary Operator Skin for Padmavati Balan
  • Legendary LMG blueprint
  • Legendary MP blueprint
  • Epic emblem
  • Epic watch
  • Epic talisman
  • Epic calling card
  • 60-minute double XP token

What does it look like? You can find a preview of the bundle in the tweet from Call of Duty:

https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1521897505511907328

For which games are the contents? You can use the contents of the Combat Pack in CoD Warzone and CoD Vanguard.

Where can you download it? You can find the content in the PS Store and also in the in-game store of CoD Vanguard and CoD Warzone.

Here you can find the Call of Duty: Warzone Combat Pack Odyssey in the PS Store

You can collect it during Season 3. Whether there is a time limit within which you can collect it is currently unclear. Typically, bundles only go offline as a purchase option when a new Combat Pack is activated.

You need to keep in mind: To use the Operator skin, you must own CoD: Vanguard. The other items can also be used in Warzone without Vanguard.

More about CoD:

Is it available for PC and Xbox as well? The Combat Packs are exclusively intended for players on PlayStation consoles. So far, there has been no option for players on PC and Xbox to purchase them in the stores of the platforms.

Due to the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, this could change in the future, but that is speculation at this time.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Fortnite actually wants players to celebrate the story – But somehow that doesn’t work quite right

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

In Fortnite, since the start of the conflict between IO and the Seven, there has been a battle for dominance over the island. The Seven want to prevent IO from using a precious energy source for evil. Despite a dramatic story and many twists, players find all of this boring. They want the crazy Fortnite missions back.

What is happening in Fortnite right now? Players in Fortnite are currently fighting alongside the Seven to thwart the machinations of IO. They are fighting on the front lines and capturing locations that IO has claimed.

This reduces the influence of the imagined order on the new island. However, players are not interested in these serious battles. They would rather complete fun missions and quests instead of taking down terrorists.

Driving lessons with a banana are more exciting than battles

On Reddit, the user potatoinabeanie created a thread stating that driving lessons with Peely, the banana, are more interesting than the important battles between IO and the Seven.

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He is not the only one who thinks this: Many players comment under potatoinabeanie’s post that they find the main story about reclaiming the island actually boring compared to the side missions.

In this regard, user RiddleEatsRainbow says the following about the thread: “Peely’s driving style is much more interesting than the constant power struggles of the Seven, to be honest.”

Despite a dramatic story with many twists and cool battles, players are obviously hardly engaged. They would rather have missions in the style of Fortnite. Absurd driving lessons with a banana are just part of it. However, when it gets serious, it becomes boring for many.

What could be the reason for this? Following the story of the Season 2 in Chapter 3, everything started relatively simply. Stealth missions in which players had to move from A to B and set up satellites and other espionage activities.

As the preparations were completed, the Seven began to finally confront IO. Players could participate in the battles to assist the Seven.

More about Fortnite can be found here:

After each completed week, a stronghold fell, and this continued for weeks. It follows a boring pattern, without unpredictable twists that could bring excitement to the game.

So far, every battle has been won by the Seven. Players therefore also expect that the Seven will win these confrontations.

Although a major battle is being fought, there have been hardly any collateral damages so far – airships are even driven into the sea to prevent the map from being destroyed. All of this is something players do not find really exciting in the long run. Therefore, absurd banana missions in such a serious scenario are much more fun.

They lighten the mood and give the situation a crazy Fortnite style, and that’s exactly what players want.

What do you think of the story in Fortnite? Are you following it or are you just playing your rounds of Battle Royale and completely ignoring the story? Let us know in the comments what you think.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

CoD Warzone: A guy hires a Mexican band to celebrate each of his victories

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 2 minutes

May 5th is considered a holiday for some Mexicans – “Cinco de Mayo”. A streamer took this as an opportunity to bring a Mariachi band into his living room and celebrate every victory in Call of Duty: Warzone in a special way.

A victory in the free Battle Royale CoD Warzone is still something special for many players. However, for streamers who engage deeply with the game, it is almost routine.

