In CoD Warzone a long-awaited operator has finally appeared, which players have been waiting for a year. It is “Soap” MacTavish from the original Modern Warfare games. But fans are not satisfied with the appearance of the operator.
What kind of operator is this? The new operator in CoD Warzone is John “Soap” MacTavish. He was the protagonist in the first Modern Warfare from 2007 and also appeared in Modern Warfare 2 and 3, before meeting a dramatic end in MW3.
“What kind of name is Soap?” – Price and Soap meet for the first time in CoD 4 Modern Warfare.
Players make fun of “new” Soap
What do fans not like? When players saw Soap in the game, many could hardly believe their eyes, as the character looked completely different than they remembered him. In the earlier games, Soap was a grim, tough elite soldier with a characteristic mohawk haircut and a scarred face.
The new Soap in Warzone appears less bulky, has no scar, and actually looks as if he has been thoroughly scrubbed with soap. Mocking memes and remarks did not take long to emerge, and a reddit user immediately posted a particularly biting photomontage online.
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What do the comments say? The thread with the image on reddit has now gained over 8.2K upvotes and 358 comments full of mockery (as of August 5, 2021). Many fans are joking about Soap’s nickname and making remarks like “that’s not soap, but deodorant, shampoo, or disinfectant.”
Thus, the grim soap has always been replaced by other cleaning products to mock the softer and tamer appearance of the new Soap.
Other comments lamented that the Warzone Soap looks like a soccer player and not like an elite soldier or that his eyebrows are a real jungle. Still others complain that he looks too young.
Even in the first Modern Warfare, Soap would have joined the SAS elite unit as a sergeant and already had 12 years of service in the British Army. The new Soap, as user BrockManstrong stated (via reddit.com), is “A 17-year-old who just walked from an airsoft field into the recruiting office.”
What do you think of the new Soap operator? Do you think he turned out well or does he hardly resemble the original? Let us know in the comments. If you care less about style and more about camouflage, then check out our list of 5 dark skins that are hard to detect.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, August 6th, 2021, the second Hyperbonus has started in Pokémon GO. We took a look at which Pokémon and bonuses you can expect for this event and have summarized all the information for you.
What is the Hyperbonus? The trainers of Pokémon GO had the opportunity to complete up to 24 global challenges during GO Fest 2021. These were completely solved by the players, which has unlocked three additional events in the form of Hyperbonuses. The first Hyperbonus is already over and it is time for the second Hyperbonus event.
When does the 2nd part of the Hyperbonus start? The second Hyperbonus started today, August 6th, 2021, at 10:00 AM local time. You then have just over a week to make use of all the bonuses from the event, until it ends again on August 17th, 2021, at 8:00 PM local time.
2nd Hyperbonus – Here are the Pokémon and bonuses
As in the first part of the Hyperbonus, there will also be numerous Pokémon and a few bonuses in the second part. We have looked at which Pokémon and bonuses await you and have summarized them for you.
Shiny Palkia takes center stage
The second Hyperbonus event revolves around the theme “space,” which, according to Niantic, is said to be disturbed (via pokémongolive.com). The Pokémon responsible for this and thus at the center of the second Hyperbonus is Palkia. The legendary monster of Water and Dragon type is capable of distorting space in the original series. For this reason, it will dominate the Level 5 raids during this event.
In this context, it will also be available for the first time in its shiny variant in the game. However, the shiny version can only be slightly distinguished from the normal Palkia. You can recognize it, as seen in the image, by the slight pink hue of its body.
Palkia normal (left) and as Shiny (right)
These Pokémon are also included
Since the second Hyperbonus revolves around the theme “space,” there should also be Pokémon from various locations. You can find these in various ways. Some are in eggs or raids, while others you meet in the wild. We looked at which ones you can expect where:
Wild Pokémon: During the 2nd part of the Hyperbonus, you can encounter the following spawns more frequently in the wild:
Piepi
Somniam
Barschuft Rotlinig
Barschuft Blaulinig
Pygraulon
Furnifraß
Fermicula
Pokémon from 7 km eggs: Regional Pokémon also hatch from the 7 km eggs during the event. You can find them in there:
western Schalellos
eastern Schalellos
Barschuft Rotlinig
Barschuft Blaulinig
Furnifraß
Fermicula
Pokémon in raids: During the Hyperbonus event, some raids will also change. You can participate in these from August 6th, 2021 at 10:00 AM until August 20th, 2021 at 10:00 AM local time:
Pokémon marked with a (*) can also be caught as Shiny with a bit of luck
In addition to Palkia, Skaraborn and Kangama are likely to be interesting in the raids. Both cannot otherwise be caught in Europe, and they are also available as Shiny. And also Icognito U can, with a bit of luck, be caught again in its shiny form, just like in the first Hyperbonus.
Kangama, Skaraborn und Icognito U normal (top) and as Shiny (bottom)
These bonuses await you
Of course, in addition to the many Pokémon, you can also look forward to a few bonuses. During the 2nd Hyperbonus, there will be a limited research again that you can complete within the event period. Additionally, there will be thematic field studies available at the PokéStops.
What do you think of the Pokémon and bonuses in the 2nd part of the Hyperbonus? Will you participate in the raids with Palkia? Or would you rather snag a shiny Skaraborn? Feel free to share your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments.
For a long time, Bungie remained silent about the future of PvP in Destiny 2. Now the studio spoke about its future plans for the Crucible and what players can expect in the near future.
Actually, it was expected that substantial new information about the future of Destiny 2 would only come with the upcoming reveal of the Witch Queen expansion on August 24. But in the middle of the week, unexpected news emerged on a controversial topic that hasn’t been discussed officially for quite some time – PvP.
What Bungie says about the future of PvP
Where does the information come from? Many Guardians have long complained that PvP in Destiny 2 is being neglected, not getting enough love and attention. Some even believe that Bungie has given up on the mode. Now there is finally a sign of life again.
In a series of tweets, Joe Blackburn, the Assistant Game Director of the game, spoke about the Crucible and presented a rough roadmap for the upcoming Seasons – well into the year 2022.
He assured that competitive modes are an integral part of Destiny 2 and make the game special. The ultimate goal is for players to consistently receive new maps and modes each year. In the first half of 2021, a lot of time was spent laying the groundwork for the future of PvP (Stasis nerfs, meta shift, etc.), and in the second half the teams will focus on fresh maps and modes. Here’s an overview of the plans:
Finally, there was a sign of life from PvP
What to expect in Season 15: The next season, Season 15, starts on August 24. There, it is planned to
and polish up Trials of Osiris (more information is expected on 24.08.)
