A player from WoW Classic has set himself a particularly difficult goal. He could soon reach rank 14 in PvP – without being level 60.
In World of Warcraft Classic, there are some goals that are very hard to achieve. One of them is obtaining a black Qiraji plate drone as a Scarab Lord, another goal is to reach PvP rank 14 – the highest honor. Even at level 60, this is a task that can take several months to accomplish. However, the player Crashgaming247 has almost reached this goal with his warrior.
What is he planning? Crashgaming247 is trying to reach rank 14 without having his character already at the maximum level. He wants to hold the highest rank while his character is still messing around at level 59. This makes the task significantly harder but adds even more exclusivity than the PvP rank 14 already has.
How far is he? In the meantime, Crashgaming247 has already reached rank 13 and is at 87% of rank 14. If everything goes well, he will reach rank 14 with the upcoming maintenance, thus ending his long journey.
What makes this so special? Rank 14 is already a challenging task, but at level 59 it is significantly harder to accomplish. On one hand, there are significantly fewer players in this PvP area, and most here are well-equipped twinks. This not only creates strong opponents but also leads to longer waiting times when joining PvP battles.
Furthermore, he still has to fight against level-60 players for the ranks. The rank system only allows a certain number of players to rise, especially in the highest ranks. This sometimes requires doing 12 to 20 hours of PvP per day.
However, the whole action also has a few small advantages. Through the PvP system, it is possible to receive and use an epic mount even before level 60.
Trolls make his life difficult: However, there are also some envious and resentful people. He gets trolled every now and then. Some fellow players are trying, among other things:
to intentionally kill NPCs in Alterac Valley near him so that he gains experience points and reaches level 60.
to threaten him in the Twitch stream to hack his account and level his character if he doesn’t pay money.
to transfer to his realm to disrupt the PvP brackets for this week and cost him another week of time.
Well-equipped on the way to rank 14.
However, all of this has not stopped him. If all goes according to plan, Crashgaming247 will reach his goal in just a few days – it has taken long enough.
What do you think of this task and the achievement so far? Impressive and interesting? Or rather a waste of time?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO has looked at some underrated players from FIFA 21. Here are 5 professionals who actually deserved better ratings.
These are the ratings: The new ratings of the soccer simulation generate a lot of discussion every year and some rating surprises. Also in FIFA 21, the skill rating does not always reflect a player’s actual performance. Therefore, the FIFA team from MeinMMO has reviewed the ratings available so far. Some big names stood out who certainly deserved a few more skill points.
All 5 players showed seemingly better performances than the rating changes would suggest. MeinMMO shows you the old and new cards in comparison, as well as a brief assessment of the ratings.
By the way: Players from the Champions League winners FC Bayern are not on this list – even if some of them certainly belong here. The Bayern rating is a topic in itself. If you want to get informed about the upcoming release of the new FIFA besides the ratings, check it out here:
This is how Werner’s rating looks: The lightning-fast striker scored 28 goals in the league last season and provided 8 assists. Now Werner has made the leap to the Premier League.
However, instead of being rewarded for his consistently good performance and the jump to the big English league with a few extra points, the German striker even loses a point in his overall rating, going from 86 to 85.
FIFA 20
FIFA 21
Marco Reus – Very Injured and 3 Points Down
This is how Reus’s rating looks: One of the biggest stars in the lineup of the German runner-up has to cope with a significant downgrade. While the midfielder had a strong 88 on the card last year, only 85 points remain at the start of FIFA 21.
Unfortunate for the BVB captain, who did have some injuries, but such a strong downgrade is a bit too much.
FIFA 20
FIFA 21
Ciro Immobile – As If the Golden Boot Never Happened
This is how Immobile’s rating looks: Former Dortmund and Italian top striker Ciro Immobile won the “Golden Boot” for the best European striker. However, this seemed to play a minor role in his FIFA ranking, as he only rises from 86 to 87.
Although his speed rating (84) seems a bit exaggerated compared to others (Gnabry – 82 / Sancho – 83), his shooting value could have been even higher – just like his overall rating.
FIFA 20
FIFA 21
Parejo – Already Better, But Not Reflecting His Performance
This is how Parejo’s rating looks: The Spanish midfielder was ready at the center circle as the playmaker for FC Valencia for 9 years before his move to Villareal and regularly found the net. However, in FIFA 20, this card could be safely ignored – as the speed rating was a dreadful 41.
With FIFA 21, things hardly improved. His speed is now 50, and he also received an overall downgrade from 86 to 85. Many fans expected an upgrade given a season with 8 goals and 3 assists, and somehow there was one. All stats on the card are either the same or higher than in FIFA 20 – which makes the overall downgrade even stranger.
FIFA 20
FIFA 21
Lukaku – Even Complains Personally
This is how Lukaku’s rating looks: The Italian championship ended very closely last season, and this player is one of the reasons why. Lukaku scored an impressive 23 goals for Inter Milan in the league and put the champion Juventus and superstar Ronaldo under pressure. Additionally, there were even more goals in cup competitions.
It just wasn’t meant to be, and apparently, the striker’s individual performance wasn’t enough for the FIFA developers to award the goal scorer an upgrade. He himself commented on his ratings (via Instagram) with the words: “81 speed – bruh, didn’t they see my second goal against Shakhtar Donetsk? What’s going on with them…?”
FIFA 20
FIFA 21
The ratings are a contentious topic because FIFA now aims to meet the balancing demands of players as well as those of fans and real footballers. After the initial reactions, this year it seemed to have gone rather poorly. One fan even said the ratings look like EA didn’t see any of the season” and started a petition for a revision.
Which player do you think has more to offer than the rating changes suggest? Or do you think the player values are just means to an end?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Destiny 2 sends many weapons into retirement with Beyond Light, but that doesn’t protect them from a nerf. We now know that the Mountaintop will be hit twice this autumn.
This is what weapon retirement looks like: Destiny 2 introduces the so-called weapon retirement (sunsetting) with the major expansion Beyond Light. Your gear will receive a kind of expiration date and, when that is reached, cannot be infused further, meaning it cannot be enhanced and will fall short in high-level content.
This change is not liked by many Guardians at all. In our MeinMMO survey, you concluded that retirement hurts. According to Bungie, this is necessary, as it allows for the future creation of powerful weapons that won’t haunt the sandbox forever.
However, as it has now turned out, it is not enough for some weapons to just be banished from the endgame. A controversial piece, the Mountaintop, receives a nerf for retirement in Season 12.
This weapon will still be nerfed in retirement: The Mountaintop is a grenade launcher and belongs to the long-extinct top-tier weapons. These special firearms were linked to tough quests and rewarded eager players with legendary weapons that are actually exotics.
At its reveal shortly before Season 5, the weapon was only mildly ridiculed, as “who needs a grenade launcher in the kinetic slot?” As it turned out: everyone. The Mountaintop is basically a rocket launcher that uses special ammunition and is now firmly entrenched in PvP and PvE loadouts.
Even in Season 11, it ranks among the best weapons you can equip. Many players are dissatisfied with it in the Crucible, as they can theoretically be taken out from any distance with a single shot or just accidentally run into a rocket that has turned into a mine.