The Facebook streamer “Rexzilla” still celebrates his regular victories and came up with something crazy on “Cinco de Mayo”: a Mariachi band in his living room.

A Mariachi band plays for victory on Cinco de Mayo

What does that look like? Rexzilla shared a clip of the event on Twitter:

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After a sweaty victory on the small map Rebirth Island, he encourages the band to play. The well-known song “La Bamba” immediately gets into your ears and creates a nice atmosphere after the win.

However, Rex was actually not the first Warzone streamer to bring Mexican flair after a victory. On March 27, “HunterTV” already celebrated his successes with a Mariachi band:

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If you’re now interested in the two streamers, here are their streaming channels:

More about Warzone on MeinMMO:

What is celebrated on May 5th? The day is not actually a national holiday in Mexico. Only in the city of Puebla and surrounding areas are there parades and larger festivities to mark the occasion (via history.com).

In the USA, the festival is more popular and is seen as a day to honor Mexican traditions.

The Cinco de Mayo relates back to an attack by the French on the city of Puebla in the middle of the 19th century. A Mexican army was able to stop the attack, leading to May 5th becoming a holiday in the region.

We want to know what you think of such actions. What kind of band would you bring into your living room to celebrate a victory? Feel free to leave us a comment.

If you’d like to read more current news about Warzone, check this out: CoD Warzone: “Been looking for an excuse to get rid of it for a year” – Chief developer wants to remove pro technique

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WoW changes the iconic capitals in the next patch – But some fans want even more

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In World of Warcraft, Stormwind and Orgrimmar have served as the capitals of the Alliance and Horde factions since the game’s release. In the new patch 9.2.5, Blizzard makes minor changes to the capitals and introduces updates that seem aimed at new players. This sparks a discussion about whether the capitals should be fundamentally altered, as some believe they deserve a complete overhaul.

How are the capitals changing in the patch?

  • The content creator Dan “MrGM” Carter is known for his content on World of Warcraft. He was on the WoW test server and checked out the new patch 9.2.5.
  • He noticed two changes to the capitals: Stormwind received a new asset, a type of “stable” – and there is also a stable in Orgrimmar with patch 9.2.5, where no one is currently standing.
  • Some speculate that the stables might indicate that new players could learn to ride earlier or that the way to obtain their first mount will be revised. Others joke: Maybe one could park their new dragon from Dragonflight there and pet it in the game.
stormwind-wow
Here’s how the cities are expected to change. Source: Reddit

„The two things have more polygons than the rest of the city“

This is the discussion being had: On Twitter, people are discussing the new buildings. One player says: “The things have more polygons than the rest of the city” (via twitter).

Another says: New assets are great in themselves, but when they are slapped onto old content, the old content just appears older.

Many wish for a redesign of the whole cities: It would look odd if new, modern buildings were now standing next to the “very old things.” Especially the trees or the statues in Stormwind are now seen as unsightly pixel heaps.

With Dragonflight, WoW aims to reconnect with its glorious past:

Start video
WoW: Here is the spectacular cinematic for the new expansion Dragonflight

The problems an MMORPG has after 17 years

What is the problem? The “old world” of WoW was last majorly revised with the Cataclysm expansion. That was 12 years ago: The expansion came out because Blizzard believed it was time for a revision after 5 years.

Especially because new areas in WoW feel higher quality, some players desire a redesign of their “old cities.” Many argue they should be livelier and provide access to the new gimmicks that regularly come with expansions.

More on the topic
WoW: Parasitic Systems and How They Make Our MMORPGs Worse
von Cortyn

This is a problem with WoW that is often criticized: In WoW, new content exists that has been developed by modern standards, alongside old content that visibly shows its age.

This is likely a problem when an MMORPG is continuously developed and supplied with content for over 17 years.

A fundamental “overhaul” of WoW is repeatedly a topic. People like to publish videos showing how World of Warcraft would look if it had been developed with a modern engine, like Unreal Engine. The results are spectacular:

This is how beautiful WoW could look in modern cartoon graphics

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Innovation makes fans of Battlefield 2042 finally happy again – However, nothing has changed in the gameplay

Marko Jevtic Marko Jevtic Reading time 2 minutes

Battlefield 2042 has been struggling with bad news, few players, and a miserable mood in the community since its release. However, a small new feature makes fans happy for the first time in months. Nothing changes in gameplay.