What to expect in Season 16: Season 16 is likely to start hand in hand with the new major expansion “Witch Queen” and will bring back 2 old Destiny 2 maps from the Destiny Content Vault. Which maps they are is not yet known, but the following 8 have rotated into the content vault with Beyond Light:
Meltdown
Solitude
Retribution
The Citadel
Emperor’s Respite
Equinox
Eternity
Firebase Echo
Gambler’s Ruin
Legion’s Gulch
Vostok
Here Blackburn emphasized that it’s not just a matter of pressing a button to bring back these maps (and modes) – even if they actually originate from Destiny 2. With the release of Beyond Light, there was an update of the engine, and porting old maps to this engine requires a lot of work and is done by hand.
The Crucible of Destiny 2 is expected to receive more love soon
What to expect in Season 17: In Season 17, a brand-new Crucible map is set to follow – from one of the newer locations that we haven’t seen in PvP yet. More information about this has not yet been provided.
What to expect in Season 18: Season 18 will introduce a returning map from Destiny 1. Here too, there have been no hints or suggestions yet as to which map it could be.
What else is coming in 2022: Bungie is also working on the following items that should find their way into the game sometime in 2022 (no specific timing yet):
The PvP mode “Rift” from part 1 is set to come to Destiny 2. It’s all about grabbing a spark and smashing it into the enemy’s Rift.
Multiple brand-new modes for PvP. However, they don’t want to spoil anything just yet.
After the dust of the Trials update in Season 15 has settled, they want to take a look at which other areas of the PvP ecosystem need systematic improvements. They plan to release something of the caliber of the aforementioned Trials rework from Season 15 for PvP every year.
What do you think of this announcement? Does it already make your PvP heart race or is that not even close to enough to excite you (again) for the Crucible? What are your most urgent wishes for the PvP of Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The time walking in World of Warcraft is active and allowed you to reach the maximum level in no time. Blizzard didn’t like that.
In modern World of Warcraft, the main part of the game takes place in the endgame. Before a character reaches level 60, many activities like Mythic+, rated PvP, or raids cannot be enjoyed at all. Many solo content such as world quests or the storyline campaign also requires the maximum level.
Especially on second characters, leveling can often be annoying and time-consuming, as you already know the areas. So a method of “Turbo-Leveling” came just in time.
What’s going on right now? In World of Warcraft, there is an event every week that focuses on a specific type of content. This week it is the “time walking: The Burning Crusade”. Players can sign up for the old dungeons from the first WoW expansion and still get good loot that they can use at the current level.
What was special about it? What stood out the most was that the dungeons dropped a hell of a lot of experience points. Characters between levels 50 and 60 received a whopping 300,000 to 450,000 experience points per dungeon – which takes about 20 to 30 minutes. That’s in many cases more than a level per dungeon.
In the WoW subreddit, for example, “powerfulnoun” explained that he leveled from level 55 to 60 in just 3 dungeons.
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Combined with the current XP bonus from the Darkmoon Faire, it was even a little more.
What happened then? As soon as the topic gained some attention in the subreddit and over wowhead, the hotfix came. Blizzard released an update just a few hours after the Turbo-Leveling became known and drastically reduced the XP gained after a time walking dungeon. It now takes much longer if you want to level up using this method.
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
This is how the players react: Some players are angry that some have “revealed” this trick in the subreddit and believe that it was the first to attract Blizzard’s attention. As usual, the “Fun Detected” meme is brought out, where players accuse Blizzard of immediately “fixing” fun content while important issues remain for weeks and months.
Did you want the event to level up characters? Or do you already have everything at 60 that you want to play?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Recently in Pokémon GO, a ban wave affected many players who were wrongly banned and warned. There was a lot of criticism in the community. Now, banned players have been unbanned and are receiving a gift box with valuable contents.
This has now happened: Players who were wrongly and unjustly banned during the latest ban wave a few days ago are now being compensated. On Reddit, players are posting their event boxes and showing what items Niantic is giving them.
But is that enough for the trainers?
Gift box with raid passes as an apology
This is what Niantic says: On Twitter, Niantic’s support account showed late on the evening of August 4 that there were new updates regarding the incorrect ban wave (via Twitter.com).
“We have removed incorrect warnings [Strikes] and penalties from trainers who received them. These trainers will also receive a free event box in the shop. We apologize for this mistake and are working to fix it in the future.”
This refers to those affected by the ban wave that warned some players around July 24 and wrongly excluded them. Although the players did not violate Niantic’s guidelines, they were kicked from the game, some for even 30 days.
Alongside numerous trainers, the largest German-speaking YouTuber regarding Pokémon GO, Spieletrend, was also caught up. In a video, he explained that this ban is “embarrassing”. A few days passed after the ban wave during which Niantic was inundated with complaints from trainers on Twitter. Many found it unfair and did not want to play anymore. A response from Niantic took a long time.
This is what’s in the event box: On Reddit, -zireael shares a screenshot of the free event box available in the shop for affected players. It contains:
10x Premium Raid Pass
10x Incense
10x Super Incubator
3x Remote Raid Pass
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This is what trainers say about the gift: On Reddit, -zireael writes: “I was actually surprised at how good this box is. I expected a few Poké Balls and such, but not so many good/valuable items”. Many trainers are commenting that they are surprised that Niantic is compensating trainers “properly”.
Are all the wrongly banned trainers happy now?
This is the problem: On Twitter, some users are writing that their accounts are still wrongly banned and that this punishment from Niantic has not been reversed for them.
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It seems that Niantic will need to thoroughly check which trainers were unjustly banned again and then unban them. As a trainer to see others pick up their gifts in-game while having to pause the game unjustly makes the punishment even worse for some.
How do you like Niantic’s compensation? Do you find the contents of the boxes appropriate considering that players had no access to Pokémon GO for several days? Were you perhaps even affected by the ban wave and have now been unbanned?
Let us know your opinion on the topic here in the comments on MeinMMO and discuss it with other players.
New World was originally supposed to be released on August 31, 2021. However, Amazon has postponed the release once again. They want to use the extra time to polish the MMO further.
When does New World release now? The new release date for New World is now Tuesday, September 28. This moves the launch of the MMO by exactly 4 weeks. The developers announced this via Twitter and other social media.
This is not the first delay of the game. Originally, New World was supposed to be released in Spring 2020. Later, the release was pushed to August 2020 and then to Spring 2021. The date was then moved again to August 31.