Destiny 2 nerfs the Mountaintop in Beyond Light – but doesn’t want to “kill” it
This is what Bungie says about the troublemaker: Recently, Bungie presented the alternative to top-tier weapons. Guardians mocked their (recycled) appearance on Twitter. Community Manager Dylan “dmg04” Gafner chimed in on such a tweet and casually mentioned a nerf for the Mountaintop:
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According to dmg04, some tuning for the Mountaintop is on the way. They don’t want to kill the weapon, just balance it.
We currently don’t know how the balance adjustment will look on November 10. Next month we will learn more about the changes to the sandbox in a preview.
However, we already know that with Beyond Light, the long-neglected 110 hand cannons will be revised (TWaB September 10). Additionally, it is to be hoped that the confirmed return of an exotic classic will also bring some love to the 140s: Destiny 2: Why the return of the Hawkmoon gives hope for an entire weapon class
What do you think about the fact that retirement doesn’t protect against a nerf? Is that already okay in the case of the Mountaintop?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Borderlands 3, the 4th DLC has arrived, marking the last expansion for now. Perfect timing to jump back in – as this DLC also introduced a new max level.
What’s new in Borderlands 3: For a few days now, players can battle through the psyche of former vault hunter Krieg. This DLC came three months after the last expansion “Blood Money”, providing long-awaited content replenishment.
The DLC alone is worth it to check back into the loot shooter. But even players without the expansion should take another look at Borderlands 3. The reason is that a certain part of the game will now not change for the time being: the max level.
Krieg is currently luring you into the game with his madness
The new max level is ideal for returning players
Changes to levels: Last Thursday, the hotfix brought support for the Krieg DLC and also raised the level cap by another 5 points. This means: Your vault hunters can now reach level 65.
This once again means that the weapons previously collected at the top level of 60 will be below the new max level. You will have to farm your favorite weapons again to sweep the strongest enemies off the map in seconds. However, it seems this is the last time for an indefinite period. This allows players who have preferred to wait for “impending” level increases to start searching.
Farming new weapons had disturbed some players during past max level increases. Also, because those increases were not as substantial and often only encompassed two to three levels. It was quite annoying when the Godroll Hellwalker suddenly fell just short of the mark.
The last level increase came with the “Blood Money” DLC
The recent level increases typically came with newly released DLCs. However, since “Psycho Krieg” will be the last for now, the max level is likely set – at least for a while.
Further innovations for Borderlands 3 have been announced, but they have not been precisely detailed yet. It is known that Borderlands 3 will get an upgrade for the next-gen consoles, will feature 4-player split-screen, and that there will be two additional purchasable contents. These are expected to be a new game mode and new skill trees.
Story-based DLCs, as seen in the first Borderlands year, are still missing in the announcements. The same goes for an expansion of the max level – although it cannot be ruled out that an increase might come at some point.
A group of fans has created its own tournament in World of Warcraft, called the “Burning League”. This small project has already attracted quite a bit of attention – even from WoW creators Blizzard themselves, who support the tournament. MeinMMO spoke with the head of the project and asked how it all came to be.
What kind of tournament is this? The Burning League (in original: “Ligue Ardente”) was established in 2016 as a project by fans who wanted to do more with their friends. Therefore, they launched a PvP event that anyone could participate in.
Over the years, the event has grown significantly and now includes artists, voice actors in several languages (including German), as well as its own videos, clips, and trailers for their events:
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The event is small but has become quite popular. Even Blizzard has taken notice of the Burning League and provides the organizers with in-game rewards that they can use as prizes for the tournaments.
Thus, the league not only offers space for PvP enthusiasts but also for artists and people with organizational talent who want to participate. This year’s league will take place on September 19 and 20, 2020.
We contacted the creative mind behind the Burning League, who is known in the community by the nickname “Embu,” and asked him some questions about his project.
From the classroom to World of Warcraft
Our first questions naturally revolved around the origin of the Burning League. It came about more or less by coincidence during Embu’s Latin class. He wondered how he could give his friends more to do in WoW, to spend more time with them, and picked up on a single word:
At that time I was trying to organize a tournament while also completing my school assignments. I heard my teacher pronounce the word “burn”. I thought it was cool and kept it in mind. Since we were still in the Legion expansion at that time, I thought about the Burning Legion and that “Burning League” would be a fitting name that also sounds like a tournament.
According to Embu, over 40 people have been working on the project since then, allowing it to grow continuously. It’s both an opportunity for players to participate and win, but also for creative artists who want to collaborate and showcase their talents.
The league now has numerous members in many different languages. Embu even showed us a table with all contributors.
No competition to Blizzard’s own tournaments
However, Embu emphasized that the Burning League does not aim to replace the Arena World Championship (AWC) at any time. It also differentiates itself from that.
The Burning League 2020, for example, is specifically directed at Level 20 players. This means that players who do not own WoW but play with a Starter Edition are explicitly invited. The AWC, on the other hand, showcases the best players and the best arena combos currently on display at the highest level.
The Burning League has numerous “staff members” now but remains largely unknown. Embu reveals that it is more the idea to remain a fan project and appeal to fans:
An interview with MeinMMO is already a huge success for us! To be honest, we are not reaching for the stars. We do not want to replace the AWC; Blizzard is already doing very well at that. We are just a bunch of friends who want to have fun. Being able to bring players and artists together, having fun together makes us happy.
Fortunately, we have the support of many WoW fans and Blizzard. We never thought it would get this big.
Blizzard agreed to send us rewards for the community. This is not the first time we have collaborated with them; this has been the case since last year. Therefore, we would like to thank Toschayju and Thyvene here, as we could only obtain the giveaways through their help.
A month for the first trailer – How does one become a community tournament?
Initially, we even asked for help in Dalaran because we had no idea about organization. Things like video editing were self-taught, and it took “a lot of time and hair” to create the first trailer alone.
This is a memory that goes back a long way. But back then I had the time for it, and after a month I had what I wanted. However, I would not recommend my method to anyone, as it can be done much faster another way. But as you Germans say: Only the tough get into the garden!
Since the creators can only work on the project in their free time, the creation and improvement of such a tournament takes a long time. Each year they have learned from past mistakes and made new ones.
Over time, Embu says, it has only gotten better. They have understood how everything runs, how to organize properly, and what rules are necessary for a fair tournament. Now they are looking forward to the fourth iteration in 2020.
More information and participation in the Burning League
This is what it’s about: The Burning League is a PvP tournament that has been taking place since 2016, almost annually. The tournament includes other events with different names that also come from the community.
The events always offer different objectives. In 2019, for example, there was a PvP battle with many players at the famous raid Zul’Gurub. The Burning League 2020 follows a different and interesting approach.
The previous events.
How does it work? The tournament involves matches for players at level 20 in teams of three. It is divided into two categories:
Veterans Edition: Former players who do not have an active subscription can also play for free.
Both categories have their own tournaments, for which there are even rare prizes that mainly come from WoW’s official trading card game and are provided by Blizzard itself. For more information on how to participate, check the official Discord of the Burning League or the official website. Registration is open until September 17th.