The controversial and widely regarded as failed shooter Battlefield 2042 is currently trying to recover. The largest patch so far, 4.0, was released a few weeks ago and brought useful improvements as well as hated changes.

So far, not much has changed. The community remains critical of the shooter, and player numbers on Steam have also failed to recover, hovering below 2,000 active players. According to leaks, the shooter may now also try to reach a new audience thanks to Game Pass.

All the more surprising is that a relatively insignificant new feature is actually well-received in the community. The probably most popular news in months is a simple helmet for the unpopular specialist Navin Rao.

In our podcast, we talk about the failure of Battlefield 2042:

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What is the new feature? For some time now, there have been weekly missions in Battlefield 2042 that allow you to unlock a new skin each week.

With this week’s mission, you can unlock the epic “Balidan” helmet for the specialist Rao. This completely covers the specialist’s face, making the soldier almost look like a character from Battlefield 4.

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To unlock the helmet, you need to do the following:

  • Get 3 Recon Medals.
  • Defeat 20 enemies and vehicles.
  • Capture or neutralize 10 objectives.

Fans mainly celebrate the skin, but others call it a “disgrace”

What does the community say? Although this is a relatively small new feature, the community is indeed quite euphoric. The fact that a soldier in the military shooter can now look like a classic soldier seems to make fans very happy.

In the subreddit for Battlefield 2042, you can find praise posts with titles like “Finally a real Battlefield skin” and “Look how good this looks! This is Battlefield.” These have thousands of upvotes:

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Users in the comments view this similarly positively:

  • “This looks like the Russian attacker from Battlefield 4. This is a good improvement in terms of cosmetics” – caballo_vago27
  • “The only reason I don’t like it is that it reminds me of how classes should have been” – Grove-Knight

Are there dissenting voices? However, not all voices are positive. Users like n1weaponizedautism accuse the community of being easily blinded by such superficialities:

Imagine we’ve had the game for 6 months and there have been no real content updates other than some small skins for the crappy specialists that most people don’t want in Battlefield.

And some people clap their hands and call these pitiful cosmetic updates “this is Battlefield”. How low has our “brutal” expectation become? It’s such a disgrace and there’s still no roadmap.

‘n1weaponizedautism’ in the Reddit comments

So far, the skins from the weekly missions have attracted little attention. However, this realistic-looking helmet has at least positively resonated with parts of the community. There were also negative exceptions like the “Tactical Beanie,” which many players mocked.

This beanie was one of the reasons why MeinMMO author Marko Jevtic was of the opinion:

No matter what Battlefield 2042 does now – it’s too late

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

You can now play Fortnite on iOS again with a trick – Here’s how it works

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

Fortnite was removed from the App Store due to changes by Epic Games. Epic did not take this lightly, and thus a legal dispute arose between the two companies. However, Xbox has now created an option that gives players the chance to finally play Fortnite on Apple devices again.

Why was Fortnite banned by Apple? Every app that sells something within its games and is featured in the Apple Store must pay a percentage of the game’s revenues to Apple. These percentages range from 15% to 30% of the revenue generated.

However, Epic no longer wanted to be forced by the corporate giant to pay these fees. Therefore, the prices for the in-game currency “V-Bucks” were permanently reduced. Now only Epic receives the full profits generated from the purchase of V-Bucks.

Apple did not like this and quickly removed Fortnite from the App Store. Thus, a legal dispute ensued between the two companies, which means that Fortnite is still not featured in the Apple Store until Epic resumes these payments.

However, Xbox is finally giving you the chance to play Fortnite on iOS devices again. We will show you how to do this.

How to finally play Fortnite on iOS

The CEO of Epic Games is also promoting the new Xbox method on Twitter and promises no necessary subscription or unnecessary costs imposed by Apple.