Why was the release postponed? In the post, it states that the decision was not easy. However, the goal is for the launch of New World to go smoothly and bring joy to all.
To remove bugs, increase stability, and polish the game, the additional 4 weeks are needed. Especially the aspect of server stability is one of the major criticisms during the beta.
What else happens before release? Currently, there is neither a beta nor an alpha test for New World. It is unclear whether there will be another test due to the postponement to try out the new features. However, we at MeinMMO will keep you updated on this.
Beta generated great interest: In the developers’ post, it was also emphasized how successful the beta of New World was. Amazon’s MMO reportedly had over a million players and was at one point the bestseller on Steam and one of the most viewed games on Twitch.
You can read here how our readers reacted to the beta:
The game studio Blizzard is currently in serious turbulence, but during the earnings call, they paint a rosy picture of the present and future of the studio: WoW is doing better than in recent years due to the success of WoW Classic. The development of Diablo 4 is going brilliantly, and the game is expected to function for several years after the release. The development of Overwatch 2 is also going great. There is a hint: Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 could have their launch in the next 18 months, by February 2023.
Where is the information from? Activision Blizzard had an earnings call and provided information about the current status of their four core franchises: World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo, and Overwatch.
Here’s the situation with Diablo: Blizzard highlights Diablo 4 in particular: They state that they are making significant progress and are allocating “considerable resources” to create exciting game content that keeps players engaged for several years. Apparently, Diablo 4 is planned as a “games-as-a-service” title.
Here’s the situation with WoW: In World of Warcraft, Blizzard is enthusiastic, stating that the numbers in the second quarter of 2021 have grown by a “double-digit percentage” compared to the previous year. For this success, they attribute it to the release of the “Burning Crusade” expansion for World of Warcraft Classic.
It is mentioned that WoW is also expected to have significantly stronger player engagement in 2021 than in normal years without a new expansion.
Here’s the situation with Hearthstone: Blizzard has only positive things to say about Hearthstone. Although no exact numbers are mentioned here, they speak of growth and refer to the new expansion “United in Stormwind.”
The Blizzard presentation on the business figures for Q2 2021.
Blizzard’s revenue figures decline – Overwatch League an issue
This does not fit the rosy picture: Although everything appears to be going well at Blizzard, they lost 6 million players compared to Q2 2020: The number of monthly active users fell from 32 million (Q2/2020) to 26 million users (Q2/2021).
Moreover, the actual revenue figures have also declined. Although revenue for WoW has grown by a double-digit percentage, revenue figures for Hearthstone and the Overwatch League have decreased.
Additionally, Blizzard has invested money in developing a “rich product pipeline” and marketing for Burning Crusade Classic.
When are Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 coming? Hint on release date
This is the hint about the release date for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4: During the presentation, Blizzard emphasized: They have a “significant 18-month” period of releases ahead of them.
This could mean that the release of Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 could take place by February 2023 at the latest. By then, the 18 months would be up. Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are surely the most important releases for Blizzard in the coming years.
Traditionally, release windows for such blockbuster titles are from September to November of a year or from March to April. From December to February and during the warm months of May to August, large titles are rarely released:
Possible release windows for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 could therefore be:
Overwatch 2 in March/April 2022
Diablo 4 between September and November 2022.
It is quite possible that one of the games or even both could be delayed until 2023, especially with everything that is currently happening at Blizzard.
Additionally, it seems that further mobile games for Warcraft are in development:
The mega corporation Sony has reached out with good news: Apparently, the situation with the PlayStation 5 is slowly easing. The semiconductor shortage has caused long-standing issues, but these difficulties have now been under control for about 9 months. By March 2022, Sony aims to practically double the number of sold PlayStation 5 consoles.
This was the problem:
The PS5 was released on November 19, 2020, in Europe – but from the start, there have been far too few units. When a retailer has the coveted PlayStation 5 available, it is still sold out within minutes today. We at MeinMMO show you current PS5 offers in a live ticker.
This global shortage of PlayStation 5 is due to one component being so rare: semiconductors. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for the component rose, but supply did not keep pace. More and more everyday devices and cars now require electronic components, which further increased the demand for semiconductors.
Now, however, Sony is giving an all-clear. The situation with semiconductors is expected to ease. In the next 9 months, the number of sold PS5 units is expected to practically double.
What Sony specifically says: In an earnings call, Sony’s CFO, Hiroki Totoki, announces:
The semiconductor shortage has affected various areas. Through several measures, we have now taken actions to counter this. For the PS5, we have set a unit quantity that we want to sell this year, and we have secured the necessary number of chips we need to achieve this goal.
Regarding the supply of semiconductors, we are not concerned.
How many PlayStation 5 consoles are still expected to come?
In total, Sony has sold 10.1 million PS5 consoles
In the current financial year, which began on April 1, 2021, 2.3 million PlayStation 5 consoles have been sold
For the current financial year, a total of 14.8 million consoles are expected to be sold
This means: In the 9 months from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, an additional 12.5 million PS5 consoles are expected to hit the market to meet Sony’s sales targets. And the materials to produce these PS5 consoles have already been secured by Sony or are at least ensured.
The shortage of PlayStation 5 consoles has long been a hotly debated topic:
To ensure that the launch of the Hearthstone expansion “United in Stormwind” is a success, we have here 3 strong decks for you to have fun with.
The latest Hearthstone expansion “United in Stormwind” has been live since August 3, 2021, and has brought with it a whopping 135 new cards. This also brings numerous new deck ideas and possibilities to defeat your opponents. But with which decks can you achieve success? What solid deck options are available?
To make the entry easier, we from MeinMMO present you here 3 decks with which you can experiment a bit and achieve your first successes.
As usual, we list the decks with their Arcane Dust costs and the deck code. The Arcane Dust costs should always be viewed as if you do not have any of the required cards. Normally, however, the deck is significantly cheaper if you already have a collection of cards.
You can simply copy the deck code using CTRL+C or the copy command on your smartphone and then paste it into the game. Hearthstone will automatically construct the corresponding deck for you and tell you which cards you still need.
No Minion Quest Mage (Budget Deck) – Many Spells as Mage
Do you want to bring the mage fantasy to life? This deck by Senyac77 (Link to the deck on hearthpwn) relies 100% on spells, some of which can also create minions to at least generate a little presence on the board.
The deck is primarily based on completing the new mage quest “Spell Gambit.” This rewards you repeatedly with a drawn spell, but ultimately grants the powerful minion Spellcaster Twilight Grip. The latter increases your spell damage by 3 for the rest of the game. This allows you to hammer away at the opposing hero and you should be able to wipe them out completely with just a few spells. In many cases, completing the quest is not even necessary, and the opponent bites the dust before that.
