Pokémon GO brings you 6 legendary monsters and really strong bonuses to it

Paul Kutzner Paul Kutzner Reading time 3 minutes

Pokémon GO has announced an event to kick off the GO Fest 2025. Here you can not only catch legendary monsters but also receive a really strong bonus.

What kind of event is this? The new event is called “Legacy of the Ancients” and takes place from June 23, 2025, at 10:00 AM until June 27, 2025, at 8:00 PM. It runs just before the GO Fest 2025, which will be held on June 28 and 29, 2025.

In the new event, you can not only challenge and catch a whopping 6 legendary monsters in 5 days in raids, but also benefit from exclusive attacks and strong bonuses. One of the most interesting bonuses continues even after the event and is still active during GO Fest.

Start video
Pokémon GO: What’s in the new Season Powerful and Masterful

Legacy of the Ancients – All Contents

Which Pokémon can be found in the event? During the week of the event, there will be a raid hour every day from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. You can encounter the following Pokémon:

  • Monday, June 23, 2025: Regirock, Regice, Registeel
  • Tuesday, June 24, 2025: Regieleki
  • Wednesday, June 25, 2025: Regidrago
  • Thursday, June 26, 2025: Regigigas
  • Friday, June 27, 2025: Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regigigas, Regieleki, Regidrago

With a bit of luck, you can also obtain each of these monsters in their shiny form. Additionally, the Pokémon you catch in raids may also have a new special background.

What exclusive attacks are available? If you catch one of the Pokémon in the event, you can enjoy exclusive attacks.

  • Regirock: Charged Attack Earthquake
  • Regice: Charged Attack Thunder
  • Registeel: Charged Attack Flash Cannon
  • Regieleki: Charged Attack Thunder Cage
  • Regidrago: Fast Attack Fire Breath and Charged Attack Dragon Forces
  • Regigigas: Charged Attack Crush Grip

Global Challenge and Bonuses: On June 22, 2025, at 10:00 PM, a global challenge will start, which must be completed by June 27, 2025, at 10:00 PM. Once successfully completed, the following bonuses will be awarded. These are not just active during the event, but also during GO Fest 2025.

  • Pokémon can be caught more easily with Premier Balls after a raid
  • Team Power in raid battles charges faster

Regardless of the global challenge, the following bonuses are active during the event:

  • Event stickers from PokéStops and from gifts
  • Remote raid limit increased to 30 (from June 23, 2025, to June 26, 2025)
  • Remote raid limit lifted (from June 27, 2025, to June 29, 2025)
  • one guaranteed XL candy when trading Pokémon from Trainer Level 31 (from June 23, 2025, at 10:00 AM until June 29, 2025, at 11:59 PM)

Dyna Battles: In the coming weeks, Gortrom, Liberlo, and Intelleon will celebrate their Gigantamax debut. Also, within the “Legacy of the Ancients” event, you will again have the opportunity to encounter and challenge the 3 strong monsters.

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Trainer in Pokémon GO catches one of the rarest monsters from the couch, now half the community wants to live with him
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Pokémon GO: All Events in May 2026 – Dates in the List
von Paul Kutzner

Timed Research: During the event, there will be a free and a paid timed research. In the free version, you must complete research tasks related to raiding. As a reward, you will encounter the 6 legendary Pokémon of the event.

Additionally, there is expected to be another, unspecified surprise in the research, as well as the chance to repeat the research multiple times. How exactly this will work is not known.

The paid research can be purchased for $7.99 (approximately €8). Here you have the chance to receive one of the 3 legendary Galar birds of your choice.

Until the start of the Legacy of the Ancients, there are still 3 other events that have already been announced for the new month. Both collectors and fighters can expect a lot: Pokémon GO makes it much easier for you to catch 6 shinies and introduces 3 really strong monsters.

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

One of the most important items in LoL would probably have never existed if Riot had skipped a boring match 15 years ago

Niko Hernes Niko Hernes Reading time 2 minutes

League of Legends has been around for over 15 years, and a lot has changed during that time. It’s hard to imagine the game without some items, champions, or mechanics. A YouTuber shows how an old match is responsible for one of the most important items in the game.

Which item is it? The Ionian Boots of Lucidity have been in the game since January 4, 2011. As an item, they are still played by countless players today because they can be built by many champions, regardless of the role or lane they play.

The 10% cooldown reduction they provide is quite strong and affordable for many champions, especially in the early game. However, they weren’t simply added; a team earned their place in the game in a community event.

Start video
Das ist LoL – Einmal richtig ehrlich erklärt

A boring match that changed League of Legends

What kind of match was it? In a YouTube video by Myth – League of Legends, the creator tells the story of an official show match that took place in 2010. However, this was not just any match; it was tied to the lore. The focus was on the invasion of Noxus into Ionia.

Riot selected 10 champions for each side, one was banned each time, and in the end, they played 5 against 5 with thematically matching champions. The match was commented on by David Turley, known as Phreak, but always related to the lore. Compared to today’s events, it felt less professional. There were sound and stream issues, and at times, you could also see desktop notifications from Phreak.

The match itself was quite boring. Udyr, played by GuardsmanBob, secured an early kill and became an unstoppable force with the item Innervating Locket, which was removed shortly afterward and returned only in event modes. He could defeat the opposing team almost single-handedly.

Although the game was quite one-sided, it’s still worth taking a look at the match because the meta back then was very different from today.

You can still watch the entire match on YouTube:

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Link to the YouTube content

Impact on the lore and the item pool

What impact did the match have on League of Legends? On one hand, this match solidified itself in the lore of League of Legends. The victory of Ionia was represented in the lore through the liberation of three provinces. Although it must be said that the lore changed significantly in the following years.

On the other hand, the winning team was allowed to vote between two items. The item that won made it into the game. The Ionian Boots of Lucidity were voted for and remain in the game to this day. The other item was said to be a starter item for mages that was supposed to grant spell vamp as a stat (via League of Legends Wiki).

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These shoes show that some things, despite great change, are still present in the game today. However, this type of event unfortunately no longer exists. Another lasting element in LoL is Faker: LoL legend Faker needs 10 years to repeat a success, his coach is not satisfied with that

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

Fans choose the best anime 2025, but are not satisfied with the winner – How can this be?

Jasmin Beverungen Jasmin Beverungen Reading time 2 minutes

Recently, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 took place again. The winner in the category “Anime of the Year” is facing a lot of backlash from fans, despite them being able to vote for it themselves. MeinMMO clarifies why viewers are so upset.

Who is the winner? There were many categories at the awards, but the most important is probably the “Anime of the Year.” The nominees were:

  • Dan Da Dan
  • Delicious in Dungeon
  • Frieren
  • Kaiju No. 8
  • Solo Leveling
  • The Pharmacist’s Diaries

The winner of the category is ultimately Solo Leveling. The anime was chosen by viewers and a jury. Besides the most coveted category, the series was also able to win in 8 other categories, thus sweeping more awards than any other anime.

Nonetheless, fans are currently on the barricades and expressing their anger. They do not understand why Solo Leveling received the award – and would have preferred a different winner.

Start video
Solo Leveling: Trailer for Season 2 Arise from the Shadow

Fans want a different winner for Anime of the Year

Which anime would viewers have preferred? Many on social media are dissatisfied with the choice of the best anime. Under the X-post from Crunchyroll, many users write that Frieren is the real winner. The anime has been robbed of its prize.