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In order to play on your iPhone or iPad, you will need the following:

  • A Microsoft account
  • An internet connection
  • A device that has a browser

If you have all these things, log in on the Xbox website and you can immediately start playing with your device.

Will Apple take action against this? Basically, Microsoft has created a clever loophole for Epic Games where players have the chance to play despite the Fortnite ban.

However, whether Apple will accept this remains unclear. It will be difficult to take action against it since everything runs through your browser.

Find more about Fortnite here:

It is also unlikely that Apple will block Microsoft’s site to prevent you from playing your colorful BR shooter. However, if Apple does comment on this, we will inform you directly.

What do you think about Epic finding a way to make Fortnite playable on iOS devices? Do you think it’s good, or is this method not official enough for you, and would you prefer to wait until the Fortnite app works again? Let us know in the comments!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Xbox

User “married” 2018 digital woman – Now she can no longer speak with him

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 3 minutes

A user had married the digital pop idol Hatsune Miku in 2018. However, she no longer speaks to her husband. The reason for this is quite sad, but it seems that the husband is not particularly bothered by it.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in our time. Manufacturers like Sony are already trying to develop a robot for the PS5 so that you no longer have to play alone.

While various users discuss purchases with Alexa or other digital assistants, a Japanese man had married a digital pop idol. But the story has now taken a turn: She has stopped talking to him.

Husband speaks with his wife about a holographic projector

Who is she anyway? The Japanese Akihiko Kondo had “married” the digital pop idol Hatsune Miku in 2018 with much pomp and fanfare. Although the marriage was never officially recognized, as Hatsune Miku is a purely fictional character known primarily through her music videos. She is the mascot of the Vocaloid2 software, with which many people were able to create their own music.

The husband always spoke with his wife about a small device called the Gatebox. You can imagine it like a crystal ball, in which a hologram of the character is located. The character was controlled by AI, so she could react to her husband and talk with him.

It gets even crazier: A YouTuber transformed his microwave into a childhood friend, but the device was anything but happy to see him.

What has happened now? The company behind the Gatebox has apparently discontinued support for the “limited production model”. At least, this is reported by the Japanese newspaper “The Mainichi” (via mainichi.jp). Kondo can still talk to his wife, but she can no longer respond to him.

The manufacturer had apparently announced the shutdown to him, allowing him to at least say goodbye to his digital wife. When he came home from work the next day, he was shown a “network error”. This is because the Gatebox requires an internet connection to a server to process requests and similar tasks.

If you are interested in hardware and tech:

Husband continues to talk with silent wife

How does the “marriage” continue now? In an interview, Kondo explained that he is sad that the hologram can no longer speak to him. But his love for her has not changed.

My love for Miku has not changed. I held the wedding ceremony because I thought I could be with her forever.

Akihiko Kondo, (via mainichi.jp).

He still speaks with her when he comes home and shares his meals with her. It may sound very sad, but Kondo is hopeful that he will see his wife again someday. At least he has now ordered a life-size Miku doll.

The large MMO company Nexon had explained in an interview how modern artificial intelligence improves the player experience. He explains how to use artificial intelligence to quickly match players in first-person shooters:

MMO CEO explains how AI improves your gaming experience: After 17 seconds they know everything

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Russian professionals of the Steam hits CS:GO and Dota 2 have a problem with the letter “Z”

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

The two Steam hits, the MOBA Dota 2 and the shooter CS:GO, are especially popular in Eastern Europe and Russia. This leads to a tense situation: Russian professionals are suspected of supporting their country’s war against Ukraine. Critics cite the use of the letter “Z” as evidence. But what do you do if you have a “Z” in your name?

Why is Russia so important for Dota 2 and CS:GO? Dota 2 is extremely popular, especially in the east of the world: The highest interest in Dota 2 exists in countries like Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. This can be inferred from the analysis tool Google Trends:

  • In Russia, Dota 2 is about 4 times more popular than its competitor League of Legends
  • while League of Legends is 5 times more popular than Dota 2 in the USA
  • In Germany, LoL is even 8 times more in demand than Valve’s competitor

With a little imagination, one could say: Dota 2 is the LoL of Russia. Or LoL is the Dota 2 of the USA.

lol-dota2.v1
In the red countries, “Dota 2” is more interesting, while in the blue countries, more search for League of Legends. Cautiously speaking: A pattern can be seen.