New spells like “First Flame,” “Combat Heat,” or “Clearance Sale” ensure that you also deal with enemy minions before they can overwhelm you.
However, keep in mind that you need to play your spells well. For each of the quest steps, you must play one Fire, one Frost, and one Arcane spell. If you blow all your Arcane spells right at the beginning, you might find that you can no longer complete the quest.
Another plus point is the low price of the deck. With a dust cost of only 5,400, any player can relatively easily craft the deck or only need to part with a few old cards.
Alura Quest Priest – The Search for the Instant-Kill
After a deck that relies on a lot of spells, now comes a deck that does not have a single one in its repertoire – and that precisely with the Priest. The deck “Alura Quest Priest” by S0lus (Link to the deck on hearthpwn) tries to complete the quest “Search for Leadership,” which ultimately grants a Purified Shard – a spell that instantly destroys the enemy hero.
The deck is designed so that you play the quest on the first turn and then complete all quest steps as quickly as possible to get to the devastating shard that decides the match for you. The deck has only minions, but it also has a few cards that generate spells, so you hopefully can stay alive long enough.
The core of the deck, however, is the card High Abbess Alura from the Scholomance expansion. She can cast a spell from the deck via Spell Push and should be used as soon as the Purified Shard is shuffled into the deck. The necessary spell to trigger the Spell Push can be obtained from the Pandaren Importer or the Captive Spellcaster.
However, the downside of the deck is its high cost. A dust cost of 13,680 is quite high – at least if you have few cards from old expansions.
Don’t feel like all the small stuff and just want one thing: To destroy your opponent with particularly strong minions? Then the “Big Warrior” by chriiiiiiis555 (Link to the deck on hearthpwn) could be worth a look. As the name suggests, the deck is stuffed with big, powerful minions that pack a punch. This is combined with various spells and effects that further enhance these minions to ensure that there’s no way past the colossi.
But for the big minions to even be deployed, a number of spells help the warrior gain the necessary health points until the decisive plays.
Using new cards, the deck employs the spell “Provocation” to force all enemy minions to attack a specific one of their own, ideally eliminating themselves.
Cards like the “Cowering Groaner” help summon the really big minions from the deck, while Lothar seals the deal if he remains on the field for even just a few rounds.
However, the deck also has quite high dust costs of 11,640 – this decreases drastically if you already have many cards from previous expansions, as this deck uses only a few cards from “United in Stormwind”.
Have you already checked out “United in Stormwind”? What decks or cards are you currently experimenting with?
The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online received the expansion Blackwood on June 1, 2021. MeinMMO explains why now is the optimal time to start the online role-playing game and what the streaming event “The World Plays ESO” is all about.
What is “The World Plays ESO”? This is a current streaming event by ZeniMax Online Studios (Bethesda Softworks), which has been running since June 22, 2021. During the event, you can gain great insights into every aspect of the MMORPG.
The Ultimate Compendium for ESO Blackwood
148 pages of guides for new and returning players, including free extras: ESO base game, Morrowind, and 25% off Blackwood at Gamesplanet.
The participating streamers will show you the game’s content on Twitch. The theme and content focus change weekly.
Why is it worth watching the streams on Twitch?
Besides the fact that you can gain a compact insight into the versatile MMORPG, there are also worthwhile rewards waiting for you. In every stream of the participating streamers, you can win the game including the current expansion “Blackwood“.
Additionally, for collectors and lovers, a peaceful companion, the “pink torchbug”, will be raffled. You can also receive up to 2 Twitch drops per week.
Win this cute companion with a bit of luck.
The drops are called Ouroboros Crown Crates, which contain a random selection of crown gifts, motif stones, riding hours, or learning scrolls.
With a bit of luck, you can also receive an exclusive Senche of the Scarlet Regret as a mount or a Senche cub of the Scarlet Regret as a peaceful companion from the crates.
You can check the respective weekly schedule on the ESO website at the beginning of each week. This week looks like this:
Which Twitch streamers are participating in the event?
In general, TWPE (short: The World Plays ESO) is an international event. This means that not only streamers from Germany are involved, but also from other countries. Most participants are from the official stream team of Bethesda, but not exclusively.
Detailed participant lists with brief descriptions can be found in the related posts (via ESO):
In the German-speaking area, you will be provided with insights into ESO content by the members of the German ESO Stream Team. The German team consists of these members:
Alex0s
Germany’s ESO veteran designs his regular streams under the motto “Web video content with heart and humor!” and answers every question from the community. Rumor has it that rarely anything goes wrong for him… ¯_(ツ)_/¯
08/15 6:00 PM: Alex0s BDay Stream – Grammar Storms with the community.
08/22 6:00 PM: Markarth – Vet Vateshran Hollows vs vMA
08/24 6:00 PM: Blackwood – The Great Companion Guide!
09/05 6:00 PM: Other – What keeps me in the game for over 7500 hours?
Saint_Crow
Saint_Crow was there “when the land was young.” In his deeply relaxed stream, Sam shows all facets of the game, so sit back and watch as Saint_Crow explores the starting area, classic home tours, the Maelstrom Arena, and more offered by “The World Plays ESO”!
08/21 10:00 AM: Markarth Grammar Storms and Relaxation
08/28 10:00 AM: Blackwood Portals and Companions
Ath3onTV
At Ath3onTV, the community and entertainment are at the center – whether housing, raids, dungeons, cozy questing, etc. – there’s something for everyone. The main thing is that everyone has a good time in the stream and chat!
MiezeMelli That’s me! You can also get insights into Tamriel with me. Here you will find the balance of progress and fun. You can expect everything from triple raids to housing. Only PvP may get a bit louder. If you need tips on gameplay, you’re in the right place, but I’m also always available for meandering conversations.
Lasuu, the bird mom, loves to immerse herself and her chat in the magic of ESO while spending a lot of time at the crafting table to combine as many styles with feathers as possible! For “The World Plays ESO,” she chose the cooler realms and (as much as possible) prepared for the darkness threatening western Skyrim and the Rift.
NinikuLive (or simply Lulu) can usually be found at endgame raids, where she aims for the next trifecta with her group while also gladly answering all questions about healing. For the “The World Plays ESO” event, Lulu will break away from the raids and delve into the stories of the Markarth-DLC and Blackwood !
