The survival game Palworld is currently celebrating great success on Steam. For the first time since the game’s launch, it is back in the top 10 of the most popular titles. The reason for this is a new update.
How is it going with Palworld? The survival game on Steam is currently doing better than it has since the launch. Compared to November 18, the monster collector has increased its player count tenfold and has even made it back into the top 10 of the most popular titles on the Steam charts (via SteamDB).
Additionally, with around 212,000 users, the highest activity has been reached since launch. The reason for this is a new update that fundamentally improves Palworld.
Here you can watch the trailer for the new update Feybreak:
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Palworld: Feybreak – Trailer presents free update with loads of new content
Update causes a surge
What is this new update? On December 23, 2024, Palworld received its largest update to date. The main feature is the island of Feybreak. It is about six times larger than the Japan-inspired island of Sakurajima and offers diverse biomes, new Pals, and new resources like Chromite and Hexolite Quartz, which are needed to craft advanced equipment.
Also new is the collaboration with the game Terraria, which has introduced the sword “Meowmere” as a first step. The weapon fires projectiles and meows with each swing. More content from the collaboration is expected to follow in 2025.
What other innovations are there? Many of the smaller systems have also been improved. For example, there are now Pal expeditions where you can send your Pals on resource quests. Several additional buildings like the flea market and electric egg incubators can now be built.
Weapons are not limited to the sword “Meowmere”; katanas, laser gatling guns, and elemental grenades will also be added. RPG fans can now even take a seat on chairs in the game.
What does the community appreciate? Given the growth of player numbers, it’s no surprise that the update is well received. Users describe it as follows:
Manikuba writes on Reddit: “The update was great and fixed my two biggest problems. The Pals no longer sit around waiting on cooldowns but are constantly attacking instead. We can now share resources between bases. The new island feels amazing.”
Mooco2 especially finds one new feature on Reddit great: “The additions to the tech sheet are really great, many more ‘game-changing’ items in the old technology and the main list has many more options to choose from than the original semi-linear path.”
TriforceofCake is also particularly impressed by an improvement he found on Reddit: “If you ever had trouble managing your Pals, you won’t have that problem anymore.”
For Warhammer fans, it is a really good time: Recently, a new game called Space Marine 2 was released, and there are always new updates about the movie adaptation with Henry Cavill. Currently, a new MMO based on Warhammer is also in development. Here you can read everything we know about it so far.
What kind of game is it? The new Warhammer MMO currently in development is supposed to be a PvE game for PC and console. The chief developer has stated that he is specifically ensuring that his game is not a WoW clone.
This is what we know for sure so far:
Which of the various Warhammer IPs the game will incorporate is not yet officially known, but has already been decided behind the scenes.
The game is to be created using Unreal Engine 5.
The MMO is not supposed to have a traditional combat system like tab-targeting.
PvP is expected to play a minor role.
The game is being developed by Studio Jackalyptic Games, which was founded by Jack Emmert – one of the minds behind Neverwinter Online. You can read more about him, his vision for the game, and the monetization in this news article.
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Warhammer 40.000: The Tithes: Sacrifice – Der Trailer zur Mini-Serie von Games Workshop
A Warhammer MMO from the creator of Neverwinter
Who is developing the game? The new Warhammer MMO is being developed by Jackalyptic Games. The company was founded in May 2022 as Jackalope Games and was renamed Jackalyptic Games just a year later. The studio is based in the city of Austin in the US state of Texas.
The CEO of the studio is Jack Emmert, who previously worked at Cryptic Studios. He has been working on MMORPGs since 2003, and his projects include Neverwinter Online, Star Trek Online, and City of Heroes.
What is Jack Emmert’s vision? In several interviews about the rebranding of Jackalyptic Games, Jack Emmert spoke about the upcoming Warhammer MMO and his specific vision for it.
In an interview with MMORPG.com, he mentioned that throughout his career he has mainly created games related to his hobbies, and he wants to continue doing so. These include, among others, Neverwinter Online, which is based on the world of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as Star Trek Online. Authenticity is also important to him.
Furthermore, Emmert wants to use the Warhammer MMO to make the vast universe more accessible for newcomers. He discussed this in a conversation with WCCFTECH.
What about a mobile release? Publisher NetEase is known for primarily releasing mobile games. Emmert stated that there are no specific guidelines for his team:
I don’t know the mobile [games] market. It is very tough, it is very difficult. I am definitely not an expert in it. But I can say that the great thing about working with NetEase is that they care more about what I want to create than the platforms I want to create it on.
How will the game be monetized? In the interviews with Jack Emmert, the question of the monetization model was also raised. Fans of Neverwinter Online, one of Emmert’s projects, have repeatedly criticized the MMORPG for its in-game shop. Notably, YouTuber Josh Strife Hayes has a very clear opinion on this.
In this regard, Emmert is keeping all options open: Just a few years ago, he thought free-to-play was the best option for him. However, he now sees potential in battle pass systems like those in Fortnite.
Shortly before the interviews, the MMORPG New World from Amazon was also released, which only requires a one-time purchase price to play. At that time, this monetization, at least in Jack Emmert’s view, worked well for New World.
As soon as there is new information about the Warhammer MMO, you will of course read about it on MeinMMO. Until then, we will keep you up to date with everything related to Warhammer. Recently, MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus ranked all major factions of Warhammer 40,000 by power.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Path of Exile 2 you can make your character faster and stronger with just a few clicks. This is all possible thanks to a feature that most likely has been overlooked by many.
The weapon set switch is something that probably very few have ever used. In Path of Exile 2, you can carry two different weapon sets with you and switch to another set during combat against difficult bosses, making the fight easier.
This feature also offers another function, the weapon set skill points. During the game, you can split some of your skill points. For example, you can assign fire damage to one of your weapon sets and electrical damage to the other. The system can also be used creatively, as one player is now proving.
You will find a useful NPC in every city:
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This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
Stronger and faster thanks to weapon sets
How can the feature be used? The weapon set feature is probably not used by most players because their own build copes well with all kinds of content. However, if it is also unused for you, you can gain a significant advantage for your character.
The user Thorriorz on Reddit explains how it works. He equipped his previously unused weapon set with a “Wulfsbane” shield.
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This shield curses the opponent upon a successful block, causing them to take 10% more damage and deal 10% less damage. According to the user, this effect lasts for the entire duration of the fight.
What to do with the skill points? You can also make your character stronger with the skill points without having to play two really different builds.
As the user jamaljermaine explains on Reddit, the additional points can be well used to skill abilities like movement speed, block chance, or light radius.
Especially when facing large maps without boss opponents again, switching the weapon set can provide additional movement speed. If a strong opponent does appear, you can return to your usual weapon set by pressing the X key.
Which skill points are most worthwhile for you depends on your character’s build. If you don’t know what is worthwhile, movement speed should always be something that is helpful.
MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß loves playing Dungeons & Dragons. However, since I couldn’t find the right dice, I started a completely new hobby three years ago. Now I not only make dice but also give away self-designed loot.
Update from 09.01.2025: We had a price calculation with Christmas discounts for 2024 in the news. We have now adjusted the prices to the regular ones according to the website.
My love for Pen & Paper began in 2016 with Critical Role, a group of voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons in a stream. Later, I forced my friends into a (private) home-brew campaign. In 2023, I even organized an eight-part D&D stream and podcast called Ready to Roll with the team from GameStar Talk.