What is there to win? The rewards of the tournament are all items from the trading card game of World of Warcraft. For example, there are:
the “Path of Cenarius” for the winners
color bombs for the finalists
the pet “Saber Cub” for the tournament MVP
party grenades for every participant
Some of the league’s rewards.
Embu plans to remain active with the upcoming expansion Shadowlands in World of Warcraft. However, he could not yet reveal what he has planned for the new addon. However, Blizzard seems to be involved again: “While I was answering the interview questions, one of Blizzard’s community managers messaged me. I hope they can give us the opportunity to enter into more partnerships with them in the future.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG Neverwinter will release a new update on September 15, which we at MeinMMO are excited to exclusively present to you. To do this, we spoke with Lead Designer Randy Mosiondz and developer Asterdahl. They told us more about the contents as well as the development of the game.
What’s going on with Neverwinter? Released in 2013, this free-to-play MMORPG, based on the world of Dungeons & Dragons, has been continually expanded since then. We have extensively presented how the game has developed as part of Find Your Next Game.
In 2020, the expansion “Infernal Descent” was released, paving the way for the story that continues in the current expansion Avernus and now also with the second episode of the “Redeemed Citadel”. This episode brings:
The character Soradiel, who will send you on new hunting adventures
New challenging quests
New heroic encounters where you will fight against the infernal legions
A new trial with two difficulties
A new artifact
New weapon sets and mount upgrades
Although Neverwinter has been around for a while and the graphics no longer look fresh, there is currently a surge in this MMORPG. Besides the regular updates, improved communication is one reason for this. This was introduced in 2019 by a former Lead Designer from Guild Wars 2.
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How is the MMORPG doing? Neverwinter continues to enjoy great popularity 7 years after its release. On Steam, the game peaked in April 2020 with an average of 2,683 players and even peaked at 4,435 players (via Steamcharts). A similarly high value was last seen in 2018.
However, these high player numbers are not just a one-time peak caused by the coronavirus, as Randy Mosiondz told us:
Many people are stuck at home, and free-to-play multiplayer games are attractive because they have a low entry barrier and provide social contact.
We continue to see an upward trend, but that started even before the outbreak of the pandemic.
The reason for this is that we are working hard to provide a game that excites our players in many ways and that we are constantly expanding with new content that they enjoy.
Randy Mosiondz in conversation with MeinMMO
To find out what players like, the Community Development Program was established at the end of 2019. Based on player feedback, decisions were made, and even course corrections were decided:
The goal of this program is to give communication between developers and our community a solid form and thereby improve it. Every year we publish a series of development roadmaps, we hold discussions with our community about our development goals, and we work with well-known content creators.
We have definitely made some changes to our course based on community feedback.
Randy Mosiondz in conversation with MeinMMO
Chris Whiteside, who worked as Lead Producer at Guild Wars 2 from 2011 to 2015, was instrumental in the establishment of the program that was launched shortly after his hiring. The program and the open communication from Whiteside were well received in the community. There are several threads on reddit that highly appreciate his work.
But not only communication receives praise. The MMORPG itself has been regularly expanded over the past years. The latest update is now on the horizon.
Updates that require the whole server to work together
How is the new update structured? The current campaigns are set up in such a way that they are only available for a limited time. The focus is on playing together with others on the respective server. They must jointly reach milestones and overcome challenges.
This time, the task is to restore the citadel by defeating enemies, completing heroic encounters, finishing quests, or participating in hunts. And this is where Soradiel comes into play.
Here you will get your tasks in the new update.
Soradiel is the main character in the new update. She is the leader of the Celestial Septem and is dedicated to hunting the most terrible creatures in the world. Accordingly, she provides you with new hunting tasks. Goals include:
Caphriel the Red Lady
Reothadh the Frosty
The Living Hellfire
These hunts are said to be more powerful and harder than the previous monsters, according to developer Asterdahl. There are also supposed to be new gear to be obtained.
A highlight of the update is also that players can be supplied directly with Blessed Blade weapons from a merchant in the Redeemed Citadel. These powerful weapons were part of the previous update and can thus be obtained retroactively.
As rewards, this update offers:
Teleport scrolls for the Redeemed Citadel
A new companion: Holy Zariel
Tears of the Redeemed (reagent for restoring Blessed Weapons)
Box with Astral Diamonds
When is the update coming out? The update will be released on September 15 for PC and will also be released for PS4 and Xbox One at a later date.
What’s next for Neverwinter? Some new content is already planned to be released throughout the year and beyond:
A revision of the mount system that will allow players to upgrade them in multiple ways.
There will be another event at the end of 2020.
After that, there will also be new expansions and chapters.
One of the powerful creatures you face in Avernus.
Is it still worth starting?
The action MMORPG is still fun. The new campaigns continuously tell your story in the game, and you are regularly delivered new content.
The current story is even so important for the entire game universe that you should really experience it, whether you’re a Neverwinter or D&D fan. Because it impacts the entire Forgotten Realms and represents the biggest event of recent times. Baldur’s Gate 3 also plays a role here, with Neverwinter chronologically preceding it.
According to Randy Mosiondz, entry into the MMORPG should always be possible:
We revise the entry experience every few years. We add new content every year, so there is always a lot to do. And we have a fantastic community that is helpful to newcomers.
Randy Mosiondz in conversation with MeinMMO
It is no wonder that the MMORPG Neverwinter is among the 13 best free-to-play MMORPGs. You can read a comparison of these games in the list.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2, a large evacuation took place, but we couldn’t save everyone. Unfortunately, hardly anyone knows the heroic fates.
What happened? In Destiny 2, the encroaching Darkness is no longer a distant sound, but for the first time in 6 years, a direct threat. In Season 11, the dark Pyramid ships have arrived in our solar system. As we have little to counter the mysterious power, we are evacuating the affected planets.
In the lore book “Tribulation and Resistance,” the events of the evacuation are recounted. We read that not all characters made it to the safe walls of the Last City. MyMMO highlights the fate of the heroes who willingly stayed behind and stood up against the Darkness in their own way.
For those who want to know who we could successfully evacuate and what secrets have finally been revealed after years, find the info here:
You know Asher Mir as the always grumpy scientist on Io with the robotic arm. During Strikes, he enjoys complaining and frequently tells you how dumb you actually are – why do you know so little about Radiolarian lakes?
The grumpy Warlock Asher Mir
This is what happened to Asher: What does a mad scientist do when an alien ship appears in the sky? Right, he bombards it with a railgun. But since the Darkness cannot be stopped this way and it seems to be targeting Vex technology on Io, Asher sets out to prevent it.
After a chat with Eris and a brief thought about a farewell letter, Asher heads into the Pyramidion. Like us, he must dodge laser barriers in the Strike, and as he progresses, the Vex corpses pile up. Upon arriving in the boss room, he literally lets the ceiling fall on his head – thus he destroys the Pyramidion and heroically buries himself.
Sloan – Titan
The Vanguard Commander oversees the moon Titan and is our contact for all matters there. Sloan is a close confidant of Zavala and a stoic, duty-bound Titan like out of a storybook.
Sloan is asked in the lore how she actually survives on Titan without a helmet
This is what happened to Sloan: When the Pyramid ships prepare to attack Titan and the Hive go insane, Sloan decides to wave goodbye to the last evacuation ship as it departs. She then puts on a kind of combat suit from the Golden Age.
Like a Viking filled with battle lust, laughing and shouting, she plunges into Titan fashion alone against the two hostile forces. We do not read that she actually dies in this endeavor. It is mentioned, however, that the suit suppresses her Light – Guardians can only be resurrected through the Light of the Traveler.
Brother Vance – Mercury
Brother Vance is probably the biggest fan of Warlock legend Osiris. The blind cultist has settled on Mercury and studies the timelines of the Infinite Forest, but only theoretically. He was stripped of the supervision of Osiris’s Trials because he seemingly lost his mind.
Vance sees nothing, but hears strange melodies
This is what happened to Vance: When the Darkness threatens to engulf Mercury, Vance decides to turn theory into practice. He enters the Infinite Forest and wants to emulate Osiris – Vance now clearly hears the fateful melody that drove him insane.
In the infinite timelines or parallel dimensions or simulations (again, no one understands Vex technology), he suddenly encounters himself. Both go for each other’s throat, and the alternate, still seeing, Brother Vance gets his eyes gouged out. It is not entirely clear what the cold-blooded murder means.
Why are the supposedly “dead” still hanging around with me?
This is the problem: If you now visit one of the locations, you will be surprised to find that Asher, Vance, and Sloan are still lively exactly where they have been for years. This is partly due to the fact that the story of Destiny 2 does not align with the timeline of our real world.
Due to the delay of Beyond Light by a good two months, the quest does not quite fit chronologically into the season. In our game world, the Pyramid ships have not yet begun their attack. They remain motionless in the air. However, in the story of the game, the world is in the midst of an attack. This will probably change shortly before Season 12, possibly with a live event.
In Io, the pyramids are now firmly part of the inventory
This is the bigger problem: Most Guardians do not grasp all the fates and the significance of the arrival of the Darkness.
When playing with a full fireteam and chatting or
simply having no desire to read the lore books, one learns nothing about the story.
Short clips would be very desirable here. Especially since Bungie repeatedly shows how beautifully they can stage cutscenes. Only hearing about Zavala’s fate in passing at the end of the quest does not do justice to this.
How cool would it be to watch the grumbling Asher tear the core out of a Minotaur with his Vex arm and then have to destroy what he has been deciphering for years at the cost of his life.
All of this is found – admittedly very well-written – in the lore texts. But this way, the story and the feeling that something is truly changing would reach many more players.
In missions with Saint-14, Destiny 2 showed how great story must be staged in-game
What do you think, are the 3 characters really all done for or will we see them again in the future? Are you also annoyed that the story reads beautifully but needs to be brought closer to players in other ways?
In Call of Duty: Warzone a player used what seemed like a genius trick to gain a much-needed advantage. But the TikTok trick was sheer nonsense, and the player perished rather than fattening his winnings.
What happened? LuckyChamu is a streamer who is active in Warzone. There, he has already collected massive kills and participated in tournaments with big names in the scene. But in one situation in Warzone, he certainly didn’t shine.
The Warzone match was already well underway, and there were only three other teams left in the game. From LuckyChamu’s quad team, only he and one teammate remained.
To gain an advantage, LuckyChamu wanted to jump from the top of a high-rise building and surprise the opponent with this quick position change.
But how can one quickly get from the very top to the very bottom? Good thing LuckyChamu had recently seen a surefire tip about it on TikTok…
TikTok trick only brings death and mockery
What TikTok says: On the video platform TikTok, there is a post with 350,000 views and around 27,000 likes. It explains that you survive any fall from any height if you land on a dumpster at the end. This is also impressively demonstrated in the video.
What was wrong with the TikTok? Since you can clearly see in the TikTok video that the player survives the jump, some fans assume that the action was once possible and has since been patched. The video apparently was also uploaded again on TikTok, making this theory quite plausible. However, you can also see in the TikTok that it is a round of “Ground War” from the multiplayer mode and the rules are somewhat different here than in the Battle Royale. That there are such strong deviations in some things will probably only now be clear to some soldiers.
Steam is the platform of choice for many PC gamers, offering games across all genres from various developers. The selection is so vast that it can be overwhelming. But what would it cost to buy all the games on Steam?
On a website by Chengang Wang, you can see at a glance what it would cost to buy all games on Steam. He makes use of the official Steam API. The total is substantial:
All Steam games: $521,909.63 (around €440,000) – current discounts included
All Steam games: $537,192.37 (around €452,000) – calculated without current offers
This collection includes every title, every DLC, and all the little extras that you can purchase in games on Steam, such as soundtracks or art books. The number is never 100% accurate because it is regularly updated, but prices are constantly changing.
Instead of the complete game collection, you could buy 10 Tesla Model 3s (€43,000 each) or even a house. In some places, you might even get a small villa.
Save money through sales: However, if you buy during the bigger sales, you can save a lot of money. The graph shows that savings of up to €180,000 are possible – if you are really considering collecting all games.
These are the costs for all games on Steam. As you can see, the numbers drop significantly during sales.
The simulator is the most expensive game
How much do you pay for the most expensive title? As our colleagues from GameStar reported at the end of 2019, the Train Simulator is the most expensive game on Steam.
For all content and DLCs, you had to pay over €7,700 nearly a year ago. Since then, the total has likely increased significantly. In September 2020 alone, 4 new paid contents were added, costing a total of €84.
How much is your collection worth? If you want to check how much money is in your Steam collection, you can use the SteamDB page. There you can enter your Steam ID and then take a closer look at the value.
The site tells you both the value of your account and what you would need to spend to buy all games at the current time.
Maybe you already have enough money invested in gaming for at least one Tesla.
Whoops! Pokémon GO has seemingly made Mega Evolutions far too powerful. Experts discovered the error and shared their findings with the players. What’s going on?
This is why Mega Pokémon are so strong: Mega Evolutions can be performed by players in Pokémon GO to significantly strengthen selected Pokémon. However, the system has faced criticism.
Currently, Pokémon GO is running the second event for Mega Evolutions. Niantic had already stated: When you evolve Mega Beedrill, it will become stronger than usual during this event.
As it turns out, all Mega Pokémon are currently becoming really strong. Not just Beedrill. This is happening due to a mistake, a bug. And when you take this bug to the extreme, Mega Pokémon can become up to 145% stronger. That’s a huge boost for these Pokémon.
What’s Behind the Mega Bug
This is how the experts explain it: The website Pokebattler, which is known for combat simulations in Pokémon GO, published their results on the bug. For more than a week, they and other trainers examined the bug to understand what is going wrong in the game.
Beedrill is supposed to level up to level 44 when evolved to Mega Beedrill during this event
In certain situations, Mega Beedrill receives extremely high CP after its transformation
According to Pokebattler, this is because every power-up that Beedrill receives after its evolution but before its Mega Evolution is counted twice during the Mega Evolution.
This is what it means for you: We can explain the bug more easily with an example.
You have a 100% Beedrill that can no longer receive power-ups (maxed out). It was caught as a Kakuna at level 3 or 4.
If you use the Mega Evolution on this Beedrill, it is stronger than if you had caught it at level 20.
These are the observations: The experts summarize their findings as follows and show how a buff of up to 144.5% damage can occur.
As intended: The Mega Pokémon buff of 30% is credited to other Pokémon in raids that attack with moves of the same type as the Mega Pokémon.
As intended: The Mega Pokémon buff of 10% is credited to other Pokémon in raids that do not attack with moves of the same type as the Mega Pokémon.
As intended: If there are 2 Mega Pokémon in the raid and they have the same attack types, they boost each other by 30%.
Bug: All power-ups given to a Pokémon are given a second time when it is evolved into a Mega Pokémon. When a level 1 Pokémon is leveled up to level 40, it receives a buff of 88.1%.
Bug? Mega Pokémon do not buff themselves with the Mega boost, only group members do.
As intended + Bug: If there are 2 Mega Pokémon in a raid and they are of the same type and were previously level 1, they receive a boost of 144.5%.
The professional player and Twitch streamer Jarvis “FaZe Jarvis” Khatri was permanently banned by Epic from their online shooter Fortnite in 2019. He attempted to sneak back into the game but was kicked live during his first Twitch stream. The question remains whether it was truly a ban or if Jarvis staged the public kick.
Every day, many players are banned from Fortnite for cheating. However, bans only affect accounts. Cheaters can create new accounts and play again
But FaZe Jarvis is banned as a person. Epic does not want him in the game anymore. The career of FaZe Jarvis was based on Fortnite, so this is tragic for him. At that time, he even shed tears
In November 2019, Jarvis used an aim bot on a secondary account to show his viewers what it’s like to play with an aim bot. He apparently thought that since he wasn’t using his real account, nothing could happen to him. But Epic saw it differently.
This was the action: After almost 10 months, FaZe Jarvis publicly tried to play Fortnite again. He announced it on Twitter beforehand: It had been almost a year since Epic banned him. He would play again in the evening.
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This is the discussion: In hindsight, it was debated whether it was really a ban. It seemed more like someone had just logged into FaZe Jarvis’s account:
This could mean that the “ban” was just faked
However, others discovered that FaZe Jarvis’s account is indeed disabled. But they are not entirely convinced.
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This is what’s behind it: FaZe Jarvis is a YouTuber who found success with Fortnite but is banned from Fortnite. This is a dilemma. As a solution, FaZe Jarvis apparently plans to continue working with Fortnite, but without actually playing it, instead lamenting that he can no longer play it.
He had already stood out after the ban by flirting with his image: “The boy who got banned from Fortnite.”
Even a year later, he seems to want to profit from the ban. Because, one way or another, he was aware of how this had to end: Either Epic would ban him, or he would seek an exit himself.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare a player performed an absurd stunt with a knife. He threw the blade to dizzying heights and accurately hit the opponent’s head. It is not even certain whether the stunt was intentional.
What happened? A player and reddit user named TruceBrian performed an extreme stunt with a throwing knife in CoD Modern Warfare. He was in a custom match in Free-For-All mode and wanted to take out a few bots to improve his skills.
He was primarily using the knife and taking out opponents with it. To spectacularly finish one of his opponents, he threw the knife high into the air.
The blade flew across the map and TruceBrian followed the knife. It seemed as if he had thrown it accidentally. In fact, just at that moment an opponent came down the alley, and somehow TruceBrian still had hope that the knife could do something.
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Here’s how it went on: But instead of disappearing somewhere in the foliage uselessly and ineffectively, the knife came crashing down like a punishing lightning bolt from the gods and audibly struck the bot’s head. He immediately died and probably wondered what the hell had just happened. A similarly insane knife stunt has been done by a player before.
Fans celebrate knife kill: On reddit, where TruceBrian published the clip of his great achievement, the post was well received. At the time of this article (September 14, 2020), the post had over 22,000 upvotes. In 245 comments, the action was praised.
For example, SnottyGoblin simply wrote “Beautiful”. User TheBigDIDD admitted to having watched it for 5 hours and Psy343 simply said, “Wow, that guy is really lucky!”
Another user named Frengerr, on the other hand, claims that there is a kind of “magnet effect” with the knife, which causes it to fly accurately towards opponents. Thus, such a throw wouldn’t really be that spectacular in the end.
But no matter whether the kill was due to a secret knife mechanic or pure luck: the action looks very cool and makes TruceBrian’s victory truly legendary. Insane stunts and kills are nothing new in Call of Duty. For instance, a player took out a rocket in mid-air with an excellent sniper shot.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The riddle of the cat Jenafur in World of Warcraft was finally solved after a year. We reveal how to get the hidden pet.
Most of the major riddles in World of Warcraft have been solved within a few weeks of implementation. But one riddle lasted nearly a year – the cat Jenafur. On the night of September 14, the “Secret Finding” Discord finally managed to solve the riddle. We will reveal the steps that will transfer Jenafur to your possession.
Step 1: Visit Amara
First, travel to Ashenvale and seek out the NPC Amara Moonshadow. She is a somewhat pale night elf that you can find at the coordinates 17 / 49. She stands in a small shelter, northwest of the Shrine of Aessina.
Talk to Amara and select her dialogue option. That’s it for this step.
Step 2: Off to Elwynn
Next, travel to the Elwynn Forest, to the crazy cat lady Donni Anthania. She is located at the coordinates 44 / 53 in her house, surrounded by countless cats. On the floor to the right, in front of the large cupboard, there is a small food bowl. Interact with this and you’ll have completed this step as well.
Step 3: Treats in Karazhan
The last step of the riddle leads to Karazhan, but to the new version from Legion. You need to gather a total of 8 items in Karazhan, namely different types of meat scattered throughout the dungeon. It’s best to clear all enemies up to the Virtuous Maid and Moroes so that you can quickly collect everything.
2x Juicy Leg
2x Fish Pieces
2x Flank Steak
1x Dripping Ribs
1x Meaty Snack
You only have a little time for this. The items remain in your inventory for exactly 5 minutes before they dissolve. So you need to collect all the items quickly and return to the opera hall afterwards.
The exact locations of the items can be found in this image:
Especially the 7th item is tricky – it is hidden behind a large chair.
Note that you only need the eight marked items. There are more foods in Karazhan, but you do not need to use those.
After that, return to the opera hall. Rotate the camera so that you can look down on the action. You now have little time left to correctly arrange the eight items in the room. It is important to place the items on the correct “floor plates”. Start from left to right, so the correct order is:
Juicy Leg – Flank Steak – Fish Pieces – Meaty Snack – Flank Steak – Dripping Ribs – Juicy Leg – Fish Pieces
Start from left to right.
If you place the items in the correct order, a little melody will play, and the cat Jenafur will appear on the ground. Now you just need to click on her, and the cat will find its way into your inventory!