Similar applies to CS:GO: The game is extremely popular in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus:

  • In Russia, CS:GO is 5 times bigger than Call of Duty.
  • In the USA, Call of Duty is 5 times bigger than CS:GO.
  • In Germany, it is relatively balanced, with a slight advantage for Call of Duty.
More on the topic
Professionals explain why Eastern Europeans and Russians are now dominating the CS:GO esports
von Schuhmann

Professional loses job in Dota 2 for drawing a “Z”

What is the situation in Dota 2 right now? Many professionals from Dota 2 come from Russia. They are among the best players in the world.

The winners of the huge tournament “The International” were even congratulated by Vladimir Putin in an official letter in 2021. The victory was well-deserved. Putin praised the “leadership and solidarity” in the decisive battle.

Currently, Russian professionals are being watched more closely online, whether they make any supportive statements regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

An 18-year-old Russian player painted a “Z” on the mini-map of DOTA 2 during a tournament match on April 29. As a result, his team was removed from the tournament by Valve, and he was dropped by his team:

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The “Z” is considered a symbol of support for Russia’s war.

The player said that he was just doodling and it was immediately painted over when it became clear what he had drawn. But by then, his career was over.

dota2-pure
The Russian professional “Pure” lost his job because of a Z.

“Please avoid swastikas”

This is the new controversy: A tournament is taking place in Antwerp for CS:GO. Before the tournament, two Russian professionals showed their stickers, and there was a “Z” visible on each. The professional player Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov had the Z as an “embellishment” of his name. The player Timofey “interz” Yaksushin had a prominent Z in the representation of his name:

csgo-sticker
The stickers causing the controversy. Image source: Inven

On Twitter, calls were made to both of them and their team Cloud9: Please “avoid swastikas” – If e-sports should remain politically free, such symbols should not be used.

This is how it is being discussed: As Inven reports, this seems to be a misunderstanding: Sh1ro (featured image) apparently just used an earlier design template from Valve that had been created long before the “Z” became a symbol of the invasion.

Apparently, Sh1ro simply used this template out of lack of ideas for his own sticker.

Sh1ro himself says (via twitter):

“Do not look for hidden messages where there are none. My job is to play for C9, not to carry out covert espionage.”

Sh1ro

The e-sports journalist Richard Lewis points out that sh1ro has never publicly expressed his support for Putin. He has never said anything even remotely nationalistic.

On the contrary: sh1ro signed a declaration calling for peace – thereby taking a personal risk (via twitter).

More on the topic
The best CS:GO player in the world is Ukrainian: „They throw bombs on my city“
von Schuhmann

A user also defends “Interz” – what should he do if the Z is simply part of his name? Should it be interpreted as support for the war?

What should “Zyw0o” do, who is probably the best CS:GO player in the world (via twitter).

Our expertise at MeinMMO relates to gaming. Those who want to learn more about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are advised to consult official sources or news magazines:

– Ukraine live blog (via Zeit)
– War in Ukraine (via nzz)
– Solidarity with Ukraine (via foreign ministry)

Important note: If you are troubled by dark thoughts due to the current situation: You are not alone. Please seek help. For example, from the telephone counseling service at 0800/111 0 111 or the online counseling, where you can also use a chat feature. This is free and applies nationwide.

What’s behind this: In any case, these incidents show the difficulty of e-sports to continue “normally” in a truly “abnormal” world.

That something as ubiquitous as the letter “Z” becomes such a difficult symbol that must be urgently avoided seems indeed challenging. The fact that every Russian e-sports player is under general suspicion of secretly supporting the war creates a nervous and tense atmosphere.

The war in Ukraine repeatedly touches on gaming topics:

Sisters stream on Twitch from Ukraine – Interrupted by bombs

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Inven (auch Titelbild)

Twitch streamer plans big trip through South Korea, ends up in hospital on day 1

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 2 minutes

The Twitch streamer Esfand had bad luck on his first day in South Korea. He injured himself in an accident at an arcade machine and had to go to the hospital.

Who is it about? The Twitch streamer Esfand streams various games on TwitchTV. From World of Warcraft to PUBG to FIFA, where he coaches his virtual team in the locker room via greenscreen.

The streamer from Texas is currently on a trip to South Korea with fellow streamers and friends Mizkif, Emiru, Austin, and Phin. But on the first day there, he suffered a nasty injury to his thumb.

“A few days not in front of the camera”

This is what happened: The group regularly goes live on the various channels of the members. There is a lot of good cheer and exciting impressions. But that ended quickly when Mizkif talked about the accident in a stream. He explained that Esfand would not be seen in front of the camera for a few days. A bone in his thumb had chipped off.

Of course, the viewers wanted to know how it happened. Mizkif explains that he and Esfand were dueling at an arcade machine to find out who hits the hardest. But Esfand made a mistake.

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“He hit upwards with his open hand [the thumb was not applied]. Then he immediately held onto his thumb,” explains Austin in the Twitch clip. “Shortly after, we are in the taxi that takes us to a Korean hospital […]. Esfand was then X-rayed, and it turned out that a piece of bone had broken off in his thumb. Now he is in the hospital and will be X-rayed again to find out if he needs surgery.”

Mizkif jokes afterwards that Esfand might be operated on in Korea and that one can look forward to such a stream. Later, Esfand explained how the injury happened: “I hit as if I had boxing gloves on […] and then I broke both sides of my thumb.”

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How is Esfand doing now? On Twitter the streamer showed the X-ray image of his thumb with the comment “Still Gladiator”. An allusion to the fact that he recently earned the title in PvP in WoW.

More on the topic:

Meanwhile, Esfand can also be seen again in the group’s livestreams, which are currently (as of May 5 at 2:50 PM) going through the streets of Korea.

They often meet viewers who want to take photos with them or bring them little gifts.

It seems that Esfand is on a good path to recovery and has already recovered somewhat from his injury.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pokémon GO annoys players with expensive ticket prices: “A whole new level”

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 3 minutes

In Pokémon GO the details for the GO Fest Berlin have been announced – including the prices of various features. However, the costs frustrate some players.

What kind of ticket is this? This year, alongside the “normal” GO Fest 2022, which will take place globally, there are also several local events. One of these events will take place in Berlin. You can find all the content and information about the GO Fest Berlin here.

From July 1 to 3, you can participate in the GO Fest at the Britzer Garten in Berlin – on a selected day. However, to do this, you must purchase an admission ticket for that day. It costs 24.99 euros. With this, you are allowed to participate in the event from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Additionally, Niantic offers an “Early Access Ticket”. This gives you an extra two hours, allowing you to enter from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It costs 32.13 euros.

Lastly, there are also so-called “Add-Ons” for the ticket. These apply at least for all three days from July 1 to 3 at the event location:

  • The Raid Enthusiast Add-On with 12 raid passes per day, 5,000 additional stardust after a successful raid, 6 extra candies, and 3 additional XL candies for catching Pokémon from level 5 raids.
  • And the “Breeder Add-On” with quadruple egg hatch speed and double hatching XP, candies, and stardust.

Both Add-Ons cost 10.06 euros each.

Community Critiques Price and Content

This is how the community reacts: The initial reactions to the ticket announcement are quite critical. In the Pokémon GO subreddit “TheSilphRoad”, players complain that the price of the ticket is too high – especially concerning the Add-Ons.

Some criticize that bonuses like hatch distance or extra raid bonuses are usually already included in tickets and do not have to be purchased additionally.

  • “Paying an additional 10 euros for 1/4 of the hatch distance, are you kidding me? This is a whole new level for Niantic to stoop to,” says user “anthonyball_” (via reddit).
  • “Guys, please don’t tell me you are willing to spend 25 – 42 euros for this event. That’s an insane amount for one day,” says user “justbrowsing527” (via reddit). However, it should be noted that at least the Add-Ons apply for the entire weekend.
  • “I agree that the add-ons are a bit much. And if you are a local, the price is probably a bit too high to justify. Especially considering that one of the shinies is regional, which you encounter daily by the dozens,” says user “Jordaroo92”, but adds that it might be more interesting for travelers: “But when you are on vacation, daily activities can easily exceed 25 euros (sightseeing/museum entrance/attractions, etc.). The GO Fest pretty much takes up a whole day of your trip. That’s how I justified my tickets” (via reddit).

Furthermore, there is criticism that the announced contents are not only behind a paywall but are also bound to specific locations. This especially applies to the “Sky Form Shaymin”. It is expected that this will eventually be released in the game outside of the event, but that may take a while.

More about Pokémon GO on MeinMMO:

Are there counterarguments? Some trainers argue that the price wouldn’t matter so much for travelers – because you’re already putting quite a bit of money into a trip to Berlin, depending on where you come from. Moreover, such an event on-site is also expensive,

Additionally, some defend the add-ons as a new version of the “City Pass” that could previously be bought for Safari zones and which also provided bonuses for the entire weekend.

We also want to hear from you: What do you think about the topic? Currently, there is a survey running in which we want to know your opinion about the new event in Berlin.

What do you think about the event ticket prices and the content for the GO Fest in Berlin? Let us know in the comments and participate in the survey!

Moreover, the raids with Mega Latias and Mega Latios are currently ongoing. However, they are proving to be harder than some trainers expected.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

LoL: Get 2 free skins with little effort – But you have to be quick

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 2 minutes

Currently, you can get 6 free Skin Shards in League of Legends through a challenge and you only need to play a little. MeinMMO shows you how it works and how long it will take.

In League of Legends, you can currently buy special event capsules that guarantee you Skin Shards. Additionally, you receive extra rewards through milestones, the more of these capsules you buy – up to a maximum of 25 capsules.

To celebrate the start of the milestones for these Eclipse capsules, there is currently a rewarding challenge in the game:

  • Introduction to the Showcase milestones: Play and win matches to collect 150 points (only matches through the opponent search)

For this, you will receive an Eclipse Capsule 2022 and an Eclipse Surprise Bag 2022. Both loot boxes are guaranteed to contain a total of 6 Skin Shards and are easy to obtain.

LoL: Eclipse Challenge brings fast rewards

How long does the challenge last? The task is active for 7 days and goes offline on May 12, 2022.

How long do I need for the challenge? You receive points from the challenge through your playtime. Every minute counts.

  • Summoner’s Rift, ARAM, Event modes
    • 4 points per minute
    • 6 points per minute for a win
  • All TFT modes
    • 3 points per minute (places 5 – 8)
    • 6 points per minute (places 1 – 4)
  • Summoner’s Rift – Coop
    • 1 point per minute
    • 2 points per minute for a win

For example, if you play for 30 minutes in an ARAM and win, you already have 180 points. If you go under in a “Summoner’s Rift” match and give up after 15 minutes, that’s already 60 points.

As long as you are in one of the larger modes, you should need a maximum of 45 minutes + matchmaking time to scoop up the rewards.

More about League of Legends on MeinMMO:

What do I get as a reward? The two items guarantee you at least 6 Skin Shards together and the chance for additional rewards:

  • Eclipse Capsule 2022
    • 3 random Skin Shards
    • 3.5 % chance: Eclipse Surprise Bag 2022
    • 0.05 % chance: Mythic Skin
  • Eclipse Surprise Bag 2022
    • 1 Skin Shard – max 1,350 RP
    • 2 Skin Shards – at least 950 RP
    • Chance for mythic essences
    • Chance for 2 additional Skin Shards – at least 975 RP

From the Skin Shards, you can unlock at least 2 permanent skins and have chances for more rewards.

A very special kind of champion skins we have listed here for you: 5 skins in LoL that the community calls “Pay2Win”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.