Even in the Reddit forum, there are many supporters of Frieren. One fan writes that Solo Leveling probably achieved the 9 most undeserved victories. Another user believes that Solo Leveling did not even deserve one of its awards, and can justify that.

On My Anime List, fans can rate all animes. Currently, Frieren is in first place among the best animes and has been able to defend its title since its release. The first season of Solo Leveling, on the other hand, only ranks 324th (via MAL), even though a similar number of people have rated it.

How can this be? One reason why the anime likely ranks higher than it deserves is the fact that Season 2 was released recently. It is also rated much better than Season 1 and ranks MAL at 49th place.

However, the evaluation period covers animes that aired from October 2023 to December 2024 (via Crunchyroll). Season 2 was aired shortly after this period, so it should not have been included in the evaluation. Many fans find this unfair.

Moreover, the votes of the jury are weighted in a ratio of 70:30 against the votes of fans (via Crunchyroll). Thus, the jury’s votes count much more than the fans’. It could be that most fans really saw Frieren in first place, but the jury did not.

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The ratio is from 2022. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an exact distribution for this year, but we assume that not much has changed since then. 

If only the MeinMMO team could vote on which anime is the best of all time, the voting would look completely different. We have shared which series have earned a special place in our hearts: The best anime of all time – What our editorial team is watching

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

Developers of an MMORPG have been working for 6 months on a new combat system, now doing it like in WoW

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

The sandbox MMORPG Pax Dei has made significant adjustments to the combat system over the past six months. Now the developers are presenting their new work, which seems familiar.

Since the early access release on June 18, 2024, the goal for many gamers in the sandbox MMORPG has always been to build their own abode as well as to erect entire fortresses and cities. Although this feature is now moving to a subscription model, players are not expected to get bored.

What weakness is to be improved? The developers have been working on a revision of the combat and RPG system over the past six months. They aim to move away from their previously weak system because it “lacked depth, with limited tactical options and equipment choices that weren’t important enough,” the developers said on PlayPaxDei.com. In the past, the developers have repeatedly criticized their own system.

The previously weak system will therefore be replaced by a new, improved one. However, instead of major innovations, they are relying on a familiar and proven system that is a foundation for many genre representatives.

Here you can watch the early access trailer for Pax Dei:

Start video
Pax Dei: Trailer for the Early Access launch shows beautiful medieval world

New update brings healer, tank, and damage dealer

What have the developers introduced? The developers of Pax Dei have introduced the revised system on PlayPaxDei.com. They explain that there will now be three broad roles in their combat system: healer, tank, and damage dealer. These roles, however, are not fixed, but determined by the equipment and weapons worn.

In addition to the Holy Trinity known from World of Warcraft, the developers also want to adopt the armor system: all equipment parts are available in light, medium, and heavy variants, differing in their abilities and attributes. Players can choose freely based on their preferences.

This way, hybrid builds will still be possible, giving players a lot of freedom in choosing their skills. With the update, the developers are introducing 36 different abilities, all of which depend on the respective equipment and the weapons worn.

With heavy boots, one skill allows the player to pull enemies towards them. The medium armor boots provide a skill to weaken enemies, and the light boots grant a speed buff for 7 seconds. This way, players can build their characters as they wish.

How does healing work? To provide a place for healers as a role in the MMORPG, the developers are introducing three different healing staffs. Each staff brings different healing abilities, allowing for customization of each healer’s character.

However, most abilities come with cooldowns, as well as spirit costs. The new spirit resource will be used by both mages and melee fighters to cast abilities and prevent casting if exhausted.

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In line with the new combat system, the developers have also provided the entire game with a new balance in PvE. The system is set to be released in update version 3. There is no exact date for this yet. Whether such major updates will continue in the future is uncertain: Pretty sandbox MMORPG loses almost 30 percent of all developers before release.

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

All 6 teachers for “Defense Against the Dark Arts” from Harry Potter in the Ranking – Who does their job the best?  

Linda Baumgartl Linda Baumgartl Reading time 6 minutes

A total of six different teachers had Harry Potter in the subject “Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Which of them was the best? Who, on the other hand, shone with particular incompetence? We will find out in the ranking.

The position of the teacher for “Defense Against the Dark Arts” is considered cursed at Hogwarts. No one kept the position for longer than a year. Often, it ended with an unfortunate fate for the teachers. 

The rumor has it that Tom Riddle, later known as Voldemort, personally cursed the position. After his school years, he applied for the position himself but was rejected by Albus Dumbledore.

Regardless of whether it was a curse or unfortunate coincidence, Harry actually had a new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts every school year. Unfortunately, not all of them were equally competent.

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Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions – The official gameplay trailer just before launch

Rank 6: Dolores Umbridge

Harry Potter - Umbridge
  • School year: 5

Dolores Umbridge is definitely not one of the most popular characters from Harry Potter – quite the opposite. For many, she is the most evil figure in the series, even before the main villain Voldemort.

Actually, Umbridge was a Ministry employee, and that was evident in her teaching. She completely refrained from practical exercises. There was only dry reading from selected books approved by the Ministry. Even Hermione, who usually prefers to look everything up in a book, could not approve of this teaching method.

But the lessons were not only boring and uneducational. Moreover, Umbridge abused her position of power to spread the lies of the Ministry. She also liked to use violent methods.

Overall, Umbridge was an absolutely incompetent teacher who should not be let loose on any class. She simply does not deserve more than the last place.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Bilder: moviepilot
  2. harry-potter.fandom.com
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6

A WoW player reveals why he still visits the garrison daily after 10 years

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

The garrison in World of Warcraft has been forgotten by many. However, there are powerful buffs available that are still useful today.

When a new expansion comes out, many existing features become obsolete. This was also the case for the garrison in the expansion “Warlords of Draenor”. However, some players are very attached to the garrison – and for good reasons. It provides many benefits that are otherwise not easily obtainable.

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Older lady lives our dream and plays WoW until 5 a.m.

What was the garrison? For many, the garrison is just a bad version of housing. It allowed only minimal customization and was mainly liked because one could earn a lot of gold without much effort back then. You could earn several tens of thousands of gold pieces per day through the mission table, and the amount increased with the characters played per account.

However, the garrison also led to a peculiar form of isolation. Many players actually never left their garrison, causing the capitals to be completely empty. This is a problem that Blizzard wants to avoid with housing, as player housing should be a very social feature.

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Link to the Reddit content

What makes the garrison still so strong? In the WoW subreddit, the player QuastQuan reveals that even in 2025, the garrison still offers many benefits that are simply timeless. Especially with the separate hearthstone, you always have a good retreat option for many useful services here. If the garrison is properly developed, you can access the following amenities:

  • At the trading post, you have direct access to the auction house.
  • In the storage, you can access the bank, void storage, and a transmogrifer.
  • Additionally, there are NPCs like a repair vendor or the stable master (for hunters).

However, the biggest advantage is the forge. Because when you fully upgrade it and assign an NPC for work there, you get the buff “The Song of the Anvil” for 4 hours. This buff prevents durability loss. The buff does get lost upon death, but even if it only lasts an hour, you already save a lot of gold, as armor also wears out.

QuastQuan puts it this way: “[The forge] has saved me way more gold than I spent on building the garrison in the first place.”