Jenafur has creepy sayings: Jenafur has apparently mutated quite a bit due to the Void. Not only does she look creepy with her tentacles, but she also has a few concerning whisper messages that she occasionally delivers to the player. She says:
Your flesh smells delicious.
Only blood can quench my thirst.
Your eyes look tasty.
Feed me souls.
It’s also pretty creepy if you click on her multiple times. Her sounds are really, really dark…
If you enjoy participating in a not-so-fair PvP against players of an MMORPG, then perhaps Mortal Online 2 is for you. For 39 dollars, you can participate in the new Alpha.
What is Mortal Online 2? Mortal Online 2 is the sequel to the hardcore MMORPG Mortal Online, released in 2010. In Mortal Online, PvP battles are at the forefront, aimed at those who want as few rules as possible.
Therefore, Mortal Online 1 has the reputation of promoting ganking, which means constantly attacking weaker players, and player killing, making it one of the “unfairest” MMORPGs. Yet, this is exactly what appeals to fans of this genre.
Mortal Online 2 is fundamentally based on the same gameplay principle but aims to enhance it with more PvE, greater accessibility for new players, and more rules. This means that anyone who attacks and eliminates another player without reason is considered a murderer and faces certain disadvantages, which the developers are still working on.
It is played on a single server to facilitate large-scale battles and territorial wars.
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This video shows the alpha version of the MMORPG Mortal Online 2.
Prove yourself in the PvP of Mortal Online 2
Who is Mortal Online 2 for? The MMORPG is clearly aimed at PvP fans. You should expect things to get quite intense in the game world. PvE is more important than in Mortal Online 1, but the focus remains on PvP.
If you enjoy PvP and believe you are good at it, then Mortal Online could be for you. If you need fairness or only engage in PvP casually, then you should look for another game.
How to get involved: The developers have expanded the Alpha and are inviting more players. If you want to participate, you need to purchase access. This can be found on the official website. There, you must donate at least 39 dollars to obtain an alpha key. However, the access is limited, and those who want to join need to hurry.
The MMORPG Mortal Online 2 focuses on PvP battles.
What does the alpha test offer? The developers of Mortal Online 2 primarily want to test the server. There have already been complaints from players in the USA. Since the server is located in Europe, players from the USA experience poor performance. The developers wish to optimize the servers now but need more participants for a stress test.
What comes after the alpha? A beta is planned for the end of 2020. No exact date is available yet. You can already register for the beta on the official website of Mortal Online 2. With a bit of luck, you will be selected.
In addition, an early access phase via Steam is planned. However, this currently does not have a start date. The release of the MMORPG is not expected before 2021.
What do you think of Mortal Online 2? Is it an MMORPG for you? Do you want to check out the alpha?
Players have been puzzling over a riddle in World of Warcraft since September 2019. It involves the cat Jenafur, a seemingly corrupted kitten from the Void that you can earn as a pet. After many months of puzzling and even tips from Blizzard themselves, players have now figured out how to get Jenafur.
How do I get Jenafur? Basically, it is quite simple, and you just need to follow a few steps:
talk to the NPC Amara Lunastern in the Ashenvale (Coordinates: 17/49)
go to the house of the crazy cat lady in Elwynn (Coordinates: 44/53) and interact with an empty food bowl there
now go to Karazhan and enter the side entrance (to the Legion instance, not the Burning Crusade raid)
there you need to collect various food items in order and distribute them in front of the stage at Karazhan
We are currently gathering the individual steps to create a detailed guide, which will be released soon. The YouTuber Kelani shows you in the video how you need to proceed:
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Players have been puzzling for so long: The riddle was already released in September 2019, along with Patch 8.2.5. The new NPC, a night elf, who was apparently forced into undeath by Sylvanas, worries about her cat Jenafur.
That it took so long is probably due to the fact that the exact order of the food items had to be figured out first – and that such an order even exists.
We have the complete guide to Jenafur here for you:
Such riddles have been around in WoW for some time and a small community has formed to solve exactly these riddles. However, this does not always take a year. The riddle about the mount Lucid Nightmare was solved after just three days.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faces a downgrade despite a strong season – one of the major surprises from the ratings. The forward only had a few laughing emojis left on Twitter for that,
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How did you see the ratings? Should EA adjust the player values again in your opinion? You can find everything else about the upcoming game in our overview of the FIFA 21 release.
The FIFA 21 ratings have sparked many discussions. Now a fan demands: “EA: Redo the FIFA 21 Ratings”. What is behind this?
This is what the fan demands: On the platform “Change.org” user David Mariyasin started a petition against the new FIFA 21 ratings. Under the motto “EA: Redo the FIFA 21 Ratings” the player wants to achieve a revision of the existing player ratings.
He writes: “[…] so many of them are so inaccurate that it almost looks like everyone got a downgrade and as if EA saw nothing from the 2019-20 season.” Now he wishes in his petition towards EA that “they review these ratings again and make a new assessment before people might not buy this game in the end.”
An example: David Alaba received a surprising downgrade
At the time of this article, the petition had gathered 1,282 votes within 4 days and targeted an initial goal of 1,500 votes. So, that’s not too many votes yet. In comparison: In FIFA 20, there was a petition to raise the rating of the legend Johan Cruyff to 98, after he had a 94 in FIFA 19. A total of 41,443 fans signed – without success, by the way. The Prime card remained at 94, only the Moments card landed at 96 – and thus one point higher than the previous year.
However, looking at the reaction to the ratings, it is conceivable that this year’s petition might receive a few more votes.
FIFA 21 Ratings Create Controversy
Here are the reactions: David Mariyasin is not the only one with his petition who is not convinced by the new ratings. There is much discussion about the ratings on social media – for example, there were criticisms of the ratings of FC Bayern, which were rated too low in the eyes of many fans. Readers here on MeinMMO also expressed criticism of the ratings. Two examples:
Reader Alex wrote: “[…] The ratings for Bayern are really the biggest joke of the year. I only see FUT as a kind of fantasy league. The players and values have nothing to do with the real players. Then such illogical values are also bearable. […]”
Reader Psycheater says: “I’ve already written it under the last FIFA 21 ratings articles; the values simply feel completely arbitrary.”
Some of the rated stars also commented on the ratings. For example, forward Romelu Lukaku scored 23 goals in 36 league matches this season and provided 2 assists. In the Europa League, he scored 7 goals in 6 matches. However, there was no FIFA upgrade for the forward rated at 85:
“Let’s be honest, EA is just messing with the ratings so that we players complain and give the game more publicity. I’m not playing this sh*t anymore. I know what I’m doing.
Romelu Lukaku on Twitter
Even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faces a downgrade despite a strong season – one of the major surprises from the ratings. The forward only had a few laughing emojis left on Twitter for that,
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How did you see the ratings? Should EA adjust the player values again in your opinion? You can find everything else about the upcoming game in our overview of the FIFA 21 release.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Call of Duty: Warzone is set to continue evolving even after the release of Black Ops Cold War. How this will all unfold is still unclear. However, apparently there will be a new map – at least that’s what dataminers suggest.