What started as a harmless pastime with my friends has turned into a beloved but time-consuming monster. Unfortunately, I suffer from a widespread problem: I never have enough sets of dice, and especially never the ones that match my currently played character.
So I looked for new dice, and lo and behold: you can actually make them with epoxy resin. One YouTube tutorial later, I had a new hobby. And that was just the beginning of an absolute deep dive into resin art, 3D modeling, and printing.
What is epoxy resin?
Epoxy resin is a liquid material that hardens later on, used in construction, woodworking, or hobbies. It is a type of plastic.
In this specific example, it’s about resin used for jewelry making. The resin itself and a hardener are thoroughly mixed in equal parts in liquid form. The mixture is then poured into a mold, where it hardens within a day and generates heat.
Later in the article, UV resin is also mentioned. This is another type of epoxy resin that hardens under UV rays from things like the sun or a UV lamp.
2022: From Dice Goblin to Self-Designed Loot
My original motivation was: I have such a great character, but no matching dice, and buying is so expensive. So I learn to make them myself. In the end, I certainly put more than just the price of a set of dice on the table regarding tools and materials.
What do you need to make dice for Pen & Paper with epoxy resin?
Dice masters that can be molded with duplicating silicone.
Epoxy color pigments like mica powder, glitter, or alcohol ink to make the dice look nice.
The so-called masters are the forms from which the molds are created. This is how dice masters for Pen & Paper dice can lookEpoxy resin can be shaped with alcohol ink, mica powder, glitter, gold leaf, and more.Many people use disposable cups. I use reusable silicone cups.Since epoxy resin emits toxic fumes, suitable protective masks and disposable gloves are important.Left the compressor, right the pressure pot. At least 40 Psi overpressure makes air bubbles almost invisibly small.I use the epoxy from Let’s Resin, but I have also had very good experiences with Roizefar.
YouTube has a huge selection of really good tutorials for resin art. I can particularly recommend Rybonator and Dreamy Dice for dice or resin basics.
Equipped with everything, I started making dice for the whole family. By Christmas 2022, there was a set of dice for everyone in my circle. No matter if they play Pen & Paper or even know about it. By now, my entire circle of friends is partially equipped with sharply edged dice.
In 2023, I had the idea: What if I design, print, and then cast my own (dice) masters?
Fancy dice – One of my personally self-made favorite sets, inspired by Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3.
2023: Blender Deep Dives for Beginners
Self-designed dice masters never materialized, however. Instead, my first project turned out to be a pendant for my new hobby of live-action role-playing (LARP) that I started simultaneously with resin.
I have never worked with tools like Blender before. It can do so much, and I was an utterly overwhelmed beginner. But with the right guidance, this overwhelming tool is actually quite simple.
I am currently working with Blender 4.1. The YouTube channel Blender Guru has a wonderful video series where he teaches you how to create a realistic donut in the program. This way, you get to know the most important functions.
With this help, I even managed to design a form that seems incredibly complex to me (see gallery), including a hole for a leather band and with engraved group sign. Quickly export in the correct file format – done.
The first attempt – Version 1The final amulet – Version 2.
One problem still remained: My household has an FDM 3D printer (plastic printer), an Ender 5, but I wished for the nice glass finish that I knew from my dice masters. Unfortunately, that can only be achieved with a resin 3D printer.
How do FDM and resin 3D printers differ?
There are two fundamental differences between FDM and resin 3D printers: the printing material and the way it is processed.
FDM printers melt plastic, known as filament, and lay it down via a nozzle in the desired shape on a build plate. Layer by layer, they build up the shape to be printed. You can imagine it as if you were adding a layer of glue on top of the previous layer with a hot glue gun. FDM prints usually have larger and, above all, visible individual layers.
Resin printers, on the other hand, work with UV resin. So resin that hardens under UV light. The build plate, where printing occurs, hangs in a tray full of resin. To create the print, the bottom of the tray is illuminated with UV light point by point, hardening one layer after another. This allows for very fine layers to be printed, which are usually no longer visible in the final product, enabling the glass finish.
My partner recommended a Chinese service that offers 3D printing of all kinds. Three weeks later, I held my first master in hand – with the desired glass finish.
So, I directly asked my LARP friends about their color wishes and off I went. From that point, the process was the same as with the dice:
Create a cast mold with the master and duplicating silicone.
Mix resin, color it with pigments, and pour.
Wait 24 hours until everything has hardened, then remove from the mold.
Done.
The pendants were a total hit with my people and in the game. The loot was fantastically received!
So I planned to design even more pendants for the next year. However, a nagging voice inside me could not be silenced: Why send your designs to China for printing and across half the world when you could also make them yourself?
And thus began my 2024 project.
The final pendants, cast in resin.
2024: Months of Research and Waiting for the Sale
I actually just wanted to make dice so that I have a set for each of my Pen & Paper characters. And of course, so I could provide my friends with them.
Hardly two years later, I am deep into researching my own 3D printer so that I can print self-designed jewelry, accessories, figures, and more. And to be honest? I was so excited about it.
So I launched a several-month deep dive to find out how to best start with resin 3D printing. However, I discovered that there are a few pitfalls involved:
Resin 3D printing requires more equipment and correspondingly more space than FDM printers.
The resin used for printing emits toxic fumes, so a good insulation and exhaust system is useful if the printer is supposed to be in the apartment.
The printing itself is very error-prone.
Additionally, the equipment is expensive to start with. I calculated the costs with my desired model from Anycubic. Here’s how the costs would look in January 2025:
Device
Price
Anycubic Photon Mono M5s Pro (sold out)
339.00 €
Anycubic Wash & Cure 3 Plus
169.00 €
Anycubic Bio Resin
29.99 €
Grow Expert Premium Grow Tent
79.00 €
Fan, hose, etc. from hardware store
90.00 €
Total
706.99 €
Warning: I don’t know if Anycubic makes good 3D printers. Therefore, I can’t recommend or not recommend the devices because I haven’t purchased them to this day. I selected them because my brother works with an Anycubic printer.
A Tough Decision
Because I also started with leather armor building parallel to 3D design and resin casting – I highly recommend the 12-part course from the Black Raven Academy – I asked myself some questions:
Do I want to start another expensive hobby with the initial tool costs?
Am I ready to commit fully and ensure that the resin fumes do not affect me, my roommate, a.k.a. my partner, and my dog, or make them sick?
Do I really need this?
The answer to the first question was Yes. The others? No.
For the few parts I need that I design and print myself, the investment is not financially worthwhile. As much as I love being a Dungeon Master, I don’t want to take on more effort in preparing sessions. And what if I simply can’t manage to print properly?
The final blow to my plans was the realization that I cannot guarantee that the toxic resin fumes can be completely discharged outside with a self-built ventilation system. I’m not playing with my health or anyone else’s. And certainly not with my dog’s health.
For now, I will still send my 3D designs to professionals for printing. Maybe I can soon find a provider that is located in Europe, not in China.
Left the resin print, right the FDM print. The resin pendants have been post-processed, which is why the printing errors are not visible, which are prominent in the FDM prints. The problem here was that my file was not error-free.
But I managed to get the self-designed and cast Christmas loot done just in time despite all these considerations. Pouring dice sets continues to be incredibly fun for me, and there are hundreds of pre-made silicone molds for fun things like coasters, containers, or even entire chess boards.
For the upcoming LARP year of 2025, I already have the next designed project in the works and have even had it printed. What it is shall remain a surprise for now.