Another bonus is that during the Hallow’s End, as a Horde character in the garrison, you can obtain the buff from the Scarecrow to receive the 10% reputation bonus. This is significantly faster to acquire than a trip to Undercity.

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How the community reacts: The community has many upvotes for the explanations, but at the same time, there are some loud voices. Many are concerned that Blizzard will remove these useful features once they become more well-known:

  • “Also the best place to level battle pets, thanks to the sparrow.” – velvetcrow5
  • “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who misses garrisons. They were the coolest thing ever for me.” – Rebelhero
  • “I hate that when a new expansion comes out in WoW, all the old stuff just gets thrown away. In other games like Runescape, that’s not the case; old content is still relevant. That’s a good idea, and I hope they do something similar.” – tommior

At least initial steps in this direction are already being taken by World of Warcraft. Because more and more old features are slowly being transformed into “evergreen” features that are brought out from time to time. This is currently the case with the Horrific Visions, which turn out to be quite complex.

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

Diablo 4 Season 9: Everything about Release, Builds and the Content

Nicole Wakulczyk Nicole Wakulczyk Reading time 4 minutes

Season 9 in Diablo 4 starts in July 2025 and brings new content to the game. What the season mechanism is and what content is coming to the game will be explained here at MeinMMO.

In past “Campfire Chat” livestreams, the developers of Diablo 4 provided insight into the content of the new season 9. Below, we summarize all important information for you and keep it regularly updated.

Season 9: Release Date, PTR and Patch Notes

When does Season 9 start? Season 9 of Diablo 4 starts according to the roadmap in July 2025, and an end is scheduled for September. Currently, Season 8 is still ongoing. As soon as a precise date is announced, we will update it here.

Will there be a PTR for Season 9? The PTR (Public Test Realm) opens on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, and runs until June 3, 2025. You can already download the update, and it can be found in the dropdown menu for Diablo 4 in the Battle.net launcher. The PTR is 145 GB in size.

In the PTR, you can try out the new features and changes to the base game. This includes the new “Horadric Powers”, new gems, and changes to endgame activities.

Are there patch notes for Season 9? The patch notes for patch 2.3.0 with all changes and new content in Season 9 on the PTR can be found here:

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Season 9: Theme, Features and New Items

What is the theme of Season 9? The official theme of Season 9 is “Sins of the Horadrim”. The focus is on new powers that you can farm and equip to strengthen your builds. To start the seasonal quest, you must have completed the campaign once.

What is included in Season 9? In past “Campfire Chat” livestreams, the developers talked about the seasonal content and some “quality of life” changes that are coming in Season 9 in Diablo 4:

  • “Horadric Powers”: You will receive the powers as usual through a seasonal quest line. You get Arcana by exploring Nightmare Dungeons. The new powers consist of three basic building blocks:
    • Catalysts are the basis of your spell
    • Infusions change the type of elemental damage
    • Arcana change the basic mechanic of the spell
  • Horadric Vaults (“Strongrooms”): These mini-dungeons appear in Nightmare Dungeons and contain powerful enemies and strong loot. However, you only have a limited time to complete the dungeons.
  • Escalation Nightmare Dungeons: You will be sent through a chain of three connected Nightmare Dungeons, where the affixes stack. But not only does the difficulty increase, so do the rewards. You will receive the seals for the dungeons from vault chests. At the end, you can expect a reunion with Astaroth, a well-known boss from the campaign.
  • Horadric Gems: From Qual 1, you will find so-called tomes in the Horadric Vaults. These can be used to craft new, socketable gems. These Horadric Gems will further amplify your spells and bring additional strong bonuses. They are used in amulets and rings.
horadric powers season 9 diablo 4
Horadric Powers in Season 9
horadric gems season 9 diablo 4
Legendary Horadric Powers
horadric strongrooms season 9 diablo 4 ptr
Horadric Vaults in Season 9
escalating nightmares season 9 diablo 4 ptr
Nightmare Dungeons become “escalating”.
nightmare seals season 9 diablo 4
Updates on Nightmare Dungeon Seals
  • New affix types for Nightmare Dungeons: The seals for Nightmare Dungeons also receive new affixes – including “Horadric Reserves”. This gives you access to special chests full of gold, obols, gem fragments, and other resources.
  • Updates on loot: Each class receives a new unique in Season 9. Additionally, the item quality from drops varies by difficulty level, as does the drop rate of legendary runes and gem fragments from the hell hordes.
  • “Quality of Life” Update: From Season 9 onwards, you can activate the next Nightmare Dungeon directly in the dungeon and continue without detours, saving you time and loading screens. Additionally, the crafting costs for jewel chests are reduced.

Currently, Season 8 is still ongoing in Diablo 4, where you can take advantage of the powers of the hideout bosses:

Start video
Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zu Season 8 mit Belial

Season 9: Best Classes & Builds

Which class is the best in Season 9? At this time, it is still unclear which classes and builds will dominate in Season 9. In the current Season 8, especially Necromancers, Druids, and Barbarians are at the top. In our tier list for Season 8, you can gain insight into the strongest builds in the endgame of Diablo 4, including an explanation of what makes the builds so good.

The enormous strength of the builds comes from the combination of various values, for which the overpowering mechanic is in focus. In Season 9, Blizzard wants to counteract this and adjusts the components, as it was not intended that so many builds would benefit from the mechanic. You can read more about it here: One mechanic currently dominates the tier list in Diablo 4 and will be nerfed by 80% in Season 9

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

Twitch streamer wants to activate the money cheat on YouTube, chooses the path of MontanaBlack

Lydia Lydia Reading time 2 minutes

After 3 years on YouTube, Ludwig Ahgren returned to Twitch and wanted to activate the money trick of streamers like MontanaBlack: repurpose stream content and cash in double. But that’s not as easy as it seems.

What is this money cheat? Successful Twitch streamers can earn money quite easily by repurposing their content on other platforms. In particular, YouTube is extremely lucrative and sometimes generates more revenue than the original streams.

This repurposing is one of the reasons why we observed in 2024 that many big YouTubers suddenly go to Twitch. One of them is Ludwig Ahgren, whose exclusive contract with YouTube ended in late 2024.

However, back on Twitch, he noticed a problem: Others were uploading clips from his streams on their own YouTube channels and were more successful than he was. The streamer said he was being outright robbed.

Start video
MontanaBlack is one of the most well-known streamers in Germany – This was his very first video

Streamer fears for his main channel, changes strategy

This is the MontanaBlack solution: In his original stream on the topic, Ludwig announced that he would not hit the so-called clip channels with copyright strikes. Instead, he wanted to hire some of the operators and let them manage his own highlight channel.

The streamer explained that the clip channels satisfy a need of the viewers, who would clearly label stream clips and, above all, be quickly found on YouTube.

This is a strategy we know from MontanaBlack, who took over two of these clip channels. The operators have since received a profit share. They are now so successful that the streamer is cutting their shares.

In another update, Ludwig adjusts his strategy again. As the streamer explains, his own highlight channel is now doing very well: there are more regular uploads, and the views are great. However, something is supposed to change again now.

Previously, however, Ludwig had expressed concerns that his main channel might suffer from the clips. Many streamers had given up their original main channels over time, only using their “trash” channels. To avoid this fate, Ludwig wants to continue uploading more elaborate videos to his main channel.

The main channel, however, will not only receive self-produced videos but also stream clips. More elaborate stream formats, such as the gift exchange with Papaplatte, are expected to end up there. The videos are likely to be edited more professionally than the relatively “pure” content of the clips.

Ludwig now says: If the clip channels infringe on the contents meant for the main channel, he will now “nuke” them, that is, get them struck. He considers this justified, especially if he clearly states that a segment is intended for the main channel. Because if the views are spread over several uploads, less money will remain for his editors who are involved in video performance.

Thus, Ludwig is still following in the footsteps of MontanaBlack, who wanted to hire someone to punish content thieves .

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Even if the strategy is lucrative, earning money with live content on Twitch and then cashing in again through uploading the same content on YouTube carries risks. The two platforms appeal to different target groups, and not every YouTube fan wants to be satisfied with stream clips: HandOfBlood follows Gronkh, takes new paths, alienating old fans.

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

Star Wars Battlefront II grows by 1,000% on Steam, while players demand a sequel – Now one of the developers speaks out

Jasmin Beverungen Jasmin Beverungen Reading time 2 minutes

The current player growth for Star Wars: Battlefront II shows that fans definitely want a third part. However, a developer reveals why there was no sequel for the original games at least.

How many players does Battlefront II have now? In April 2025, Battlefront II had a local low of about 1,575 concurrent players (via SteamDB). Shortly thereafter, interest in the multiplayer shooter rose and has not stopped since: Four days ago, the title had around 8,000 concurrent players on Steam. 

Since then, the number has drastically increased: Currently, 17,888 gamers are concurrently on the battlefields of the Star Wars title, and the trend is rising. That’s more players than the title has ever had before.

The reason for this is a series hype, but also the hope for a quick sequel. However, a developer of the original titles reveals why at least many years ago, there was no third part.

Start video
Battlefront 2: Gameplay Trailer

Developers of Battlefront had a problem

Why is there actually no third part? Battlefront I and II from EA are based on the parts that were created in 2004 and 2005 under LucasArts. The designer of the originals, Dan Nanni, spoke with VideoGamer about a potential third part.

Nanni revealed that the development team was actually close to completing a third part. However, the team was given too little time for completion: The publisher expected the developers to finish it just like the time between parts I and II, which was only one year.

The release of part III coincided with the launch of a new console generation. And as Nanni explained, it’s not that easy to develop for new hardware because there are new restrictions.

The negotiations are said to have stalled, ultimately leading to the development being stopped. Star Wars: Battlefront III would have become “something really special,” as Nanni reveals. In the past, another developer, stated that players had been robbed and that the cancellation was an absolute crime.

What does this mean for the current series? The chances for a third part of the remake are poor, and not just because there is no template for the remake. The publisher is said to have already rejected a corresponding pitch and the high licensing fees would be an additional burden.

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A Jedi in Star Wars has a particularly hard fate: She has died at least 5 times
von Niko Hernes

The films of Star Wars, on the other hand, have always been concluded with a trilogy. MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz reveals which trilogy is his favorite and names the reasons for it. You can watch his opinion here: Star Wars has a new “best trilogy” with about 1,400 minutes of runtime

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

MMORPG wanted to sell virtual land for 203 million dollars, now shuts down and leaves players with only a picture

Lydia Lydia Reading time 2 minutes

The MMORPG Ember Sword wanted to let players earn money while gaming and sold virtual land for exorbitant sums. Now it’s going offline, leaving players with only a PNG image.

Which MMORPG is it about? Ember Sword was a planned MMORPG that relied on blockchain technology and operated with its own cryptocurrency, the Ember Token. It promised numerous PvE and PvP activities and aimed to avoid Pay2Win.

The special appeal: Players were to receive NFTs in the form of cosmetic items and could even earn money with them.

Ember Sword financed itself, among other things, by selling virtual plots of land. In 2021, the developers reported that members of the community had pledged a total of over 203 million dollars to purchase land in the game. Even before anyone could play, plots were already going for 145,000 euros.

Now, Ember Sword has officially failed.

Start video
Ember Sword – Alpha Gameplay

What’s the deal with the image? Anyone who now visits the official website of Ember Sword will find only a PNG image with a farewell message from the developers. In it, the team explains that despite the initial support, a promising early access, and a passionate community, they did not have the necessary funds to continue.

Parallel to shutting down the servers, the Discord channels for the game will also be closed. According to the developers, this is to prevent confusion or possible scams. The official subreddit for Ember Sword has also been set to private and can only be accessed by confirmed members.

This is not the end that anyone wished for, the developers continue. Nevertheless, they thank all players for their support.

It is unclear how much money the community actually invested in Ember Sword and whether players will get their money back. However, since there does not seem to be any major outcry from disappointed backers so far, and a thread on the topic on Reddit received only two comments, the financial loss for fans is likely to be limited.

More MMORPG news on MeinMMO
The 16 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers
von Karsten Scholz
28 years old MMORPG is re-released, earning up to 6 million euros daily
von Niko Hernes
Blizzard wins lawsuit against Turtle WoW, forcing the largest private server for Classic Plus to settlement
von Karsten Scholz

We have already briefly covered the sudden end of Ember Sword in our format “MMORPG News in 2 Minutes“. If you want to know what else has happened this week in the world of MMORPGs, you will find an overview of the most important events there.

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

10 super cool numbers that you should definitely include in your gamer tag

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 2 minutes

In online games, you always have to come up with a name under which you will henceforth be known in this game. But what if “AimGod” is already taken? AimGod2 is boring. Instead, try AimGod69 – or one of our other suggestions.

How did this list come about? One day, special numbers in usernames became a topic of conversation among some members of the MeinMMO editorial team. As a shooter player, I immediately had a few really cool ideas that should not be missing in any “Call of Duty” lobby. And if you want to create an account again and show off your masterful skill or humor, you can pick a number here that no one has ever used in an online ID before.

42

  • 42 is the answer to the ultimate question “of life, the universe, and everything” in the book “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

1337

  • The number 1337 is an alternative spelling for “Leet”, which is a shorthand for “Elite” and describes a group of people with special skills. A must for any real pro gamer.

9001

  • 9001 is synonymous with “It’s over 9000”. This refers to a scene from Dragon Ball Z that became a meme. In that scene, Vegeta describes the power level of the enraged protagonist Son Goku, although in most versions it is actually only said to be “over 8000”. With 9001, you can show that you’re as badass as Son Goku.
Start video
Dragon Ball: This is what the Z in the title stands for

86

  • American slang for “to get rid of something” or “to eliminate someone”, originally from the restaurant industry, used when a customer had to be thrown out of the establishment.

69

  • The “69” is the designation for a sexual position and shows in your online ID that you are particularly cool and humorous, for sure.

80085

  • The number 80085 can be found on playgrounds around the world among giggling seventh graders. If you type these numbers into a calculator, it should look like it says “BOOBS”. Here, too, you show your superior humor, wit, and creativity.

187

  • Section 187 of the California Penal Code stands for murder and is also an expression for fans of the German rap group 187 Straßenbande. The perfect number for your ID in GTA Online.

666

  • 666 is the number of the beast and is associated with the Antichrist or the devil.
More on the topic
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10 Terms That Only Gen Z Uses and Boomers Don’t Understand
von Dariusz Müller
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5 things only boomers say and Gen Z would never say
von Dariusz Müller

3.14 / 314

  • The number 3.14 describes the first 3 digits of pi and is often used as a pun for “Pie”. So you can either express that you find math cool, or that you are a big fan of pie.

420

  • The number 420 is commonly used as a designation for cannabis consumption; April 20 is a sort of holiday for consumers.

In Call of Duty, April 20 has been regularly celebrated for years now. Activision releases new skins, events, and limited-time playable modes. This year the day was celebrated with a well-known actor, but part of the community finds the 420 jokes in CoD just not funny anymore, but childish: “Maybe it was funny 15 years ago” – Call of Duty brings new skins and a mode, but players are just annoyed

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

A form of Son-Goku is so useless that it only appears 3 times in the Dragon Ball Z anime

Jasmin Beverungen Jasmin Beverungen Reading time 2 minutes

Through his training, Son-Goku achieves several forms in Dragon Ball. However, a form appears in Dragon Ball Z that proves to be a bad investment.

Which form is that? The triple Super Saiyan follows after the double Super Saiyan and greatly increases the power of the Saiyans. They lose their eyebrows, and their golden hair grows down their backs. Additionally, the eyebrow area lifts slightly. 

The final design is somewhat different from what Akira Toriyama originally intended for the transformation. Either way, this transformation appears only three times in Dragon Ball Z, twice with Son-Goku, once with Gotenks. There are several reasons for this.

Select a MMO video…

The triple Super Saiyan does not lead to victory

Why does it appear so rarely? The SSJ3 proved to be a failure for Son-Goku. It is the first form into which the Saiyan transforms without achieving a victory. 

  • With the very first Super Saiyan, Son-Goku defeated Freezer. During the final blow, the protagonist of Dragon Ball had transformed back, but the SSJ1 was crucial in weakening Freezer.
  • A similar situation occurred with the SSJ2. Son-Gohan transformed for the first time into the double Super Saiyan and defeated Cell.
  • With the SSJ3, however, Son-Goku could not achieve victory against Majin Boo. The SSJ3 merely served to buy some time for Son-Goten and Trunks to learn the fusion.

Even the fusion of the two Saiyans initiated the SSJ3, but could not defeat Boo. In the end, Son-Goku had to unleash a Genkidama to defeat Boo. For Goku, the SSJ3 has turned out to be a flop.

This form also consumes an immense amount of Ki, which is why Son-Goku and his friends use it only rarely. The creator of the manga, Akira Toriyama, also revealed that it would take a lot of time to draw the blonde hair of the Saiyans. Therefore, there are three reasons why the SSJ3 is probably the worst form of Son-Goku. 

This only applies to Dragon Ball Z. In Dragon Ball Super, Son-Goku learns new forms that also do not lead immediately to victory. The Super Saiyan God cannot defeat Beerus, and even Freezer survives the first confrontation with the Super Saiyan Blue.

More about Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball Super gets a reboot for the 4th time, completely changing the visuals with new scenes
von Jasmin Beverungen
I have been waiting for a new Dragon Ball game for ten years, the new trailer takes no minute to convince me
von Jasmin Beverungen
An episode of Dragon Ball is so rare that it was only aired once, and that was only in Japan
von Jasmin Beverungen

Although the SSJ3 is a flop for Son-Goku, it still appears in Dragon Ball Daima. Vegeta has never experienced this form before, which is why fans have been wondering if he even masters this form: Dragon Ball: Vegeta surprises fans with a new form, which has actually existed for 10 years

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

The new shooter from the creators of Destiny has little chance of success – Now apparently Sony has also lost confidence in Marathon

Lydia Lydia Reading time 2 minutes

With Marathon, Bungie aimed to revive a franchise, but the shooter has already faced a series of issues before its release. Now there are rumors about canceled marketing plans from Sony.

What is the situation with Marathon? The upcoming extraction shooter from Bungie is currently in a very difficult position: Following criticism of the alpha and stolen artworks in the game, the mood is low. Destiny expert Paul Tassi has already analyzed in 1,600 words why Marathon actually has no chance anymore.

Now there is a new report suggesting that a delay for the shooter seems increasingly likely.

Start video
Bungie shows first gameplay of Marathon in trailer

Insider report says: No marketing planned, delay likely

This has now been revealed: According to an insider report, Sony is said to have canceled all marketing plans for Marathon. The statement comes from the podcast Sacred Symbols+ (via Patreon, paywall) by former IGN editor Colin Moriarty and was first taken up by The Game Spot.

“I was told by someone who is familiar with the marketing plans in an important overseas market that there are now no plans for paid marketing for Marathon,” Moriarty said. However, he does not know if these plans were influenced by recent events.

Such an approach for a game of this caliber is very unusual. Therefore, the lack of marketing could indicate a significant delay for Marathon – if Sony intends to proceed with the release at all.

How should the information be classified? Over his years in the gaming industry, Moriarty has built a network of sources. However, that does not mean that every supposed insider report corresponds to the truth. For example, the podcast also featured the still unconfirmed report that Sony burned 400 million dollars with Concord.

Accordingly, the information regarding Marathon should initially be taken with caution. There has not yet been an official statement from Sony.

However, even without the insider info about the suspended marketing, a delay for the shooter appears extremely likely. Following the original plan in light of the negative sentiment and simply launching the game in September 2025 will hardly lead to the success needed.

More on the topic
How is Bungie’s 200-million shooter a month after release? Does Marathon still have a chance to recoup the high costs?
von Dariusz Müller
Destiny Glass Chamber: Raid Loot – Weapons and Items Overview
von Tom Rothstein
The coolest outfits in Destiny 2 – Now you don’t look like noobs anymore!
von Robert Albrecht

Given the difficult situation of Marathon, the question arises of how things will proceed for the Destiny creators if the shooter does not succeed. MyMMO expert Dariusz has taken a look at Bungie’s future: The latest game from Bungie has no chance of success; now the question is: How much patience does Sony still have with the developer of Destiny?

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

Because of the most annoying thing about Dungeons & Dragons, there is today Magic: The Gathering and every role player will understand it

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 4 minutes

The tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and one of the most popular collectible card games ever have more in common than many realize. Magic: The Gathering likely would not even exist without D&D, as it originated from a very specific idea that every role player would likely know.

Why would Magic: The Gathering not have existed without D&D? The creator of Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield, was himself an avid D&D player and was heavily inspired by pen-and-paper role-playing games in his concept.

His original vision for Magic was a compact card game that could be played like a mini-game ideally during the breaks of long D&D sessions. Or also as a bridge between sessions when no appointment could be arranged for the entire group – a situation that many role players are all too familiar with.

This close connection is still evident today: both games share many fantasy elements – such as well-known creatures like dragons, goblins, and elves, classic spells like Fireball, or overarching themes like magic and adventure. D&D had already established a large fantasy community in the 80s and 90s, which provided the ideal breeding ground for the success of Magic.

Without the fantasy culture shaped by D&D, the rise of Magic would hardly be imaginable – an influence that is still reflected today in crossovers of the two games, but they also have more in common than many would assume.

Start video
Magic The Gathering: The 3 Most Expensive Cards by Highest Sale Value

The “Planes” as a Basis for Crossover

What connects Magic and D&D aside from the origin story and community? As both Magic and D&D are brands of the company Wizards of the Coast, there have been efforts for years to more closely integrate the two franchises. A significant touchpoint of both games is the so-called “Planes” (or “Layers”) in the lore of Magic.

They represent entire, self-contained realities or universes, often referred to as “worlds.” Each plane is a self-contained world with its unique geography, ecology, society, history, and often specific magical laws.

These planes are separated by the so-called Blind Eternities, a chaotic, empty space that is deadly and impassable for ordinary mortals.

In the card game, you take on the role of a “Planeswalker,” an extremely powerful mage who collects knowledge, skills, and allies through their travels, and who is able to traverse the Blind Eternities without assistance, thus traveling between the planes. These mages are often involved in multiverse-spanning conflicts and act as protectors (or threats) for the various planes.

In 2021, with “Adventures in the Forgotten Realms”, a card set featuring a D&D plane was released for MTG.

Every card set of MtG (Magic: The Gathering) is set on one of these planes and reflects the respective character of the represented world. Meanwhile, there are numerous game-specific planes, but also many crossovers with other franchises such as The Lord of the Rings or Final Fantasy, which have found their way in as cards and own planes in Magic.

So too does D&D with the set “Adventures in the Forgotten Realms”, which brings the Forgotten Realms of the tabletop into the card game as a plane set, or the matching sets for the game Baldur’s Gate 3, which also finds its place in D&D. But Magic has also now become inseparable from the multiverse of D&D, so that many “worlds” are now shared.

More on the topic
D&D announces new official campaign, sends stars from Baldur’s Gate 3 into one of the most popular settings
von Alexander Mehrwald

Inseparably Connected through the Planes

How does Magic reappear in D&D? To enable Magic fans who are also D&D players to use planes as settings for their campaigns in DnD with the rules of the 5th edition, Wizards of the Coast has repeatedly published PDF guides named “Plane Shift” for various planes of MtG since 2016. The different planes include, for example:

  • Dominaria (via WotC): One of the oldest and most central planes in MtG, considered a sort of “fantasy standard” and home to many iconic characters and conflicts.
  • Zendikar (via WotC): A wild, adventurous world full of floating islands, ancient ruins, and the devastating Eldrazi titans.
  • Innistrad (via WotC): A gothic horror world inhabited by vampires, werewolves, zombies, and witches.
  • Kaladesh (via WotC): A plane of invention, aether technology, and vibrant metropolises.
  • Amonkhet (via WotC): An Egyptian-inspired world ruled by a dark god, where death has a different significance.
  • Ixalan (via WotC): A world full of pirates, vampires, dinosaurs, and strange Aztec/Maya-inspired cultures in search of a golden city.

The name of the PDFs is based on the spell of the same name from D&D, which allows the caster in role-playing to teleport to other planes of existence. Also, the term Planeswalker, which plays a significant role in Magic, finds its place in the lore of the multiverse surrounding Dungeons & Dragons and is used for important figures such as Elminster, Tasha, and Mordenkainen, who also travel between the planes.

In addition, there are now several source and rulebooks that draw on Magic’s planes as campaign settings for D&D, such as Strixhaven (via DnD Beyond), Ravnica (via DnD Beyond), and Theros (via DnD Beyond).

Thus, the multiverse of Dungeons & Dragons has become noticeably intertwined with the lore of Magic, and Magic would certainly not have been as successful today if D&D had not laid the conceptual groundwork.

More on the topic
D&D announces new official campaign, sends stars from Baldur’s Gate 3 into one of the most popular settings
von Alexander Mehrwald
6 Tips to Get Rich in Dungeons & Dragons the More or Less Honorable Way
von Caroline Fuller
The 10 strongest opponents in Dungeons & Dragons in the Power Ranking
von Alexander Mehrwald

Dungeons & Dragons is considered the first tabletop role-playing game in the world to be titled as such. Its collectible card game counterpart has meanwhile achieved another special title, as researchers around the globe seem to agree – Magic: The Gathering is the most complex card game in the world: We now know what the most complex game in the world is – and you know it

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MTG Wiki
  2. NME
  3. CBR

A scene in Expedition 33 should actually be very different, but then there would not have been an important character in this form

Jasmin Beverungen Jasmin Beverungen Reading time 2 minutes

The development team of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 shares an early concept image that shows a scene from the beginning of the game. However, this would likely mean that a certain character would not have appeared at all – or at least not so early. 

What does the image show? The concept image comes from Art Director Nicho and was created about 3 years ago. On the X account of Clair Obscur, the team shares what the scene should actually look like, in which Maelle is found:

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 concept image
The X post is from the development team of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Accordingly, Maelle would not have been found in the mansion, but in a kind of abandoned house. The image has a strange gravity, as the room is turned upside down and some objects are floating around. 

Maelle sits alone by a campfire, in the background you can see a makeshift tent. Gustave stands in the foreground and is just finding his ally. In the end, the scene was altered for the full version of the game, which resulted in the introduction of an important character.

Start video
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – JRPG with French Flair has Release Date

Old scene reminds fans of The Last of Us

Who would have been missing? The Curator is an important character in the game who takes on some functions in the camp. He is the one who finds Maelle after the tragedy on the beach and takes her into his care. This is how the player gets to know the Curator for the first time, who becomes even more important later.

It may have been that the development team wanted to introduce the Curator at a later point. However, this would have resulted in a crucial moment being lost, which shows that the Curator is friendly and cares for Maelle’s well-being.

So, if the Curator had existed at all, the group would have encountered him elsewhere, and the bond between them would not have been so clearly established.

What do fans say about this? Some fans feel reminded of The Last of Us by the dystopian setting. Here, a fungus turns humanity into mindless creatures, causing nature to gradually reclaim the planet. 

Thus, X users write comments like “The Last of Us: Expedition 33” or “The image looks like a scene from TLoU”. Moreover, there are some fan theories in the comments that contain spoilers.

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von Johanna
Clair Obscur will not commit to any “real” ending, yet is already working on a sequel
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An actor made everyone cry in Clair Obscur, returning in a bigger role in 2026
von Christoph Waldboth

Regardless of the location, it’s nice that Gustave has still found Maelle. Otherwise, an important group member would have remained lost. The teenager develops into one of the strongest damage dealers during the game: Expedition 33 Maelle Builds: The best builds in each act – now with Stendhal

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

Here are the currently 15 best alternatives to Dark Souls that are not from FromSoftware

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 9 minutes

FromSoftware is the source of the Souls genre, known for releasing masterpieces. Alternatives in the same field are rare, but when they exist, they are very successful. Therefore, we present to you 15 of the best games that serve as alternatives to Dark Souls.

How is the list structured? In our list, we count 15 games from various studios that fall into the same genre as Dark Souls. They are distinguished either by their unique level design, their story, art style, or gameplay feel.

For the list, we made a broad selection in the editorial team, which can be serious, playful, or even mystical. For each game, you will receive a trailer for better visualization as well as a short description to know what makes the game special.

Please feel free to mention Souls-likes in the comments that we may have missed but should belong on the list. If you want to skim through the list, you can quickly jump to the individual games that interest you using our directory.