What was found? After each new update, dataminers dive into the files of Call of Duty: Warzone and sift through the data chaos to uncover interesting hints about the future.
And now it has happened again. Dataminers discovered something new in the Warzone that might be directly related to the release of the next “Black Ops” title: data for the Blackout map “Alcatraz”. This “mini-royale” was released as a DLC for the spiritual predecessor of Warzone “Blackout” and was impressive from the start. It seems that this acclaimed content is also coming to the new Battle Royale.
Zombie Prison Alcatraz as a new Warzone map
What does the leak look like? First, rumors circulated on social media, and various dataminers and leakers highlighted the find. Twitter user @xXNanikosXx then shared the relevant files:
What is particularly important here is the bottom image, as it shows locations of the Alcatraz map from Blackout.
Warden’s House
New Industries
Cell House
Docks
Power House
All locations from the Blackout DLC. While some places are also missing, like “Submarine” or “Shipwreck”, the overlaps are unmistakable.
How likely is an Alcatraz comeback in Warzone? That there are files from Blackout also in the Warzone files has been known for a long time. However, one of the most well-known Warzone leakers “TheGamingRevolution” (@TheGamingRevo3) confirms that the data has been newly added and are not leftover Blackout files:
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Since these are new files, the likelihood is high that the developers are planning something with them. Whether it will be a new Warzone map, a new part of the old map, a special mode, or something entirely different remains unclear for now. But with this leak, there are direct hints of a new map in the Warzone data for the first time.
Small map with big dangers
What is Alcatraz? The map on the world-famous prison island in San Francisco Bay is set on the rocky remnants of the former high-security prison. It is significantly smaller than the Blackout map and also Verdansk, the Warzone city.
Here, 40 soldiers fight in 10 teams in a mix of Battle Royale and Zombie mode against each other. There are respawns for a period of time, the circle shrinks over time, and PvE zombies make life difficult for the players. After a certain time, respawns are disabled and the team that remains at the end wins the mini-royale.
Zombies in Battle Royale? Undead were already a staple of gameplay in the Battle Royale Blackout from the start. This PvE component provided scary action and valuable loot.
There are also leaks for Warzone announcing zombie modes. The data points to a “Zombie Royale” where you mutate into an undead upon death and can only return to being human by consuming the hearts of fallen soldiers. Sounds brutal – and it likely will be.
Whether, how, or when zombies or the new Warzone map will come to Battle Royale is still not definitively clarified. So far, the rumors are purely based on the data found in the game, but not on official statements from the developers. However, the outlook for fresh locations and gameplay sounds good – just like the already confirmed fact that CoD MW, Warzone, and Cold War content will share.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Xbox Game Pass is available for a moderate monthly fee and represents a kind of Netflix for games. Currently, Microsoft is being praised for bringing EA into the Game Pass – completely for free. What at first glance seems like a heavenly good offer could represent a turning point in the gaming industry, but not in favor of the players. MeinMMO author Robert explains why this is the case.
Admittedly, the Xbox Game Pass reads very deliciously on paper:
Access to over 100 games at the same time
Another 100 games that rotate in and out, with the fee for online gaming included
And now an additional 60 titles from EA are joining the lineup.
In contrast, Sony’s offering seems dusty and outdated: While Sony has some cool exclusive titles on offer and also has its own game subscription with PS Now, the fees for online play are high and the monthly free games rarely offer true blockbusters.
The Xbox Game Pass wants to impress with a ton of games
In fact, Microsoft has pulled off a true marketing coup with this action. The offer attracts new players to the Xbox platform, who will presumably also opt for the Game Pass. This opens up entirely new control and, more importantly, monetization opportunities for Microsoft and developers. However, this could push the entire console industry in a direction that the skeptic and cynic in me is not comfortable with.
Because by effectively abolishing acquisition costs for games, the threshold for pay-to-win mechanics will decrease further. The already absurd DLC madness will take on even more bizarre forms. Even worse, however: Resistance from players will decrease. The reason is the new pricing structure. But let’s take it step by step.
Pay to Win (P2W)
Pay to Win refers to a mechanic in often free mobile games that aims to allow players to progress faster by spending real money than players who do not invest money. These often grind-heavy games invite players at various points to spend small amounts (also called microtransactions). This type of monetization is highly controversial among gamers, as victory or defeat is determined not by skill but by the wallet.
Screenshot from the mobile game Puzzles & Survival – P2W in simple Match3 games
What does a game subscription mean financially for the developers?
It is no secret: The production of elaborate and high-quality games is becoming increasingly expensive. With the new console generation, game prices could rise even further. A cheap game subscription like Microsoft’s Game Pass seems like an anachronism. Let’s take Netflix as a comparison: Netflix started cheaply but has carried out several price increases in recent years. Reasons for this are the increased licensing costs for outside content as well as the improved quality of their original productions.
The Witcher is a popular series and game adaptation on Netflix
EA has also likely demanded a hefty price for participating in the Xbox Game Pass. But is that enough to cover the costs of future productions? Of course, the games can be sold at full price on other platforms. However, I doubt that this will offset the missing revenue on PC and Xbox. Nonetheless, game developers have a significant advantage over Netflix – paid content in otherwise “free” games.
A paid DLC in an otherwise free game would be comparable to a movie where deleted scenes are available for a small fee (which, of course, is unrealistic). The primary purpose of companies like Microsoft and EA is to make money. By presenting a lot of content without real acquisition costs, in-game monetization will inevitably take on a much higher importance. And this is just one of many new opportunities for developers.
Especially games like FIFA benefit significantly from the Xbox Game Pass
The new opportunities for developers with Microsoft’s Game Pass
Approximately 100 games are permanently available in the Game Pass. Additional games rotate in and out – just like in Netflix. With the elimination of acquisition costs, players will try games more often that they have avoided due to high costs. This opens up the following possibilities for developers:
Games that perform poorly can be removed from the Game Pass, revised, and reintegrated,
Basic versions of games will be included in the Game Pass (similar to the free basic version of Destiny 2), but special editions and premium content like costumes, etc. will still require payment,
Additional story content like chapters can continue to be offered for a fee and
Different pay-to-win mechanics can be tested in varying forms.
The Game Pass could potentially become more expensive considering new titles or more elaborate productions.
Games like Destiny 2 are free in the basic version – but offer very little content
What could this look like in practice? The popular football simulation FIFA presents a new edition each year that is graphically improved and contains the latest team data. However, this looks very different on mobile devices. There is no longer a FIFA 20, but simply FIFA. A core element of the mobile game are sophisticated mechanics designed to encourage players to purchase player packs. This model is also conceivable for the Xbox Game Pass. A streamlined FIFA experience that offers graphical updates and the latest team data but revolves mainly around the cash cow FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team).
FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT)
FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team) is a game mode within FIFA where players can build individual teams and compete against each other. New players are drawn through corresponding packs that can be purchased with in-game currency or real money. According to EA, FUT is the most popular game mode in FIFA and has been continuously expanded in recent iterations.
100 games will be permanently part of the Game Pass
The possibilities for experimentation are limitless here. It will be interesting to see if there will be resistance from players against such practices. After all, the games are included for free in the Game Pass. Anyone who wants more than the standard has to pay extra. The possibilities in a game like FIFA seem seemingly boundless:
Legendary teams from yesteryear are only available for an additional fee
Scenarios to replay past matches are available for a small fee
Larger tournaments can be offered as DLCs
New or old jerseys, socks, or balls can be offered for real money
Legendary former players as paid DLC?
The list can be continued indefinitely. Whether it will come to this extent is, of course, uncertain. Depending on resistance from the gaming community, developers may adjust their approaches and gain new insights and results. The aspects of psychology, reward systems, incentives, and interaction opportunities are becoming increasingly important in the gaming industry. Since players have access to significantly more games with the Game Pass than before, the field for experimentation on the part of developers is immensely enlarged.
Why Sony has a significantly better approach in my opinion
Sony’s flagship on the Playstation 4 has been elaborate exclusive titles like God of War or The Last of Us, and they will likely be so on the Playstation 5 as well. God of War was an absolute highlight of this console generation for me, not only because of the fantastic gameplay and graphics but also because it was simply a single-player experience. Without annoying microtransactions. The focus was on the game, not on additional monetization opportunities.
One of the console highlights of this generation – God of War
I wish for such a puristic gaming experience for the future as well, even if it is considered less “innovative”. Innovation should not lead to psychological studies about the buying behavior of players becoming more important than the content itself. I sincerely hope that Sony resists the impulse to imitate and stays true to its line. Conservatism could well be the successful model here. Nevertheless, valuable insights can still be gained from afar about this unprecedented experiment.
Conclusion: Quo vadis, gaming industry?
Because that is what it is: a gigantic experiment – and we are the guinea pigs. The resistance of players from this field study will significantly influence the direction the gaming industry takes. Will we be overwhelmed by low-budget base versions of games that shine mainly through paid content? Or will we continue to enjoy high-quality (and thus high-priced) blockbusters? Sony’s and Microsoft’s philosophies appear to be diametrically different drafts. Which one prevails will be decided by consumers and players – with their wallets.
The Twitch streamer Tim “TimTheTatman” Betar was desperate in an event for the new Call of Duty: Cold War. Because a pro had it out for him. Against the CoD crack Scump, TimTheTatman saw no way to win. He pleaded for Scump to slow down, after all, he was already 30, a dad, and losing his hair.
One could see a stark difference between streamers and pros at the event. Especially the popular Twitch streamer TimTheTatman felt the skill gap:
TimTheTatman is a rather casual player. He is 30 years old. Fans enjoy watching him because he creates a relaxed atmosphere. He has 5.5 million followers, making him channel number 6 on Twitch. He maintains the image of the buddy next door, with whom you like to hang out and chill in the evenings.
Seth “Scump” Abner is 25 years old but has been a pro in Call of Duty for 9 years. He has earned over $840,000 in e-sports prize money. The American is considered one of the best Call of Duty players in the world. Scump is also on Twitch, with 935,000 followers, which makes him much smaller than TimTheTatman. That puts him at place 144.
Here’s how it went for TimTheTatman: The streamer felt like Scump was hunting him. TimTheTatman couldn’t go around a corner without being shot by Scump from somewhere. The streamer initially reacted friendly. He pointed out his own strengths:
Scump, I am literally better than you, stronger than you, and look better than you. Never kill me again!
TimTheTatman sets the facts straight
“I’m 30 and losing my hair!”
But the tone changed quickly.
“Scump!!! We all know it: You are a professional Call of Duty player. I am a 30-year-old dad who is losing his hair.”
TimTheTatman experiences feelings
Ultimately, TimTheTatman pleaded for Scump to take it easy. Everyone wanted to have fun here. This wasn’t a league match.
Betar managed to sound both angry and slightly whiny as he exclaimed: Someone should please tell Scump that this isn’t about the championship. This is really enough now.
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A redditor created a compilation from the plight of poor TimTheTatman. The compilation was very well received.
It was particularly impressive that Scump seemed completely relaxed in his stream: He chatted with the viewers while mowing down streamers one after another.
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This was the lesson: TimTheTatman was so outclassed by the pro player at the event that he ultimately realized why “skill-based matchmaking” in Call of Duty is actually a good thing:
With normal matchmaking, streamers as “frequent players” often play against casual players, kill them in masses, and look good doing it. They are celebrated by fans. Therefore, streamers are generally against “skill-based matchmaking”, as they would only play against equals, not weaker players.
Now TimTheTatman got to feel in the stream what it’s like to be the beginner getting farmed.
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This is what’s behind it: We clearly see the difference between streamer and pro.
A player like TimTheTatman is certainly a decent gamer who often appears competent and strong in his own streams, but pros play at a completely different level.
He is one of the highest-paid players in the world.
TimTheTatman is especially loved by his fans for also being the “loser” sometimes, which apparently many can identify with.
Surely he is not a bad player, but when he is with strong players like Ninja, TimTheTatman appears confused and often takes a beating. Nevertheless, or precisely because of it, he made it onto the list of the highest-paid gamers:
Is the MMORPG Black Desert Online (PC, PS4, Xbox One) increasingly aimed at Korean players? Current figures show that it is extremely successful here.
What do the numbers for Black Desert Online look like? According to a press release from the developer studio Pearl Abyss regarding the company’s anniversary, 40 million players from over 150 countries have registered for the MMORPG BDO – and for all platforms, including mobile.
Since the release of the MMORPG in late 2014, nearly 2 billion dollars in revenue have been generated.
The MMORPG Black Desert is very successful internationally.
Great success in the West
What is special about these numbers? Some may believe that BDO is particularly popular in Korea. However, as Pearl Abyss explains, 40% of the revenue comes from the USA and Europe.
The remaining 60% break down as follows:
26% from Korea
34% from other Asian countries like Japan and Taiwan
What does this mean? The numbers show that Black Desert Online is very successful internationally and is particularly well received in the West, namely in Europe and the USA, with many players willing to spend money in the in-game shop.
It even eclipses Star Wars: The Old Republic. At the end of October 2019, Electronic Arts announced in an Earnings Call, a conference call with investors, that SWTOR had generated almost one billion dollars in revenue since its release in late 2011.
https://youtu.be/_g6XCLNQl_w
According to analyst Daniel Ahmad, the graphics also contribute to the success of Black Desert Online.
This is what an analyst says about the situation: Daniel Ahmad, an analyst from the market research company Niko Partners, explains:
Pearl Abyss has built the Black Desert brand by offering an MMORPG with high-quality graphics, combat, and gameplay systems. The developer has been able to tailor the game to specific markets, with a free-to-play model in most Asian markets and a buy-to-play model in the West, which aligns with the preferences of each region.
Pearl Abyss has also expanded the game to additional platforms, including consoles for the West and mobile phones for Asia and other markets.
Daniel Ahmad, Niko Partners
Pearl Abyss seems to have succeeded in developing an MMORPG that is internationally very successful, as the developers cater to the preferences of the respective markets.
Can you understand why Black Desert Online is currently so successful in the West? Would you have expected this?