At Lord_Morrowind, you’ll find a bit of everything: from crafting, quests to the trickiest raid achievements, plus homes and what arises. For “The World Plays ESO”, Lord_Morrowind experiences quest adventures in the regions of the Ebonheart Pact!
Did you see any other streamers during the event that you want to tell us about? Or maybe you even became a lucky winner of a giveaway? Let us know in the comments.
Apex Legends was recently harshly criticized by DrDisrespect. The controversial streamer finds the gameplay boring and claims to hate the game so much that he has to cry. However, in the end, he probably doesn’t find it that bad. Read here what the Doc has to complain about and what he prefers.
What doesn’t the Doc like? DrDisrespect is a former Twitch streamer who particularly enjoys fast-paced shooters and battle royale games. He often draws attention with his harsh criticism of his favorite games. Recently, he ventured again into Apex Legends and played a few rounds.
But his gaming experience was severely marred, and after a loss, he let loose. Because the Doc is not satisfied with the TTK in the game.
What is TTK? In shooter jargon, TTK stands for “Time to Kill”. It refers to the time it takes to take down an opponent. Games like Battlefield have very short TTKs, and a few hits are enough for a kill. Other games, such as Fortnite or Apex Legends, have comparatively many protective mechanisms, and you don’t die quickly.
In Apex Legends, it feels way too slow for him. Even if one would pump a full magazine into an enemy, often they wouldn’t be dead in the endgame because the shields in Apex are so strong.
That’s [the reason] why I don’t like this game! I hate this game! Shooting down shields? I don’t like that! A full burst and the damned magazine is never enough to take someone down!
After that, he continued to rant against the game and why he believes it is not suitable for eSports:
“No one wants to see this game as a competition! You can’t achieve any ‘one-shot’ moments.”
This is also because there is virtually no way to kill a fully geared player with just one hit.
In the end, it completely frustrates him, and he begins (pretending) to sob and complains to his (imaginary) mother that the game is so mean to him.
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What is the validity of the accusation? Indeed, the TTK in Apex Legends is high. Players start with a shield and can improve it throughout the game. Thus, well-protected players have a multiple of their hit points.
Players in the endgame often have very good shields and are stocked up with reload batteries. This often leads to the inherently fast-paced battles turning into a stalemate, where players hunker down and constantly recharge their shields while hiding behind walls.
On the other hand, the shields ensure that you can hardly be taken out by nasty snipers with a single shot from ambush and usually get a 2nd chance if caught by surprise.
DrDisrespect hates and loves Apex Legends equally
How has he further commented on the game? A few days later, the Doc walked back his statements and said something different about the game:
I spoke from the heart at that moment. At that time, I was still in the heat of battle. As you surely know, I like Apex Legends. I have fun with it!
He also mentioned that he can only get upset in games if he likes them. “If I’m not shouting, then I don’t like it either!”
What’s going on in Apex Legends right now? Therefore, the Doc is looking forward to the recently launched 10th season in Apex Legends and the new legend Seer.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blastoise and Gardevoir were announced before the release of Pokémon Unite.After Gardevoir found its way into the game on July 28, it is now Blastoise’s turn. Here is what we know about the Pokémon.
The Water-type Pokémon Blastoise (DE: Turtok) has been present since the first generation in the main Pokémon games and is one of the iconic trio of starter Pokémon. Blastoise evolves from Wartortle, which in turn evolves from Squirtle. The developers TiMi have firmly announced Blastoise for Pokémon Unite, and he was already playable in the beta of the MOBA.
What can Blastoise do? In the closed beta of Pokémon Unite, a glimpse at Blastoise’s moveset was available. With attacks like Water Gun or Hydro Pump, he is classified as a ranged attacker. With a toughness value of 3.5/5 stars, Blastoise is just below the already known defenders Slowbro and Crustle. Thus, he is declared a defender by the game.
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Like other Pokémon, Blastoise will likely receive its own skins. A leak shows one of the possible Blastoise skins.
His starting attacks are Skull Bash and Water Gun. After that, you can choose between Water Spout or Hydro Pump at level 5, which then replaces Water Gun as an attack. Water Spout damages the opponent and reduces their movement speed. In contrast, Hydro Pump is a pure damage move.
At level 7, you then have the choice between Surf and Rapid Spin. The former stuns affected opponents. After an upgrade, Blastoise temporarily gains a protective shield once Surf hits. If Blastoise uses Rapid Spin, he rotates around his own axis and is freely controllable.
After reaching level 13, Rapid Spin increases Blastoise’s movement speed and reduces the damage from opponents to him. If you choose one of the two attacks, it replaces the starting attack Skull Bash.
Here you can watch a video featuring him, his attacks, and gameplay from the closed beta:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ZhN3RoeDk
Attention: Since these are the closed beta details from March 6, 2021, both attacks and values can still change until the official release of Blastoise. As soon as there is more information about Blastoise, we will update this article.
When is the release of Blastoise?
What we know about the release: Already on June 17, more than a month before the official game release, Blastoise was announced along with Gardevoir. While Gardevoir is already playable, there is no fixed release date for the Water-type Pokémon.
Some players expected Blastoise two weeks after the release, as Gardevoir was added to Pokémon Unite directly in the first week after the game’s release. However, on August 3, only patch notes for the following day were posted, which included bug fixes and balancing. However, there was no trace of Blastoise. Users are now speculating whether the turtle will arrive in August or even wait until September.
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Some players hope for the soon release of Blastoise
This is how the first new Pokémon was released: Since the tweet in June, there has been no further mention of the two Pokémon. However, a few days before the release of Gardevoir, the tweet from June 17 was retweeted by the official account. Shortly thereafter, a post was made one day before Gardevoir’s release announcing the Psychic-Fairy Pokémon.
It is possible that the release of Blastoise will follow a similar pattern.
Are you among the players who are looking forward to Blastoise? What do you think about its abilities from the closed beta? Do you have any guesses about when Blastoise might finally become playable? Let us know in the comments.
Today, on August 4, 2021, there will be a raid hour in Pokémon GO again. Just like last week, you will encounter the legendary Pokémon Dialga. We will show you which counters you should use to defeat this monster and tell you who should definitely take advantage of the raid hour today.
What is a raid hour? Every Wednesday, a one-hour raid event takes place in Pokémon GO, where trainers face off against legendary Pokémon in numerous level 5 raids. Because of this short event, corresponding raids start in almost all gyms during this time.
This week, you have the last chance to encounter the legendary Pokémon Dialga. We will show you which counters you should use.