All people are different. Oh really? We present to you 10 types of people who are represented in every larger MMORPG guild.
Anyone who spends their leisure time mainly in MMORPGs has surely joined one guild or another. When it’s more than just an association of three or four friends, you experience many different types of players. We have listed ten of these prime examples for you and are already sure that you will recognize a large part of them immediately.
Note: The article originally dates back to 2018. We updated it in December 2024.
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WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
[toc]
1. The Confused One
Every guild has that one player who always seems a bit off and you’re not quite sure what he actually does with the rest of his free time. At least the last question gets answered when he needs to “quickly build one” before the raid and then returns with a significantly boosted mood. The world is chill, the raid is chill, the loot is chill, and the fact that he has been standing in the fire for 10 seconds is also pretty chill.
2. The Pro-Gamer
Even the coziest guild group has that one player who takes the game very seriously and does everything possible to get the best out of his class. He contributes a lot in the raid and is definitely a cornerstone of the group, the reason why bosses are defeated at all.
Now and then, however, he takes the game a bit too seriously and gets frustrated when the other players do not go along with his will and prefer to “take it a bit easier”.
But one should be careful here, because at some point the Pro-Gamer’s patience will run out. If he doesn’t see enough progress, he will eventually turn his back on the guild.
3. The Sun-Account Guy
In every game, there are rare rewards that have little to do with skill or the wallet of a person, but mainly with luck. There is a mount that drops from an end boss with only a 1% chance or a special weapon that requires 10 very rare ores, which “normal” players have to farm for 18 months.
But not so for the one guy with the sun account. He has every single mount, and when he really has to “farm long”, it’s done by the end of the weekend at the latest.
4. The Drama Queen
The name is “Drama Queen”, but that certainly does not mean that only women can fill this role. Sooner or later, social problems arise in every guild. For example, there are discussions about participation in the raid and sorting by performance.
The Drama Queen takes such an incident as an opportunity to plunge the entire raid into a big eye-roll.
“If I can’t go, then X won’t come either, we only play together!”
“If you don’t take X, then I will leave the guild and I will take Player A and Player B with me!”
Especially bad in roleplay guilds. There, it is common to dictate to someone with whom they should play, and the jealousy club is brought out when one cannot provide minute-by-minute proof of what they have done where and with whom.
5. The Inactive One
In every guild, there are probably some dead weight players that are sorted out after a while of inactivity. But where there are players who disappear forever, there are also a few people who check in every few weeks, have a short conversation with others, and then “sadly have to go offline for today”.
Sometimes “inactive” also means “very inactive”.
But every time he promises that things will look “very different for him soon” and that he will “have much more time for the game”. Usually, this is the last thing you hear before he disappears without a trace for another three months.
6. The Many-twinker
The guild actually only has 20 active members. That would mean there should also be about 20 characters in the guild. But wrong thought! The Many-twinker loves to level a different character every day and to have as many classes at a high level as possible. This usually becomes so excessive that many people in the guild actually don’t know exactly who they are dealing with.
The only problem: None of his characters are really “top” equipped. All languish at a “solid” level. But because he simply doesn’t want to pick a main character, he will never deliver the performance of the other players and often lives a life on the bench. However, he is always ready to jump in with any role for dungeon runs.
7. The Fake Friend
Alongside the really friendly fellow players, there are of course those who only feign friendliness. This “fake friend” enjoys volunteering for a dungeon run, actively participates in guild chat, and is happy to join any group activity.
Some say demons are often fake friends…
But sooner or later, there will be a fallout. Unusual quarrels break out between players who are actually friends in the guild. Only after many hours of clarification is it usually discovered that the fake friend is stirring up tensions between players behind their backs. The main tank has supposedly criticized the second tank very harshly, or there’s something wrong with one DD, who must be regularly consuming drugs in real life, which is why he is so strange.
Unfortunately, fake friends often excel at manipulating individual influential guild members. If the problem is not uncovered quickly, one or another guild may well go under.
8. The Lore Fanatic
If you have a question about the story of the game world in the guild chat, you usually get a quick reply from your guildmates. But woe to the information that is not 100% correct, because then the lore fanatic jumps in. He knows absolutely every source regarding the background story of the game world and can explain to you exactly why trolls only have three fingers or why the glow in the eyes of night elves is decidedly silver and not white.
If there is a question, the lore fanatic can also answer it. But just be careful not to ask a question that can lead to differing opinions – because then the discussion about a supposed triviality can go on until the early morning hours or until the server maintenance saves everyone involved.
9. The Constant Player
When you go online, he is already there, and when you go offline, he is still present. He is probably also around the entire time you are sleeping, working, going to university, or on vacation. Every guild has that one player who seemingly spends their whole life in the respective game.
While it is somewhat sad on one hand, it can be a blessing for the guild and the individual members. Because the constant player is usually quite accommodating and can listen well, making him a popular contact person when something is not going well in the game – or even in real life. Better than any helpline.
Rarely is a guild leadership composed of a single person, especially in larger guilds. But somehow, there always seems to be one particular person who gets promoted to leadership, who, after a few months, just becomes annoying. Actually, she (in my mind, unfortunately, it is always a woman) is a nice person and an incredible organizational talent.
But when you defy her and something doesn’t work according to her will for a while, the outcry in Discord gets loud. It is often threatened to “throw everything in” and that others can “see how to get their stuff done themselves”, because she invests “extremely much of her free time and expects a bit of accommodation”. But the subtext usually conveys: “Do things the way I say, or find another guild.”
Such announcements usually work. For two weeks. And then it repeats itself. After the third time, such a loud monologue or forum post loses its effect…
Do you know all these types? And what type of cliché would you assign yourself? Let us know in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO author Johanna Heuck readily admits that she is not particularly good at video games. However, there is one game that no one could beat her at: Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS. But then she learned that her skills were not based on talent, but on memorization.
I am not particularly good at video games. Even though I always start the video games on the “Normal” difficulty level, the likelihood is high that I will lower it during the game.
In Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS, you can’t do that, but I don’t need to even today. Because: I am actually good at the game.
At least I thought so, until I immersed myself back into my childhood game as an adult and realized that the appearance of my gaming skills is deceiving.
We introduce the latest 2D Sonic in the video:
Start video
After 10 years, a 2D Sonic is finally coming back! Looks really good, brings back fan favorite
Back to My Childhood Game
As I watch the trailer for the third Sonic movie, I suddenly wonder where my Nintendo DS with Sonic Rush is. I find it surprisingly quickly in my dresser, put the game in, and to my astonishment, the device starts up with the game without any issues.
In Sonic Rush, we can play as either Sonic the Hedgehog or Blaze the Cat. Both have their own storylines in which they also meet.
As Blaze, you collect the Sol Emeralds, and as Sonic, you search for the Chaos Emeralds. For both, the levels are the same, through which you have to speed through in classic Sonic 2D style.
Within a level, you jump back and forth between the two screens of the DS. The fast music, combined with the speed, is fun! And Blaze is just so cool!
Sonic Rush has the best soundtrack ever. You can listen to it on YouTube here:
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My friends also played the game on their DS, but they didn’t have as much fun as I did. A buddy of mine once said, “It’s too fast and stupid for me.” Too fast?
Breaking the sound barrier with Blaze (or Sonic, but I always took Blaze) and flying through the levels was exactly what was great!
