WoW: Method also bought gold to participate in the World First race

Even professional guilds have purchased gold or paid real money for items in World of Warcraft. This has now come to light regarding Method.

Just yesterday, we reported that the major boosting provider “Gallywix” was attacked by Blizzard. Relevant accounts involved in real money trading have been penalized. In the course of these revelations, it also became apparent that some of the large guilds in WoW were also involved in real money transactions, including Method, who were the idols of European WoW players just a few weeks ago.

What happened? On the WoW subreddit, a series of incriminating screenshots have emerged. These show the player Scripe from the guild Method in contact with the owner of the Gallywix Boosting Community. The dialogues, which apparently occurred over Discord, discuss the large-scale purchase of gold and items for real money. A table with all purchased items is also visible there.

WoW Scripe Dialogue Discord Gallywix
One of many dialogues from Scripe with the boosting provider. Source: reddit.com/r/wow

Scripe has since spoken out on Twitter and confirmed the allegations. He and his guild were involved in these dealings.

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Method apparently wanted the best items

Why did Method do this? While Scripe didn’t elaborate further, the reasons for Method’s actions can be easily inferred.

In patch 8.3, it was apparently necessary for the professional guild Method to search multiple auction houses on other realms for specific items and to purchase them. The reason for this was the extremely strong corruption effects, which were mainly available randomly at the start of patch 8.3. Therefore, the strongest effects could also be on so-called “BoE items” – items that could be traded via the auction house. To have the best possible equipment, it was necessary to buy these items and – if necessary – even transfer them from other realms.

Ultimately, this didn’t pay off for Method – they lost to Limit in the World First race.

What does this mean for Method? The WoW guild Method no longer exists as a raid-capable group. After a major scandal involving “sexual harassment” the guild was unofficially disbanded.

WoW Echo Method title 1280x720
Method became Echo – will it remain this way?

Many players have since come together under the new guild name Echo and want to return to the raiding scene in Shadowlands. Among them is also Scripe, who now serves as the guild leader for Echo. However, since his participation in real money purchases has come to light, it is possible that he will also face account penalties. Whether these will be resolved by the launch of the first raid season in Shadowlands remains to be seen.

However, it is also likely that many other large guilds were involved in such or similar dealings. After all, guilds have been doing nearly everything for years to secure even the slightest advantage.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit.com/r/wow/

Fortnite Server down – What is included in the update 13.40 today?

Today, on Wednesday, August 5, the Fortnite servers are going down on all platforms (PC/Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, Android). During this time, the new update 13.40 will be deployed. What’s in the new patch?

What’s happening today in Fortnite? The update 13.40 will be deployed today on all platforms. Fortnite Status announced the patch on Twitter.

Update 12:45 PM: The update 13.40 is now here. We’ll show you in the German patch notes what has changed in the game.

It seems to be a larger update that could finally bring the highlight of Season 3.

Before players can embark on an exploration tour, as usual, the servers will be shut down.

Fortnite servers are being shut down – when and how long?

Downtime starts in the morning: The downtime for update 13.40 starts at 10:00 AM German time. At 9:30 AM, you can join a new round for the last time; after that, the servers will be shut down and Fortnite will be down for a short time.

How long will the maintenance work take? Based on experiences from the last weeks and months, the work should be completed around noon.

Fortnite map fake title
For a short while, players cannot play Fortnite

However, technical problems or other delays can extend the maintenance work. If this is the case, you will learn about it here on MeinMMO from us.

When will the patch notes come out? Based on the experience of updates in the new chapter of Fortnite, there will probably be no patch notes published for the Battle Royale mode again.

If this happens again today, we will gather the biggest changes for you and release them in the form of German patch notes.

What new content does update 13.40 bring?

What’s new in the Battle Royale mode? The update 13.40 should finally bring the long-awaited cars that you can actually drive. Epic showed teasers about it yesterday. So today, the highlight of Season 3 should finally become available to players.

Players can additionally expect a few bug fixes, as there are already some bugs listed on the Fortnite Trello that are supposed to be fixed.

Fortnite-Fish-Auto-Title
Today, the cars should finally come that were already seen in the Battle Pass trailer for Season 3

What does the update bring for the “Save the World” mode? The last update in Fortnite started the first new seasonal season in Save the World and brought some content.

However, it is still unclear whether there will be new content with update 13.40 again. Since RDW is now out of Early Access, Epic announced that there will not be as many updates for the PvE mode as before.

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

Developers promise: Warzone won’t die with the next CoD installment

Call of Duty: Warzone is closely intertwined with the core game Modern Warfare – after all, it was released as a free game mode for this. This raised the question early on of what would happen to Warzone when a new CoD is released. Design Director Goeff Smith now has an answer.

This is what Smith says: In an interview with the US site GamesRadar, Smith revealed that Warzone will continue to run even when future installments of the series are released. This has always been planned:

Although Warzone is very closely linked to Modern Warfare, it was designed from the very beginning as a standalone game. As the game continues to receive updates, it will evolve and connect to other games in the Call of Duty universe.

Smith thus confirms a statement by Narrative Director Taylor Kurosaki, who already promised in May that Warzone will be around for a long time. He adds that it is important for the team that Warzone continues to evolve. They wanted to ensure from the very beginning that players find enjoyment in the game, even in the future.

Why is this important? Since the end of July, there have been rumors that the new installment of Call of Duty will be called “Cold War”, will be a Black Ops, and will be released in October. This has sparked discussions about what will happen to Warzone.

The predecessor, Black Ops 4, had Blackout as a Battle Royale, which has hardly been mentioned since the release of Modern Warfare. Fans of Warzone now apparently fear that the same fate awaits it.

Do you remember Blackout?

Additionally, Warzone wants to tell a story through events aimed at adults – similar to Fortnite. If this were to end with the next Call of Duty, the story would be rather short. However, the story of Warzone might simply span across all upcoming installments.

What’s currently happening in Warzone?

Tomorrow, on August 5th, Season 5 for Warzone and Modern Warfare starts. It will include new weapons, a new Battle Pass, and new Operators. Around Season 5, a storyline is developing in Warzone, involving dangerous nuclear weapons and a terrorist group – and somehow also trains and the stadium.

Players will certainly have content to enjoy in Warzone for some time to come. A new roadmap that has been released also shows what to expect in Season 5. There are many contents that will be available at the beginning of the season, and a small preview of the content that will come in the future.

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

Destiny 2: Weekly Reset on 04.08. – The August Iron Banner begins

In Destiny 2 is having the Weekly Reset today, on August 4th. The weekly activities are rotating, including new Nightfalls and a fresh Flashpoint. In addition, the August Iron Banner is starting. Read here for more details on what else you can do.

What’s happening in Destiny 2? The new Destiny week starts with Update 2.9.1.2 and the obligatory maintenance, which is expected to last until around 9:00 PM. According to Bungie, there shouldn’t be a longer downtime. After installing the update, logging in should be possible again, and the Guardians can dive into the fresh content of the new week.

Here’s what to expect from the August Iron Banner starting today. Read here which weapons and armor Lord Saladin provides to the Guardians in Season 11 and why the Iron Banner is definitely worth it right now.

Additionally, the summer event Solstice of Heroes is coming soon, where you can again earn a special armor set. However, whether you should dismantle your obsolete armor, even Bungie itself does not know.

However, we do know that today is the Weekly Reset, and we will take a look at what there is to do for the Guardians.