[toc]

Nioh 2

Developer: Team Ninja | Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5 | Subgenre: Action-RPG | Perspective: Third-Person |

What makes the game special? Nioh 2 is a dynamic action-RPG with Souls elements. You take on the role of a demon hunter. The setting for your battles is the Sengoku era in Japan – many bloody battles and intrigues have marked the land, and where there is turmoil, the Yokai are not far behind. These Japanese mythical creatures represent your main enemies, as they pollute the land and cause trouble.

Start video
Nioh – Trailer for the Dark Souls Alternative by Koei Tecmo

What sets Nioh 2 apart is primarily its dynamic combat system, as you can choose from countless weapon types and three different stances to vary your combos.

Additionally, the game offers an extensive character creator, an encyclopedia with entries of defeated Yokai, countless bosses, and a co-op mode in case you have trouble defeating one or more bosses. One might say Nioh 2 is the more agile Dark Souls with a focus on Japanese folklore.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

WoW CEO talks about Patch 11.1.5: “Our players don’t deserve that”

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Patch 11.1.5 was not exactly a highlight for Blizzard. False expectations and long waiting times ruined the update of World of Warcraft.

Patch 11.1.5 will likely not be remembered as the most popular patch by the players of World of Warcraft. The major features were not available at launch, and the only new event, the Nightfall event, was full of bugs and problems in the first few days.

This led to a sad realization: It is patch day, but there is nothing to do. And what there is to do does not work.

In an interview with the colleagues from PCGamer, game director Ion Hazzikostas talked about how several aspects of patch 11.1.5 were poorly received and what the developers can learn from it for the future.

Time-Gating as a good idea with false expectations

The biggest annoyance is probably the time-gating with which new content was released. Even though the “Disturbing Visions” were advertised as the highlight of the patch, they were not available at launch – they only came the Wednesday after, several weeks post patch release. Hazzikostas commented:

Our thinking was: Hey, it would be better for everyone and your time management – considering the season is 8 weeks old and many are still running dungeons and raids – if we don’t flood you with all the content at once and spread it out a bit so that each [piece of content] can breathe a little and have its moment.

Understandably, players are used to the patch day being the day when everything is released. We’re hearing that feedback loud and clear. It’s very likely that we didn’t hit the balance this time and that too much was delayed and not enough was available at launch.

Especially this perception of time-gating could be addressed with simple measures. Instead of cramming 3 features into patch 11.1.5 and then distributing them over several months, one could have simply released 3 smaller patches (i.e., 11.1.5, 11.1.6, and 11.1.7) at intervals of 3-4 weeks each. Each of these smaller patches could then have contained one of the features. The release speed would be the same, but the impact on the player base would be entirely different.

Start video
WoW admits: When it comes to housing, it was inspired by WildStar

Bugs and errors spoil the fun

However, this would probably exacerbate another problem. Time and again, bugs or errors slip through quality control. Or old bugs that were thought to be fixed sneak into a new patch. This is partly because WoW is working on several updates at the same time.

A few problems came together. We fixed [bugs] in the last week of 11.1 and during that time we already finalized patch 11.1.5. We have processes in place to carry over these [bug fixes], so that the changes remain. It gets tricky when sometimes multiple changes are made to the same file in patch 11.1.5 and then there’s a conflict that is thorny and difficult to resolve. It is our job to resolve that, but for players it looks like: “How could that be bugged?” This is due to some challenging data conflicts.

You can never achieve perfection with a game like World of Warcraft. But the goal is for the number of known (relevant) bugs to get smaller each time, ideally in a low single-digit range.

The issues with the Nightfall event, which could not be completed due to bugs in the first days, are something we need to improve on. We fixed it as quickly as we could, but understandably this is not the experience we had intended. This is not the experience our player base expects and deserves when they log in on a patch day eager to test the new content.

Many also suspect that the fixed patch rhythm of 8 weeks leads to more and more bugs slipping through because the developers have such a tight schedule. However, Hazzikostas denies this. He says:

If there is an update that we know has still difficult issues, we will not release it just to maintain the 8-week rhythm. We never want to deliberately release something of low quality.

More news about WoW:
The 16 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers
von Karsten Scholz
Blizzard wins lawsuit against Turtle WoW, forcing the largest private server for Classic Plus to settlement
von Karsten Scholz
WoW: Midnight Tier List – Ranking of the Best Classes for DPS, Tanks and Healers
von Christos Tsogos

The absurd situation of WoW

This puts World of Warcraft in a rather absurd situation. For even though the last small patches at release all had annoyances that spoil the fun, WoW is probably doing better than it has in a long time. Many agree that The War Within is the best expansion in a long time, and many things have changed for the better. The progress system, the war host, the increased focus on class fantasy with the hero talents, and the significantly better presented story than in Shadowlands.

Actually, World of Warcraft is doing well and even a look into the future is promising – after all, next up is Legion Remix and the great housing system. However, if the patches would already work properly on day 1, this first impression would not be ruined time and time again.

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

In Warhammer 40,000 there is no artificial intelligence and there is a good reason for that

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 3 minutes

Warhammer 40,000 takes place in the 41st millennium and delivers unimaginable technologies. However, one thing is missing that is already a part of our daily life today: artificial intelligence. Why is that? The reason is exactly what critics are currently fearing.

Artificial intelligence is an essential part of our lives in 2025 and many areas can no longer do without it. It helps to get work done and makes it easier. There is now music, images, texts, and even entire movies created with AI.

The world of Warhammer 40,000 is significantly more advanced. There are towering battle suits and genetically modified supersoldiers, space travel, and space magic. With such a technically advanced state, AI should be much better, right?

Theoretically yes, but still, there is no artificial intelligence in Warhammer 40,000 anymore, at least not in the Imperium (and not officially). The reason is exactly what some people already fear today: a machine rebellion.

Start video
The Tech-Priests of the Future: This is the Adeptus Mechanicus in Warhammer 40,000

In Warhammer 40,000, what Arnie warns us of in Terminator has happened

Already today, progress carries a certain danger. Some people, and even experts, fear that AI will eventually become too powerful and displace humanity. There are even users who politely say “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT – out of fear.

The Terminator films are older, but they show what can happen in a machine rebellion: humanity is (almost) completely destroyed. Warhammer 40,000 had this scenario too, but much earlier than the current state of lore.

Roughly between the years 15,000 and 25,000 was the Dark Age of Technology, well before the Imperium of Man was even founded. Humanity was supposedly at the peak of its technological knowledge. During this time, two new “races” were created:

  • The Men of Stone, or Stone Men, were a smaller species with high technical knowledge and mechanical abilities, ideal tinkerers and engineers.
  • The Men of Steel, or Iron Men, were machines created by the Men of Stone with a consciousness – robots with AI that could develop independently.

In the 23rd millennium, the “cybernetic uprising” occurred. The Iron Men rebelled against their creators, the reasons for which are speculated. The most likely reason is that AI calculated that a connection with the Chaos was the most efficient, leading to a corruption of the machines.

The ensuing war nearly exterminated humanity and is considered even more destructive than the Great Brother War, the “Horus Heresy,” which took place in the 30th millennium.

By the way: Something similar happened in Dune as well.

Involuntary Cyborgs instead of artificial intelligence

As a result of the cybernetic uprising, artificial intelligence was eventually banned, even before there was an Imperium. The Emperor only united humanity at the end of the 30th millennium.

However, humanity did not refrain from using machines for help. The alternative is just as brutal as you would expect from Warhammer. Instead of using artificial intelligence, from this point on, humans are simply transformed into machines. And literally.

A person, usually a criminal or someone else being punished, undergoes a lobotomy and has his limbs replaced with machinery – he becomes a “servitor”, frequently against his will.

The human brain then serves to control without independent will. There are rumors that some servitors are still quite conscious and exist in a constant state of helplessness, suffering, and pain because they have no control over their own body.

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von Benedict Grothaus
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When Skynet takes control, only the blue backpack of the ChatGPT inventor can save us
von Martin Vollert

Remnants of AI are considered sacred today

Artificial intelligence, however, has not completely disappeared. What the Adeptus Mechanicus today reveres as “machine spirits” is most likely a remnant of artificial intelligence in machines.

Unlike the AI of the past, which is now referred to as “Abominable Intelligence”, machine spirits can no longer develop and improve independently. However, they can certainly become corrupted and rebel, which is why the Tech-Priests continually appease them with rituals.

For some time now, there has been “real” artificial intelligence again, and it is even most likely the same as the one that rebelled back then. The conglomerates of Votann were recently discovered.

Who exactly they are has not been officially confirmed, but the likelihood is high that they are the last Stone Men who were scattered throughout the galaxy and have continued to evolve. They have a close bond with the “Iron Kin”, sentient machines that they treat like siblings: In Warhammer 40,000 there are space dwarves, and they are even tougher than in Deep Rock Galactic

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

Amazon has wanted to be a big player in games for 10 years, now it has to fix Lord of the Rings

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 7 minutes

If anyone has the financial means and the synergies to shake up the video game market, it is Amazon. Despite great efforts, the gaming division of the global corporation has yet to land a sustainable hit. MeinMMO highlights past, present, and upcoming projects from Amazon Games.

The Amazon Game Studios has been around for a while. Since August 7, 2012, to be precise. A year earlier, the Amazon Appstore was already opened, and first developers were hired to work on mobile games. Indeed, a few smaller games like the social game “Living Classics” for Facebook and the mobile experience “The Unmaking” were released in the following years.

But that was only the beginning. On September 30, 2016, the people in charge revealed that they had bigger plans and wanted to invest much more energy and time into game development in the future. Amazon also had several announcements to underscore these ambitions:

  • the MMORPG New World
  • the 4vs4 “sport brawler” Breakaway
  • the multiplayer survival sandbox shooter Crucible

What stands out immediately: The focus has been on service games from the very beginning, which can ideally build and retain communities for years.

[toc]

The cinematic trailer for New World from 2021:

Start video
New World reveals a new cinematic trailer for gameplay

All beginnings are hard

Today we know: Sentence with x. That was probably nothing. Breakaway never released and Crucible had such a catastrophic launch that Amazon sent the shooter back into beta, only to ultimately shut down the servers for good here as well.

That it looked significantly better for New World at launch, we certainly don’t need to tell you. 913,634 concurrent players on Steam(DB) is a historic figure, ranking it at number 11 in the all-time charts.

However, this number rather reflects how eager genre enthusiasts were in 2021 for a new, ambitious MMORPG from a Western studio. The last online RPGs of this nature came out in 2014 (Wildstar and The Elder Scrolls Online).

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic benefited many online games. Furthermore, Amazon excelled at utilizing its own Twitch synergies to build tremendous hype through various streamers and fuel it with great trailers. You can read more about it here:

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von Karsten Scholz

The wrong genre for the entry into AAA?

Despite the strong start and the surely high revenues thanks to the Buy2Play model at launch, it’s hard to describe New World as a sustainable hit. Quickly, numerous problems of the online RPG came to light. Player numbers dropped faster than the popularity ratings of Friedrich Merz.

Although the expansion “Rise of the Angry Earth” in October 2023 and the Aeternum restart last year could each increase player numbers, it was only briefly. The two most recent seasons have hardly affected community size at all.

On Steam, there were only 10,000 concurrent players as recently as March 2025 (via steamdb.info). That’s a fraction of the then-peak.

The gameplay trailer for New World Aeternum:

Start video
New World Aeternum: Well-Staged Gameplay Trailer for Launch

The biggest problem of New World that still affects the quality of the game today: The developers made a devastating beginner’s mistake in their first major AAA project and changed the focus midway through production from survival and PvP to a theme park framework with quests, PvE challenges, and more story content.

However, the remaining time was too short to fill the vast world with enjoyable quests and to adapt all planned systems and content accordingly. Instead, there were cookie-cutter tasks. And PvE group content that didn’t fit well with the combat system. Overall, the content, systems, and mechanics resembled a wild patchwork quilt.

There were also many bugs. Fatal gold duplicate exploits, for example, which were fought with hotfixes that opened new exploit possibilities. In short: Although some developer veterans worked at Amazon Games, many mistakes were made that should not have happened.

More about New World:
The most successful MMORPG from Germany since Tibia is not only becoming more beautiful but also conquering new platforms
von Karsten Scholz
Die Macher von Rust wollen New World immer noch kaufen, Ex-Entwickler von Amazon erklärt, was dafür nötig ist
von Cedric Holmeier

Why did this happen? Well, developing an MMORPG is a different ball game than working on most other genres. Online RPGs are large, complex, and expensive.

Even experienced studios have only been able to launch smoothly and promptly trigger the content pipeline for regular content replenishment in exceptional cases – and they didn’t change the focus of the game midway through development. Amazon Games would have needed much more time to turn New World into a fully realized MMORPG after the switch.

It continues on the next page with the current balance as a developer, with the work as a publisher, and with future projects from Amazon Games.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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Lord of the Rings: The 4 Strongest Dragons in the Power Ranking

Christoph Waldboth Christoph Waldboth Reading time 4 minutes

In Middle-earth, there are numerous dangerous creatures, including dragons. Most of them do not appear in Peter Jackson’s movies, but they are legendary and feared in the lore. Which one is the strongest?

How was the ranking created? No one needs to explain that dragons are terrifying and very dangerous creatures. Anyone who faces them should be well prepared. For this list, we looked at the dragons from Middle-earth that were mentioned by J.R.R. Tolkien himself and for which there is substantial information.

Some dragons were only mentioned by name, making it difficult to compare them. Therefore, this list only counts the four specimens that were addressed by the head of Middle-earth himself in his texts.

Start video
Trailer for the sequel to “The Hobbit”: The Desolation of Smaug

As always, the placements are purely subjective and reflect the author’s opinion. If your personal ranking differs, feel free to let us know in the comments.

Scatha
The Lindworm Scatha (Image via lotr.fandom.com)

Rank 4: Scatha

Scatha was a dragon who, due to his appearance, also had nicknames like “Wurm” or “Lindwurm”. He lived in the north of Middle-earth, near the Ered Mithrin mountains.

He was feared among the local peoples. Scatha turned against the dwarves and killed many of them. Over time, he amassed a great treasure, similar to Smaug.

Although the dragon was very strong and powerful, and defeated many who sought to rob him of his treasure, he ultimately died. The man Fram, prince of the Éothéod, from which later the people of Rohan arose, killed the Lindworm. After his victory, he refused to return the treasures to the dwarves. The horn of the mark, a part of Scatha’s treasure, became particularly famous, which was later passed on by Éowyn to the hobbit Merry.

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