Raid Hour with Dialga – Information and Counters
When does it start? The raid hour starts today as usual at 6:00 PM local time and lasts one hour, ending at 7:00 PM. Before the start, you will see black eggs in the gyms that will hatch during the short event.
Is there a shiny Dialga? Yes! The shiny variant of Dialga is now available in the game for the second week in a row. It is distinctly different from the normal Dialga due to its green color.
Normal Dialga (left) and shiny (right)
These counters you should use: The legendary Pokémon Dialga is of steel and dragon type, making it particularly weak against ground and fighting type attacks. You should take advantage of this weakness and adapt your team accordingly.
Based on the overview from Pokebattler, we present you the best counters against Dialga below (via pokebattler.com):
Pokémon
Moveset
Lucario
Counter & Aura Sphere
(Shadow) Machamp
Counter & Dynamic Punch
Excadrill
Mud-Slap & Drill Run
(Shadow) Hariyama
Counter & Dynamic Punch
Groudon
Mud Shot & Earthquake
Landorus (Therian Forme)
Mud Shot & Earthquake
Landorus (Incarnate Forme)
Mud Shot & Earth Power
Rhyperior
Mud-Slap & Earthquake
Breloom
Counter & Dynamic Punch
(Shadow) Mamoswine
Mud-Slap & Steamroller
In mega evolution, the following two counters are also suitable against Dialga:
Mega Lopunny with High Jump Kick & Focus Blast
Mega Charizard Y with Fire Spin & Blast Burn
How many trainers are needed? Experienced players can win the raid with the best counters with just 3 people. We recommend that you fight against Dialga with at least four trainers. To play in a larger group, you can also participate in other raids with your Remote Raid Passes or invite friends via Remote Raid. This makes the raid a bit more relaxed.
Who should take advantage of the raid hour?
Dialga has been very rarely encountered in the game. However, due to its strong attack values, it is one of the best attackers in Pokémon GO. Thus, it is a suitable candidate for use in raids and the PvP league. Additionally, this monster has only been available in its shiny form since July 23, 2021.
For this reason, everyone who has not yet caught a strong specimen should take advantage of this raid hour. It is also worth it for all shiny hunters to participate in this one-hour event to possibly obtain a shiny Dialga.
If you already have enough strong and shiny Dialga, you can also use the raid hour to collect some candies again. Because already on Friday, August 6, 2021, the raid boss will change, and you will no longer have a chance to encounter this legendary monster for the time being.
What happens next: Dialga will only be available in the raids until August 6 and will then be replaced by the new raid boss Palkia. Additionally, on that day, the 2nd Hyperbonus event that you earned during the GO Fest 2021 will also start. We have taken a look at what events await you in August and summarized them for you.
Will you take the chance to participate in the raids with Dialga again today? Or have you had enough of this Pokémon and are looking forward to the next raid boss? Feel free to share your opinion on this on MeinMMO in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A glimmer of hope on the horizon for Overwatch fans. Blizzard mentioned the title in the earnings call – and promised more information.
Almost 2 years have passed since the announcement of Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2019, but for many players, it does not seem that much has really happened since then. New images are rare, many details are still unknown, and everything is quite nebulous. During the Activision Blizzard earnings call for Q2 2021, there was at least a small ray of hope.
What was said? Allegedly, Overwatch has reached an “important internal milestone” in recent weeks. Although Blizzard does not explain what exactly this milestone is, it at least allows for speculation that we might soon enjoy an alpha or beta.
What is Overwatch 2 actually? This is not entirely clear either. Basically, Overwatch 2 is a successor, but it is also supposed to be integrated into the old game. The major balancing and PvP changes in Overwatch 2 will also be seen in Overwatch 1, and both games will share a player pool.
However, Overwatch 2 features many graphical improvements and an extensive cooperative story campaign in which heroes can even distribute talent points and thus customize themselves. Whether the story campaign can really hold attention for a long time or is only something for lore fans remains to be seen.
When will there be more information? Although no specific date for further information was mentioned, more details and presentations are expected in the coming months. It is said:
After the great feedback from our latest community update, the team is already looking forward to revealing more about the game in the coming months as they reach the later stages of production.
In the last community update, Blizzard let a slightly bigger cat out of the bag, as Overwatch 2 moves away from the tried-and-true 6v6 principle. Instead, each team is reduced to 5 characters. This means greater importance in hero selection, but also more responsibility for each individual player – and a greater chance to “carry” the entire team.
More about Blizzard and Overwatch can be found here:
The announcement of the 5v5 change was met with mixed feelings by players. Especially the professional teams were upset and fear for their existence, as a smaller team size also means that some players will no longer be needed.
Are you excited for Overwatch 2? Or has the long wait for the shooter – or the current scandal surrounding Blizzard – already eliminated your anticipation?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On the course of yesterday, Patch 17.30 was deployed on the Fortnite servers, adding new content. Among the new content are also two new arcade skins from the 90s that some of you should know. We are talking about Cammy and Guile from “Street Fighter”. How to possibly get them for free and what you need to do is explained here.
Which skins are meant? As in the last season in Fortnite, numerous skins were also released in this season. This time, however, round two of the “Street Fighter” collection starts with the honored guests Guile and Cammy. Both made their first appearance in “Street Fighter II”.
This is Guile, did you know that he has no eyebrows?
This is Cammy, also known as Killer Bee
Here are the two new Street Fighter skins for Fortnite.
How to get the skins?
There’s good news and bad news.
The good news: Cammy will be available through a “Cammy Cup”. Along with her skin, you will also get her Back Bling, so the full package. All you need to do is reach first place. But you won’t go home empty-handed if you’re not a tryhard; you only need to reach 8 points to get an exclusive “Street Fighter” loading screen.
The bad news: Unfortunately, Guile will not be available to earn. Instead, he will appear as an offer in the Fortnite Item Shop. Together with Cammy, they will be released as a bundle on August 7. In addition to the skins, there will be another bundle that includes two pickaxes and a glider.
Two pickaxes and a jet for takeoff
Info about the Cammy Cup
When does the Cup start in Fortnite? The Cammy Cup will take place as a duo tournament on August 5 from 19 to 22 o’clock. You have three hours to give it your all. Even if it doesn’t work out in the tournament, you will still have the option to purchase Cammy along with Guile in the shop. And as a consolation prize, there’s also the loading screen.
Loading screen
Here you see the rewards of the Cammy Cup
How do I best score 8 points? If you want to play it safe, just camp. Hide with your teammate in a bush or a secluded cabin and wait for the points to come to you. Since placements yield the most points, you should have your 8 points together quickly.