The most important info about the weekly activities from August 4th to August 11th

The following Nightfall strikes are available: For the regular Nightfall (Power level 820), you can choose from these Nightfalls:

  • The Hollowed Lair
  • The Arms Dealer
  • The Scarlet Keep

In Nightfall: The Ordeal you can attempt the strike

  • Lake of Shadows

.

For Strikes and Story missions the following modifiers are activated:

  • Arc Burn
  • Blackout
  • Grenadier

As always, the burn modifier stays the same throughout the week, while the other two change daily.

Crucible: You can play these modes and playlists in PvP:

  • Private Match (Core Playlist)
  • Rumble (Core Playlist)
  • Control (Core Playlist)
  • Supremacy (Rotational Playlist)
  • Showdown (Rotational Playlist)
  • Elimination (Core Playlist)
  • Survival (Core Playlist)
  • Survival: Freelance (Core Playlist)
  • Classic Mix (Core Playlist)
  • Iron Banner

Modifiers: These modifiers are available:

  • Arc Burn
  • Grenadier

Escalation Protocol: In the current version with additional perks and mod slots, you can find the weapons of Escalation Protocol from the Contact event and Prophecy Dungeon. Armor is still only available through the activity on Mars, but since some time also in the “Armor 2.0” variant.

This week’s Flashpoint is on Io.

Petra Venj can currently be found (Curse Week 1) at the Pavilion in the “The Shore” area. You can also take on the 5th Ascendant Challenge .

These are the sources for Powerful Loot in Season 11 of Destiny 2

This is how Powerful Loot is divided in Destiny 2: Powerful Loot comes in several tiers that grant you various power boosts. Consequently, higher tiers grant you higher power boosts.

  • Tier 1 (up to +3 above current power level)
  • Tier 2 (up to +4 above current power level)
  • Tier 3 (up to +5 above current power level)
  • Powerful Gear (+5 or more above power level. The only gear that goes above 1050 and up to a maximum of 1060)

For your information: Power levels obtained via the new Artifact “Seed of Silver Wings” will not count towards the calculation of your drop power levels. The average of your gear and weapons is what matters.

Sources for Powerful Loot in Season 11: 

Tier 1:

  • Weekly Flashpoint
  • Prime Engrams
  • Gunsmith Bounties – Complete 8 of his bounties
  • Weekly Story Mission: Luna’s Call from Eris
  • Complete 3 Nightmare Hunts
  • Zavala’s Vanguard Bounties – Complete 8 of his bounties
  • Complete 5 Nightfall: The Ordeal. Higher difficulties grant greater progress
  • Crucible for 4 matches in a Rotational Playlist
  • Shaxx’s Crucible Bounties – Complete 8 of his bounties
  • Gambit Bounties from the Drifter – Complete 8 of his bounties
  • Every full rank-up in Gambit or Crucible

Tier 2:

Tier 3:

  • Trials of Osiris

Powerful Gear:

  • Raid “Garden of Salvation”
  • Nightfall: The Ordeal with a team score of 100,000 or more
  • Nightmare Hunt (Grandmaster)
  • Dungeon “Pit of Heresy”
  • Dungeon “Prophecy”
  • Trials of Osiris
  • Seasonal quest “Means to an End”
  • Iron Banner

Since Update 2.8.1 formerly powerful rewards have been elevated to Pinnacle Gear. These include:

  • Crucible for 4 matches in a core playlist (Power boost of +1)
  • Complete 3 Vanguard strikes (Power boost of +1)
  • Complete 3 matches in Gambit or Gambit Prime (Power boost of +1)
  • Clan reward from Hawthorne (Power boost of +2)
Destiny 2 tess everis
What highlights is Tess Everis selling?

Bright Dust Highlights of the Eververses

These are the Bright Dust highlights of this week:

  • The exotic emote “Questionable Causality”
  • The exotic ship “Galvanic Fork”
  • The exotic Sparrow “Golden Pride”
  • The exotic weapon ornament for Xenophage “A Class Act”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

CoD MW & Warzone: Season 5 Roadmap presented – Here are the highlights for the launch

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the Battle Royale Warzone, Season 5 has been introduced. Here you will find everything you can expect at launch and in the future.

When did Season 5 start? The new Season 5 started on August 5 at 8:00 AM across all platforms simultaneously. The update varies in size depending on the platform.

  • PlayStation 4: 33.9 GB
  • Xbox One: 49.8 GB
  • PC: 54.2 GB (for players with Modern Warfare) and 47.7 GB (players only with Warzone)

Here you can find the patch notes of the update with the bug fixes.

What to expect at the start of Season 5

This is in the roadmap: Through the official channel, the developers have shown what to expect in the new season. The roadmap is filled with new content.

The new operator Lerch comes at the beginning of Season 5.

New Operator: Right at the start of the new season, the new operator “Lerch” comes into the game, whom we also know from the trailer. He belongs to a new faction – the security company Shadow Company. Later in the season, you will also be able to get the new operator Velikan.

What to expect on the Warzone map: The Warzone map will undergo a few changes in the upcoming season. On the one hand, the large stadium on the map will open up. On the other hand, the Verdansk Train Station will open – and correspondingly, the huge freight train will also come to the map. It rolls unceasingly over the map and can be tactically exploited by you. The red access cards are also part of the gameplay again.

Cod Stadium
The stadium is now open

Additionally, new “Exterior Ascenders” will come into the game. They will quickly bring you up high buildings – useful if a nasty sniper is hiding there.

Lastly, the mode “Mini Royale” is coming, which runs faster than the usual BR mode. Fewer operators land on the map, and according to the blog post, “only the first and last 5 minutes of a normal Battle Royale” will be played.

The gas circle is quite small right from the start, and the action begins from the first second. Here you will always be on the move and need to achieve many kills to survive until the end.

Train Warzone
The new train races through the map

New Weapons: With the start of the new season, new weapons are also coming into the game. These include the new assault rifle AN-94 and the new MP ISO (APC9). Additionally, two more weapons could be added during the season.

New Maps and Modes in Multiplayer: Four new maps for multiplayer come into the game right at the start of the new season.

  • 2 new 6vs6 maps – Suldal Harbor and Petrov Oil Rig
  • The new Ground War map Verdansk Int. Airport
  • And the new Gunfight map Livestock
Suldal Harbor
The new map Suldal Harbor awaits you

New multiplayer modes are also coming, a completely new Battle Pass and missions. At the start of the season, you can try “Search and Destroy Double Down”. It is based on the familiar “Search and Destroy” – but with 12v12 instead of 6v6 players.

During the season, there will be more content for MW & Warzone. In addition to the mentioned weapons and operators, additional multiplayer modes like “King Slayer” for Warzone and an unspecified Mid-Season event will be introduced.

Furthermore, there will be another previously unknown weapon, a new melee weapon, and as usual, you can work through a Battle Pass again and collect rewards.

By the way, with the new season, there will also be a feature that nobody really needs, but everyone wants: It will be possible to inspect your weapons during the game.

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

Fall Guys starts on Steam, players rush straight into the servers – What’s the reason?

The new game Fall Guys has launched – and it did so with a bang. The game was so popular that the servers crashed.

This is Fall Guys: Do you remember “Takeshi’s Castle”? Fall Guys is similar: 60 players complete an obstacle course and those who remain standing at the end win. It’s somewhat of a Battle Royale approach – just without a circle, guns, and loot. This is what it looks like in the trailer:

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Everything is beautifully designed, with vibrant colors and crazy costumes. And, oh yes: The characters are a kind of bean. Fall Guys is quite out there – if you enjoy something silly, you will feel at home here. And apparently, quite a lot of people do.

Fall Guys launches and initially crashes

This is how the release went: On August 4, Fall Guys went live and celebrated a major success on Steam, catapulting to the top of the bestsellers. Naturally, this was immediately celebrated on Twitter:

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Also on Twitch, the game quickly became a top contender, counting around 449,000 viewers at the time of this article.

Twitch Fall Guys
Fall Guys is also performing well on Twitch

The wild party Battle Royale also launched today on PS4 – and as part of the PS Plus offer. The free offer is likely to attract many more players. However, match creation for PS4 players was temporarily disabled. Because: The servers were not prepared for the influx.

On Twitter, the official channel of the game keeps its players updated. The servers went completely offline for a while, but after restarting, there were again issues. Currently, the game is working to bring everything back online:

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Why is the game so successful? Even when the beta started, Fall Guys suddenly became a hit on Twitch and captivated many viewers. It seems to have struck a chord with players as a “friendly Battle Royale” – currently, it has a 76% positive rating.

  • “It’s nice to have a Battle Royale that is about fun. 10/10 would fall again,” says user Mtropele (via Steam).
  • “One of the most fun party games I’ve played in years. I’ve put way too many hours into the beta,” comments user MrWeeknds (via Steam).
  • “The game is fantastic. The developers are very responsive to the community and the future looks bright. The Takeshi’s Castle influence is strong for fans of the show. Also, it’s basically a hug simulator if you like that sort of thing,” says user Kasdiel (via Steam).

The negative reviews of the game mainly refer to the lagging servers on launch day. For those for whom Fall Guys isn’t for, maybe they should consider another PS Plus offer: There is also Call of Duty.

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

Valorant continues today with a big update – Patch Notes

The tactical shooter Valorant is going into the next round with Act 2. Riot has already released the patch notes for the new update in advance. Included are a new agent, new skins, and another nerf for Raze.

This is the new update: Act 2 comes two months after the release of Valorant and brings numerous innovations. In summary, these are:

With the changes, you have new content to explore, including a new mode where you can try out the skins or Killjoy. Those who enjoy battling in the rankings will finally get more clarity, after there were significant issues with the ranked system until recently.

When is the update coming? The update is supposed to come today, on the night of August 4 to August 5, as stated in a tweet from Riot .

New agent Killjoy & changes to Raze

Who is the new agent? Killjoy is an engineer from Germany and primarily plays with gadgets available to her as abilities. She can:

  • deploy turrets that guard an area
  • position alarmbots that attack and weaken nearby enemies
  • unleash a nanoswarm that deals damage to enemies
  • trap and disarm opponents with her ultimate
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The trailer for Killjoy.

Some players and fans of the game found Killjoy’s abilities to be too strong beforehand, which has led to some criticism. Riot has already commented on this, stating that skills are not as important as players seem to think.

What is changing with Raze? The agent Raze is receiving another nerf. She was considered an absolute noob killer at the release of Valorant . Her abilities deal so much damage that opponents often feel powerless when they simply die.

She has already received a nerf before, but after that, she still seemed “too OP”. Two of her skills will now be adjusted:

  • Blast Pack now requires more time to equip and has reduced graphical effects
  • Explosive Pack deals less damage to players (now 50, previously 75) and consistently 600 to objects

Since her last nerf Raze is at least the weakest agent in ranked. It will be interesting to see the impact of these new adjustments.

More on the topic
Valorant Tier List: Which agent is the best?
von Jürgen Horn

New mode, skins, battle pass & ranked

What new skins are available? Along with Act 2, a new battle pass is entering Valorant, allowing you to unlock a plethora of new cosmetics. Riot has already introduced some of the rewards in a short clip on Twitter:

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The pass is free but has a premium path that you can unlock for 1000 VP (about €10). If the effort to unlock is in line with the first battle pass, you will need about 100 hours to acquire all cosmetics.

This is the new mode: Deathmatch is a new game mode for solo players in a “free-for-all” format. You compete without abilities and without objectives against nine other players to play purely for kills.

The objective is 30 kills – or the most kills within 6 minutes. Additionally, you have unlimited money and can simply buy or switch to any weapon in the game.

Since there are no skills, it all comes down to your gameplay skills and how good your aim is. So it’s worth training and improving your aim ability beforehand. A drone, which reveals your position every 5 seconds, prevents you from camping.

Deathmatch is still in beta, beginning on August 5.

How is ranked changing?: Along with the new content, there is a major change in the ranking system. Now you can show off how good you are to your friends.

There are new ranks and badges for ranked in Valorant. Here you collect wins that you can showcase on your profiles and display a collection of your highest wins at the end of the act.

Valorant Act RAnked
This is what the new ranks look like.

Since the wins in the highest ranks are always displayed, this is intended to encourage you to play more actively and to demonstrate the best possible performance. We have detailed the new ranked system in our article for you.

More new skins and changes

In addition to the new content, there are some bug fixes and general improvements. For example, you will receive an email when players you report have been punished. You can find the complete patch notes in German on the official Riot page.

One of the changes concerns the visibility of cheats and mods. Riot wants to make it more obvious when a player activates cheats and wants the whole chat to be informed when something like this occurs. Apparently, this is a reaction to some trolls causing players to leave matches by sending them fake messages.

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

Destiny 2: Update 2.9.1.2 / 1.57 is here – All information and patch notes

Destiny 2 is getting a new update tonight on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. This will be accompanied by maintenance work, including a server downtime. Here you can find everything you need to know about today’s process and Hotfix 2.9.1.2.

This is what’s in store for you today: Destiny 2 is in the middle of the extended Season 11. Before a new Destiny week with fresh content starts tonight, August 4, a new update awaits you.

The update is now available on all platforms. On PS4, the hotfix 2.9.1.2 has version number 1.57 and is 150 MB in size.

The hotfix will be accompanied by maintenance work. MeinMMO has summarized all important times for you and provides an outlook on today’s changes.

After the update, you can dive into the PvP event Iron Banner. Which weapons and armor Lord Saladin provides for Guardians in Season 11 and why you can quickly fill your mod collection, you can read here:

More on the topic
Destiny 2: Why the Iron Banner might be worth it for you right now
von Sven Galitzki

This is how maintenance will take place on 4.8.

The maintenance work will extend over most of the evening, but the downtime due to the server being down will only be brief.

These are the important times:

  • At 6 PM German time, the maintenance work begins
  • At 6:45 PM, the downtime starts, and the Destiny servers go offline. Players will be removed from their activities and returned to the login screen
  • At 7:00 PM, the downtime ends, and the release of update 2.9.1.2 will start on all platforms and in all regions. After you have downloaded the update (and it has been copied), you should be able to log back into Destiny 2
  • By 9:00 PM, maintenance should be completely finished

Please note: Until the maintenance work is completely finished, there may be queues and login problems with Destiny 2. As always, the companion app and other API services will also be affected while maintenance is ongoing.

destiny-2-raid-hüter
Hotfix 2.9.1.2 slightly adjusts the updated raids of Destiny 2

This is changing with the update 2.9.1.2 / 1.57 in Destiny 2

This is known: Bungie has already given us a small preview of some of the changes that the update will bring.

This is what to expect with the new hotfix:

  • The Leviathan rewards such as EP, Glimmer, and chances for exotic engrams or shimmer engrams now have a weekly limit again – This affects the Leviathan raid and the two areas world devourer and star sluice
    • Weapons and armor are not affected by this
  • The strike “Sea of Shadows” is now available as a fire test version for players who do not own Forsaken, at master and higher
  • The strike “The Swarming Core” now has the correct power level of 1080 on the grandmaster difficulty – This strike had to be replaced by Bungie recently because it was simply too easy due to a power level error
  • Some players are unable to receive the quest “Means to an End” from the prism transformer. This will now be fixed
  • A problem will be fixed where Fallen Image could trigger the healing of the Exo armor Handfest for Titans
  • Armor that you focus through Umbral Engrams on certain status values should now always offer more than 10 for the selected value

According to Bungie, these changes are not everything yet. What else the update holds in store, we will then learn from the patch notes.

Patch Notes for Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.9.1.2

This is in the patch notes: A comprehensive list of all changes is provided each time in the form of the official patch notes.

Here you will find the English change log for the hotfix:

If you still want to pass the time during the server downtime and maintenance work with Destiny 2, we have something for you to puzzle and read: 10 exciting stories and mysteries that Destiny 2 still needs to resolve

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

FIFA 21: 3 important insights from the new gameplay trailer

EA Sports has finally released the FIFA 21 gameplay trailer. It showcased plenty of new features – here you will find the most interesting innovations.

This is the gameplay trailer: The new gameplay trailer premiered on Tuesday evening at 5:00 PM. In 3:38 minutes, it shows what gameplay innovations you can expect in FIFA 21 – and there are quite a few. Here’s the trailer:

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What can be learned from this? MeinMMO has summarized 3 important points.

FIFA 21 will be a game for tricksters

Why dribbling will be important: FIFA 21 opens the new trailer directly with an important innovation: Agile Dribbling. This is a new mechanic that essentially replaces the strong Drag-Back in FIFA 20. You can perform quite tight dribbles on the spot – simply by holding R1 and choosing the desired direction. This will make it incredibly difficult to take the ball away from you.

Agile Dribbling

Additionally, there are new skill moves, new ways to tunnel your opponent, and according to the Pitch Notes (via EA Sports), it will be easier to chain tricks together. Moreover, it will be possible to interrupt many skill moves and perform a new action – allowing for a lot of surprises for the opponent.

Positional play will be significantly stronger

Changes in positional play: A key factor will be the new Creative Runs, allowing you to control players who are not on the ball. This is one of the features that could completely change your game – because those who master Creative Runs can surprise opponents with unusual running paths.

Positional play
If van Dijk stands in the way of a shot, he will block it

Overall, positional play has been improved. Strong playmakers like Kevin de Bruyne now find gaps in the opponent’s defense much better, while attackers like Agüero make use of the right running paths. In defense, players like Fabinho are expected to become better at intercepting passes, and defenders like van Dijk will create stronger blocks when they are in the right position. All of this depends on “Positioning Personality”: The higher the attributes concerning positional play, the better your players will move across the field.

An interesting detail: In kickoff mode, you can now use “Gameplay-Rewind”. This means that if something went wrong, you can rewind and play the situation again. This can help you practice the new running paths in detail.

Finally header goals?

Changes to headers: In FIFA 20, headers were practically dead. Crosses from the outside rarely succeeded, as high balls were mostly blocked away. In the gameplay trailer, the new “Manual Headers” were introduced. This means you will no longer receive assistance with headers – allowing for precise control of where the ball lands.

FIFA 21 header
Headers could be forgotten in FIFA 20 – are they strong again in FIFA 21?

Moreover, new crosses have been introduced with new trajectories. There are new fast crosses, where you just need to get your head on the ball, or low crosses. The new crosses could, along with headers, make high balls useful again in FIFA 21.

Starting October 9, players can test the new gameplay – that’s when the new FIFA title will be released. All the information that is currently known about the new installment in the series has been summarized in our overview of FIFA 21.

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

New MMORPG launches on Steam – 90% of reviews advise against it

On Steam, the new MMORPG Rebirth Online was released in Early Access on August 3rd. It can be tried for free since then. However, the current reviews paint a very negative picture of the game.

What kind of MMORPG is this? According to its own statements, Rebirth Online focuses on realistic graphics and aims to deliver the familiar content of an MMORPG, including:

  • An exciting and action-packed combat system
  • An open world where hundreds of players can fit
  • Four playable classes
  • Various dungeons and raids
  • Crafting
  • Different types of equipment and skills
  • Various PvP modes

The game is currently Free2Play and is expected to remain so after release. It is notable that Rebirth Online is already set to be released in Q4 2020.

Testers tear the game apart, calling it “more mobile than PC”

How is Rebirth Online received? On Steam, the new MMORPG currently (as of August 4th at 4:40 PM) has 66 reviews, 90% of which are negative. The associated descriptions are devastating, at least if you were hoping for a high-quality PC MMORPG.

The biggest criticism of the game mainly revolves around its mobile appearance:

  • Graphics and interface seem to be made for a smartphone game.
  • There is auto-run and a sort of auto-combat.
  • The maximum resolution is 1680×1050.
  • The download is only 3 GB in size.
  • English is not the default selected language.

The auto-combat reportedly consists of your character running to the enemies of the quests and then automatically attacking. However, skills are not used. This was different with V4, the new MMORPG from Nexon, which we introduced to you in July.

The criticism of the mobile appearance is not unfounded, as the Korean developer Caret Games already has Rebirth M, a pure mobile game from 2017, in its portfolio. It is evident that this is a PC port of that title.

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To give you a picture of the game yourself, we have selected a gameplay video from the YouTuber Sorrowh.

What do the negative reviews say exactly? The user MastrChase describes his experiences with the game so far:

Terrible mobile port. All instructions say “press here”, icons are made for smartphones, etc. The combat is not so bad. Auto-pathing is there, but no real auto-combat. Dialogues can be clicked through quickly, thank the gods.

Whatever crap is on the shop page, it is misleading. The maximum resolution is 1280×780 [editor’s note: In my own test, 1680×1050 was the maximum resolution], even though it is possible to set the resolution directly at the start.

If you still want to play, the option for the English language is on the first screen, in the top right at the icon that looks like Google Translate. Good luck, you must really be desperate.

Many negative reviews are not as detailed but reach a similar conclusion.

More on the topic
The 10 Best Mobile MMORPGs 2026 for iOS and Android
von Alexander Leitsch

Are there also positive voices? The positive ratings of the game so far touch very little on the content. The user Not a Zombie writes:

Not a perfect game or anything close to that. There is much to improve, but I see potential if they improve the graphics and increase the challenge.

Other positive reviews look like this:

Currently, none of the German or English reviews mention any truly positive arguments. However, in Russian, at least the PvP is mentioned as a positive feature.

Rebirth Online Screenshot Steam
A screenshot showing a player who has already reached level 700 (source: Steam).

Is Rebirth Online worth it? Since the MMORPG is free to play, everyone can get their own impression of the game. However, since it offers little innovative content and not even 1080p as a resolution, it remains questionable whether Rebirth Online can establish itself on Steam.

If you are looking for new MMORPGs, we have introduced the 8 most promising new titles in development.

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

Manager helps team in Rainbow Six out, they protect him and lose badly

On the last match day of the GSA League 2020 in Rainbow Six Siege, one of the favorites took a really hard beating. The reason: Their manager without player experience had to step in. However, instead of simply letting him die, his team helped him – and paid for it.

Which team is it about? DIVIZON is one of the newcomers among the teams of the GSA League, alongside FACT Gaming. During the match days, the guys have proven to be very capable and eliminated their competitors in what is likely the best match of the league early on.

DIVIZON then proved themselves against the professional teams and fought their way to the top of the table. They had been in first place until recently, and hardly anyone would have guessed that they still needed to earn a spot in the Pro League.

Rainbow Six Siege GSA League playday 12
This is what the table looked like after the 12th matchday.

Why did the manager have to step in? Since the thirteenth match day on July 30, one of DIVIZON’s players has been out, the Austrian and team captain Benedikt “Shermi” Rostok. Since DIVIZON has no substitute players, manager Roland “ApeX” Feller had to step in.

However, he has hardly any player experience. When asked, it was said that he hadn’t even spent an hour in Rainbow Six. But for DIVIZON, he was the only option to compete with a full team.

On the last match day, August 3, DIVIZON had to face Team Secret again, which is probably the best German team in Rainbow Six that has already taken down FACT Gaming. Here too, Shermi had to be replaced again, and ApeX had to step in a second time.

DIVIZON protects their manager, loses every round

How did the match go? Team Secret started with a strong defense and left DIVIZON no hopes. The newcomers fell into traps in many places or seemingly played without coordination.

This is particularly evident in the second round. Here, DIVIZON can gain an early advantage as attackers by taking out two players from Team Secret, Exp0 and Hife. However, they cannot capitalize on this advantage.

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Just a few seconds later, DIVIZON loses two players themselves, and only a moment later two more, in a situation where a single call could have prevented this and secured the round.

Even after that, there would have still been a chance. However, the lack of experience from ApeX meant that he probably didn’t quite know how to handle the situation. He is chased briefly and then succumbs to a shotgun shot.

Similar situations occur throughout the whole match. In the end, DIVIZON does not win a single round and loses to Team Secret with a harsh 0:7, which moves them to third place on the table and Secret to first place.

You can watch the entire match in the embedded video (starts at hour 02:26:43) or on the official German YouTube channel of Rainbow Six:

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What was the reason? That ApeX does not deliver the performance expected at this level in Rainbow Six is not even necessarily the main reason for the defeat. It is much more about who he had to replace.

Shermi is responsible as team captain for making sure that every player from DIVIZON does what they are supposed to do. He coordinates the attack and defense and fulfills what is probably the most important role in the team.

However, the players from DIVIZON apparently did not want to let their manager fail and protected him. Instead of placing him as bait or bullet sponge or simply ignoring him, they tried to somehow keep him alive until the end of the round. This combination then led to DIVIZON’s significant defeat.

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As the caster and commentator Tobias “ShatterXx” Richter points out, “the weakest link” determines the game. DIVIZON might have had a chance if they had just left ApeX “behind” and played as they usually do – just with four players.

One of the biggest mistakes seems to have definitely been the lack of coordination. Communication is, according to Rainbow Six professionals, the most important key to victory, which was probably absent here.

Results from the last match day

How did the other matches go? Despite DIVIZON’s heavy defeat, not much has changed in the table of the GSA League after the last match day.

After a painful defeat due to a skin on the previous match day 13, FACT Gaming steps up again, but both the finalists and the relegation teams are set:

  • FACT Gaming 7:3 mYinsanity
  • DIVIZON 0:7 Team Secret
  • Rogue 6:6 G2 Esports
  • Turte eSport 0:7 WarKidz

The last match between Turtle and WarKidz looks clear, but was in a way a matter of luck. Because the WarKidz didn’t even want to play the map that it ended up on (Clubhouse). The responsible player banned the wrong map. The colleagues from GameStar take a closer look at what went wrong with the WarKidz.

Rainbow Six Siege: Here’s how to watch the German League

All information, announcements, and streaming plans for the big German-speaking GSA League.

When does it continue? The upcoming playoffs will take place on the second weekend in September, on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13. Matches will be played offline (LAN) and without spectators in a best-of-3 format with upper and lower brackets. The actual final matches will then take place on Sunday. The following teams have qualified as finalists:

  • Team Secret (1st place)
  • G2 Esports (2nd place)
  • DIVIZON (3rd place)
  • Rogue (4th place)

GameStar and MeinMMO are media partners of this year’s league for Rainbow Six: Siege in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. In the coming weeks and months, we will regularly report on our websites and channels about the league, matches, and teams.

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

GTA Online: PC players receive content that is exclusive to next-gen

Next year, the next-gen version of GTA Online will come with exclusive content for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Even PC players have an advantage. But what about PS4 and Xbox One?

What’s new? GTA Online will be released in 2021 as a standalone version for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. This new version will have exclusive content that you will miss out on if you play on PS4 and Xbox One. However, there is good news for PC players. The exclusive content for next-gen consoles will also be available for the PC version of GTA Online.

In the new financial report, Take-Two explained (via PCGamer.com):

“For the GTA Online community, the journey continues on next generation. With further new updates including additional content exclusive to the new consoles and PCs.”

Why is this also available for PC?

That’s why this is possible: GTA Online is still very popular and is therefore being supported further. PCs can be easily upgraded and are thus prepared for performance enhancements that may come to GTA Online. The current-gen, meaning PS4 and Xbox One, is limited in its performance.

So it’s no surprise that PC players will also receive the content that Rockstar planned for next-gen.

The exclusive content is not yet known. It is assumed that GTA Online for next-gen will at least be technically improved. A visual refresh will also be part of it.

What’s next for GTA Online?

Rockstar said: It is already known that a major update is upcoming for GTA Online. And it’s not just big, but the biggest update of all time.

An important part of this update will likely be the new heist. This heist is special because it will take place “in a completely new location”. The team already revealed this in the announcement. What location that will be and what the heist is about is still unclear.

Recently, the casino heist for GTA Online was released. Here, you can relieve the casino of several million dollars using three different approaches – loud, quiet, or disguised.

Are you starting anew with GTA Online on the new console generation? Then choose your teammates wisely. Because this beginner in GTA Online had insane luck, but was then cruelly pranked by his friends. After watching this video, you’ll already be prepared and safe for this situation.

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

We have already played FIFA 21: These 2 tricks will change your game

In October, FIFA 21 will be released. We at MeinMMO have had the opportunity to test the game and can share our impressions of the gameplay today. Two new mechanics stood out significantly.

New gameplay in FIFA 21: Every FIFA has its mechanics in offense that create many chances. One can remember the feared Tornado Cross in FIFA 19 or the Drag-Back in FIFA 20. In our first test, where we could play the Kick-Off mode of FIFA 21, two new mechanics in the gameplay of FIFA 21 stood out particularly. We present them to you here.

Agile Dribbling makes dribbling even more important

Old trick becomes even stronger: In FIFA 21, dribbling becomes even more important than in FIFA 20. EA Sports emphasized that they placed a lot of value on creativity and fluid movements while dribbling – and that players should do the same. 

Those who master dribbling in FIFA 21 will hardly be separated from the ball. The key point is the new “Agile Dribbling” – which effectively replaces the “Drag-Back”. The Drag-Back is a simple trick in FIFA 20: You press R1 and the direction you want. Depending on the player’s position relative to the ball, the player then turns with the ball in the direction you want. The trick is simple to execute but has the significant effect of being one of the most important skill moves in FIFA 20.

The “Agile Dribbling” now takes that further. When you press R1, the player initiates the new mechanic. The ball stays perfectly at the foot and can be moved meticulously in any direction – while the player remains in place. How it all works, you can see here in the new gameplay trailer for FIFA 21:

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In the test, Agile Dribbling proved to be a perfect means to maintain possession of the ball, but it also worked extremely well in offense when it came to outmaneuvering opponents. Additionally, it puts one in the perfect position to make a deadly pass – which brings us to the second mechanic.

Perfect runs are possible – with training

This is changing in positioning: Previously, you could only somewhat control the AI-controlled players while you had the ball.

  • L1 caused a sprint forward
  • R1 ordered the nearest player for closer support

Now FIFA 21 introduces the “Creative Runs”. This is a mechanic that could noticeably change the offensive play. With this mechanic, you can tell the AI for the first time exactly where to run. 

FIFA 21 Creative Runs
You can now send players deliberately into space

This is how Creative Runs work: When you pass to a teammate, you push the right stick in the direction the passer should run. Essentially, you control two players at once. Even without a pass, this works: Trigger a sprint with L1 like before, then flick the right stick in the direction the player should go.

In the test, we had to first get accustomed to this new possibility and sometimes sent our players wildly across the pitch. But once you internalize it, you can create pretty nasty situations for the opponent.

However, it should be noted that our test version included an early version of FIFA 21. To what extent the mechanic will be changed in the final game remains to be seen.

FIFA 21 Celebration
Those who internalize the new mechanics will celebrate more often

What are the implications? In short: You no longer have to rely on the runs of the AI but can use runs that you determine yourself.

This means: If you want to let your striker run into a specific gap, that is possible. If you plan a surprise run back, that is also possible. It will be possible to let players run completely free across the field – and this could lead to surprising situations. And this will be complemented by further elements.

Position FIFA
Players with good positioning run better free

First, EA Sports has revised the “Positioning Personality” to better reflect the real-life profiles of the players. Now, some players with poor positioning ratings run into offsides faster than others. Or they run better into finishing positions when the corresponding attributes are high. 

Secondly, passes into space are now more accurate and find their targets noticeably better. This way, opponents can be outplayed much better than was the case in FIFA 20. If you now ensure through Creative Runs that your players run perfectly free, you will hardly be stopped.

Speaking of being unstoppable: Some Bundesliga players are expected to receive a significant upgrade in the upcoming game. Stopping them will be even more difficult. Here you can find 5 players who deserve an upgrade in FIFA 21.

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

Fortnite pro gets thrown out of tournament and banned – Couldn’t help it

At first, the pro was positively surprised to have made such a discovery. But when he put the stack into his inventory, he suddenly lost control over it.

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All his weapons and items were replaced by the crash pads, no matter how desperately the pro tried to collect his previous items again. Waffles did not understand what was happening and asked: “Wait, am I hacking right now?”

It may look funny, but in a fight, it didn’t help him much. Crash pads cause players to bounce off the surface but cannot deal direct damage. So for a tournament, it is definitely not the only item you want to carry.

Incident led to a ban

This is what the player was accused of: This incident not only caused the pro to lose the round but also led to his disqualification from the entire tournament shortly afterwards.

But that was not all, as the pro was even completely banned from Fortnite for 28 days.

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The reason for the ban was cheating, even though the pro did not intentionally trigger this glitch.

Community wants to help the pro

This was the reaction to Epic’s actions: Pro Waffles tried to contact the Epic team to lift his ban. He explained the whole situation to them and showed clips that should prove his innocence.

He shared his email exchange with the Epic team on Twitter. After the team reviewed all the evidence, they decided against lifting the ban (via Twitter).

“What a shitty way to end my competitive career. Thanks for the good memories.”

Waffles on Twitter

Shortly thereafter, players from the community began defending the pro on Twitter. With the hashtag #freewaffles, they asked Epic to unban the player.

Even pro player FaZe Thiefs spoke out with the hashtag: “He was banned for something he didn’t even have control over, and Epic still doesn’t want to lift the ban.” (via Twitter)

In the USA, the hashtag #freewaffles even trended on Twitter because over 1300 people used it in a tweet.

Source: Dexerto

This is not the first time the community has intervened when a player gets banned. A 9-year-old boy was banned from Fortnite for 4 years because he was too young for the game. The boy was so disappointed that 100,000 people wanted to free him from the ban.

The Fortnite pro “Waffles” was disqualified from the FNCS tournament due to a glitch and subsequently banned from Fortnite. The community now wants to free the pro from his ban. They are convinced: the pro is not at fault.

What is this glitch? In Fortnite, an awful glitch circulated that allowed players to spawn infinite items such as healing items. The exploit involved motorboats, which were quickly removed from the game by Epic.

However, the glitch seems to still be in the game: it occurs randomly without preparation and even affects players who do not intentionally trigger it. This is exactly what happened to a Fortnite pro during the FNCS tournament.

Pro glitches unintentionally

What happened to the pro? Waffles was in a round of the FNCS tournament when he suddenly found a stack of crash pads, which indicated that there were 100,000 of them inside.

At first, the pro was positively surprised to have made such a discovery. But when he put the stack into his inventory, he suddenly lost control over it.

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All his weapons and items were replaced by the crash pads, no matter how desperately the pro tried to collect his previous items again. Waffles did not understand what was happening and asked: “Wait, am I hacking right now?”

It may look funny, but in a fight, it didn’t help him much. Crash pads cause players to bounce off the surface but cannot deal direct damage. So for a tournament, it is definitely not the only item you want to carry.

Incident led to a ban

This is what the player was accused of: This incident not only caused the pro to lose the round but also led to his disqualification from the entire tournament shortly afterwards.

But that was not all, as the pro was even completely banned from Fortnite for 28 days.

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The reason for the ban was cheating, even though the pro did not intentionally trigger this glitch.

Community wants to help the pro

This was the reaction to Epic’s actions: Pro Waffles tried to contact the Epic team to lift his ban. He explained the whole situation to them and showed clips that should prove his innocence.

He shared his email exchange with the Epic team on Twitter. After the team reviewed all the evidence, they decided against lifting the ban (via Twitter).

“What a shitty way to end my competitive career. Thanks for the good memories.”

Waffles on Twitter

Shortly thereafter, players from the community began defending the pro on Twitter. With the hashtag #freewaffles, they asked Epic to unban the player.

Even pro player FaZe Thiefs spoke out with the hashtag: “He was banned for something he didn’t even have control over, and Epic still doesn’t want to lift the ban.” (via Twitter)

In the USA, the hashtag #freewaffles even trended on Twitter because over 1300 people used it in a tweet.

Source: Dexerto

This is not the first time the community has intervened when a player gets banned. A 9-year-old boy was banned from Fortnite for 4 years because he was too young for the game. The boy was so disappointed that 100,000 people wanted to free him from the ban.

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

CoD MW & Warzone are getting a feature that nobody needs but everyone wants

With the start of Season 5, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone are getting a new feature that many players have wished for. While it doesn’t bring any gameplay advantages, many fans are excited about it.

What kind of feature is this? The shooters are supposed to receive a function with the start of Season 5 that allows you to inspect your weapons during the game.

In an animation, you get new perspectives on your firearms.

There were hints back in July that this feature could be introduced in CoD MW and Warzone. These hints have now been officially confirmed by Infinity Ward with the brief statement: “Weapon inspections – coming” (via reddit).

Players are excited about the feature

What is so special about it? Inspecting weapons is already known from games like CS:GO or CoD Modern Warfare Remastered.

By taking a close look, you get a glimpse of the weapon you have customized yourself. In Modern Warfare and Warzone, there are also many ways to upgrade your weapon. However, you can really only appreciate them well in the gunsmith mode.

In the animation found in the leak, the weapon is only viewed from the sides, but further animations would theoretically be possible.

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This animation was already found in the data of Modern Warfare back in July.

Why are players so excited about it? Players celebrate the announcement because in the shooters it’s also about customizing the appearance of their weapons according to their preferences.

On Twitter, @richmond_325 asked what was so great about the feature. He then received some responses:

  • The user daniel44416257 wrote, for example: “It’s not a big deal, we just love to see things from old games like Modern Warfare Remastered come back.”
  • For roguegamer248, it’s simply useful to check out details: “I enjoy inspecting weapons in games to admire the details you can give them.”

However, there are also critical voices. Some see the feature as a waste of the developers’ time (via reddit) or joke about the fact that it took almost a year to bring this relatively small change to the game.

Those who want to use the feature for a special view can check out one of the new weapons that will be released with Season 5.

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

Pokémon GO starts its first Spotlight Hour in August today – What happens there?

In Pokémon GO a Spotlight Hour with Seadra starts today, August 4th. We will show you what to expect and who it is worth for.

What is a Spotlight Hour? This is an event that takes place every Tuesday evening in Pokémon GO. However, the Pokémon in the spotlight changes every week. This is accompanied by a bonus that aims to make this event more appealing to players.

Today’s Tuesday is all about the water Pokémon Seadra. The following Spotlight Hours in August bring more shiny chances.

Spotlight Hour on August 4th with Seadra

When does the event start? As you are used to, the Spotlight Hour starts again today at 6:00 PM local time. The event will be active for about an hour and ends around 7:00 PM.

What bonuses are there? The big bonus of the Spotlight Hour is that Seadra can be found much more frequently in the wild.

This is accompanied by a candy bonus. If you catch Pokémon during the event time, you will receive double candy for the catch. If you also use a Raspberry, you can significantly increase your candy stock for certain species.

Pokémon GO Seadra Shiny Family

Is there a shiny Seadra? Yes! The shiny form of Seadra has been available since summer 2019 in Pokémon GO. If you’re lucky, you might encounter the shiny form during the Spotlight Hour today.

Who is this event worth it for? Shiny hunters who are missing Seadra or its evolution as shiny will likely have an important appointment tonight.

Additionally, this event is interesting for you if you haven’t caught your Spritzee from the limited research yet. Trainers in the community advised to save the Spritzee encounters until tonight. This way, you can gain some candy for the rare Pokémon.

After this event, Pokémon GO will bring you some more events in the coming weeks. More Spotlight Hours, a Community Day, and Ultra Bonus Weeks. See here all events of Pokémon GO in August at a glance. What are you looking forward to the most, and will you be participating in the Spotlight Hour with Seadra today?

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

The biggest streamer in the world explains how Twitch really works

The 24-year-old Imane “Pokimane” Anys is by far the largest streamer in the world. She explains how the business of Twitch really works. In the process, she dispels two major prejudices: Streamers live off donations and only play a little.

This is Pokimane: The Canadian with Moroccan roots has 5.35 million followers on Twitch, making her the only woman at the top. She has the fifth largest channel in the world. The next woman comes in at number 46. That’s the Australian Loserfruit with 1.83 million followers.

Pokimane has been on Twitch since 2013, initially playing mostly LoL. The big breakthrough came in 2018 with Fortnite, like many other now successful streamers. That year she gained nearly 2 million followers and became the most recognized woman on Twitch. There was a scene from Fortnite where she was hit on by a 12-year-old, which has since reached cult status.

At the moment, Pokimane is mainly active in Valorant and maintains contact with her fans in Just Chatting. When she is live, an average of 15,787 viewers watch her.

In a video (via YouTube), she gives YouTuber Graham Stephan insight into the business side of Twitch and her daily routine.

Twitch Pokimane Titel.v1
Pokimane is known for her expressive gestures and facial expressions.

It’s all about deals, not donations

This is how the business model works on Twitch: Many viewers think that streamers primarily finance themselves through donations and paid subscriptions, the Subscriptions. But this path was never an option for Pokimane. From the beginning, she aimed for a stable income through her role as an influencer and thus as a brand ambassador for companies.

More on the topic
Kappa, Bits and Drops – How well do you know Twitch?
von Benedict Grothaus

Pokimane says that as long as she depended on viewers donating to her, she didn’t want to commit to streaming as a career. She only saw it as a hobby alongside her studies in chemical engineering. Streaming brought in money, but it wasn’t a serious career option. It was only when Pokimane earned $10,000 in a month from advertising deals that she considered streaming as a full-time job.

She explains: At first, she accepted every deal with a brand as long as it didn’t conflict with her personal principles. She did not do anything associated with:

  • Gambling
  • Alcohol
  • or sexually explicit content

Although those things were the best-paying, she would have declined those deals. However, Pokimane accepted nearly every deal in the first years that she could live with, as long as she considered the advertised product to be good.

“There came a point where I accepted a lot of deals to build my resume. It’s like working a job you don’t really like to get the job you really want.”

Pokimane

Her attitude has since changed. Pokimane says if a deal isn’t a clear “yes” anymore, then it’s a no. She apparently gets offers for deals almost daily and can freely choose which products to promote and which not.

Pokimane-Werbung-Headset
Pokimane in a commercial for a headset.

What kind of deals are those? In 2018, Pokimane was featured in advertisements for HyperX. There she promoted a headset (via youtube).

In June 2019, for example, Pokimane made a sponsored video on YouTube for the mobile game Brawl Stars.

Mobile games seem to pay particularly well, as she explained back in 2019 (via loadout). Back then she said that while normal deals might bring in $5,000 (4,252 €), with mobile games they could be as high as $20,000 (17,010 €).

Mobile games pay as if they’re Bill Gates. But he’s dying and they need to spend all his money.

Pokimane, in 2019
Pokimane-Werbung
This is what “advertising deals” from influencers look like. Clearly marked with #AD (advertisement).

Pokimane pays managers to coordinate the many employees

This is what a working day looks like: Many think that Pokimane is primarily the entertainer who holds her face in front of the camera for 6 hours a day and talks to fans. But in reality, the job consists of much more management work.

Pokimane explains that the main part of her work involves providing her growing number of employees with tasks and feedback. She hasn’t edited her YouTube videos herself for a long time; she has “editors” for that, whom she instructs on what kind of videos to make and how they should look. But even that became too much work over time. She now has a manager who oversees her video editors for her, but he also needs feedback.

Additionally, she has help with social media, a general manager who handles emails and business contacts.

She also now has a business manager who oversees her finances and pays the people who work for her. Because that is also time that Pokimane prefers to invest elsewhere.

Pokimane says she spends about $10,000 or $20,000 a month to pay her employees. She says that she could actually work around the clock. There’s always something to do.

Pokimane-System
The “Pokimane” system.

What’s behind this: It’s evident that the public image of Twitch streamers is shaped by what viewers see live:

  • The streamer thanks for donations and subscriptions – so it’s assumed that’s where their money comes from
  • The streamer is also on air for hours like a normal workday – so it’s assumed that their job consists of that

In reality, streamers, at least at this high level, work more like CEOs of small to medium-sized businesses, of which they are also the figureheads.

While Ninja has apparently outsourced this part of his work mostly to his wife and manager, Jessica Blevins, the business-savvy Pokimane is much more involved in it.

Twitch-Pokimane-1140x445
Pokimane, as the only woman at the top of Twitch, often finds herself in the public eye.

Recently, Pokimane has been accused of making her money primarily by charming lonely men on Twitch to encourage them to donate. But that has clearly nothing to do with the actual business model:

The largest streamer on Twitch is said to be exploiting lonely men for money

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

Players are angry about premium currency in Valorant and Riot’s response

In Valorant there is currently some unrest among players regarding Riot’s marketing system. They find the prices misleading and criticize how the company handles it. Responses from the developers are being dismissed.

What currency is involved? Radianite is a second premium currency that players can purchase with Valorant Points, which in turn cost real money, or they can earn it in the Battle Pass.

Radianite is needed to upgrade skins and make them even cooler or to add reload animations. This means that already expensive skins for €95 can be further upgraded – and then cost almost €300.

What is the problem? User FaPaDa on reddit has expressed concerns about what he sees as a problematic presentation of Radianite prices in Valorant. He sees the issue as the fact that even the cheapest bundle with Radianite (20 units) is marked with a -20% price tag.

Valorant Radianit Prices
These prices – specifically, the “discounts” – concern FaPaDa.

He already asks in the title if this isn’t the “definition of misleading marketing” and what these 20% are being deducted from at all. The cheapest package should actually indicate the base price, and the progressively higher ones then show the correct savings to avoid misleading players.

Players are angry – Riot wants more info

What the players say: The post has already received over 10,000 upvotes within two days. Many players and community members agree with FaPaDa. Terms like “predatory” are being used, and some users point out that countries like South Korea have already banned such marketing strategies.

The user sadboysthrowaway5295 hopes that Germany will follow this example – Here the handling of microtransactions is still stricter. Other users are calling for the complete abolition of Radianite.

One of the highest-rated comments in the post is from Lukuush, who writes: “The whole Radianite system is a scam in my eyes.” Users fear that players will be lured into purchasing through the false pricing with apparent bargains.

More on the topic
Not even I am so stupid to buy skins for 95 € in Valorant … or am I?
von Jürgen Horn

This is Riot’s response: In response to this comment, an employee from Riot clarifies that they are monitoring this issue and want to understand what players find problematic:

If we see something we want to know more about, we send out targeted surveys around a specific topic or even hold player labs to spark real discussions […] Radianite Points are one of those topics we want to dive deeper into right now. I don’t want to say more about it here, as it is clear that there is a strong opinion about this on Reddit, but we are not blind to the debate.

The comment has already gathered over 800 downvotes, which at least confirms the assumption that opinions on Reddit are quite polarized.

Is Radianite really a problem?

The fact that Riot’s views and those of the players sometimes differ is already shown by the debate about the importance of skills in Valorant. It is an endless task for Riot to satisfy all players.

Valorant Killjoy Title
Recently, there was a discussion about the skills of the new agent Killjoy.

The opinion of players on reddit does not always reflect the opinion of all players, and Valorant has far more than just 10,000 fans.

However, Radianite continues to cause excitement. Riot’s plans to investigate further and review the presentation at least indicate that they have heard the criticism.

Riot is also bringing new skins into the game with the upcoming Act 2 and the new Deathmatch mode. So there seem to be at least some players who are demanding it or looking forward to more cosmetics.

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

Ashes of Creation Reveals Details about the Alpha – When can you start playing?

The developers of Ashes of Creation are currently revealing new details about the game weekly. However, the most interesting aspect is how the Alpha and upcoming tests will progress. An official statement has now been released.

What is the status of Ashes of Creation? The MMORPG is currently in Alpha 1, which was originally scheduled for spring 2019. Although selected testers are allowed to try out the game, these initial tests are under an NDA – players are not allowed to talk about them.

The latest developer update stated that Alpha 1 is set to expand at the end of August. The exact date will be announced soon.

However, the total number of players in Alpha 1 is strongly limited. We provide you with an overview of when you can play and what the developers’ test plan looks like.

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First Alpha Tests Only for Early Backers with Lots of Money

Who can play the Alpha at the end of August? With the next expansion of the Alpha, only players who have purchased a “Leader of Men” or a “Phoenix Initiative” package can participate. Both packages, however, cost a considerable amount of money ($1,000 or $10,000). This test is also under an NDA, which was misrepresented in a previous version of the article.

Over time, the test is expected to expand to more players. However, only 10,000 packages were sold for Alpha 1. When the later packages will gain access is currently unknown.

The first tests will only take place at specific times. In the fall, there are plans for servers that will remain permanently online and will not be subject to an NDA.

More on the topic
The MMORPG Ashes of Creation is now really taking off, but is it perhaps too ambitious?
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Can you buy access to Alpha 1? Currently, there is no offer in the shop to gain access to Alpha 1. Sales for it were stopped two years ago.

The developers of Intrepid Studios are considering bringing back such an offer in the future, provided that the tests of Ashes of Creation go positively (via Ashespost).

However, the cheapest package for Alpha 1 previously cost $450. For access to the later Alpha 2, you currently need to pay $250 (via Intrepid Studios).

Ashes of Creation Bear
For the sale of various packages there are also different bonuses, including mount or armor skins.

No Dates Yet for Alpha 2, Beta, and Release

What happens after Alpha 1? Intrepid has already published a roadmap on how things will proceed after Alpha 1:

  • Alpha 1 permanent servers – Fall 2020
  • Alpha 2
  • Beta 0 – Access will be raffled
  • Beta 1
  • Beta 2
  • Pre-Release – 1-2 days before launch
  • Release
  • One major update per quarter after release

However, there are no time indications for the planned phases. Once these are available, we will update the article accordingly.

Anyone registering for the Beta on the official website before September 2020 will receive a piece of furniture for their home for free and has the chance to participate in Beta 0.

Ashes of Creation Housing Decoration
In Ashes of Creation, you can buy and decorate your own house.

Is there already gameplay for Ashes of Creation? Although there is an NDA on the current tests, the developers have already shown gameplay that has been positively received by many. The system around the nodes and the battles for them is generating a lot of interest.

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

CoD Warzone brings in Season 5 probably THE solution against pesky roof campers

In Season 5 of CoD Warzone, roof campers are likely to face some consequences. The trailer for the new season shows an important change that rooftop campers probably won’t like.

What does Season 5 do about campers? Even before the start of Season 5, the Call of Duty team released a trailer to prepare players for the new chapter of the game. In it, you catch glimpses of new content. This includes tools to quickly and easily access the rooftops of tall buildings.

Players noticed in the trailer that there are winches that allow people to climb tall buildings. They secure a rope and a motor on the sides of the buildings and pull themselves up quickly to the rooftops. A new mechanic that many players will likely appreciate.

What are these zip lines?

Here they are: If you look closely at the new Season 5 trailer for Warzone, you’ll see the yellow-brown ropes that players use to pull themselves up. However, these clips are only visible for a few seconds.

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We’ve compiled a small overview with screenshots for you, where you can see the ziplines in action:

Where are the ziplines? It is still unclear how many ziplines will be in Warzone and on which buildings they will be attached. Presumably, it will not only be the newly opened stadium where you can find them, but also other tall buildings.

What else we learned from the new trailer for Season 5 in CoD Warzone can be seen here.

Why are winches being introduced into the game?

This is probably the reason: Roof campers are likely responsible for the introduction of this new mechanic. In the community, roof campers have long faced criticism. Players establish themselves in groups on rooftops – while the often sole access point to the roof is guarded, the others have a clear shot from the top with a sniper to take out other players.

In the community, there have already been creative ways to tackle campers:

With the new ziplines, there will be several ways to reach the rooftops where the campers are entrenched.

However, one should also consider that when using the winch, you are vulnerable. Other players can clearly see you rushing up and can easily anticipate how your character is moving – as you can only go up or down.

How do you like this new mechanic?

Another innovation in Season 5 could be an expanded team size. Will you soon play CoD Warzone in 5-player teams on 200-player maps?

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