But my friend’s frustration was justified, and I only understood the reason now. Because Sonic Rush, like other Sonic 2D games, you simply have to memorize to be good at it.
The game is so fast that when the characters are at full speed, you don’t even have a second to react to incoming obstacles. So, not crashing into something or getting hurt by a suddenly popping-up enemy on your first playthrough is slim to say the least, almost impossible.
The only way to truly become “good” at 2D Sonic games is to memorize them.
Jumping at the right moments or using the boost has nothing to do with skill, but whether I know it from a previous run.
Blaze the Cat, the protector of the Sol Emeralds.
Sonic Rush has a Different Goal
This discovery was painful for me, after all, I thought I was finally better than others at a video game. However, I discovered a different goal in Sonic Rush.
I simply enjoyed playing the levels, even though I knew them by heart. I wanted to beat my own and the best times of others.
Moreover: At least the 12-year-old Johanna could impress other 12-year-olds when she played through the levels for them. Except for the water levels, where I always had way too much panic of drowning!
And well, then I at least bragged in front of my friends that I memorized something and could apply it. I definitely couldn’t do that in school, so I did it in a 2005 Nintendo game instead.
In a way, it was more about me feeling cool with the fast music and as Blaze the Cat. And no one can take that away from me, not even Sonic Rush and its annoying truth.
If you would excuse me now, I need to play Sonic Rush through again while rocking out to the soundtrack.
The PlayStation head Hideaki Nishino spoke in an interview about the past and future of the console. He explains that while the gaming PC continues to spread, it poses no threat to the PS5.
Where does the information come from? Hideaki Nishino, Co-CEO of PlayStation, talked in an interview with the Japanese site Famitsu about the success and the future of the console. The conversation took place on the occasion of the 30th birthday of PlayStation.
Start video
The creators of PlayStation visited hundreds of developers, but everyone found the idea terrible
The market is changing, but consoles remain
What does the head sayabout the state of the PS5? According to Hideaki Nishino, the PS5 is still doing very well in 2024. In September, they had surpassed the mark of 65 million units. People are playing longer than they did on the PS4 and are also using the store more.
However, the head also admits that the gaming market has become more diverse overall: In some regions, mobile games are popular, while in others, games for PC. In Japan, the home country of PlayStation and one of its three largest markets, the number of gaming PCs is also increasing rapidly.
Nevertheless, Hideaki Nishino believes that the PS5 will be around “for a very long time,” and that consoles will continue to be the core business of PlayStation in the future. Therefore, the PC is not seen as a threat but as a sensible addition.
“We are thinking about how to increase the number of PlayStation users overall, including through PSN,” says the PlayStation head.
For Hideaki Nishino, there are mainly two factors that are crucial for the success of a console: the available titles and the social aspect. Many people buy a PlayStation because their friends have one too.
As for the available games, it is important to ensure that there is enough content.
However, at the last meeting with investors, Sony assured that there is no “significant risk” of losing PlayStation players to the PC. Such a trend has not been confirmed so far (via 3D Juegos).
One sign that consoles are not disappearing from households anytime soon is that they continue to be a popular gift under the Christmas tree. To avoid disappointment during the gift-giving, one should ensure to get the right one: Mom buys her kids an Xbox for Christmas, but that only causes frustration
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since December 26, 2024, the 2nd season of the hit series Squid Game has been running on Netflix. The first season made life difficult for a woman – for season 2, the streaming provider has taken precautions.
On December 26, 2024, the 2nd season of the thriller series Squid Game premiered on Netflix. In it, protagonist Seong Gi-hun is determined to end the games that have destroyed so many lives – the perfect opportunity to remember how the series made life difficult for a real woman back in 2021.
Start video
Squid Game Season 2 – Trailer for the release date of the Korean series
Woman Received Thousands of Calls and Messages
What happened back then? In the first episode of Squid Game, protagonist Gi-hun receives a business card with an eight-digit number. As it turned out, this was a real phone number if you added the South Korean area code 010 in front of it.
This area code is automatically added for domestic calls, which suddenly resulted in thousands of calls from curious fans to a Korean woman, who wanted to know what happens when you dial the number.
In an interview with the Korean site Money Today, the woman, Kim Gil-young, revealed the extent of the phone terror: Since Squid Game aired, I have received messages and calls around the clock.
The woman said she had been using the number for over 10 years and could not just change it, as she used it for business purposes. However, the constant calls made it difficult for her to live her daily life.
She had to delete over 4,000 numbers from her phone. I receive calls day and night out of curiosity, without any sense of time, so the battery of my phone is dead after half a day, said Kim Gil-young.
She reached out directly to Netflix and the production company Siren Pictures. As a result, the woman’s phone number was removed from the relevant scenes and replaced with a different sequence of numbers.
The business card is also seen again in the current 2nd season – this time Netflix has ensured from the outset that there is no repeated phone terror.
Fans of the horror genre can enjoy not only large titles on Steam, but also promising indie games. A new horror game feels like the perfect fusion of Resident Evil, science fiction, and samurai.
Which game is it? Samurai Unicorn is the debut work of the developer Its Got Stealth, and it presents itself in a polygon look that one would most likely associate with the PlayStation 1. This is also a good comparison when looking at the theme and gameplay.
The game feels like a promising mix of well-known horror titles. Fans of Resident Evil, Dead Space, or Onimusha should keep an eye on the game. Of course, Samurai Unicorn does not want to just be a copy of the classics. There is a gameplay twist that sets it apart from other genre representatives.
You can find a teaser for the game here:
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Samurai Unicorn – Trailer for the Promising Sci-Fi Horror Game on Steam
Sci-Fi Resident Evil with a Twist
What makes the game so promising? You play as Klo, the young detective who is possessed by a parasitic spirit that also gives her new abilities. With your new powers, you must protect the futuristic city of Sydney3 from the Dream Eaters.
In dark levels, you have to not only uncover secrets but also defend yourself against hideous monsters that visually mix elements from Resident Evil, Dead Space, and many robotic parts. You will use various weapons from a third-person perspective to fend off attackers.
In addition to ranged combat, your spiritual ghost parasite also offers you the ability to fight in close combat. A special feature is a parry function reminiscent of games like Sekiro or Onimusha. Onimusha itself announced a new installment after years of silence. The abilities of the ghost buddy are also expected to change over the course of the game.
The enemies in the game are also said to react to the respective shots and attacks. Like in Dead Space, you can injure enemies at their limbs to briefly incapacitate or weaken them.
In addition to exploring and fighting, the characters in the story will also have a focus. So far, there is no release date on Steam. However, you can already add it to your wish list. On the official YouTube channel, new videos about the game are regularly published.
Maximilian “Trymacs” Stemmler is one of the most successful streamers on German Twitch. Once a year, he shows what he earns on YouTube. While it adds up to a significant amount, half of it goes to the government – but for the influencer, that’s completely fine.
This is how much Trymacs earned in 2024: In his stream from December 28, 2024, Trymacs shows what he earned this year solely from YouTube.
Distributed across his 3 channels, that’s over 1.2 million euros. Additionally, there are his Twitch channel, his podcast, as well as earnings from partnerships and his products Happy Slice and Happy Chips, which have also “exploded” this year.
Second channel SecondTry: 348,624.01 euros
Reaction channel TryReact: 456,737.56 euros
Main channel Trymacs: 418,872.74 euros
The Twitch streamer admits that his earnings are “unfair” compared to other salaries. It all started when he played a bit of Clash Royale during his studies – you can see the whole story in our video:
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Vom Pizza-Lieferant zu einem der größten deutschen Twitch-Streamer – Leben und Karriere von Trymacs in 2 Minuten
“I gladly pay 50% taxes for that”
That’s why he gladly pays taxes: The 1.2 million euros are the earnings before tax – almost half of it goes to the government. For Trymacs, that’s fine; he doesn’t want to be a “tax refugee”.
You could be it, but for what? Absolutely enough money comes out of it. I gladly pay 50% taxes for being able to live in fucking Germany in Hamburg. What would I do with all that money in Dubai? It would be a nightmare for me.
The largest gaming company in the world, Tencent, launched an MMORPG in 2024 to fill the gap that WoW had left. Tarisland started in July 2024 as a free MMORPG and caused quite a stir. However, it completely flopped on Steam.
The MMORPG was released globally on June 21, 2024, and was quite well received. However, a release on Steam was a flop.
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Tarisland: Trailer for the global launch shows cinematic class action
Tarisland could only maintain the interest of MMORPG players for 2 weeks
How much success did Tarisland have in Germany? An analysis of the interest in Tarisland in Germany shows that the MMORPG had quite a small hype at release in June.
For two weeks, it was more relevant in interest, as measured by Google Trends, than major MMORPGs in Germany such as The Elder Scrolls Online, Black Desert, or Guild Wars 2.
However, Tarisland was only able to spark a flash in the pan. The game was only truly relevant for two weeks, after which interest declined significantly and it dropped well below the interest in established competitors.
Late release on Steam turns into a debacle
What happened with Steam? Tencent apparently completely miscalculated, as they apparently planned for Tarisland to gain traction with the release on Steam in October 2024, but that failed completely:
Tarisland never exceeded 582 players at peak on Steam.
The ratings are disastrous, with only 24% positive reviews.
There is no significant spike in interest on Google Trends at the time of the Steam release.
In reviews, it is stated that players start at level 41, which nobody can understand, and is an absolute no-go for many players. Additionally, the game has many Pay2Win options and too few opportunities to customize characters.
Was there a new MMORPG in 2024 that performed better? Significantly more successful than Tarisland was the new MMORPG Throne and Liberty from NCSoft, which managed to hold players’ interest in Germany for about 8 weeks and remained above the interest in the strong established competition. However, in December, interest also waned here: Throne and Liberty loses more than 70 percent of players on Steam in 2 months, community cites reasons
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a pixel soulslike, players take on the role of a boss enemy, the Dark Queen of Mortholme. She is attacked by a feeble adventurer, who initially poses no significant challenge. However, the seemingly puny fighter learns from each defeat.
What defines The Dark Queen of Mortholme? In the recently released game on itch.io by developer Mosu, you play as a dark queen, a kind of final boss in reference to soulslike games. A initially pitiable adventurer breaks into her castle and challenges her, after which she can defeat the attacker with a swing.
But here, the game addresses perhaps the most powerful abilities of an adventurer in a soulslike: self-reflection, adaptability, and relentless perseverance.
The game itself is free, but you are free to choose whether and how much you would like to pay for it.
The game’s trailer showcases the art style and gameplay in reverse roles:
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The gameplay trailer for The Dark Queen of Mortholme showcases the dynamics of role reversal
A battle between power and endurance
How do the reversed roles work? In games like Elden Ring or other soulslikes, the playable character seems like a mere nuisance compared to the oversized and powerful opponents at the beginning. The ability to walk away victorious from a fight with them lies in experience, which helps you begin to understand the boss, their attacks, and weaknesses.
It is precisely this dynamic between adventurer and boss that The Dark Queen of Mortholme plays with. The reversed roles turn the established perspective upside down. Instead of becoming stronger and more capable as the hero of the game, you start as the boss who gets increasingly into trouble with each fight.
How does the boss get pressured by the hero? While you initially take down the challenger with a single blow, the adventurer seems to improve after each defeat. They dodge attacks, acquire new and better weapons, and even begin to taunt the dark queen.
The short dialogues of the game further drive the increasingly thrilling dynamic of the two characters through teasing and intentional meta-humor. The queen wonders why the challenger keeps coming back, while the adventurer knowingly informs her that they are studying her attacks to get better. Thus, a fascinating narrative develops even in a short 20-minute game.
How is The Dark Queen of Mortholme received by players? Mosu’s game currently holds a 5-star rating with 193 reviews. Players express their enthusiasm for the perspective shift, art style, and atmosphere. The dialogues and the story seem to impress despite their short playtime.
Anyone interested in The Dark Queen of Mortholme should avoid any playthroughs or similar videos on YouTube or TikTok. All reviews promise an exciting and surprisingly heartfelt gaming experience.
It is no longer a secret that not only AAA games can generate excitement, and indie games are increasingly coming to the forefront in the mainstream. Indie games are recognized not only in their own category at the Game Awards but can also compete with other blockbusters. The indie game Balatro was among this year’s nominees for the title of Game of the Year 2024, even though the developer initially did not expect it: He thought 10 people would play it and he would have to work normally again: But a million buy his 1st game on Steam
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There is currently not much left of the initial excitement about CoD Black Ops 6. One of the biggest problems right now is cheaters. But a new way to invest money into the game is also angering players: an Event Pass
What is it about? As reported by CharlieIntel on x.com, a new Event Pass is coming into play. It will appear as part of a collaboration with the series Squid Game in Black Ops 6 and Warzone. The pass is set to be released on January 3, and the price is still unclear.
In the game itself, there is talk of a premium route where players can unlock a new operator skin in line with the series.
However, the announcement of such an Event Pass is met with little approval on social media. Many players criticize the practice, which is otherwise more common in Free2Play games.
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Black Ops 6: Gameplay trailer for Citadelle des Morts shows new fights against zombies
A new Event Pass, in addition to the current Battle Pass
What is the problem? On the one hand, there is already a Battle Pass that players pay for to unlock skins or new weapons. The new Event Pass is not included in this. If you want the premium event items, you have to pay again.
Another problem is previous events. Content from previous events could usually be unlocked for free. Now having to pay extra for an event reminds many players of Free2Play practices, which they believe do not fit a full-price game. On x.com, players are expressing their frustration freely.
@Trevorjblake: So the community doesn’t trust you. The first thing you do is introduce more microtransactions?
@Koreyzzz: I love the full-priced Free2Play gaming experience that I get every year with Cod.
@sph3rical: They really know how to lose players
According to the comments, a big frustration also comes from the fact that CoD currently has other issues that many players feel are hardly being addressed. The anti-cheat system, which requires improvement, is repeatedly criticized. One user writes: How about anti-cheat?
Cheaters are probably the biggest problem currently in CoD Black Ops 6. For many players, it ruins the fun of the game and thus generally creates a frustrated atmosphere within the community. This is particularly unfortunate as it was well received at launch. Even MyMMO shooter expert Dariusz Müller praised the game: Black Ops 6 is the best Call of Duty in years because it does a lot right despite problems
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In 1993, Jurassic Park by Steven Spielberg was the cinematic embodiment of the dinosaur fascination that has always existed. On screen, impressive creatures could be seen that one would otherwise only know from documentaries or books. But how realistic are the dinosaurs throughout the series?
How did the Jurassic Park series evolve? In 1993, Jurassic Park was released, a film based on the book DinoPark. The adventure film deals with the fascination of dinosaurs and a scenario in which dinosaurs can be resurrected.
The film was a huge success and became a franchise with a Jurassic Park and a Jurassic World trilogy. The greatest magic was probably created for most fans by the first part. In a YouTube video, an expert explained which of the 6 films is actually the most realistic.
You can build your own park in Jurassic World Evolution 2:
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Jurassic World Evolution 2 Launch Trailer
The Classic Remains the Best
What does the expert say? In a YouTuber video from the channel Insider, paleontologist David Hone looked at several scenes from all the films in the Jurassic Park series, evaluates them, and subsequently rates the whole film based on the portrayal of the dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park from 1993 is, according to the expert, the best in terms of realism. He directly rates the first part with a 7 out of 10. He considers the first part quite good regarding realism, considering what was known about dinosaurs at the time.
He also rates the second Jurassic Park with a 7 out of 10. He likes the Stegosaurus and also the way the creatures move. The Stegosaurus is even his favorite dinosaur representation in the entire film series.
The finale of the first film trilogy fares a little worse in the realism rating than the previous ones. He gives the film a 6 out of 10. Many of the models are quite good and realistic, but some weaker spots detract from it.
The Newer the Films Are, the Less Realistic They Become
The expert finds the Jurassic World trilogy significantly worse than the previous one. He gives the first one a 5/10. Some anatomical features of the dinosaurs are misinterpreted, which affects the realism. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom also scores poorly. Hone criticizes the models and the behaviors displayed.
The worst rating goes to Jurassic World: Dominion. Here, the models are not realistic, nor are the behaviors. According to Hone, much in the film does not make sense, which is why he rates the last part with a 3 out of 10.
Interestingly, the films score similarly in reviews, as they do in realism. The old Jurassic Park series, especially parts 1 and 2, are significantly more popular with fans than the later Jurassic World trilogy with Chris Pratt. Such films do not always have to be realistic, but even a mosquito poses problems for realism: Why a tiny mosquito calls the entire logic of “Jurassic Park” into question
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There is hardly a game that is currently awaited as eagerly as GTA 6. Since the first trailer in December 2023, fans have been waiting for new information about the open-world game. Absurd theories have emerged about when a new trailer will follow. A new post from Rockstar disappointed the theorists.
What is the current status?On December 5, 2023, the first trailer for GTA 6 was released. It revealed quite a bit. Possible protagonists and the setting were in the foreground. Since then, however, it has been relatively quiet about the game. Official information or new trailers were sought in vain for a year.
The fans thought: It has to be, the new trailer for GTA 6 must be released on December 27, 2024. Rockstar even posted something on that day, but it disappointed the theorists.
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Rockstar Games shows GTA 6 for the first time in the trailer
Rockstar posts the wrong thing on the right day
What did Rockstar post? In fact, Rockstar published a new post on their X account on December 27, 2024. But unfortunately, it was the wrong post. In the promotional post, Rockstar only reminded that players can currently save on games like Red Dead Redemption or GTA 5 in the Rockstar Store.
The post in question received over 7 million views, and the comments are filled with disappointed fans and people mocking the absurd theories.
@manchester_vo: The general disappointment when we saw your post notification and it was that.
@TheGTABase: My heart is broken. My soul is crushed. But I still love you, Rockstar Games.
@tourenscom: I can’t wait for people to decode this tweet and figure out the next date for the trailer.
On the same day, the GTA-6 subreddit announced the Lockdown Mode. Apparently, there were too many posts due to the sale reminder, which forced the mods to unlock individual threads and comments. All posts regarding the non-announcement were apparently not unlocked.
You haven’t claimed all the cool birthday rewards from World of Warcraft? Now is your last chance before the event ends.
In World of Warcraft, the event celebrating the 20th birthday of the MMORPG has been ongoing for several weeks. However, these celebrations are coming to an end, and along with them, many rewards will disappear, likely not to return for several years.
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WoW celebrates its 20th anniversary – Here’s what you can earn
How much time do you still have? The event ends on January 7, 2025 – so you have about 10 days left to stock up on all the rewards you want.
Which rewards are particularly important? Although all rewards are cosmetic and therefore not essential, you should secure the nice rewards while you still can. Particularly interesting are:
The high-resolution variants of the “Tier 2” sets that were available back in Blackwing Lair. Each class received such a new set.
Various Blizzard items, such as a visible ring, sword, or shield.
The rewards from previous birthday events.
Especially the nice tier sets work well for all classes and decrease in price. The first set still costs 60 tokens, the second only 40, and all subsequent ones just 20 tokens – the grind is becoming less and less.
Can you still get everything now? Yes, it is possible. If you haven’t done anything for the birthday event so far, you’ll need to invest some time, but it is still possible to obtain all the rewards now.
To do this, complete all major weekly quests, both in Khaz Algar and at the celebrations in Tanaris. After that, you will also complete the various puzzle quests available at the large tent in the center. Most puzzle quests are relatively simple and reward you with 5 or 10 tokens per quest series.
It is important that you reach the value of 100 collected Bronze Dragon Festival tokens. Because with this, you will receive an achievement, enabling you to farm unlimited tokens – for example through Timewalking dungeons. Each dungeon lasts only between 8 to 15 minutes (some even faster), allowing you to farm tokens fairly quickly – on all your characters. Feel free to combine this with leveling up your twinks. This way, you should be able to gather enough time and tokens to claim all rewards even now.
Also remember that you can exchange excess Bronze Dragon Festival tokens for Timeworn tokens before the event ends. This way, you can secure further rewards from the various Timewalking vendors in the upcoming weeks – after all, all vendors have new items in stock, for which you will need many tens of thousands of tokens. You can also grab other gifts right now – as the Winter Veil Festival is still ongoing!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Malmö, Sweden, a team of developers is currently working on The Division 3. But the game feels like it’s in an impossible situation. Nevertheless, there seems to be an air of confidence. MeinMMO author Schuhmann looks at the difficult situation surrounding the shooter game series
Why is the situation for The Division 3 so difficult? The team at Massive is indeed in a really tough spot:
Because the game series “The Division” was practically dead and canceled. If it had been up to Ubisoft, the expansion for The Division 2, “Warlords of New York” in March 2020 would have marked the end of development. However, Ubisoft realized how loyal and dedicated the fans of the game are, and development was ramped up again.
But the cessation of development meant a long content pause from which The Division 2 never fully recovered.
The Division 2 has been continued for years with seasonal content but is hardly being actively developed:
Start video
The Division 2 Shows Year 6 Season 2 in the Launch Trailer
What about other things in The Division universe? Up until around 2018, The Division was still the shining star in Ubisoft’s sky, and numerous new games and even a movie in The Division universe were announced:
We were actually supposed to be playing “The Division: Heartlands” by now, a Free2Play version of the shooter – but that was canceled, so Ubisoft apparently no longer has much confidence in the game series.
A mobile version “The Division: Resurgence” doesn’t really interest anyone. However, the game is supposed to be released in 2025.
Ubisoft has neglected The Division for Hollywood, but that brought no success
How are the developer and publisher doing? Ubisoft criticized The Division 2 back then for not meeting sales expectations. Therefore, they apparently shifted priorities and assigned the developers at Massive to big names from Hollywood. They even outbid a studio for the rights to Avatar that offered everyone a nose of cocaine.
However, the last two games from Massive Entertainment, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (72% Metacritic) and Star Wars: Outlaws (75% Metacritic), are considered flops that hardly excited anyone. Outlaws was mocked for its stealth requirement.
What is known about The Division 3? Absolutely nothing. Although the game recently has its own sub-section on the page of Massive Entertainment, there is no game presentation, no trailer, nothing at all.
It is only known that they are looking for “new people for the project” and that Julian Gerighty is leading the development. But based on the information from Massive Entertainment, one cannot even say that active work on the development is already underway.
The Technical Director of The Division 3 is proud of his engine
How do they spread good cheer?? In fact, they are currently celebrating themselves a bit for having the technician Nikolay Stefanov as the chief architect of the Snowdrop Engine and the Tech Director of The Division 3.
He proudly shares (via massive) how he landed in Malmö in 2009 and has been working on the engine that has proven how great it works and that it can now also present open-world sci-fi games wonderfully.
He is proud that the Snowdrop Engine has powered several “AAA” projects such as The Division 1 and 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and Star Wars Outlaws. In the two new games, they have made “great progress” in what is possible in open-world games and have upgraded the engine to the new generation of consoles.
The Tech Director emphasizes that the Snowdrop Engine achieves 60 FPS on consoles with ray tracing. They are particularly proud now that in an article by Digital Foundry, they are mentioned positively for Star Wars Outlaws as a game that shows what is possible with modern technology.
Ubisoft doesn’t have a good touch with The Division
Why is that so sad?: It is really hard as a fan of The Division to feel good or optimistic. This is because Ubisoft has handled the franchise too carelessly in recent years.
They have sidelined The Division to work on the big names Star Wars and Avatar, only to realize that this was a wrong path that brought no profit: Both games were unable to create the hype in gaming that The Division 1 and 2 did back then.
The neglected brand The Division has a lot of potential that has been left unattended for almost 6 years. Because “The Division” has always had a loyal and dedicated fanbase that spends hundreds and thousands of hours in the game and has been waiting for new content for years. There’s nothing comparable to The Division in the realm of a PvE cover shooter: Players love collecting items, perfecting their builds, and completing missions together as a team.
Especially the atmospheric tension in The Division games is considered exemplary for the genre, the US cities are beautifully captured, and the moral conflicts brought on by such a pandemic are wonderfully narrated.
Even with The Division 2, Ubisoft showed a lack of insight because they drew the wrong lessons from The Division 1 and left the improvements of the predecessor in replayability and different game modes behind to focus on delivering a better campaign.
The financial situation of Ubisoft reveals what a poor decision was made to neglect such a loyal and dedicated player base. We can only hope that Ubisoft will invest more resources into The Division 3. But at the moment, it does not look like we will be spending more time in the world of The Division in the coming years: “The Division was a masterpiece” – Players rave about New York in the winter of the great plague
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
According to current statistics, 18,945 new games have already been released on Steam in 2024: An indie game, Balatro, has received the best ratings on Steam and now, during the holidays, 10 months after release, it has more players on Steam than ever before.
This is what the statistics say: According to an analysis by SteamDB, 18,945 new games have been released on Steam in 2024. That’s another 5,000 more than in 2023, which was already a record high:
In 2006, only 70 new games were released on Steam
In 2014, the number of new games on Steam reached 1,745 for the first time, hitting four digits
In 2021, the number of new games on Steam hit 11,307, marking the first time it was in five digits.
However, of the nearly 19,000 new games released in 2024, only a few are truly played a lot.
With 96.75% positive reviews on Steam, no game has been recommended more than Balatro:
Start video
Trailer for the roguelike poker game Balatro by LocalThunk
Steam is a two-class society: Only 3,964 get the important features
How many notable games have been released on Steam in 2024? Steam is clearly a two-class society because not all games receive the same recognition on Steam.
Only 3,964 games out of nearly 19,000 received the most important Steam features, allowing them to grant measurable achievements or trading cards, badges, and emotes.
Only one full-price game makes it into the Top 10 of the highest-rated new games on Steam in 2024
These were the best new games of 2024: Ranking the new games by their ratings on Steam, free titles and indie games are mostly at the top.
The best new title of 2024 is the card game Balatro, created by a single developer. The game has now reached a new player peak with 39,430 concurrent players during the holidays. Balatro is priced at €12.59 on sale.
Other new top titles include MiSide, WEBFISHING, The WereCleaner, and Sheepy: A Short Adventure.
The first “full-price game” with a rating of over 95% positive reviews on Steam is Black Myth Wukong. The next game that costs more than €40 is Silent Hill 2 in 66th place.
Dwarves are very popular among gamers. They even have their own game category on Steam. Although they are actually a fantasy race, there are now space dwarves in several variations – even in Warhammer 40,000. MeinMMO explains who this stubborn little folk is.
Originally known as “Squats”, the space dwarves in Warhammer 40,000 are now referred to as the “Leagues of Votann”, or conglomerates of Votann. They are the newest complete race in tabletop gaming and were reintroduced in 2022.
The Squats are a people of clones and now call themselves “Kin”, meaning relatives. They are a small, sturdy race with a lot of technical expertise and a strong bond to their clan.
The Leagues of Votann live near the core of the galaxy, trade with other species, and do what dwarves do: hoard treasures, build fortresses, and keep to themselves. And, stubborn as dwarves are, they will not be driven away from there.
Now, this wouldn’t be Warhammer 40,000 if it were just some random race in the void that was discovered by chance. Behind the conglomerates of Votann lies a long and – as expected – quite absurd history.
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Der Cinematic-Trailer zu den Leagues of Votann in Warhammer 40.000
Stable Mutations or a New Species?
The Squats are actually descendants of the Imperium of Man, before it even became the Imperium. In the early days of human expansion, a group of explorers settled near the center of the galaxy.
Over thousands of years, this part of humanity evolved further, but not through pure evolution. The first of these ancestors ensured that these “settlers” had a chance of survival so close to the core of the galaxy.
Through targeted mutations, the clone strands literally bred certain traits into the Kin, such as:
denser flesh and denser bones for higher resilience
Infrared vision
Resistance to extreme temperatures, radiation, and gravity
The Kin are bred in “melting pots”, each using slightly different compositions of clone strands. This creates “Kindred”, or clans, whose bond is sometimes stronger than a familial one – after all, the Kin are clones.
Too Stubborn to Fall to Chaos
One of the special traits of the Kin is that they are nearly impervious to the whispers of Chaos. Their souls are virtually invisible in the Immaterium and correspondingly uninteresting to demons.
Sensitivity to the Warp is bred through clone strands. Accordingly, there are only a few psychers in the Leagues of Votann, and those Kin who can cast spells “shine” just strong enough to utilize a few minor powers.
Traveling through the Warp is possible, though considerably safer, but also more complicated. Compared to the horrors that humans must endure, this is likely an acceptable trade-off.
In contrast, it is known that there were indeed a few Squats who fell to Chaos. How relevant this is under the new rules remains to be seen.
These new traits have so distinguished the Kin from humans over the years that the Imperium is not quite sure whether they are still metamorphs, meaning mutants, or if they are already Xenos.
And the Kin do their best to hide their ancestry from humans from many millennia ago, for fear of being forcibly integrated into the Imperium. The people enjoy their independence and engage in trade with various other species.
Numerically, the Kin are quite a large race. However, since the conglomerates of Votann often travel in small fleets, they are often regarded as an insignificant species, for example by their partially allied Tau.
Additionally, it is known that the Leagues have had friendly contacts with the Eldar. They regularly go to war only with the warlike Orks and the awakening Necrons.
Fantasy Races in Warhammer 40,000: The worlds of Warhammer, both 40,000 and Fantasy/Age of Sigmar, are independent universes. Nevertheless, there are many counterparts for the various races. The Eldar correspond to the Elves, the Dark Eldar to the Dark Elves, and Gruflords are very similar to the Necrons. Many other races appear in 40,000 as mutations, such as Dwarves as Squats or Ogres as Ogryn.
The Vikings as an Inspiration for Space Dwarves
Although many Warhammer fans would probably see the Space Wolves as the space Vikings, the conglomerates have much more in common with the Nordic raiders. This is evident in their names.
Wotan is one of the many names of the Allfather Odin. Another name of Odin is Grimnir. The “living ancestors” of the Kin are referred to as Grimnyr.
In any case, ancestors are an important part of the culture of the conglomerates of Votann. In their belief, deceased Kin join the ranks of the ancestors, much like honorably fallen warriors among the Vikings do in Valhalla.
The administration of the individual clans is conducted through a “Spakerönde”, where various speakers gather and debate. In Norse culture, politics functioned similarly through a Thing.
A Grimnyr figure of the Leagues of Votann.
Technology That is Actually Forbidden Today
Since the Leagues of Votann are descendants of earlier humans, they have retained some technology from that time. However, it originates from the Dark Age of Technology, and much of it is strictly forbidden in the Imperium in the 41st millennium.
This includes artificial intelligences, which have been replaced in the Imperium by lobotomized humans. In the conglomerates, there are besides the Kin also the Ironkin, living and sentient machines. These are regarded as completely equal by the Kin.
Additionally, the Kin have excellent master blacksmiths and researchers. The old blueprints and technologies have been continually improved over the years. They are considered better and more efficient than their imperial counterparts. This fits perfectly, after all, the Kin are still dwarves in some way: Where do dwarves actually come from and why are they always such good blacksmiths?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As a successful Twitch streamer, one thing is essential: a product of your own. Whether it’s a short-term collaboration with a personal edition of the respective product or even starting your own business, many influencers establish a second source of income in this way. MeinMMO presents the 5 important products from streamers in 2024and rates them based on controversy.
What kind of ranking is this? We have looked at 5 products from well-known Twitch streamers and present them to you here. We have also included new varieties or products from already established brands.
Subsequently, we evaluated the products based on the level of controversy they sparked and how much the communities reacted to them.
Disclaimer: This ranking should not be taken too seriously. The controversies or opinions of the community say nothing about the quality of the products.
Even Twitch streamer Trymacs is part of this list. We present his career in our video:
Start video
Vom Pizza-Lieferant zu einem der größten deutschen Twitch-Streamer – Leben und Karriere von Trymacs in 2 Minuten
Place 5: Loops at VITA VATE by Elias, Sidney Friede and Niklas-Wilson
Release: November 2024
Price: 14.99 Euros to 27.99 Euros
Originally, VITA VATE was launched as a healthy alternative to soft drinks. The beverage is a mineral water enriched with many vitamins. But a lot has happened since the Vitamin Water.
There is now gum to go with it, and this year the VITA VATE Loops have been added. A cereal that comes in three different flavors: Choco-Caramel, Cinnamon, and Strawberry Cheesecake.
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The cereal seems to be selling well. Both trial packages and large packs are sold out in the shop. The products can be purchased not only in the own VITAVATE online shop but also at EDEKA, Kaufland, and Rewe, among others.
In our ranking, the Loops only made it to 5th place, as there was no major outcry around this product. Overall, the brand seems to be as innocent as possible.
The three Twitch streamers have managed to bring a brand and associated products to the market that remain far from controversy.
Place 4: Knabe Malz by HandOfBlood
Release: March 2024
Price: approx. 1.25 Euros per 0.5 l
With the slogan “First it cracks, then it bangs,” Twitch streamer and YouTuber HandOfBlood released his beverage Knabe Malz.
Knabe Malz is a malt beverage that is designed to resemble a beer in its presentation. HandOfBlood, in his role as President Knabe, is the face of the drink.
This is how Knabe Malz was announced in March 2024:
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At launch, HandOfBlood faced little backlash. Some community members criticized the branding surrounding the drink. The malt beverage was partly portrayed as if it contained alcohol.
Apart from these few voices, there was little criticism, and the community largely received the product positively. Therefore, it earns a well-deserved 4th place in our ranking.
Place 3: HAPPY CHIPS by Trymacs and Knossi
Release: September 2024
Price: approx. 2.29 Euros per 150 g
As part of the already established pizza brand HAPPY SLICE, Twitch streamers Trymacs and Knossi launched their own chip brand HAPPY CHIPS. They come in three flavors: Salted, Paprika, and Sour Cream & Onion. By the end of November, two more varieties were added: Tasty Truffle and Extra Cheese.
Here you can watch a video about Happy Chips:
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HAPPY CHIPS faced quite a bit of criticism. Once, the brand was accused of lacking creativity since there were only three standard flavors, and secondly, a specific marketing video was criticized.
In our ranking, HAPPY CHIPS thus takes 3rd place. These controversies are still manageable.
Place 2: Goodie – Fibii Edition Orange-Mint
Release: June 2024
Price: 0.79 Euros per 0.5 l
Twitch streamer Fibii has launched her own iced tea flavor in collaboration with Goodie. The Fibii edition is a blend of brewed green tea flavored with orange and mint. It is supposed to contain less sugar compared to other conventional iced teas.
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However, the iced tea faced several criticisms. The brand Slotea, which is behind the product and is also responsible for the BraTee, is not without concerns. They entice their customers with QR codes on the packaging for sweepstakes.
This presents a danger especially for children, as they are led to a gambling mechanism. The colorful design of the Goodie-Fibii Edition suggests that the drink primarily targets children.
Additionally, it was criticized that Fibii did not significantly enrich the market with another iced tea variety. Numerous influencers have already launched an iced tea or a similar beverage.
As the criticism was quite prevalent, including under the announcement video on YouTube, Fibii with her iced tea comes in at 2nd place.
Place 1: New Varieties of Gönrgy by MontanaBlack
Release: February, June and November 2024
Price: approx. 1.49 Euros per 0.5 l
The Gönrgy brand by MontanaBlack has existed since summer 2023. An energy drink that is sugar-free but still has a sweet taste.
Upon release, there were three varieties: Raspberry Cheesecake, Blueberry Coconut, and Tropical Exotic. Gönrgy is available at all major supermarkets and many gas stations as well.
In 2024, several varieties have been added:
Sweet Lemon
Juneberry Jam
White Peach
Arctic Ice
Cactus Kick
Plum Cinnamon
Tropical Guava
Here, Zarbex tried the latest varieties of Gönrgy:
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Gönrgy can hardly escape controversies. It feels like every announcement could trigger a shitstorm at any moment.
The energy drinks are criticized for being marketed to the young audience of MontanaBlack. An energy drink should only be consumed by those over 16 years of age, yet many in MontanaBlack’s target group have not reached this age.
MontanaBlack, as the creator of the brand, repeatedly casts a negative shadow on his own product through his controversial actions and statements. Whenever he faces criticism himself, criticism of his product is not far behind.
The energy drink by MontanaBlack rightly takes first place in our ranking. There are no other products with so many controversies surrounding them, as is the case with this product and Twitch streamer.