If you’re interested in more about Fortnite, you might also find this appealing:
But if you want more action, dare to enter the battlefield and try your luck. You also have the option to earn points through eliminations. You get 1 point per elimination. You can find more information about the points placement on the Epic Games website (via. epicgames.com)
Do you like that characters from other game universes are coming to the Fortnite island and joining in, or would you prefer to see your own Fortnite skins again? Let us know in the comments what you think of it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The survival MMO Rust (Steam, PS4, Xbox One) has been working on a new update for some time now. Parts of it are already in the game and as dangerous as they sound. Apparently, Rust is not hard enough yet – that’s why the developers are now making water deadly.
How hard is Rust so far? Rust is generally considered one of the hardest survival games to date. This is partly due to the fact that many players enjoy PvP, making it difficult for newcomers to get a “easy” start. On the other hand, the game itself is also a challenge:
you start each time naked with only a rock and first need to find a place for a safe shelter
your base gets wiped regularly and you have to start over each time
buildings decay if you don’t maintain them
NPC camps can get in your way, and just when you explore cluelessly, you might encounter deadly dangers
good materials for stronger equipment can only be found in later areas or in reinforced camps
biomes, like mountains with their cold, present an additional challenge, especially since resources here are fiercely contested among players
How will Rust get even harder? In a new update, the developers are making Rust even more dangerous – specifically, they are making water deadly. In Rust, you are stuck on an island surrounded by water, and in precisely this water, sharks are now lurking.
If you swim out too far, too deep, or just at the wrong place, one of these sea predators might attack you unexpectedly. Especially without preparation, you will quickly find yourself respawning.
However, the sharks have a reason for their existence. Because the update makes water generally more interesting.
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YouTuber SHADOWFRAX gives a brief insight into the features of the update.
The sea as a new biome with many features
What else is coming? The entire update revolves around the sea and its contents – literally. Because you will get new underwater laboratories to explore. These are procedurally generated, meaning they look different after every wipe.
In the laboratories, you will find strong loot and may encounter enemies, similar to tunnels. The laboratories have a “moonpool,” which is an entrance at the bottom. Here, you can simply swim in or use new submarines, because the update also includes:
Submarines as new vehicles for 1-2 people – available for purchase from the boat dealer
Toripedos on the submarines in two variants: for combat against targets beneath the surface and on it
Fishing as a new feature to catch fish that you can gut or sell
Harpoons as a new weapon for underwater, so you can defend yourself against the sharks
The underwater visibility is also improved, allowing you to see the laboratories and sharks better. The sea will thus be a new biome full of life that you can explore – and a bit more like the peaceful Subnautica, just less peaceful.
When can I play the update? The contents are already playable on the test servers of Rust, and the update is expected to go live on Thursday, August 5.
You will surely find more about the update soon with your favorite streamers on Twitch or even in the major role-playing projects, as long as they survive long enough:
In the course of the 3rd Hyperbonus event, there will be 7 new monsters in Pokémon GO. Two of them are the legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta. We have looked at what kind of monsters they are and compiled all the information for you.
What is it about? For GO Fest 2021, trainers had the opportunity to participate in various global challenges. This unlocked three additional events. For the last of these events, the 3rd Hyperbonus, new Pokémon are set to come into the game, including 2 legendary ones: Zacian and Zamazenta.
Zacian’s Power
What kind of Pokémon is that? Zacian is a legendary Fairy-type Pokémon. It is primarily associated with the video game Pokémon: Sword and Shield and graces the cover of Pokémon Sword. It does not have a pre-evolution or further evolution.
Zacian will be available in Level 5 raids in its heroic warrior form from August 20, 2021, at 10:00 AM to August 26, 2021, at 10:00 AM. It has a weakness to Poison and Steel-type attacks. You should therefore use appropriate Pokémon to defeat it.
Zacian in its heroic warrior form (via pokemon.com)
Its strength: As seen in the overview from gamepress, Zacian in its heroic warrior form can showcase a solid attack value and its defense is also decent (via gamepress.gg). Its stamina, however, is only average. Its form “King of the Sword” can display significantly better stats.
Zacian’s maximum strength after the raid is estimated by gamepress to be 2,188 CP. With a weather bonus, it can even reach 2,735 CP. If you level this monster up to level 50, it could have a maximum of 4,329 CP.
In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Zacian can learn a whole range of attacks. Which attacks it will have in Pokémon GO is still not known. However, the moveset is also crucial alongside the stats to determine if it becomes a good attacker in the game.
Zamazenta’s Power
What kind of Pokémon is that? Zamazenta is the counterpart to Zacian and therefore represents Pokémon Shield. It is also a legendary Pokémon and belongs to the Fighting type.
In Level 5 raids, Zamazenta will face you as a raid boss from August 26, 2021, at 10:00 AM until September 1, 2021, at 10:00 AM. This monster will also be found in its heroic warrior form. To defeat it, you should use Psychic, Flying, or Fairy-type attacks.
Zamazenta in its heroic warrior form (via pokemon.com)
Its strength: According to gamepress, Zamazenta is as strong in terms of attack, defense, and stamina as Zacian (via gamepress.gg). How good it actually is cannot be stated with certainty yet, as the exact moveset is also still unknown.
The fact that Zamazenta and Zacian have exactly the same stats is also shown in the overview of maximum strength. According to gamepress, it will also be catchable after the raid with a maximum of 2,188 CP. With a weather bonus, it reaches 2,735 CP. Also, at level 50, Zamazenta can therefore reach a maximum of 4,329 CP.
Like Zacian, its other form “King of the Shield” has significantly better stats. Here, especially the defense stands out. However, these forms of Zacian and Zamazenta are not yet catchable in the game.
Which of the two legendary Pokémon are you most looking forward to in the 3rd Hyperbonus? And which attacks do you wish for Zacian and Zamazenta? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments right here on MeinMMO.
In the coming weeks, you can expect more exciting events, spotlight hours, and raid hours in Pokémon GO. We have looked at which events are particularly worthwhile in August and summarized them for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The scandal surrounding Activision Blizzard is causing increasing waves in gaming. Maurice Weber, Leya Jankowski, and Heiko Klinge discuss the lawsuit and its implications in a video.
A state agency from California has sued Activision Blizzard – and the allegations are shocking. Sexism, harassment, and systematic discrimination against women have reportedly been a daily occurrence at Blizzard for years and were known to the company’s management.
After the release of the indictment, the situation escalated further: from striking employees to expressions of solidarity from the entire industry, to the departure of Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack.
