The latest patch in Overwatch has buffed some heroes. Two of them are now so strong together that they can cause significant problems for their opponents.
Which heroes are we talking about? Baptiste and McCree. The combination of these two heroes currently has immense firepower. This is due to their buffs in the patch from June 18, 2019:
McCree’s shots now have a cooldown of 0.42 seconds, instead of 0.5 as before
Once again, McCree has received a buff that brings him into the spotlight. Back in March, there was a PTR patch that made his Ultimate so strong that he could kill players behind full shields.
What makes them so strong together? The current combination of these two heroes is so powerful because McCree can fire more shots through the Amplification Matrix due to the adjustment.
The faster rate of fire alone already results in a significantly greater damage output. It had previously been tested on the PTR in May with a reduction to 0.4 seconds. Even then, there was already talk of McCree’s strength.
Because Baptiste now also maintains his Matrix longer, McCree can fire more amplified shots. Especially in situations where dodging is hardly possible, this is deadly for opponents. A short clip demonstrates this:
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What can I do against it? The easiest way to avoid the hail of bullets is to wait. Just wait until the Matrix has expired and only attack again after the ten seconds. Use the time to regroup.
Alternatively, you can avoid the areas that the Matrix and McCree can effectively cover. Avoid these areas if possible, or just wait it out.
In the community, there is the opinion that this new buff is intended to make Baptiste’s ultimate finally taken seriously. Previously, it was often ignored by opponents, even though it meant their defeat. Now, it poses a more obvious threat.
A different threat, and a much larger one at the moment, is a hamster:
In The Division 2, the developers say they anticipated the players’ criticism, especially regarding the lack of content and how The Division 2 becomes boring. Massive has prepared for the fact that players would be dissatisfied after the launch phase. They have a plan on how to respond.
Who’s speaking? It’s Yannick Bancherau, the Live Content Manager of The Division 2, speaking in an interview with Kotaku.
This is why Massive knew criticism would come: He says, “When we received very positive feedback at launch, we knew that the moment would come when the honeymoon was over. People would start to scratch the surface.”
Bancherau further states, “We knew all the time, no matter how well we prepare and design The Division 2, people will play it differently and exhaust the game in a way that we cannot simulate. They will find things that need improvement.”
This is how Massive has prepared for the criticism: Bancherau says the team learned a lot from The Division 1, especially from the difficult time before Patch 1.4. At that time, everything was an “emergency” and the community put a lot of pressure on the team.
Before the release of The Division 2, Massive:
had already allocated resources to make changes
given more time and higher priority to processing feedback
learned from Part 1 that content should be better divided and tried to cater to all types of players – they want to offer something for exploratory players with the Expeditions
However, they do not want to balance differently for PC and consoles.
The Division 2 on the right track
This is how Massive sees the situation: Overall, Bancherau believes they are on the right track with The Division 2: “We have a pretty good idea of what players want, and a lot of the things we want to do with the game overlap there. Now it’s just about putting in the effort to adjust things.”
In the interview, Massive also talks about the new Expeditions. They should provide something for players who enjoy exploration and puzzles.
The new game from Riot Games, Teamfight Tactics, is a kind of “LoL Auto Chess” and currently the number 1 on Twitch. This attracts a lot of high-profile gamers from League of Legends, and they have their tricks. In the RNG-heavy game, a streamer relied fully on half-dragon Shyvana, combining her with items and other champions, and was rewarded.
What kind of strange game is Teamfight Tactics? Teamfight Tactics is Riot’s response to a trend started by a mod for “DOTA 2”: DOTA Auto Chess.
The basic flow of Teamfight Tactics is as follows:
Players buy “heroes” – there are 50 different ones, all with different special abilities and gimmicks. In Teamfight Tactics, players can choose from a pool of 5 random heroes per round – that’s the “draft.”
These heroes can be combined with other heroes or copies of themselves when placed on the board – creating synergy effects.
Players then place these heroes on their side of the board.
Each round, the heroes fight automatically against each other. The winner inflicts damage on the opponent’s avatar.
There are also intermediary rounds where players fight against monsters in neutral battles; here they can find items.
Items and other champs create powerful Shyvana combo
A pro has already found the killer strategy: The player and Twitch streamer William “Scarra” Li, formerly with Team Dignitas, was one of the first to play the new Teamfight Tactics and stumbled upon a recipe for success.
He fully relies on half-dragon Shyvana, giving her two “Guinsoo’s Rageblades” to increase her attack speed and Bloodthirster for life steal. He also combines her with other figures (dragons and shapeshifters) so that she becomes immune to magic damage and gains double health points once in dragon form.
This causes the match to initially look like Scarra is losing the game, but then Shyvana completely goes berserk and demolishes the enemies. The longer the fight lasts, the stronger she becomes.
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This seems to be the allure of Teamfight Tactics: Currently, Teamfight Tactics has only been playable for 2 days. Everything is still up in the air, and the countless combinations of RNG heroes and items create a chaotic appeal.
It will be an exciting challenge for Riot to maintain balance in Teamfight Tactics.
A first balance patch has already been released, buffing the too weak Blitzcrank and Gankplank and slightly nerfing Darius.
At the moment, the game is still in beta, but that could change as early as next week.
In Fortnite there is now the game mode “Prop Hunt”. There you can camouflage and hide as any object or find these objects as a hunter.
What is Prop Hunt? You can currently find this mode on a creator island. An own game world has been created that revolves around this mode.
There are 2 teams, one hides and the others search. When hiding, you can turn into any object on the map. So you can run around as a toilet, rubber duck, or toy dinosaur.
Prop Hunt in Fortnite – How to join
How do I participate? To land on the Prop Hunt island, you need to enter the following code at the creative mode islands: 6069-9263-9110
After that, you can land on the island and take turns hiding or searching.
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How to find enough players: Many players have the problem of not having enough friends to play Prop Hunt on the creator island, as it’s only possible with acquaintances.
However, if you go to the playground, you’ll find enough players to play Prop Hunt with.
How do you win? As a hidden player, you can not only turn into any object but also move with it and collect coins. Each coin earns one point.
If a seeker finds and eliminates a player, they also earn a point. The player with the most points at the end wins the match.
What does the map look like? It is a completely independent island where you play. There are several houses and, above all, numerous small objects into which you can transform.
You can even disguise as a toilet in Prop Hunt. Source: Dexerto
This is how seekers get help: Those who search receive Boogie Bombs. If a hidden player is hit with one, they will dance and be revealed.
Additionally, there is a sound emitted by hidden players at regular intervals. This lets seekers know where to look.
How long will this mode last? Currently, it is only available on the creator islands. How long this mode will be available there is unknown. However, Prop Hunt is popular among many players, so it could also soon come to the game as a type of LTM.
How is the mode received by fans? Many players have a lot of fun with the mode. It is something completely different compared to Battle Royale, and players on Reddit see it as a nice change:
CTG27: “Why don’t they make Prop Hunt a main game in the lobby??”
ItsBlitz21: “Bring Prop Hunt as LTM! You could have multiple maps to choose from, between which players could choose every round.”
On the right map of Fortnite, there is currently a lot going on:
A “Developer Insight” video about World of Warcraft has received positive feedback. Many now see Game Director Ion Hazzikostas in a different light.
Why is Hazzikostas unpopular with many? When it comes to individual game mechanics or general ideas behind design decisions in World of Warcraft, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas is usually present.
In his “Developer Q&A” videos, he often answered questions without providing a truly concrete answer. This met with a lot of negative feedback from fans and contributed to a negative reputation that Hazzikostas has built up over time.
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In recent years, Hazzikostas has often been perceived as arrogant, and it has been frequently criticized that “his time as a lawyer would be noticeable”. For many players, he often provided no concrete answers, dodged questions, or offered explanations that many players found absurd.
However, the blame probably lies primarily with the format. In a Q&A that is (at least in parts) not scripted, it is difficult to provide reliable statements. Clear answers to “How do you solve Problem X?” are hard to give when that hasn’t even been discussed with the team yet. Therefore, it always seemed as though each Q&A had about 3 “treats” for the players that had long been discussed, planned, and internally implemented by the team.
A proper dialogue never took place.
The Q&A sessions were hardly appreciated by fans. There was almost only general information.
What made the Developer Insight so likeable
Hazzikostas is now gaining points: The “Developer Insight” video from a few days ago is a special case when looking at Blizzard’s past. After all, it was the day the release of Patch 8.2 was announced.
Such days are usually “celebrated” by Blizzard, allowing for only a few discussions or negative moods. Nevertheless, at the same time, they released a video where the Game Director confronts many uncomfortable topics.
Even though he gestures and waves his arms as if he had eaten a Rezo for breakfast, he addresses many of the community’s criticisms and agrees with them.
He even admits that the team has strayed too much from the visions for the individual classes and has instead focused too much on the individual specializations. He acknowledges that too many abilities have been removed that were particularly fun or interesting.
He even partially agrees that catch-up mechanics were too powerful and devalued much of what players had earned in the previous weeks and months.
However, Hazzikostas does not only concede, he also provides answers that are uncomfortable and will likely upset a large part of the player base. He and the team apparently find it perfectly fine that some of the best PvP items come from raids. After all, it is an RPG with a large world and numerous content. If someone wants the optimum in a particular situation, they should also take on additional effort. Perhaps they might even develop a strong interest in other game systems.
I honestly had the impression that Hazzikostas seemed relatively stressed yet passionate in the video. This impression is shared by the comments under the video. Most commentators believe that this “Developer Insight” format is much more sensible and better than the rather odd Q&A sessions.
Many fans wish for more such videos.
The Developer Insight has definitely helped present a controversially discussed figure like Hazzikostas in a better light. Whether words will now be followed by actions remains to be seen.
Or do you perceive it quite differently?
Ihr wollt mehr zum Spiel? Tolle Specials, heiße News und interessante Infos zu World of Warcraft findet ihr auch auf unserer WoW-Seite auf Facebook.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the GO Fest of Pokémon GO, the mysterious Pokémon Jirachi came into the game. It will soon also come to Germany. But what can this Pokémon actually do?
Once all GO Fests are completed in August, there will certainly be a worldwide special research involving Jirachi. Until then, one must be patient.
Jirachi in Pokémon GO – Is this Pokémon worth it?
What are Jirachi’s stats? To assess the strength of the Pokémon, we first provide an overview of its stats:
Attack: 210
Defense: 210
HP: 225
Maximum CP: 3265
Jirachi was previously only available in a special research in Chicago
What attacks does it learn? Jirachi has the strong Steel-type attack Wish. Here you can see all attacks in summary:
Fast Attacks: Confusion, Charge Beam
Charge Attacks: Wish, Psychic, Magic Shine
What do the stats indicate? Based purely on stats, Jirachi is a solid Pokémon. Its attack stat is unfortunately a bit weaker, compared to opponents, which is why it cannot really compete here.
Another disadvantage is its attacks. Wish is indeed a strong attack, but it does not have a Fast Steel-type attack, which is why it cannot deal much damage.
Metagross is a significantly better Steel attacker
Is Jirachi useful? The mysterious Pokémon makes a good first impression, but behind the facade, it doesn’t look as good. If it ever learns a Fast Steel-type attack, it could become more useful, but so far it is not really good.
However, this also has its benefits: One doesn’t get too upset when still waiting for Jirachi. After all, you miss nothing if you don’t have it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
We want to determine together with you the list of the best 50 multiplayer games of all time. Participate in our survey!
What is the survey about? We want to determine together with you, the MeinMMO readers, which multiplayer games are the best of all time. For this, we have already asked for your opinion in a survey.
This survey will now decide. Will it be classics like Diablo 1 or Secret of Mana that lead the way? Or rather new and modern games like Destiny and Monster Hunter: World?
Vote and help decide which games will make it to the top!
How does the survey work? You can vote for the games you find the coolest in the survey tool below.
Since there is a really large number of games, each of you can cast up to 10 votes. However, it is not possible to vote multiple times for the same game; there must be up to 10 different ones.
After the survey ends, it will be evaluated, and we will publish the results in a separate article.
So it is your suggestions that have influenced the list, and now you can vote on them. For this, we have selected the games that were mentioned most frequently in the comments and added a few more to cover as many multiplayer games as possible.
For franchises with multiple games, we focused on the entire franchise. Each of you has your favorite game within larger franchises, and listing them all would exceed the scope of the survey.
You can therefore think of your favorite game from the respective series when it comes to the franchises and mention it additionally in the comments. Games that are mentioned more frequently and those that were missing in the survey will be included in the specific “Honorable Mentions” in the evaluation.
All multiplayer genres are represented here, from shooters and MMORPGs to racing and battle royale, to couch co-ops like Overcooked.
The survey ends on June 22, 2019. With that in mind: Have fun voting and may the best games win!
Update: The survey is over.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, on June 20, there are maintenance works for The Division 2 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game servers will be offline for several hours. However, the maintenance is coming later than originally planned this time. Learn everything you need to know about the process and the patch notes here: When is The Division 2 offline and when will it be back online?
Originally, the maintenance for The Division 2 was supposed to start today at 9:30 AM our time, according to the initial plan by Massive. But this time has shifted. The developers did not comment on the reasons.
Servers offline for The Division 2 on PS4, Xbox One, PC
This is the official schedule for the maintenance on June 20:
The maintenance should now start at 2:00 PM
There will be a three-hour server downtime
If everything goes according to plan, the servers should come back online around 5:00 PM. Then you can continue to ensure law and order in Washington D.C.
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Patch brings fixes for major Update 4 for The Division 2
What changes today with the maintenance? In advance, some things have already become known that will likely change today during the maintenance works.
The focus seems to be on bug fixes for the most urgent problems that have crept into the game with the Title Update 4 .
This is what we know so far:
Some severe issues with unlocking the new Gunner specialization are supposed to be fixed, such as in the steps “Foam Party” or “This is Madness”. Many players are unable to make progress.
Many agents are currently unable to collect special ammunition. This should change today as well. Additionally, it will no longer be possible to obtain special ammunition while hunting the wildlife of The Division 2.
A server synchronization issue when using repair kits is also expected to be fixed.
Anyone who has completed the raid in its first week should now receive the corresponding arm patch.
Keep in mind that this is not an official change log or a complete listing of all changes. This will be provided in the form of patch notes during the downtime.
What do the patch notes say? The official patch notes are now available. However, these hardly differ from what has already leaked in advance.
An issue was fixed where some stages of the special field research (some steps for unlocking the new Gunner specialization) sometimes did not update correctly.
An issue was fixed which sometimes prevented special ammunition from being picked up.
An issue was fixed where some weapon textures were missing in the inventory.
An issue was fixed that occasionally made players temporarily invulnerable while using a repair kit in cover.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale has enchanted the deaf Twitch streamer EwokTV. For the Pro-Am tournament, some professionals learned sign language specifically to communicate with the young streamer.
Who is it about? Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler is a deaf, 13-year-old Fortnite streamer. She was relatively unknown on Twitch, but last March her stream was hosted by professional TimTheTatMan, and since then she has gained over 130,000 followers.
Therefore, she was invited to this year’s Pro-Am tournament during the Fortnite Summer Block Party 2019.
Duos consisting of a Fortnite streamer and a celebrity compete for money, which they donate to a good cause. The event was filled with Twitch stars, along with 50 athletes, musicians, or actors in the spotlight.
13-year-old streamer in the spotlight
This is what happened at the Pro-Am event: Ewok played in the tournament alongside Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kurt Benkert. Since Ewok is deaf and communication is crucial in the game to have a chance, the football player learned a bit of sign language specifically.
This allowed him to effectively communicate via FaceTime with his teammate, and together they earned $20,000 in the tournament, which they donated to the youth program of the “National Association of the Deaf,” an organization that advocates for the rights of deaf individuals in the United States.
This is how Ewok enchanted everyone at the Summer Block Party: At the block party before the tournament, there were numerous famous professionals, including Ninja, NICKMERCS, and Dr. Lupo. However, Ewok, with her wonderful success story, clearly was the star of the day.
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Because of her, other professionals, including Dr. Lupo, Nick Eh 30, and Aydan, as well as casters Zeke and Sundown, learned some sign language. Additionally, she finally met her big supporter TimTheTatMan in real life and was able to thank him personally for kickstarting her streaming career.
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This deeply touched Ewok, and the young streamer was full of gratitude towards Epic and the wonderful community that was present at the event:
„I am so grateful for everything Epic has done for me and the deaf community. People learned sign language just to communicate with me and took me seriously as a deaf person and a gamer. I have loved Fortnite for a long time, but this entire experience has made me love it even more.”
Newzoo says: At the end of a console generation, the installation base is very high, resulting in higher revenues. Additionally, the Nintendo Switch has been successful.
The shift to “games-as-a-service” helps consoles increase revenues by 13.4%. Because through this model, console owners spend money continuously via microtransactions and not just once when buying a new game.
Browser games on PC are the big losers
How does PC gaming look in 2019? The PC is described as the driving force of innovation, and PC gaming is growing by 4% in 2019 to $35.7 billion.
However, the area of “browser gaming on PC” is shrinking with the resurgence of mobile games, hampering the rise of PC gaming in the statistics.
Tablet gaming is also growing worldwide at a significantly slower rate than mobile games or consoles.
All markets are growing – except “browser gamers.” Source: NewZoo
What else is important? Newzoo states that the “nostalgia” factor plays a larger role than before.
There are nostalgia games like Warcraft 3 or the Final Fantasy VII Remake and even “mini consoles,” where Nintendo seemingly has the upper hand.
What does the future hold? Newzoo believes that Latin America will now be the fastest growing region in the coming years.
The revenues will develop globally as currently foreseen: tablet and mobile will soon make up 50% of the market, while browser games will decline.
Newzoo credits cloud gaming with the potential to change gaming culture similarly to how mobile games already have.
Cloud gaming like Stadia could be the next trend.
What’s behind this: Consoles primarily play a role only in the western part of the world, while in Asia, mobile games are predominantly played.
For many years, it seemed that the Asian market, especially China, would pull ahead and leave the West behind, but it appears that the measures of western companies are now bearing fruit, generating more revenue.
Whether all this is so great for gamers is another question:
Increased revenues could lead to larger games that employ more staff
However, the trend is clearly toward generating huge revenues with a game through microtransactions instead of constantly developing new titles with the developers.
Tablet gaming is also growing worldwide at a significantly slower rate than mobile games or consoles.
All markets are growing – except “browser gamers.” Source: NewZoo
What else is important? Newzoo states that the “nostalgia” factor plays a larger role than before.
There are nostalgia games like Warcraft 3 or the Final Fantasy VII Remake and even “mini consoles,” where Nintendo seemingly has the upper hand.
What does the future hold? Newzoo believes that Latin America will now be the fastest growing region in the coming years.
The revenues will develop globally as currently foreseen: tablet and mobile will soon make up 50% of the market, while browser games will decline.
Newzoo credits cloud gaming with the potential to change gaming culture similarly to how mobile games already have.
Cloud gaming like Stadia could be the next trend.
What’s behind this: Consoles primarily play a role only in the western part of the world, while in Asia, mobile games are predominantly played.
For many years, it seemed that the Asian market, especially China, would pull ahead and leave the West behind, but it appears that the measures of western companies are now bearing fruit, generating more revenue.
Whether all this is so great for gamers is another question:
Increased revenues could lead to larger games that employ more staff
However, the trend is clearly toward generating huge revenues with a game through microtransactions instead of constantly developing new titles with the developers.
Growth in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East is slightly weaker than in the USA, but not by much.
Newzoo says: At the end of a console generation, the installation base is very high, resulting in higher revenues. Additionally, the Nintendo Switch has been successful.
The shift to “games-as-a-service” helps consoles increase revenues by 13.4%. Because through this model, console owners spend money continuously via microtransactions and not just once when buying a new game.
Browser games on PC are the big losers
How does PC gaming look in 2019? The PC is described as the driving force of innovation, and PC gaming is growing by 4% in 2019 to $35.7 billion.
However, the area of “browser gaming on PC” is shrinking with the resurgence of mobile games, hampering the rise of PC gaming in the statistics.
Tablet gaming is also growing worldwide at a significantly slower rate than mobile games or consoles.
All markets are growing – except “browser gamers.” Source: NewZoo
What else is important? Newzoo states that the “nostalgia” factor plays a larger role than before.
There are nostalgia games like Warcraft 3 or the Final Fantasy VII Remake and even “mini consoles,” where Nintendo seemingly has the upper hand.
What does the future hold? Newzoo believes that Latin America will now be the fastest growing region in the coming years.
The revenues will develop globally as currently foreseen: tablet and mobile will soon make up 50% of the market, while browser games will decline.
Newzoo credits cloud gaming with the potential to change gaming culture similarly to how mobile games already have.
Cloud gaming like Stadia could be the next trend.
What’s behind this: Consoles primarily play a role only in the western part of the world, while in Asia, mobile games are predominantly played.
For many years, it seemed that the Asian market, especially China, would pull ahead and leave the West behind, but it appears that the measures of western companies are now bearing fruit, generating more revenue.
Whether all this is so great for gamers is another question:
Increased revenues could lead to larger games that employ more staff
However, the trend is clearly toward generating huge revenues with a game through microtransactions instead of constantly developing new titles with the developers.
The analysis company Newzoo releases new figures that document a trend change in gaming. 2019 will be the year when the USA becomes the largest gaming market in the world – for the first time since 2015 again. This is due to a resurgence of the PS4 and Xbox One consoles driven by the battle royale hype around Fortnite and PUBG.
The analysts say: The market researchers from NewZoo have published a report on the global gaming market (via Newzoo).
Since 2015, it will be the case for the first time again that the US market ranks #1 in 2019 ahead of China, if the market researchers are correct and their forecast holds true.
In individual countries, the USA is in the lead. Source: Newzoo
It is estimated that in 2019, the USA will generate $36.9 billion in revenue compared to China, where the revenue will be “only” $36.5 billion USD.
What is the reason for this? There are two main reasons:
On one hand, there was a “freeze” in China – the government has not allowed any new games, allegedly because they feared that the youth of China would damage their eyes if they play too much mobile. Here, the market will not grow as strongly in 2019 as in previous years, believe the market researchers.
On the other hand, the console market in the USA has become significantly stronger. In 2019, there will be many new console owners who will generate more revenue than before. This is partly due to Fortnite, for which many likely purchased a new console.
Mobile games like Arena of Valor are a hit in China – but struggle in the West.
The many new console owners and the “battle royale” hype are boosting revenue figures in the USA. There, 50% of revenue comes from consoles – they particularly benefit from this development.
There are nostalgia games like Warcraft 3 or the Final Fantasy VII Remake and even “mini consoles,” where Nintendo seemingly has the upper hand.
What does the future hold? Newzoo believes that Latin America will now be the fastest growing region in the coming years.
The revenues will develop globally as currently foreseen: tablet and mobile will soon make up 50% of the market, while browser games will decline.
Newzoo credits cloud gaming with the potential to change gaming culture similarly to how mobile games already have.
Cloud gaming like Stadia could be the next trend.
What’s behind this: Consoles primarily play a role only in the western part of the world, while in Asia, mobile games are predominantly played.
For many years, it seemed that the Asian market, especially China, would pull ahead and leave the West behind, but it appears that the measures of western companies are now bearing fruit, generating more revenue.
Whether all this is so great for gamers is another question:
Increased revenues could lead to larger games that employ more staff
However, the trend is clearly toward generating huge revenues with a game through microtransactions instead of constantly developing new titles with the developers.
Tablet gaming is also growing worldwide at a significantly slower rate than mobile games or consoles.
All markets are growing – except “browser gamers.” Source: NewZoo
What else is important? Newzoo states that the “nostalgia” factor plays a larger role than before.
There are nostalgia games like Warcraft 3 or the Final Fantasy VII Remake and even “mini consoles,” where Nintendo seemingly has the upper hand.
What does the future hold? Newzoo believes that Latin America will now be the fastest growing region in the coming years.
The revenues will develop globally as currently foreseen: tablet and mobile will soon make up 50% of the market, while browser games will decline.
Newzoo credits cloud gaming with the potential to change gaming culture similarly to how mobile games already have.
Cloud gaming like Stadia could be the next trend.
What’s behind this: Consoles primarily play a role only in the western part of the world, while in Asia, mobile games are predominantly played.
For many years, it seemed that the Asian market, especially China, would pull ahead and leave the West behind, but it appears that the measures of western companies are now bearing fruit, generating more revenue.
Whether all this is so great for gamers is another question:
Increased revenues could lead to larger games that employ more staff
However, the trend is clearly toward generating huge revenues with a game through microtransactions instead of constantly developing new titles with the developers.
Growth in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East is slightly weaker than in the USA, but not by much.
Newzoo says: At the end of a console generation, the installation base is very high, resulting in higher revenues. Additionally, the Nintendo Switch has been successful.
The shift to “games-as-a-service” helps consoles increase revenues by 13.4%. Because through this model, console owners spend money continuously via microtransactions and not just once when buying a new game.
Browser games on PC are the big losers
How does PC gaming look in 2019? The PC is described as the driving force of innovation, and PC gaming is growing by 4% in 2019 to $35.7 billion.
However, the area of “browser gaming on PC” is shrinking with the resurgence of mobile games, hampering the rise of PC gaming in the statistics.
Tablet gaming is also growing worldwide at a significantly slower rate than mobile games or consoles.
All markets are growing – except “browser gamers.” Source: NewZoo
What else is important? Newzoo states that the “nostalgia” factor plays a larger role than before.
There are nostalgia games like Warcraft 3 or the Final Fantasy VII Remake and even “mini consoles,” where Nintendo seemingly has the upper hand.
What does the future hold? Newzoo believes that Latin America will now be the fastest growing region in the coming years.
The revenues will develop globally as currently foreseen: tablet and mobile will soon make up 50% of the market, while browser games will decline.
Newzoo credits cloud gaming with the potential to change gaming culture similarly to how mobile games already have.
Cloud gaming like Stadia could be the next trend.
What’s behind this: Consoles primarily play a role only in the western part of the world, while in Asia, mobile games are predominantly played.
For many years, it seemed that the Asian market, especially China, would pull ahead and leave the West behind, but it appears that the measures of western companies are now bearing fruit, generating more revenue.
Whether all this is so great for gamers is another question:
Increased revenues could lead to larger games that employ more staff
However, the trend is clearly toward generating huge revenues with a game through microtransactions instead of constantly developing new titles with the developers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since the latest patch, a bug has been plaguing Overwatch on the Xbox One, which can lead to an unplanned end of a match for many players. The cause of the crashes after the update seems to be a hamster.
What is the hamster up to? The hamster Hammond, known in Overwatch as Wrecking Ball, is currently crashing many Overwatch players’ games. It seems to be reproducible and not random.
When Hammond uses his ultimate ability, a minefield appears on the battlefield. If an ally of Wrecking Ball uses their ultimate ability while the minefield is active, the game will crash for one of his opponents.
Some players report that it doesn’t even matter who uses their ultimate after Hammond. Both friends and foes can cause one of Hammond’s opponents to be kicked from the game (via dotesports).
Overwatch crashes on Xbox One
Who is affected by the bug? According to the first reports, the problem only affects players on the Xbox One. PS4 and PC players do not seem to be affected by the issue.
The bug appears to be present on the Xbox One in every mode. Players are advising others on reddit to avoid playing ranked matches currently, as they could get kicked out and unnecessarily lose points or receive bans.
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The bug has apparently been in the game since the last patch on June 18, 2019. Wrecking Ball itself was not the target of the many changes that were made. However, this is not the first bug that has occurred due to Hammond:
What can I do against the bug? Currently, there is no fix for the bug yet. However, one should be coming soon, as it is “gamebreaking,” meaning it has a clear impact on winning and losing.
In the meantime, we advise against intentionally triggering the bug. Exploiting such glitches is usually met with severe penalties from Blizzard. Those who use the bug as an “exploit” risk a permanent ban and thus their account.
Moreover, the advantage is quite minimal. In quick play, new opponents quickly take the place of the ejected enemy, causing little more than frustration. In ranked matches, it’s unlikely many wins can be achieved before the bug is fixed.
The bug is currently particularly annoying for Xbox players, as an event is running that requires you to earn victories:
Star Trek Online has brought the classic Enterprise starship class back into the game. And again, the cult ship is available in extremely luck-dependent loot boxes. This frustrates players immensely.
What’s the deal with the new ships? Recently, there was an announcement in Star Trek Online stating that there will be two particularly cool ships in special form in the game:
The fans of the game especially want this Enterprise, but there is a catch.
Enterprise only with loot boxes and low probability
This is how you get the Discovery Enterprise: If you want the Enterprise (or the Klingon ship), you have to buy special Research & Development packages between June 20 and July 11, 2019. These are loot boxes that cost about 3 euros each.
With a bit of luck, another package might be included, which then contains a Constitution ship.
This troubles the community: However, the probability of getting the Enterprise with a few loot boxes is extremely low. The community speaks of several hundred dollars in loot boxes needed for such a lucky hit.
While loot boxes can also be exchanged for the in-game currency dilithium, huge amounts are also required there. Players talk about 1.5 billion dilithium crystals.
Hence, Reddit, Twitter, and the forums are currently full of angry players complaining about such loot box gambling:
“I don’t have the time to grind 1.5 billion because I have a real life, a job, and kids, and I’m not willing to spend 375 dollars. I want to have the ship for real, but not like this. The shitstorm that started after the announcement of the Discovery Constitution is absolutely justified. You’ve gone too far, Cryptic!”
“This is just disgusting! A legally mandated and consistently enforced regulation of gambling in games cannot come soon enough!”
“This is ridiculous! Hopefully no one buys this! It’s a slap in the face for all fans and long-term players.
Moreover, the ships from the loot boxes do not count for the entire account, and players with multiple twinks could only use the ship for one of their captains.
However, fans would gladly spend money if they could buy the ship directly in the in-game shop C-Store. They just don’t want loot box gambling:
“I am bitterly disappointed because this is an almost unreachable gambling price. Just put them in the C-Store. Treat your customers fairly and let us move on.
The shitstorm has already become so strong that moderators had to intervene multiple times.
Curiously, there was such a shitstorm once before on exactly the same topic:
The recently launched Season 7 brought some new content to Destiny 2. Many of these are well-received by players – except for the revamped Quests tab. On Reddit, players are heavily criticizing the change and sharing their own ideas on how to better organize quests and bounties in the game.
What new feature is involved? Apart from new content for the Season of Opulence, Season 7 also brought a change to the Quests tab. New players and returnees might be easily confused by this, as the tab is no longer accessible through the Guardian’s inventory, but rather via the map.
However, all tasks and quests can now be found there. The Vagabond’s synthesizer and the Chalice of Opulence are also included. Many of the current season’s changes have been well received by the community and recently led to a surge in player numbers for the shooter.
However, with the new Quests tab, the developers seem to have not pleased the Guardians. What was intended by Bungie as a convenience has not been well received by the players. Many posts can be found in the Destiny subreddit voicing strong disapproval of the new Quests tab.
Quests can now be accessed via the map
What’s so bad about the tab? Players would prefer to access quests with a single button press. In this regard, the problem remains unchanged with the new tab. Instead of opening the inventory, one now has to access the map.
Furthermore, having all bounties, quests, and the Vagabond synthesizer along with the Chalice of Opulence in this tab is a headache for players. With many quests, the tab is overcrowded, and players must painstakingly search for the desired quest. They would find it easier if the synthesizer and chalice were, for example, located with consumables.
Finding completed quests is also a hassle: While there is a function to sort tasks, there is no entry to find completed quests. Players have to pick these out themselves from the three possible task pages.
Bungie has already completed several more things on this topic that will be introduced into the game with a future update. Destiny 2 players on PC can look forward to a keybind for the Quests tab being planned.
Black Desert Online already has the new class Shai available. However, there is a catch, as you can only create the new class for now, but not play it.
Which class is it about? Recently at the E3 2019, the new class for the sandbox MMORPG Black Desert Online was introduced. The Shai is a cute little support class that throws a boomerang, masters alchemy right from the start, and sets out with three unique donkeys to explore the world.
Moreover, she plays dead when evil bears attack her and is generally a rather cute little thing.
Create Shai now, but don’t play yet
What can be done already? The Shai is in the game starting today, June 19, 2019. You can already create and customize a cute little Shai in the excellent character editor .
Here’s the catch: However, once you are done and have created the Shai, it’s time to stop. Because you can only play the little donkey friend next week, on June 26, 2019.
Why should I create a Shai now? For one, it takes quite a long time to build a character the way you want it in the highly complex editor of Black Desert Online. So it’s useful to be ready beforehand and be able to start right at release.
And all Shai characters created in advance will receive a special accessory and a set of useful items to ease the start of the game.
How is the new class being received by fans: As useful as the Shai may be with her long-awaited support abilities, her look is quite controversial among fans. Many players in the West are bothered by the extremely childlike appearance of the class.
Read here how the community has reacted to the new class in detail:
There are first hints of Team Rocket in Pokémon GO. Niantic left a small teaser in a post about the GO Fest in Chicago. The trainers are ready for it: they want to show the villains.
These hints are about: At the end of the GO Fest in Chicago, Niantic published a thank you and mentioned what there was to discover at the GO Fest.
At the very end of the text, there was a small hint. A picture of Team Rocket was shown, and Niantic asked if anyone saw who was lurking in the shadows.
Team Rocket in Pokémon GO – Here’s why it’s likely
What does the hint mean? At the GO Fest in Chicago, Team Rocket was frequently encountered when taking a snapshot with a Pokémon.
This is how Team Rocket was often found in snapshots
The villains were also present at the GO Fest. No one knows exactly what it means. However, it’s interesting that Team Rocket was mentioned again by Niantic.
There was another hint: With the mention of Team Rocket, a circle is now closing. Niantic hosted a massive raid test at the end of the GO Fest. Numerous gyms appeared, and one could participate in a Meowth raid.
Others speculate that soon players will encounter Team Rocket worldwide in snapshots. As a reward, a Meowth might spawn, which could be Shiny. This would fit the previous snapshots.
After all, it was Giovanni from Team Rocket who wanted to clone Mew and thus created Mewtwo. Team Rocket plays a significant role in the creation of Mewtwo.
What do you think? How could Team Rocket come into the game?
Fighting Team Rocket is a big wish of the trainers
Is Team Rocket coming now? The villains have long been wished for by the players. It’s quite possible that Team Rocket will come to Pokémon GO soon. Niantic must have had a good reason to show the teaser.
What do fans wish for? Most hope they can fight against Team Rocket. Correspondingly, a quest line could come that can be solved.
Others speculate that soon players will encounter Team Rocket worldwide in snapshots. As a reward, a Meowth might spawn, which could be Shiny. This would fit the previous snapshots.
After all, it was Giovanni from Team Rocket who wanted to clone Mew and thus created Mewtwo. Team Rocket plays a significant role in the creation of Mewtwo.
What do you think? How could Team Rocket come into the game?
In FIFA 19 the TOTW 40 is now known. See here which players are included in the current Team of the Weekand receive new Inform cards.
This is the Team of the Week: Weekly, the Team of the Week appears in FUT 19. This team is chosen by EA Sports and includes players who have performed well in real football.
The strongest cards of the TOTW 40: A relatively strong TOTW card is the one from Iniesta with an overall rating of 88. However, the new Inform cards from Paulinho (86) and Eder (82) also have decent ratings.
These were the Predictions for the TOTW 40
What are TOTW Predictions? In the TOTW Predictions, the community tries to assess which players could make it into the Team of the Week.
And indeed, frequently some of the predicted players can be found in the Team of the Week.
How much longer will the TOTW continue? It is still unknown when EA will stop publishing TOTWs. However, it is likely that it will not be continued for many more weeks.
Due to the suspension of the major leagues and the few international matches, the new TOTW cards are of little interest to many FUT players.
The lead weapon designer of Apex Legends, Sean Slayback, provided a brief insight into the changes for the upcoming Season 2. He showcased improvements for many weapons, minor nerfs on others and displayed initial images of the L-STAR.
Which weapons are being changed? Overall, eight weapons will receive improvements in the form of new attachments or increased firepower:
the submachine guns Alternator and RE-45
the P2020
the energy weapons Devotion, Triple Take, and Havoc
However, some weapons will also receive a nerf. Shotgun ammunition can now only be stacked up to 16 instead of 64, and Arc Stars take 0.2 seconds longer to detonate.
Arc Stars can no longer destroy shields at the edge of their explosion, but will eliminate players with full health if they stick.
When do the changes come? Once Season 2 launches on July 2, the changes will also be activated. More detailed information and additional news will be provided in patch notes at a later time.
This is how the new weapons will be stronger
These new attachments are being added: In Apex Legends, two new attachments will be added in the upcoming Season 2 that are supposed to cause more damage, and a type of attachment will be available for more weapons:
Alternator and RE-45 will receive “Disruptor Rounds,” which deal increased damage to shields
P2020 and Mozambique will receive “Hammerpoint Rounds,” which deal increased damage to health points
Devotion, Havoc and Triple Take will receive magazines that increase ammunition capacity and reduce reload time (from level 2)
Hardly anyone likes the Mozambique.
Additionally, the stack size for energy ammunition will be increased from 60 to 80, so that the stack sizes align with those of light and heavy ammunition.
These weapons are getting a buff: In addition to the new attachments, there is a “power-up” for the Flatline, P2020, and the Alternator. They will be “made stronger” to “better fulfill their intended roles.” What this specifically means has not been revealed yet.
Additionally, many new gold variants of the weapons will be added. Which weapons will be available as gold weapons will be revealed in the patch notes for Season 2.
What can the new L-STAR do? In addition to the changes to the existing weapons, the new L-STAR was presented. It has some special features:
its shots are larger than those of other weapons
it can overheat and requires a lens swap instead of being reloaded
the shots are more powerful, but slower
the ammunition supply is limited
The L-STAR is said to be able to eliminate players quickly, but requires some practice. According to developers, it is best to fire short bursts by tapping the trigger instead of holding it down on an enemy with sustained fire. Due to the size and power of the shots, enemies will quickly be left in the dust.
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How to get the L-STAR: The L-STAR, like the Kraber and Mastiff, is a legendary weapon. It will therefore only be included in airdrops. Since this has not been specified further, we assume that this does not apply to Lifeline drops, which also do not contain the Mastiff and Kraber.
However, airdrops will also be adjusted with Season 2. The L-STAR will be added to the list of possible loot, and the probabilities will shift throughout the game. In the beginning, Krabers are expected to be found more often, while Mastiffs will be more common towards the end of the game.
In Fortnite Fortbyte #48 has appeared! You can find it at a dwarf on a mountain peak using the pickaxe “Vox”. We will tell you where to search.
What is the challenge? For this Fortbyte, you need to solve the following riddle: “Accessible by smashing the dwarf near the throne on a mountain peak with the pickaxe “Vox””
We will show you on the Season 9 map where the Fortbyte is exactly located:
Northeast of Happy Hamlet is the place you are looking for
Fortbyte #48: Smash dwarf on a mountain peak with pickaxe “Vox”
Where do I need to search? First, you need to unlock the pickaxe “Vox” at level 55 on the Battle Pass. Select it and start the round.
Then fly into the icy area. There is an outpost northeast of Happy Hamlet, and there you will also find the dwarf. You need to smash the dwarf with the pickaxe, and then the Fortbyte will appear.
Here next to the toilet the dwarf will be standing
Be careful: Around the Fortbytes, campers are lurking, hoping for easy kills. So don’t get caught while collecting!
This video will help you: We will embed a video here that shows the exact location. This way, you can find the byte easily:
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There are reports from Amazon Game Studios that the “Lumberyard Engine” is causing difficulties. It was not designed for multiplayer. Interestingly, multiplayer games like Star Citizen and Amazon’s own survival MMO New World use this engine.
In light of this negative news, the Wall Street Journal spoke with current and former game developers at Amazon who wish to remain anonymous.
What the developers say: According to the developers, the problems stem from the engine used to develop the games. The Lumberyard Engine was not designed with “multiplayer in mind.”
When Amazon developed the already canceled multiplayer game Breakaway, it was as if “you were driving a train while the tracks were still being laid.”
Another developer says: “They are still figuring out what it means to own and maintain their own engine.”
Amazon intended to create powerful multiplayer games with the engine they bought in 2016, but then realized that the engine was not suitable for that purpose. Attempts to repurpose the engine have proven difficult. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, referring to “current and former employees.”
It is said that the problems are so widespread that Amazon is considering allowing its own studios to use a different engine.
New World, an MMO hope from Amazon. It’s still in development.
What does Star Citizen have to do with this? Star Citizen switched from its own engine, which was also based on the Cry Engine, to the Lumberyard Engine. At the time, it was not a big deal, it was said, and it took two technicians a workday.
In the forum of reddit, the fans of Star Citizen take the news calmly. They say they know that the “Cry Engine” was not designed for multiplayer. Therefore, the developers of Star Citizen have been working for a long time to adapt the engine accordingly.
That Amazon is having problems does not alarm the fans.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale has once again changed the map since update 9.30. The big monster has struck again and decoration for a summer festival event is now here.
From time to time, Epic uses the weekly update to change things on the map. This was also the case recently with update 9.30. Changes have been made to the following locations, which likely relate to the monster that escaped from Polar Peaks some time ago and has since been flattening places on the map without being seen.
This is what the map looks like now
This is how Loot Lake has changed: The biggest change the monster has wreaked havoc on Loot Lake. The factories in the west have been completely devastated. You will also find a massive footprint of the beast there. Additionally, the cable lines to Neo Tilted have also been affected.
This is what has happened in Paradise Palms: Here is a small change to note. John Wick’s house is still there and has been modernized with a solar panel.
This is what Pleasant Park looks like now: The large, modern house is still a pile of rubble. But other buildings in the area have likely suffered from the monster’s attention.
The changes to the Stone Family: The Stone Family has moved again and their dog is busy with trees.
These are the changes for the upcoming summer festival event: Decorations for beach parties have now appeared in various locations on the map. Especially at Lazy Lagoon and Paradise Palms, they can be found. Additionally, huge beach balls can be scattered around there. You can push them around and roll them.
The beach party locations and especially the balls play a role in the upcoming event “14 Days of Summer”. Leaks have already appeared regarding this. The release is not yet certain, but since the locations are already in the game, it shouldn’t be long now.
