Throne and Liberty is an MMORPG from NCSoft (Aion, Blade & Soul), which was released in South Korea in 2023 and will be launched worldwide by Amazon Games in October 2024. You can find all information about cross-progression, classes, gameplay, crossplay, and more in the overview article about Throne and Liberty.
What exactly is Throne and Liberty? The new MMORPG from NCSoft was originally planned as Lineage Eternal and was supposed to adopt an isometric perspective. Due to the enormous critical feedback from testers, a years-long overhaul followed from 2017 and eventually the renaming to Throne and Liberty.
- You create a character, but you can only choose from male or female humans. Your playstyle is determined by two weapons, which you can switch between in combat. Therefore, you don’t choose a fixed class during character creation.
- The combat system was initially rather static and reminiscent of Lineage 2. In the meantime, significant changes have been made, so it now offers a mix of tab-targeting and action combat systems.
- The entire game world operates almost without loading screens.
- There are various PvE contents such as world bosses, dungeons, dynamic events, and a story that plays a significant role, especially during leveling.
- The PvP system revolves mainly around capturing territories (outposts) and the battle for the large castle that takes place every two weeks. Additionally, there is PvP in some dungeons and at certain events in the open world. However, you are always warned when entering a PvP zone.
The core of the entire game is a dynamic weather system that is meant to influence skills, sieges, and enemies in the game world. For example, arrows are supposed to fly faster in the wind, and access points like sewers can be blocked by rain.
Publisher for the global release will be Amazon Games, which also manages Lost Ark, New World, and the upcoming MMORPG Blue Protocol.
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The following trailer for Throne and Liberty shows gameplay and introduces you to the world:
PS5, Xbox, Monetization, Crossplay, Server – FAQ with the most important questions
“A Hidden Gem” – A New Horror Game on Steam Excites Players for Only 6 Euros
Only released a few days ago and already a hit among players. A new indie horror game on Steam currently has a 97 percent satisfaction rating on Steam at a reasonable price.
What kind of game is this? It is the new indie horror game NO-SKIN from the developer NoEye-Soft. NO-SKIN is particularly characterized by its surreal atmosphere, lore, and the horror of the everyday.
The gameplay consists of a mix of turn-based combat and a roguelike, whose elements are designed to keep the game enjoyable even after multiple playthroughs.
NO-SKIN has gained popularity through demos and early access playthroughs: The video from Markiplier’s Playthrough has reached 2.8 million views at this time. The full version has been available on Steam since February 17, 2025. And players are thrilled.
Here you can see the trailer for NO-SKIN:
Roguelike with Silent Hill atmosphere in retro style
What is NO-SKIN about? You wake up from a nightmare, in which everything feels wrong. A flayed man appears, with his muscles, organs, and veins visible. He demands that you return his skin. Sounds a bit surreal? That’s exactly what the game is about.
At the beginning of a new playthrough, you select various objects and modifications to help you. They can be useful for combat, promote certain encounters, or increase the spawn rate of specific loot. All this takes place in an ordinary house with various rooms, where possible battles also occur. A place of safety becomes dangerous terrain.
What do players enjoy so much? The reviews on Steam are very positive. Here are some comments that summarize the experience in NO-SKIN:
- RiceKrispy says: “I bought this quick 6-dollar game expecting to find a small indie gem worth a few hours of my time, and ended up finding a masterpiece.”
- Dogma reports: “I was losing my mind at 2 AM thinking I had done everything, but then I find MILLIONS of things left to do!”
- Backrooms Entity writes: “Unique game. The atmosphere, the RPG elements, the difficulty, and especially the story make this game a unique experience that everyone should try. The game is not so well known yet, but I’m pretty sure it will be soon.”
Should you try the game? Judging by the reviews and the price, you can expect a quick, inexpensive, and atmospheric horror experience with NO-SKIN, and you might want to do it more than once. If the description and the developers’ warning (which includes disturbing imagery, violence, bloody scenes, and more) do not deter you, you could have a solid gaming experience here. If you want to try more horror games, you can learn more here: A horror game is the highest-rated game on Steam in 2024, despite its colorful graphics, it remains very gloomy.
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Generation Z is afraid of making phone calls: They don’t know who is on the other end of the line
Generation Z does not like to make phone calls, and there is a fear of the phone behind it. A university now offers courses against telephobia. A career counselor explains what is behind this fear and what can be done about it.
The landline phone is one of those things, for which Boomers, in contrast to Gen Z, are happy to spend money every year. However, in Generation Z, the phone line is hardly present anymore, and there are good reasons for this.
According to experts, large parts of Generation Z are afraid of making phone calls. Therefore, the phone connection is completely banned from their homes. A career counselor at Nottingham College recently told the English-language CNBC that the young generation is offered courses to help them overcome their fear of phone calls. Young people have changed their habits and much prefer to use their mobile phones, but not to make calls.
Telephobia courses against the fear of making phone calls
Liz Baxter, a career counselor at Nottingham College, told the English-language CNBC that telephobia is a “relatively new phenomenon.” Baxter says that many of the older students at the college have to take phone interviews as a pre-examination for applications and fail precisely because they lack the awareness and confidence to make a call.
They [Gen Z] simply did not have the opportunity to make and receive phone calls. Nowadays, that is no longer the primary function of their mobile phones; they can do everything with the phone, but we automatically switch to SMS, voice notes, and everything else except using a phone for its original purpose, and that is how people have lost that ability.
Courses against phone anxiety: The telephobia seminar at the university is part of a series of career-related events designed to help students get their phone skills back in shape.
In the seminar, students are confronted with several scenarios in which they have to make phone calls. These are very everyday situations: calling the doctor for an appointment or calling in sick at work.
Students are encouraged to sit back-to-back to simulate a normal phone call where they cannot see the person on the other end, practicing with scripts. This way, participants in the courses can learn how a phone call actually works and that there is also a person like themselves on the other end of the line.
Fear of the phone partially stems from the Corona pandemic
Where does this fear come from? Baxter explains that the fear of the phone, so-called telephobia, partly stems from the Corona pandemic: Many young people were isolated during this time and had little contact with the outside world.
Generation Z is also concerned about how they sound on calls, as they do not have visual feedback to confirm how they are doing. The career counselor explains:
They [Generation Z] associate the ringing of the phone with fear: ‘I don’t know who is on the other end of the phone. I don’t know how to handle it.’
In addition, people associate anxieties with the ringing phone. A study by the magazine Uswitch reports on this:
- 23% of 18 to 34-year-olds never answer a phone call.
- About 61% of the same age group prefer to receive a message instead of an audio call.
- More than half of 18 to 24-year-olds believe that a call out of the blue means bad news.
- 48% of participants prefer to communicate via social media.
- Just over a third prefer voice messages.
A trend seems to be particularly popular among young people of Generation Z: job ghosting. Recent survey data from a platform that interviewed applicants and companies shows that 78% of all applicants have deliberately ignored the employer: Among Gen Z, there is a popular trend: they do not show up for job interviews
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You can secure one of the strongest monsters in Pokémon GO in March, but you only have one day
In Pokémon GO, the Community Day Classic for March has been announced. And it brings back a really strong Pokémon.
What kind of event is this? The Community Day Classic is an event that is very similar to the regular Community Day. The big difference is that in the Classic variant, a Pokémon takes the spotlight that has previously had its own regular Community Day.
The Community Day Classic in March 2025 will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. During this time, Karnimani will be the star of the event. You shouldn’t miss this monster, as it is not only strong but also very versatile.
All information about the Community Day Classic in March 2025
How strong is the monster? Karnimani can evolve into Tyracroc and then into Impergator. With the final evolution, you will get one of the best Water attackers in Pokémon GO that you can use in raids.
Impergator also ranks among the best monsters you can use in the battle leagues. In the rankings on pvpoke.com, you can find the Pokémon in 8th place in the Super League and in 7th place in the Hyper League. The crypto variants of the monster perform even better.
To play the Pokémon with maximum damage, you should definitely focus on the charge move Hydro Pump. If you evolve Tyracroc into Impergator between the start of the event and March 29, 2025, at 10:00 PM, you will receive the exclusive move.
If you miss this time frame, you will have to use a Charged TM to teach the Pokémon the move.
What bonuses are there in the event? During the event, you can look forward to the following bonuses:
- greatly increased spawn rate for Karnimani
- increased shiny chance for Karnimani
- 1/4 hatch distance for eggs placed in incubators during the event
- Lures and incense last for 3 hours when activated during the event
- Snapshot surprises with Karnimani
- Event field research
- PokéStop showcases with event Pokémon
If you log in to the game during the event, you will also receive a free timed research where you can get Karnimani with a special background.
For $2 (around €2), you can also purchase a special research. Here, more encounters with Karnimani await you, including 3 specimens with the special background, as well as a premium battle pass and an XL special candy.
During the event, there will also be 2 event boxes that you can purchase with PokéCoins. The first box costs 1,350 coins and includes 50 Ultra Balls, 5 Super Incubators, 1 Charged TM, and 5 lucky eggs. In the second box, which you can get for 480 coins, you will find 30 Ultra Balls, 1 incense, 3 Super Incubators, and 1 lure module.
Not only in March are there events and special content for you in Pokémon GO. You can also participate in several events in February. What they are, what awaits you there, and when they take place can be seen in our overview of all events in February 2025 in Pokémon GO.
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Thousands of players are falling in love with a special Soulslike on Steam and you can test it for free
The Steam Next Fest hasn’t even started yet, and thousands of players have already fallen in love with the free demo of a new Soulslike.
What game is being discussed here? It is about The First Berserker: Khazan – a dark action RPG with an anime look. The game is developed by Neople, with Nexon, a large developer and publisher from South Korea, also backing the project.
You can currently download a free demo of The First Berserker: Khazan on Steam. It already has over 3,400 reviews, 90% of which are positive.
You can watch a trailer for the game here:
Hardcore action battles in dark anime style
What is the game about? After Khazan is falsely accused of betrayal and banished to a snowy mountain, he embarks on a bloody quest for revenge – having barely escaped death.
The world of The First Berserker: Khazan is really dark despite its 3D anime visuals, perhaps even too “edgy” for some. The game is reminiscent of Berserk, Kentaro Miura’s dark fantasy manga, both by name and atmosphere.
How much Soulslike is there? Is this a true Soulslike or more of a “Soulslite”? MyMMO has played the demo, and it’s safe to say that there are arguments for both:
- Fights are as crisp as in the Souls games – standard enemies are easy to take down but still dangerous.
- Bosses deal significant damage and take quite a bit of hits – well-timed parries and dodges are crucial here.
- With Lacrima, which you collect from defeated enemies as well as from fighting, you level up your skills. If Khazan dies in battle, he drops Lacrima on the spot – but for bosses, you don’t have to return to the arena to retrieve it.
- You can only level up at blade nexuses – these are basically the bonfires in the game. When you rest at such a point, defeated enemies respawn.
The First Berserker: Khazan offers two difficulty levels: After completing the first mission in the demo, you can choose between “Easy” and “Normal.” For many, that’s reason enough not to call it a Soulslike.
What cannot be denied: The First Berserker: Khazan is a (at least on normal difficulty) hardcore and dark action RPG. It relies heavily on many familiar Soulslike mechanics but is also a bit more forgiving than other genre representatives.
Have you already played the demo? Feel free to share your first impressions in the comments. By the way, The First Berserker: Khazan is not the only major Soulslike expected to be released in 2025. You can read more about it here: Have you finished Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree? These Soulslikes are coming in 2025
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Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: Are the teachers too expensive for you? With a trick, you can get your money back.
In the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, you will encounter various trainers who want hundreds or even thousands of Groschen for their lessons. However, with a trick, you can get back the money you invested in the exercises.
What do I need to know about the trainers? In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, you improve your skills mainly by practicing actively. So, if you want to optimize your sword skills, equip one and fight… over and over again.
A shortcut is promised by books that you need to read for several hours or trainers that you encounter all over the world. Most teachers are knowledgeable in several disciplines but want 100 to 5,000 Groschen for passing on their knowledge – depending on the lesson.
It’s the details that make Kingdom Come 2 so special:
You have to be a pickpocket
How do I get my money back? You can take advantage of the fact that the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 follows relatively realistic rules. If you hand a trainer 100 Groschen for a lesson, they actually possess that money.
This means, on the flip side: Through pickpocketing, you can get your Groschen back with some practice. If that seems too risky during the day, find out where the respective trainer spends their nights. Then you can knock them out in their sleep and safely rob them. In a clip on YouTube, ESOdanny demonstrates this.
Nice side effect: Since trainers often offer several lessons, you can immediately use the retrieved Groschen to enhance the next skill. By the way, what aspiring pickpockets and thieves should know in general can be found here: Lockpicking, Sneaking, Pickpocketing – big guide for thieves in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
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Player plays Diablo 4 with a weak build, says: „This is how the game should be“
In Diablo 4 there are several OP builds that can easily take down tough bosses. One player was not interested in that – he wanted a real challenge and intentionally opted for a weaker build.
Which build is he playing? The player has chosen the Chain Lightning Sorceress – a build that is rated rather low in the Tier List of the strongest endgame builds in Season 7. Here, everything revolves around the Chain Lightning, which bounces off enemies, jumps further, and deals additional damage.
Compared to OP builds like the Bone Spirit Necromancer, the Earthquake Barbarian, or the “Dance of Knives” Hunter, the Chain Lightning Sorceress does not deal as much damage. Especially in the endgame and at higher torment levels, it gets really tough – and that is exactly the challenge the player was looking for.
“Boss fights are… challenging”
What was his plan? On Reddit, the player explains that he prefers a game that offers him challenges. He feels that this has been lost with the OP builds that many enjoy using. Specifically, he writes:
The feeling of fulfillment when finally defeating a tough boss seems to have been lost – so I wanted to regain that feeling.
Do you remember when the Butcher was terrifying?
Do you remember the feeling of defeating Ashava with your level-25 character?I set myself a goal: I play the lowest-rated class and choose a C-tier build.
[…] If Torment 4 was really something desirable… If boss fights lasted longer than a nanosecond… Wouldn’t that be… okay?
However, he did not just choose a weak build, but also imposed additional goals on himself:
- The crafting systems of hardening and completion are not allowed for now.
- Hardening only from Torment 2, Completion from Torment 3.
- He only uses aspects for the build that drop randomly.
- He increases the difficulty level as soon as possible.
- No items from other characters will be used.
- Absolutely no carrying by other players.
- Defeat every boss solo.
- Defeat Lilith.
Especially defeating Lilith is considered by many players even with strong builds a great challenge. The player himself reports that he was able to defeat Lilith on Torment 4 after six attempts.
Here were the results: In his post, he shares that he only then realized how much one needs to engage in battles to win them. Especially the hell hordes were “nerve-wracking” when the DPS is just enough to take down the enemies. And boss fights feel like real challenges again with a weaker build.
Diablo 4 is not a challenge – and that’s exactly why it’s so popular
What do other players say about it? In the comments, there is a discussion about whether Diablo 4 should be challenging at all. bigshawnsmith89 thinks: Most people play Diablo 4 not for the challenge, but to mow everything down in seconds.
He writes that people play it for enormous damage numbers that are hardly readable, and the feeling of “enormous power”. Finally, he adds: “And that’s exactly why it’s so popular. […] People want to casually open the game and be just as strong as a streamer with 300+ hours in the season.”
The post creator responds that the new torment system was actually intended for exactly that: Torment 1 and 2 to mow everything down, Torment 3 and 4 for a bigger challenge. However, the concept did not work due to OP builds. Already on the PTR, the Diablo expert Raxxanterax said, that the “Blasters” will simply crush the high levels.
Whether Diablo 4 is too challenging and complex or too easy is regularly discussed by the community:
Also, in the last season, a player deliberately chose a weaker build – after he had taken out practically everything in the game with his Spiritborn in one hit, even bosses on Torment level 4. With his second character, he refrained from OP builds and found out: The content in Diablo 4 does indeed have mechanics.
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The MMORPG of Elder Scrolls Gets a Graphics Upgrade
The MMORPG Elder Scrolls Online is receiving a graphical upgrade that will enhance multiple zones at once, and there is a plan from the developers behind it.
What kind of graphical upgrade is this? Almost ten years have passed since the release of Elder Scrolls Online, and now the developers are giving the MMORPG a graphical update. With the upcoming Update 45, the starting areas Bleakrock Isle, Bal Foyen, Stros M’kai, Betnikh, and Khenarthi’s Roost will be beautified.
Similar to the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, the entire game world will not change. The developers are replacing textures, skins, and in-game objects with newer ones, bringing the oldest game areas up to the level of the newer zones.
The world builder Greg Barley explains what changes players can expect: “[…] Things like ground and water textures, grasses and flowers, lighting, and some small props have been replaced. […] Certain places have updated structures, such as the docks or shipwrecks on Khenarthi’s Roost.” Behind these changes is a plan from the developers, and more will follow.
Here you can see the changes
Focus on new players
What plan do the developers have? By allowing the five old starting areas to shine in a new light, new players are expected to receive a better impression of the game. The starting zones no longer met the ESO standard. Since they are the first point of contact for new players, an upgrade was particularly important.
The responsible art manager Morgan Godat comments: “Since these zones are smaller, we were able to bundle the changes and release them together to ensure that all new players have a first experience in an open zone that resembles the visual quality of our newly released zones, regardless of their choice at character creation.”
The zones that were created over 10 years ago before the MMORPG’s release have aged, and the developers are now using their years of experience with the game world to beautify them. However, this is not the only change in the game for new players.
Here are the highlights of the last update:
What else is changing? Update 45 also further targets the experience of new players. For fresh adventurers, obtaining the first mount is an important experience in Elder Scrolls Online. However, as a new player sitting on a horse for the first time, progress was initially only slow. Some players even felt that they could sprint faster than their horse could gallop.
However, the developers want to change this feeling by increasing the base speed. This way, players will ride faster through the world of Tamriel from the start. The top speed has only been slightly increased, so experienced players will hardly benefit from the change.
Update 45 for Elder Scrolls Online starts on March 10 for PC and Mac and on March 26 for Xbox and PlayStation. In addition to the mentioned changes, players can also expect an improved UI and better hints on the important Mundus stones in the game. For more information, you can check out our guide: ESO: What are Mundus stones and where can you find them?
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Ten years ago, the best game you will never play was released
MeinMMO demon Cortyn reflects on a game that changed the world 10 years ago. Well, at least Cortyn’s world.
February 10, 2015, was a very special day. Not just because it is typically the last day to urgently remind yourself that Valentine’s Day is coming up soon and you need to save a relationship with chocolate, flowers, or a mix of both.
No, because on February 10, 2015, the only game that made me completely forget about World of Warcraft for a few weeks was released, which provided me with an immersive experience that I had never encountered in a game before—and haven’t experienced since.
I’m talking about Evolve.
Evolve was the best asymmetrical game of all time
The game from the legendary creators of “Left 4 Dead” holds a place in my heart like no other game ever has.
Evolve was an asymmetrical “4vs1” game where one player took on the role of a monster, and the other four played as hunters who had to take down the monster. At the start of a match, the monster was weak and had to hide and gather food to gain strength and size, evolve, and acquire new abilities.
After a while, the power balance shifts. If the hunters fail to kill the monster early on, the monster becomes on par and later significantly stronger than the hunters, turning the hunters into the hunted.
Evolve completely caught me off guard, sucked me in, and didn’t let go for a long time.
No matter how good the story of a game is, no matter how intense the scenery, how dramatic the plot, and how convincing the world building – I have never “felt” a game again like I did with Evolve. No The Last of Us II, no Baldur’s Gate 3, no Final Fantasy, and no World of Warcraft could ever captivate me like Evolve did.
I didn’t just play the monster. I was the monster. When I was hunting the hunters, I would lean forward, tense, closer to the screen. When I used the monster’s “deep breath” to scan the environment, I found myself inhaling deeply in front of the computer as well.
A game that overshadowed everything else for me
Even though the term “addiction” is often thrown around a bit inflationarily and glorifyingly in the gaming world – with Evolve I was probably closer than ever before. During the release week, I played at least 14 hours a day, working on articles during loading times and matchmaking, reducing my sleep to an absolute minimum. I thought about Evolve while falling asleep and quite surely during my dreams as well. I felt like a child who can’t think of anything else just before Christmas – and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The highlight for me were the PvP campaigns. Here, you played multiple maps in succession over the course of about two hours, and depending on how well one side performed, it affected the next map. For example, if you won as hunters on the “Dam” map, the next map would be partially flooded – drastically limiting the monster’s movement space and facilitating the hunt. However, if the monster won and the dam was destroyed, it would rain on the next map, drastically limiting the hunters’ visibility and providing the monster with extra cover.
I played so much that I was ranked 2nd in Europe with the Goliath, the “standard monster,” for weeks. That is actually one of the few gaming achievements I am still proud of today. The only person ahead of me was a known cheater who simply quit matches with Alt+F4 when he was about to lose – because then the game wouldn’t count a loss against the account, and it would retrospectively be declared a “bot game.” It was simply impossible to compete with that win rate of 100% – a form of cheating that he even boasted about in the comments back then.
Evolve was dead before it truly lived
Evolve unfortunately went under due to catastrophic marketing by the publisher, a steep learning curve for hunters who fundamentally had to set out as a full 4-person team – as “randoms” made most hunts impossible. The revision of the game to a free-to-play model didn’t help anymore. It was perceived by many potential players as “greedy,” with a disastrous DLC policy.
What it boiled down to was simply very, very poor marketing and did not reflect the reality in the game at all. The reasons why Evolve flopped also had other grounds, as the boss of 2K explained years later.
Now, Evolve is just a greyed-out, because uninstalled entry in my favorites list on Steam. And that’s exactly where it will remain, until Steam is eventually shut down or Evolve is removed from my account for other reasons.
For me, it was the best game ever created. The game against which every other experience must always be measured. The absolute peak of my gaming life, which will probably never be surpassed. A sad yet deeply fulfilling memory that is now 10 years old. An experience I will never fully forget – and from which I also never want to recover.
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In 2018 he was huge with Fortnite on Twitch, now Ninja complains that the developers “show him no love”
The fortune of Twitch streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is estimated at 50 million US dollars (around 48 million euros). He owes much of this money to the game Fortnite, in which he had a surge in popularity in 2017 and 2018. However, in 2025, he is frustrated that Fortnite allegedly pays other streamers to showcase the game, while he himself ends up with nothing.
This frustrates Ninja today: In a stream on Twitch in mid-February 2025, Ninja complains about the developers of Fortnite, Epic Games. He has heard and is quite sure that Epic has paid his former companions TimTheTatman and CourageJD to play Fortnite.
Ninja expected that he would also be approached for sponsorship, but Epic did not reach out to him.
This bothers Ninja quite a lot now.
Show me some love
Ninja says: In a Twitch stream with his brother Brandon Blevins, Ninja said (via twitch) that he feels “subtly insulted by Epic Games.” While he understands that he probably won’t be paid to play Fortnite since he plays it anyway, still.
I am one of the very few big streamers who play Fortnite, and just because I play it anyway, you pay a bunch of other people to play it even if only for a day. Not even for a day, just for two hours?
That bothers him. Epic should show him some love. Somehow, all of this goes against his grain.
It’s frustrating, but I get it. They want to reach new people. Tim plays other games. They want his viewers. I understand that. But please… show me some love.
Ninja says: Those who do not understand him are not intelligent
Is he not aware of the irony? Ninja made his current huge fortune through Fortnite, and he seems to realize that himself. But still.
In the stream, he says:
It’s not like I need the money, but it’s about principle. I mean, I can already see the comments: “No, dude, wow, you as a millionaire complain because you’re not getting paid” – No, it’s about principle. And anyone who can’t understand that is not intelligent.
Ninja truly believes he made Fortnite big – not the other way around
What’s behind it: For 8 years, Ninja has been filled with the idea: No matter how much he gets, he deserves it, and actually a lot more is due to him.
His fundamental assumption, even after 8 years, is “Ninja made Fortnite big”, while all the facts support that Fortnite made the previously almost unknown streamer Ninja big and later unbelievably rich.
Ninja ruthlessly rode the absolute hype game Fortnite for two years and then in 2019 let his enormous success in the game be crowned by an unbelievably good Mixer deal. This hype period and this deal with Mixer apparently resulted in a large part of his fortune, which is now estimated at 50 million US dollars.
In principle, Ninja left his viewers and also Fortnite when the game was no longer performing well and when younger players like Tfue threatened to surpass him. Because in May 2019, despite all efforts, Ninja simply could not qualify for the Fortnite World Cup. Other players were already much stronger than him, who at the end of his 20s was already considered a senior
in Fortnite esports.
Yet despite his huge success, Ninja has never shown any sense of gratitude back to Fortnite. Instead, Ninja has been complaining for years that Epic Games should have courted, promoted, and supported him even more: His skin in Fortnite came way too late. Had it been released during the hype period, he and Epic could have made even more money.
A enough
has never been enough for Ninja here.
It’s a skewed perception. Yes, Ninja was the biggest gamer in the world in 2017 and 2018, but he became that because of Fortnite. Before that, no one had him on their radar.
The idea that Ninja made Fortnite big and is owed special love from the game for eternity is an exclusive view that Ninja holds and apparently cannot let go of. But probably this drive is also the successful model that defines him. Meanwhile, at least you can see that he realizes how strange he comes across in these moments. He always emphasizes that’s just how his brain works – that’s how he’s wired. Twitch: Ninja reveals the “disgusting” amount he earned at the height of Fortnite
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Niantic is reportedly looking to sell Pokémon GO for 3.5 billion USD
Pokémon GO and other games may soon no longer belong to Niantic. The company is in negotiations to sell its games.
Niantic is likely best known to most for Pokémon GO. The company started as an internal start-up at Google and has been an independent company since 2015. In addition to Pokémon GO, the company has also released other games like Ingress or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which has since been discontinued.
These games may soon no longer be part of Niantic. The company is reportedly in negotiations to sell its gaming division.
Deal could be official in the coming weeks
Who is Niantic negotiating with? The company is currently in negotiations with “Scopely Inc”. One of the most well-known projects from Scopely in recent history is undoubtedly Monopoly GO.
The company was founded in 2011 in Los Angeles. In July 2023, the company was acquired by Savvy Games Group for $4.9 billion. This is a company owned by Saudi Arabia.
Through this company, Saudi Arabia invests in video games and video game companies through various approaches. Now, Niantic’s games are also set to be included. A sum of $3.5 billion is on the table for the acquisition.
Where does this information come from? So far, there has been no official announcement from Niantic regarding the acquisition. Bloomberg.com reports on the negotiations and cites “several people familiar with the discussions.”
Whether or not the acquisition will actually happen, when it will take place, and to what extent this will bring changes and consequences for Pokémon GO remains to be seen.
While upcoming developments regarding the alleged acquisition are likely to be closely monitored, there are also some exciting activities for trainers in the game in the coming weeks. We have put together an overview of all events in February 2025 in Pokémon GO for you.
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New competitor looks much prettier than Path of Exile 2, now available for free on Steam
On Steam, there is a new competitor for Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4 with Dragonkin: The Banished. You can try its demo for free before the release.
What kind of game is this? Dragonkin: The Banished is a hack-and-slash that is reminiscent of Path of Exile or Diablo 4. You take on the role of a hero who fights against evil dragons. You can choose from various hero classes, each having unique abilities and combat styles.
Graphically, the game looks clearer and more saturated than Path of Exile 2 and resembles Diablo 4 more. The animations of the abilities surpass even the Blizzard hack-and-slash.
There can also be weather changes on individual maps. You will encounter rain, fog, snow, and storms, which are said to impact the game world as well. The maps themselves offer a colorful mix of environments. From ruins reminiscent of ancient Greece to dense jungles with toxic plants, everything is included.
What makes the game special? In Dragonkin: The Banished, you unlock your own town, which you can upgrade. This results in both visual growth and bonuses for your character, as each new building adds benefits.
The growth of your town also unlocks NPCs with whom you can trade or who can craft items for you. Additionally, there are buildings like an arsenal that allows you to quickly switch between skill configurations.
Here you can watch the trailer for the demo of Dragonkin: The Banished:
Skilltree: Easy to Understand, Hard to Master
How does progress work? In ARPGs like Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2, it’s all about making your character stronger and unlocking better items, upgrades, and skills. The developers of Dragonkin: The Banished have come up with something unique here.
Instead of a skill tree, you will find a hexagonal grid where you can place found active skills and supportive abilities. All supportive abilities enhance the active skills surrounding them.
Additionally, each character has a dragonling as a companion. The pet’s abilities are only triggered by your own and must also be placed on the hexagonal skill grid accordingly. For those who want to fully excel in Dragonkin: The Banished, the developers have already uploaded an in-depth explanation of the system on YouTube.
Throughout the game, you will constantly collect new skills and supportive abilities that you must cleverly combine on the hexagonal grid to enhance your character’s abilities. Otherwise, you can expect the typical item system that you know from other genre representatives.
When can you get started? Dragonkin: The Banished will start in Early Access on Steam on March 6, 2025. For those who can’t wait until then, you can already try out the hack-and-slash. On Steam, there is a demo where you can choose from three characters at level 35, which you can then level up to level 50.
You have access to 6 levels and one endgame activity, plus you can take an early look at your own town and trade with initial NPCs like the apothecary or the jeweler. However, progress made will not be transferred to the main game later. In Path of Exile 2, there is now a website that everyone should know: New website for Path of Exile 2 reveals the tricks of top players
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Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: Picking locks, sneaking, pickpocketing – a big guide for thieves
Whether you want to play a criminal or righteous Heinrich in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: You will hardly avoid sneaking, lockpicking, and thieving. In this guide, MeinMMO reveals what you need to know about illegal activities.
As in the first part, the main character Heinrich also finds himself in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 in situations where he needs to procure certain items for clients or sabotage a person. Additionally, there are numerous locked doors and chests that stand between the blacksmith’s son and valuable loot.
And even if you only aim to deal with marauding mercenaries, stealing thieves, and murdering criminals, you might want to eliminate them quietly rather than in direct combat.
In short: It’s worth delving into skills like lockpicking and pickpocketing, securing a discreet outfit for nighttime sneaky activities, and adopting some thieving tricks. Below, MeinMMO summarizes everything important about the life of a rogue in medieval Bohemia.
More tips and tricks can be found in our guide overview for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. If you want to jump directly to specific topics of the guide for thieves, use the table of contents:
[toc]
The turbulent life of Heinrich in just about 40 seconds:
Crime pays off
Here are some reasons why it pays off in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 to occasionally break the local laws:
- For many quests, you need to procure items, sabotage individuals, manipulate places, or eliminate nasties. Often, stealth makes achieving the goal easier. Sometimes it is simply necessary, because bribery, open violence, or dialogue are not options (if only because Heinrich lacks the skills (yet)).
- Especially at the beginning, Heinrich has too little of everything. Thieving and poaching tours fill your groats pouch and your stomach. You can find more tips on earning money here.
- Difficult fights against a superior number of opponents can be significantly eased by eliminating victims in their sleep, stealing their equipment, or poisoning the bubbling pot at the campfire.
Good starting point for thieves
Very early in the main story, Heinrich is tasked with gaining access to the wedding of Olda and Agnes. The game offers you two options (which you can approach equally):
- Get help from the blacksmith Radovan in the northwest of Troskowitz.
- Visit the miller Kreyzl in the southwest of Troskowitz to reach the celebration from there.
While at the blacksmith, you can mainly expect … well … blacksmithing, the mill at Niedersemin by miller Kreyzl reminds one of the Rattayer mill of miller Peschek from part 1. Because not everything goes right there, and if that doesn’t bother you, you can practice the tricks of pickpocketing and lockpicking there without anyone noticing.
However, if you are looking to connect with a gang in the second region around Kuttenberg, stop by the rundown east side of the town at the tavern “Rattenloch”. There, gang boss Chenyek and company have a job or two for you. At both locations – Rattenloch and mill – you will also find teachers who can teach you a lot.
Don’t get caught by stealth
Whether you want to steal, sabotage, assassinate, or move unseen from A to B, stealth is your most important skill.
- The higher the skill value for stealth, the quieter Heinrich is while sneaking and the harder it is for opponents to see and detect him. High stealth also ensures that you encounter less trouble while fast traveling.
- You sneak by Heinrich moving crouched (shortcut C on PC).
How do I increase my stealth? The skill improves by committing pickpocketing, lockpicking, stealthily eliminating opponents, and sneaking in areas that are normally not allowed for you.
Also important:
- The value Agility – Also improves your sneaking.
- The derived attribute Noticeability – This value determines how much Heinrich stands out from the surroundings and how long it takes for people to recognize Heinrich. The more inconspicuous you are, the better for stealth. Pay attention to non-descript clothing for outerwear.
- The derived attribute Visibility – The lower this value, the closer an observer must be to see Heinrich. Visibility is calculated based on the average visibility of all uncovered garments Heinrich wears. At night, and with dark, non-shiny clothing, you are particularly hard to see.
- The derived attribute Noise – The louder you are, the more you stand out. Sneaking is quieter than walking or running. If you sneak through bushes, the branches rustle. Also, it naturally makes noise when you fumble with locked doors and chests. Those who want to be as silent as possible should exchange clinking weapons and iron armors for fabrics and a dagger.
Important skills for sneakers:
- Bushman: Heinrich makes 50 percent less noise when moving through bushes.
- Like a shadow: If Heinrich is wanted for a crime or suspected of a crime, he receives a bonus for stealth, agility, and vitality for 120 seconds.
- Pest: Heinrich makes 25 percent less noise when sneaking indoors and 50 percent less noise when opening doors.
- Escape artist: If someone unsuccessfully searches for Heinrich, the person gives up after a while.
- Quick hands: Heinrich is quite inconspicuous when lockpicking and pickpocketing. No one can notice him from a distance.
- Natural camouflage: The dirtier Heinrich is, the harder it is for people to spot him. But caution: They can still smell Heinrich if the dirt is accompanied by a corresponding stench.
- Weasel boy: Heinrich makes 35 percent less noise when sneaking outdoors.
- Silent lockpicking: Heinrich can use a lockpick nearly silently. The sound made by a breaking lockpick is 75 percent quieter.
- Trickster: After Heinrich successfully picks a lock or empties a bag, he receives a bonus for pickpocketing and stealth for 120 seconds. If a lockpick breaks or a pickpocketing attempt fails, the effect ends earlier.
- Playground: In settlements or their immediate vicinity, stealth improves by 3.
- Cheerful (Drunkenness): Indoors, Heinrich moves 20 percent quieter when intoxicated.
- Leshy: In forests, Heinrich’s tracks are weaker, stamina regenerates faster. Strength, vitality, agility, and stealth are increased. The effect can be expanded by “Wild Man” to all areas outside of human settlements.
More tips for stealthy actions: Sneaking is a good way to reach your goal unnoticed. However, a Heinrich sneaking over the marketplace in broad daylight stands out like a sore thumb, even in dirty, inconspicuous clothing.
Occasionally, even conspicuous disguises help you to enter an area that should not normally be open to you – for example, disguised as a guard. Helmets with visors hide your face.
Useful for distracting approaching guards: Crouch (shortcut C on PC) and throw a stone (shortcut G on PC). Alternatively, you can also eliminate guards. You have the choice between assassination (with equipped dagger) or a less lethal knockdown via choking grip.
If a dog is guarding your victim’s property, you can throw him a piece of meat to distract him. With consumables like the Night Hawk Potion (increases your vision in the dark) or the Quick Finger Potion (enhances crafting and stealing), you make your sneaky and thieving tours even easier. Read the book “On Velvet Paws” for more sneaking upgrades.
Lockpicking – how to succeed
The skill of stealing: This is the second important skill for thieves. With stealing, you get better at lockpicking and pickpocketing. With higher levels, you can tackle more complex locks and allow for more mistakes.
In pickpocketing, your victims become increasingly inattentive, making it harder to get caught. Additionally, you can identify items in pockets and bags early on.
With the skill of stealing, you level up lockpicking and pickpocketing. The stronger the lock and the more valuable the stolen items, the more experience you gain.
This is how lockpicking works: The basic requirement for picking locks is that you have at least one lockpick in your pocket. You can find, steal, or buy them. Approach the lock of your desire unnoticed and select “Pick lock”.
Now the lock mechanism opens up. Look for the right spot for your lockpick with the mouse cursor (or the right analog stick of the controller). You recognize the optimal point by the ball glowing golden yellow. The further you are from the point, the smaller and grayer the ball becomes.
Next, you need to turn the mechanism (key D or left analog stick) and simultaneously move the lockpick over the cursor or right stick so that the ball maintains its golden yellow color. If you manage to turn the mechanism far enough while the lockpick hovers over the right position, the lock opens.
If you instead perform the rotation while the lockpick is in the wrong position, the lock blocks, which will destroy the lockpick in due time.
This is how to level up lockpicking: Practice makes perfect. Increase your lockpicking skill by picking very light and light locks as early as possible. Then proceed to medium and finally to heavy and very heavy locks. The more often you successfully pick locks, the easier tricky finger exercises will become.
The following skills significantly increase your chances of success or minimize the risk while lockpicking:
- Silent lockpicking: Heinrich can use a lockpick nearly silently. The sound made by a breaking lockpick is 75 percent quieter.
- Quick hands: Heinrich is quite inconspicuous when lockpicking and pickpocketing. No one can notice him from a distance.
- Trickster: After Heinrich successfully picks a lock or empties a bag, he receives a bonus for pickpocketing and stealth for 120 seconds. If a lockpick breaks or a pickpocketing attempt fails, the effect ends earlier.
- Tool master: Lockpicks are more durable and last longer. Additionally, a broken lockpick returns to the inventory when a lock is successfully picked.
- Master thief: Heinrich almost automatically picks simple locks, meaning without mini-game or committing a crime.
- Locksmith (crafting): When Heinrich picks locks, the stealing value increases by 3 points. He also receives one to three additional lockpicks for every item he successfully forges.
- Drunkenness luck (drunkenness): In the positive phase of drunkenness, the stealing value is 4 points higher.
With the previously mentioned Quick Finger Potion, you temporarily increase your lockpicking skill. Visits to teachers from the thieving milieu and reading certain books (like the Rulebook of the Order of Saint Dismas) permanently enhance your thieving skills.
How to master pickpocketing
While doors and chests cannot fight back during lockpicking, the victims of pickpocketing are not so forgiving should your attempt fail. The good news: While lockpicking is often essential to reaching your goal, pickpocketing is always just an additional option.
Anyone wanting to try their luck should definitely stop by the mill in Niedersemin and train the steal with the miller’s assistant Hensel. This very assistant makes himself available as a victim as often as you wish (also for the stealthy knockdown, by the way).
This is how pickpocketing works: Approach your victim unnoticed and target their bag or pockets. Then start the theft with a button press, and a circular symbol with a number and a border will open.
The longer you hold the button, the longer you search the pockets, and the higher the number rises or the more of the border changes color. The number and border define how much time you have for the actual theft.
However, if you rummage too long in the pockets, the indicator will turn red and your victim will become aware of you. So break off the search early enough, but not too early.
If you successfully complete the preparation without being caught, the actual theft begins. In the now open, significantly larger circle, you see empty and filled item slots, with some items possibly already identified and others represented only by a question mark.
Move to the items you want to steal or examine, uncover them, mark them for stealing, and then return to the door to complete the theft. If you manage all that before the previously earned time window expires, the theft is successful. WARNING: Each time you interact with an item during this process, you consume additional time.
This is how to level up pickpocketing: Here, too, there are teachers and books that can help increase the skill. Otherwise, practice is the key, where you should mainly rob sleeping or drunken targets at first.
The following skills significantly increase your chances of success or minimize the risk of pickpocketing:
- Quick escape: If you don’t manage to return to the door symbol in time during the pickpocketing, you don’t steal anything, but your victim does not notice you either. Once this bonus is activated, it has a cooldown of three minutes before it can take effect again.
- Quick hands: Heinrich is quite inconspicuous when lockpicking and pickpocketing. No one can notice him from a distance.
- Trickster: After Heinrich successfully picks a lock or empties a bag, he receives a bonus for pickpocketing and stealth for 120 seconds. If a lockpick breaks or a pickpocketing attempt fails, the effect ends earlier.
- Inconspicuous: Your victim does not see you, so you can even reach into the front pockets. However, while you rummage through the bag, there is still a chance that it senses your presence.
- Quick fingers: In the first phase of pickpocketing, you collect time for the theft 10 percent faster.
- Drunkenness luck (drunkenness): In the positive phase of drunkenness, the stealing value is 4 points higher.
What alternative is there? Individuals who are dead or unconscious can be searched without the mini-game. For example, you can stealthily remove your (sleeping or awake) victims. However, for a lethal attack, you need an equipped dagger on your belt and the assassination skill.
Loot – just don’t get caught!
All the loot pieces that end up in your pockets through illegal possession change come with a regional monument in the form of a red hand. If you get caught with it during a check by a guard, the loot is gone, and you have to pay a hefty fine or atone in another way. Most traders refuse to buy items that they suspect might be stolen.
Depending on reputation, the personality of the trader, and the situation, some may also be willing to take loot at a lower price. Additionally, the chance of a successful deal increases if you sell normal items along with the loot. Tip: Save beforehand just in case. That way, you can undo any trouble with a few clicks.
The good news: The marking of stolen items disappears after a while or when you move far enough away from the place of theft. Until then, you can store the loot in your personal chest or in your horse’s pockets. Alternatively, visit traders who are morally a bit more flexible and buy up stolen goods. These include
- the fence Mordechai Haim in the nomad camp (west of Zelejow in Trosky)
- the fence Helga Schelm (innkeeper of a tavern west of Kuttenberg – unlocked through the quests of a Kuttenberg thief gang)
What skills ease the sale of loot?
- Ordinary man: People forget Heinrich’s crimes faster. The chance of being searched by a guard decreases.
- Completely lawful (crafting): Stolen weapons, armor, and clothing in your inventory lose the status “stolen” 20 percent faster.
- Thief’s eye: You recognize whether stolen items in your possession are considered stolen at your current location.
- Merchant: Stolen items in the inventory lose the status “stolen” 25 percent faster.
- Hidden pockets: If Heinrich is arrested and searched, there is a 33 percent chance that stolen items will not be found.
The penalties for criminals
What counts as a crime? Anything an honest Christian would not do. Heinrich must not kill innocents, steal, break into others’ houses, harm others, or harm house and farm animals.
If someone catches Heinrich committing a crime, they report it to the guards or confront the wrongdoer themselves. If things suddenly disappear in a region, the affected people also put together who might be responsible for the thefts. If crimes accumulate, there are more guards, and everyone becomes more vigilant and will eventually arm themselves.
What penalties await Heinrich? Those caught and unable to buy their way out or talk their way out face the following penalties:
- Pillory: Heinrich spends a few days in the pillory, and for a certain period, the public humiliation complicates dealings with people.
- Beatings: Heinrich is beaten with a stick, causing his health to suffer for some time. He is noticeably weakened during this time.
- Branding: Heinrich’s neck is branded. Until the wound heals, Heinrich is treated as a criminal and outcast.
- Execution: Anyone visibly branded who commits another serious crime will be executed. Game Over.
In addition, your reputation in a region decreases every time you are associated with crimes. This can lead to teachers, traders, blacksmiths, and bathhouses refusing their services to you, and you will be ostracized. In that case, you should avoid that area for the time being until the situation calms down somewhat.
How can I evade punishment? If you are caught, you have several options:
- Heinrich pays a fine
- Heinrich tries to talk his way out (depending on values like persuading or intimidating)
- Heinrich tries to flee
- Heinrich fights his way out of the situation
- Heinrich accepts an alternate punishment
What is the best option? Those with high values in persuading, intimidating, and co. can quickly talk their way out of trivial offenses with a simple apology or a threat. The safest method, however, is simply to pay the fine.
After a certain amount of game time, you can often afford to take on the mostly small amounts intentionally to, for example, spend a few hours in a normally private bed.
However, avoid a physical confrontation, especially if you are in a settlement or city. Quickly, other people or guards will get involved, wanting to beat you up. If you then draw a sword, an angry mob will stick to your hairy hero’s ass, wanting to see you bleed.
These skills help avoid punishment:
- Law (science): In dealings with guards, Heinrich’s skills in speaking and rhetoric are increased. The fine is reduced by 20 percent.
- Law II (science): If a guard wants to arrest Heinrich for his crimes, he can perform a skill check in science to interpret the law to his advantage and thus avoid punishment.
- Like a shadow: If Heinrich is wanted for a crime or suspected of a crime, he receives a bonus for stealth, agility, and vitality for 120 seconds.
These were our background info, tips, and tricks for all aspiring sneaks, thieves, and criminals. If you are looking for general beginner guides, information on cheats, or recommendations for the best graphics settings, check here: All tips and tricks for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 summarized
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Company fires developer of Marvel Rivals, despite huge successes due to ‘optimization of development efficiency’
Marvel Rivals is one of the most successful games of the past months. It is therefore surprising that the executives at NetEase are now conducting extensive layoffs.
What is known about the layoffs? Triggered by a post from developer Thaddeus Sasser on linkedin.com, the news circulated that there have been layoffs in the Marvel Rivals team. With obvious frustration, Sasser writes:
“This is such a crazy industry… My amazing, talented team just helped develop an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games… and just got laid off!”
In an interview with pcgamer.com, officials from the Chinese mega-corporation NetEase later officially confirmed the reports of the layoffs. The statement reads:
We recently made the difficult decision to adjust the structure of the Marvel Rivals development team for organizational reasons and to optimize the development efficiency for the game. This led to a reduction of the design team in Seattle […]. We appreciate the hard work and commitment of those affected and will treat them confidentially and respectfully, acknowledging their individual contributions.
The first season of Marvel Rivals in the trailer:
Layoffs despite success
What’s the status of Marvel Rivals? Marvel Rivals is a team-based superhero PvP shooter from NetEase Games that made a huge impact when it launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series in December 2024. At peak times, there were 644,269 players simultaneously on the servers just on Steam (via steamdb.info). Additional players joined from other platforms. This was in January 2025.
Even now, the multiplayer shooter continues to be played daily by hundreds of thousands (Daily Peak on Steam is at 318,993 – via steamdb.info). Reviews on Steam are “Very Positive” (80 percent of the 216,841 reviews are positive).
As anyone interested can download and play Marvel Rivals for free, no conclusions can be drawn about the revenue from all this information. However, there are reports that Marvel Rivals is said to have generated more than 130 million US dollars in revenue alone in the first month (via 80.lv). Moreover, those affected, like Sasser, also speak of financial success.
So why the layoffs? The simple answer is likely: In order to provide a released service game with new content over the coming months and years, you no longer need the entire team.
If the decision-makers then have no follow-up project for the developers no longer needed, layoffs within the gaming industry are unfortunately a commonly used method to save costs and thus maximize profits. Famous studios like BioWare are not protected from this either – right, EA?!
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One of the best Warhammer games on Steam shows a trailer for its birthday, disappointing thousands of fans
With Total War: Warhammer 3, one of the best Warhammer games is celebrating its 3rd anniversary on Steam. In addition to hefty discounts, there is also a trailer, but this disappoints many fans.
What kind of game is it? Total War: Warhammer 3 is set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe (so there are no Space Marines here) and combines global turn-based strategy with real-time battles.
The third installment of the Warhammer series was released on February 17, 2022, and since the release of the sandbox campaign Immortal Empires, it offers the ultimate Warhammer experience for strategy players. This combines all factions and territories from Total War: Warhammer 1, 2, and 3 into a huge map, including 100 playable factions from 24 races.
On the 3rd birthday of the game, developer Creative Assembly released a trailer. However, fans are not very fond of it – especially because it pretends to be new, which it is not.
You can see the trailer for the 3rd anniversary of Total War: Warhammer 3 here:
Fans are outraged by “new” trailer
What’s wrong with the trailer? It’s the announcement trailer for the game, just in a tighter aspect ratio and lower resolution. If you get a notification for this and think: “Oh great, there’s something new!”, the disappointment of many players is very understandable.
The trailer currently has a pretty poor like-to-dislike ratio on YouTube: About 1,400 likes against 1,600 dislikes (as of February 18, 3:22 PM). This picture is also reflected in the comments under the video, where the decision of the developer is criticized.
- Bertoleyus: “Is that it? This is just the release trailer from 3 years ago.”
- SigmarWarhammer: “I find it absolutely great that CA didn’t bother to create a new cinematic for the anniversary, but simply re-uploaded an earlier trailer.”
- AliothAncalagon: “I have nothing against the old trailer, it’s a nice trailer. But it’s still rather strange to upload it as a ‘3rd anniversary’ without adding something new.”
AliothAncalagon’s comment touches on a possible improvement suggestion: A small, personal message at the end of the trailer could have better conveyed the impression of a celebratory anniversary. Even though this would still have been somewhat weak for such an occasion, it would likely have pleased fans more than simply repeating an older trailer.
Is that all for the 3rd anniversary? No, thankfully there is also good news in the form of juicy discounts on the entire “Total War: Warhammer” franchise on Steam. So if you’re missing a game or a DLC, you can save money until February 27.
The trailer release is particularly poorly received because Creative Assembly promised improvements just last year – including in communication with fans. After 24 years, the Total War series is now also trying to abandon 3 annoying habits after enraging fans with pure greed.
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One of the biggest Twitch streamers explains why he wouldn’t sign a deal for a billion dollars
Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt is among the streamers with the most viewing hours on Twitch via his second channel zackrawrr. To this day, however, he has never signed a streaming contract and says he wouldn’t do so for a billion dollars.
Who is Asmongold? The streamer Asmongold started his Twitch career with the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Nowadays, he is often in the spotlight with controversial statements about current events in the gaming scene, as well as global political situations. Because of the latter, he was even temporarily banned from Twitch in 2024.
With his second channel zackrawrr, where he has been streaming almost exclusively since 2022, he is currently one of the streamers with the most viewing hours (via Sullygome). In his stream on February 14, 2025, he explained that, unlike many colleagues, he would never sign a streaming deal— not even for a billion dollars.
No, I don’t need a billion dollars
Why won’t he sign a streaming contract? Specifically, Asmongold says that his freedom is very important to him:
I’ve never cared about a contract because I didn’t want to feel obligated to stream. So, for me, freedom in my life is the most important thing, and you can’t put a monetary value on that which would be worth it to me.
The freedom to say Yes
and No
, to do what he wants or not. This is worth more to him than any amount of money: That’s why I didn’t sign the contract, and I didn’t do it. That’s why and because of the advertisements.
By the way, Asmongold has a very clear opinion on ads on Twitch: Big discussion about ads in streams: “Twitch pays streamers to kill their channels”
When asked if he would sign for a billion dollars, he says: No, I don’t need a billion dollars, why would I need a billion dollars?
(via X.com). Although he can think of things he would do with the money.
After his ban from Twitch, Asmongold admitted to having developed negatively over the years and wanted to present himself more positively. However, this resolution did not last long. You can find more context here.
Does Asmongold now earn money on Twitch? Since zackrawrr has been monetized since December 2024, Asmongold definitely earns money from it. Through the partner program, his viewers can subscribe to get rid of the ads, and he can also receive donations in the form of bits.
Asmongold’s relaxed attitude towards earning money through Twitch likely comes from the fact that he manages two very well-performing YouTube channels. Here, he repurposes his streams and stream clips and makes them available permanently to a potentially slightly different audience than on Twitch.
You can read more about this secondary utilization system in our article on it: Why are big YouTubers moving to Twitch?
This may also explain his very relaxed attitude towards Twitch or streamer deals: Many other larger streamers have been lured over the years to various platforms with immense sums of money – always with grand promises. You can read more about this and why we have recently heard less about large streamer deals here: The days of fat million-dollar deals for streamers on YouTube and Twitch are apparently over
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Is the Emperor in Warhammer 40,000 actually ‘good’? Fans discuss, come to dramatic conclusions
In the world of Warhammer 40,000, there is hardly anything that is clearly black and white – all morality is more a different shade of gray. However, one person stands out: the shining Emperor, who is seen by humans as a divine, radiant savior. But is he really?
The Emperor is perhaps the most important figure in Warhammer 40,000 and the man who ensured that humanity has a common world in such a distant future. Yet he is not even human, but an immortal being who was born eons ago.
The entire Imperium of Man, as you know it now, could only come into existence because the Emperor united it. To that end, he keeps the chaotic powers of destruction from fully invading our world, and his soul has such a strong radiance that it serves as a fixed point for navigators throughout the galaxy.
The strength of the Emperor is considered unmatched, and he himself is regarded as the greatest psyker of all time. A god for humanity – and apparently a benevolent one, since they all still live. But is he really?
The question of how “good” the Emperor really is has occupied fans for years, and many agree that he certainly does not embody moral goodness. However, the situation is much more complicated, as a recent discussion on Reddit shows.
Want more Warhammer? A new series is starting soon:
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”
A user summarizes the entire rise of the Emperor by stating that he wanted the best, but failed due to his own mistakes. Now he sits in a “self-made hell” due to his overconfidence, pride, and stubbornness.
Throughout the discussion, dozens of fans talk about what exactly went wrong. And these are not just isolated points, but many that have their origins in good ideas, but then went completely off the rails due to different circumstances:
- Ending the war on Earth was a good idea, but to do so the Emperor had to become a dictator himself and suppress dissenting opinions.
- He wanted to save humanity, but he is merely an observer – without a true understanding of human needs.
- Developments that take millions of years – such as the psychic awakening of humanity – he wanted to achieve in just a few millennia.
Especially the last point is important here. That the Emperor pursued his doctrine against warnings and ignored the danger of chaos set off a series of events. Only then could characters like Erebus even come into being, who were significantly responsible for the greatest tragedy of the Imperium: the Horus Heresy.
Humans see Big E as “good” because they know nothing else
So why is the Emperor perceived by many as the “good god”? Fans explain: Because humans do not know any better. And that is true in a quite literal way.
Any criticism of the Emperor is viewed as heresy today and is punished with death. This is ensured by institutions like the Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, or fanatical Space Marines. Any dissenting voices have already been silenced during the Unification Wars, as they stood in the way of a united Imperium.
Even this religion has something underlying that originally had good intentions: the “Imperial Truth”. This creed by the Emperor himself was meant to empower humanity and show them that they are powerful enough to withstand any darkness. However, as is often the case in Warhammer, a few people have indeed gone overboard…
Warhammer knows not “good and evil”, only “order and chaos”
The entire discussion about the Emperor and his morality is characteristic of the world of Warhammer. There is nothing that can be called good or evil without limitations. That is why the driving forces of the war are also order and chaos, not light and dark gods.
That the Emperor cannot be morally good is already evident from his methods. For example, before the Space Marines, he had already created super soldiers – with the plan to sacrifice them again directly after the war. Like tools that you throw away.
Even the chaos gods are not inherently evil. They offer a truth and a salvation that simply oppose those of humanity (and other races). Whether one engages with this is a decision everyone must make for themselves.
An excellent insight into these moral dilemmas is provided by the role-playing game Rogue Trader, which extensively explores many facets of the various alignments – and shows why the world of Warhammer 40,000 represents the “horrifically dark” future: Even the “good” ending in the new Warhammer role-playing game is terrible, but somehow just right
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Tarisland announces new expansion, but the MMORPG has less than 100 players on Steam
The MMORPG Tarisland was supposed to replace WoW in China, and the West also received its own version. However, Tarisland has not been doing well for months. Nevertheless, a new expansion is coming.
What is the status of Tarisland? The MMORPG Tarisland has faded from memory after an initial hype that even surpassed competitors like Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Black Desert Online, and at peak times only between 30 and 50 players are playing the MMORPG on Steam simultaneously. The peak number has never reached 100 in 2025 (via SteamDB).
Even though the Tencent MMORPG probably has better player numbers on its own launcher and mobile devices than on Steam, it is currently not doing well for the developers. Nevertheless, a new expansion is launching now.
There is not yet a trailer for the new season, but the MMORPG can also look cinematic:
Many contents for few players
What is set to change in the new update? On February 24, the next phase of Tarisland begins. The maximum level of characters will be raised to 60, and correspondingly, there will be new quests and the story will continue. Players can expect new talents, events, and reputation levels.
There will be new equipment with Gear Score 200 and 210. The equivalent to the well-known “Mythic+” game mode from World of Warcraft will receive a new modifier “Balance” that can appear in the Arcane Realm. There, players can expect familiar dungeon bosses from the start of the MMORPG.
At the start of the new season expansion, an event will also kick off where players can fight the enemy Blight Legion to earn cosmetic and item rewards.
How did Tarisland come to be? After Activision Blizzard and NetEase parted ways in a dispute, World of Warcraft suddenly disappeared from China. The servers were shut down, which caused disappointment among many Chinese players.
Following this, Tencent announced a new MMORPG for mobile devices and PC – a clear attempt to fill the gap left by WoW. The game was released worldwide on June 21, 2024, and received quite positive feedback. However, the later Steam release proved to be a failure.
The fact that Tarisland managed to build hype among players despite a short development time and few contents is likely due to the weak MMORPG year 2024. MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz has examined this more closely: In the MMORPG year 2024, more was released than in a long time, but in the end, the feeling of disappointment remains
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Even after 9 years, this WoW area remains the most popular
Almost a decade has passed since World of Warcraft Legion. Yet the community still raves about the “best zone of all time”.
World of Warcraft consists of quite a few zones – there are now over 100 different ones, and anyone wanting to quest through all of them will be busy for several months. However, the newest is not always the best, as many older zones are still fondly remembered by the community today.
Few areas are mentioned as often as Suramar from the Legion expansion. Even today, it remains highly regarded among WoW fans.
What makes Suramar so unique? Suramar was in many ways “different” from all the areas that came before it. Blizzard took several risks with Suramar, and almost all of them paid off:
- Suramar was one of the largest zones in terms of area.
- All quests in Suramar revolve around a single, major theme: The Shal’dorei people. Even side quests exclusively focus on this theme.
- Half of the zone consists of a large, vibrant city where one must move cautiously.
- There were numerous hidden quests that often took days or weeks to discover.
- A weekly event with an interesting progression system: The control over Nightborne and exploration of the ruins.
In addition, there’s the story of the zone. Suramar tells the tale of the rebellion of the Exiled against their ruler. You experience everything from the founding of the rebellion to recruiting new members and ultimately the first subtle, then targeted and open attack against the government of the Shal’dorei.
Additionally, Suramar was visually stunning. Whether it was the grand city, the outer forests, or the enchanted ruins of the tomb cities. Suramar was a serious, mystical zone that, thanks to a wide color palette, was nonetheless appealing and beautiful.
This is what the community thinks about Suramar: From time to time, posts appear in the WoW subreddit where players rediscover their love for Suramar – especially when leveling a character in Legion.
- “Suramar was incredible. Not only visually, but also the story was fantastic, and the quest design was great. Especially before flying was unlocked. The quests in the city where you had to avoid guards and maintain your disguise were just wonderful.” – MighyHydrar
- “If they turned the city into a world hub, I would bind every hearthstone there that I own. This is easily my favorite zone in the whole game and one of the few times I enjoyed daily quests, purely because of the aesthetics.” – jussa-bug
Has WoW tried to replicate a second Suramar? Yes, albeit on a smaller scale. Azj-Kahet was supposed to function similarly to the city of Suramar in terms of mechanics. Piece by piece, you stealthily navigate through the city, making increasingly more deals and intrigues to slowly but surely gain control and eliminate it.
What worked well in Suramar was doomed to fail in Azj-Kahet due to many small design decisions. For one, Azj-Kahet is visually less interesting – it’s dark and uncomfortable, which is further heightened by the cave design. On the other hand, Blizzard decided to allow flying right away. This eliminated any threat from guards, and exploration on foot was never necessary. This is something the community criticizes frequently:
I believe Blizzard will never create an experience like Suramar again. It feels like they tried with BfA (Dazar Alor and Boralus) and now with Azj-Kahet, but it’s just not the same.
From the aesthetics to the lore and the story, navigating through the zone made you interested in what you were doing and achieving. It didn’t simply end with a patch, but was a story told over several chapters and was also a bit time-gated (or tied to reputation). I believe they did this well, right down to the two dungeons and the raid Nightborne.
Of course, this was not perfect. The constant farming of ancient mana and the perpetual “An illusion! What are you hiding?” were very annoying, but Blizzard made it so that you cared about the city […] – something that really lacks elsewhere. – Subject_Proof_6282
Do you share this view on Suramar? Do you also believe it’s one of the best zones of all time? Or do some see it through rose-colored nostalgia and it wasn’t that great back then?
Something old has certainly aged – once everyone loved heirlooms, now they are almost worthless.
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The best anime episode of all time exists only because the mangaka invented an arc later on
Vinland Saga is an anime that follows a similar direction as Berserk and Vagabond. Especially the finale of the first season is popular among fans. However, the entire arc almost didn’t happen.
Which anime is it about? Vinland Saga tells the story of young Thorfinn, who gets caught between the fronts of a war. Both England and Denmark exploit the warrior to achieve their own goals. Thorfinn sacrifices a lot, including his youthful carefreeness. He dreams of reaching Vinland one day, but ends up in slavery.
The manga of Vinland Saga is divided into 4 arcs:
- War Arc
- Slave Arc
- Eastern Expedition Arc
- Vinland Arc
So far, the first two arcs have each been adapted as a complete season with 24 episodes each. However, it almost happened that only 3 out of 4 sections would have been created, as the manga artist Makoto Yukimura recounts in an interview.
You can find the trailer for the anime here:
Vinland Saga almost lost its best episode
Which arc was almost not made? The last episode of the first arc of Vinland Saga is the highest-rated episode on IMDb. It achieves a rating of 9.9 and is notorious for its thrilling twists and brutality.
As Yukimura reveals, he initially proposed the Slave Arc to the publisher as the beginning of the story. However, his editor was not pleased with the idea. According to him, no one would be interested in a Viking story without warrior deeds.
The war at the beginning of the anime was supposed to make the subsequent arcs more comprehensible, as the manga artist reported to Le Figaro:
He convinced me to take the war as the starting point. Basically, my aim with this project was to tell how people put all their energy into crossing the ocean and discovering an unknown land!
Actually, Yukimura wanted to tell the story of the journey of a civilization into new, inhospitable lands. He never had the raw violence of the Vikings in mind.
But thanks to the editor’s idea, Yukimura worked on the arc that many fans of Vinland Saga appreciate and rate highly.
Vinland Saga is an adventure anime that MeinMMO demon Cortyn can recommend without hesitation. However, there are other series that are also suitable for fans of adventures. You can check out which 4 animes Cortyn recommends in the following list: 5 adventure animes if One Piece is just too long for you
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