In this video, Maurice discusses the scandal and its implications with Leya Jankowski, editor-in-chief of Mein-MMO, and Heiko Klinge, editor-in-chief of GameStar – and what it means for all of us.
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Finally, Activision Blizzard stated in a statement that Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack will be leaving the company. His position will not be filled; instead, it will be split into two “Co-Leads.” This role will be taken over by the two vice presidents Jennifer “Jen” Oneal and Mike Ybarra, who are to lead the developer together.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG New World offers you various weapons for combat. If hammers and muskets seem too “normal” to you, you can devote yourself to the arcane arts and torment your enemies as a powerful mage with fire and ice. We will show you how to effectively use your area spells as a mage.
What is this about? If you want to use magical abilities in New World, you have to resort to the Fire Staff or the Ice Gauntlets. Both weapons possess certain skills that allow you to use powerful area spells. We present a build here that allows you to defeat multiple enemies at once.
How do I distribute the attributes? For mages, intelligence is the most important attribute, as it improves and strengthens your spells. However, you should also invest some points in constitution and focus. Constitution increases your health points, and focus influences your mana regeneration.
Meteor Shower: Casts a spell that causes meteors to rain down. Deals 34.0% weapon damage on impact and an additional 20.0% weapon damage for every second the target remains in the area.
Flamethrower: Creates a beam of fire from the tip of the staff, dealing 34.0% weapon damage per second. Each hit ignites enemies, dealing 3.0% weapon damage per second over 6s.
Incineration: Causes a fiery explosion for 130.0% weapon damage and knocks all enemies back 3.0 m. Ignites enemies, dealing 3.0% weapon damage per second over 6s.
This is what one possible build looks like for the Fire Staff (via. New World Fans)
How to use the Ice Gauntlets for area spells
What are the Ice Gauntlets? The Ice Gauntlets are the second weapon in New World that allows you to cast offensive spells. From the two skill trees Ice Storm and Elementalist, we only use Ice Storm here. This skill tree provides AoE damage and restricts enemy movement.
Ice Spikes: Creates a path of ice spikes in a straight line starting from the player for 8 m, dealing 56.0% weapon damage. The path ends in a powerful spike that deals 157.0% weapon damage and knocks enemies back. By pressing the left mouse button, you can end the path earlier.
Ice Storm: Deals 17.0% weapon damage every 0.25s and slows targets within a 5 m radius of the frozen area. 25% slow, 20 m range, and 5s duration.
Ice Wind: A column of freezing winds that knocks players back 5 m and deals 16.0% weapon damage with each hit. The range is 7 m, with the last 2 m causing increased damage of 20.0% and not knocking back enemies.
This is what one possible build looks like for the Ice Gauntlets (via. New World Fans)
In addition to these builds, there are of course others that are also well-suited to instill fear in your enemies as a mage. Also, many changes might occur before and after the release.
Have you been able to gain experience as a mage in New World and are excited about the possibilities? Or do you find the Fire Staff and Ice Gauntlets not so great? We would love to hear about your experiences, so please share them with us in the comments.
Activision Blizzard has presented the financial results for Q2 2021. Blizzard continues to struggle with active player numbers, the studio behind WoW, Overwatch, and Diablo has lost another million players. Additionally, Activision Blizzard warns of the potential negative impacts of the sexism crisis. However, the numbers from Call of Duty: Warzone and the mobile title are so strong that Activision Blizzard’s stock is rising despite everything.
These are Activision’s quarterly figures: The video game publisher has exceeded expectations for Q2 2021.
Revenue was $1.92 billion – only $1.89 billion was expected
Revenue per share was $0.91 – $0.75 was expected.
Compared to the pandemic year 2020, revenues have even risen further.
What number is concerning? A number that Activision Blizzard likely does not find pleasing appears at the very end of the business report: it is the “Monthly Active Users.” These are all players who have logged in at least once a month.
Here, especially the game studio Blizzard has lost a significant number of players in recent years. Over three years, they have lost a third of active users, and the negative trend continues:
In Q2 2018, Blizzard still had 37 million users
In Q2 2019, there were still 32 million users
In Q2 2020, there were stable 32 million users – here WoW Classic apparently prevented further losses
But in Q2 2021, there are only 26 million users left – thus, the number of active users fell by another million compared to Q1 2021.
Call of Duty Warzone and Mobile save Activision Blizzard
This was the big bright spot: What is currently casting a positive light on Activision Blizzard, is the success of Call of Duty, with its trio of the full-price title Cold War, the free-to-play title Warzone, and the mobile offshoot.
It is said that the numbers are far higher than before the introduction of Warzone: Compared to 2019, the numbers have tripled. Call of Duty Mobile is also positively mentioned, having risen by more than 10%.
Additionally, the company’s mobile studio, King, is praised: here too, revenue has grown by 15%.
The titles from Blizzard also received praise: Here, Activision Blizzard particularly highlights WoW Classic, where Burning Crusade is said to have boosted subscription numbers.
Where exactly Blizzard has lost that million players, if WoW is doing so well, remains unclear. It could be Overwatch, where not much has happened for months. However, it is said that the development of Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 is progressing well. The mobile title Diablo Immortal has however been delayed.
Call of Duty: Warzone is incredibly strong. The success of Activision Blizzard is currently built on this title.
Activision Blizzard warns of possible negative consequences from the sexism scandal
This overshadows everything: The sexism scandal, following the lawsuit, is also reflected in the business report. This scandal around Blizzard has dominated international coverage of gaming in the past two weeks.
Activision Blizzard warns investors that they could experience a “longer period of significantly lower productivity”; additionally, negative public reactions and further negative consequences for the company could arise. They will closely examine all of this.
The report also contains further statements that Activision Blizzard is committed to ensuring the well-being of employees and ensuring that all staff feel safe and welcome.
Good business figures cushion the impact of the sexism scandal
This is how it affected the stock price: Activision Blizzard’s stock had recently fallen sharply and hit the lowest level in 2021. On August 3, it still looked like it would be a bad day on the stock market: After the resignation of Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack, the stock plummeted by another 3.5%.
However, the positive business figures halted this downward trend and gave the stock a boost upward. Before the official trading start on August 4 and after the business figures were announced, Activision Blizzard’s stock had already risen by 5.8%.
The stock is not as high as before the sexism scandal – in recent days, the stock has fallen from about $90 to below $80.
The news of the departure of Blizzard President shook Activision Blizzard’s stock yesterday, but it apparently only lasted a few hours until the business figures smoothed things over:
