One of the most important figures in Game of Thrones is Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage. Early on, he impressed with his cynicism, but also his intelligence. In an interview, the actor explained that Game of Thrones never felt like a big production and that this was good.
How did Peter Dinklage perceive the early days of Game of Thrones? Peter Dinklage participated throughout the course of Game of Thrones. As Tyrion Lannister, he became a fan favorite. In an interview with the YouTube channel FLAGRANT, he talked about the beginnings of the series. He is asked about his feelings after getting the role of Tyrion.
While Dinklage was pleased, he claimed to be quite cynical. He didn’t believe that something that felt so good would work. No one would want it.
He recounts how the first season had relatively little budget. However, he found the atmosphere that emerged from it to be very positive. This brought the cast and crew together. The trailers and the surroundings on set reportedly didn’t change much until the last season.
While costumes and sets were said to be extraordinary, he compares the atmosphere behind the camera to that of an indie film. And he sees that entirely positively.
When comparing the different seasons of Game of Thrones, you can see the difference in the budget:
Start video
Trailer for the first season of the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’
His friends behind the camera
In the interview, he is also asked if the writers tried to build up Tyrion further after the first season. He explains that in TV, they try to write the role for the actors. They try to highlight strengths and challenge weaknesses.
The writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are said to have become good friends, as they were the only Americans in the cast during the time of Season 1 with Jason Momoa. They spent a lot of time together outside of filming and talked about their families, for example.
This is also said to have helped the writers understand Dinklage and his character better and develop him accordingly.
How did it go for Dinklage after Game of Thrones? Even before and during Game of Thrones, Dinklage had several appearances in film and television. He appeared in franchise films such as X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, and Avengers: Infinity War.
Alien is a science fiction horror franchise that began in 1979 with Alien – The Eerie Creature from Another World. With Alien: Romulus, the latest installment of the series was released in 2024. In this context, MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes ranks all 7 films in the series.
How was this list created? The list ranks all Alien feature films from the original quadrilogy along with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. The latest installment Alien Romulus is also included. The two films about Alien vs. Predator are not taken into account in this list.
This list is based on the personal opinion of the author and does not consider objective factors such as IMDb ratings. If you have a different ranking, feel free to write it in the comments.
Alien: Covenant – Trailer for the Alien prequel with Michael Fassbender
Release: 2017
Alien: Covenant aims to explain more about the Xenomorphs as a direct sequel to Prometheus but fails miserably. There are some cool scenes here, but the story is once again a bit over the top and drags during the first half.
The Aliens themselves are okay, but one searches in vain for the brutal action of the second part or the horror from the first. Apart from Michael Fassbender, no actor stands out, leaving everyone as mere cannon fodder for the Xenomorphs.
6. Alien – The Resurrection
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Alien – The Resurrection – Trailer for the Alien Finale with Sigourney Weaver and Ron Perlman
Release: 1997
The fourth installment of the Alien series is simply too much. It involves clones, robots, bioweapons, and centers again on the Xenomorphs. However, they unfortunately take a back seat, and the film feels like a knockoff of Aliens – The Return, just with fewer aliens.
Often, the film feels like a typical Milla Jovovich film. At times, you feel like you’re in Underworld or Resident Evil. Ripley is incredibly unsympathetic in this film. There are occasionally interesting visuals and body horror elements, but the additional elements attributed to the Xenomorphs are just like everything else in the film, simply too much.
However, for a trashy movie night, the film is quite entertaining.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a survey on MeinMMO, we wanted to know from you which NPCs you would like to romance in Baldur’s Gate 3 if it were possible. We’ll reveal who made it to the winner’s podium.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has captured the hearts of numerous players, and the companions with whom you can have romances certainly contributed to that. However, there are also many other NPCs that secretly you wish you could date – even though that’s unfortunately not possible in the game. Therefore, we wanted to know which of these characters you would prefer to romance.
Start video
Baldur’s Gate 3 is 1 year old and to celebrate the creators share your dirty secrets
These are the results: Each of you could cast 3 votes. In total, there have been 948 votes since then, and participants could choose from 29 of the most popular NPCs from Baldur’s Gate 3.
Here we list the NPCs that made it to places 4-10:
With the option An Other, you could mention NPCs in the comments that were not part of the selection. For NatsuSenpaii, Karlach is the clear favorite who didn’t make it into the selection, as she can already be romanced. Feel free to share in the comments who you thought of when you voted for An Other.
We will now present the top 3 in more detail. It was a close neck-and-neck race between the 2nd and 3rd places, while the first place won by a wide margin.
Place 3: Orin
Orin narrowly missed the second place.
Result: 10 % with 140 votes
Orin is a sadistic shapeshifter. As a Chosen One of Bhaal, she enjoys killing and cruelly toying with her victims. Her ability to take on any form makes her unpredictable and dangerous. Orin’s complex family history, marked by abuse and betrayal, adds depth to her character. She also impresses with her cool design and clearly has many fans.
Isobel secured the second place – it was a tight race between Orin and her.
Result: 10 % with 141 votes
Isobel has secured the second place with her gentle nature and immense inner strength. She is a follower of the goddess Selûne and the daughter of the villain Ketheric Thorm. After her death and resurrection through a pact her father made with Myrkul, she fights against the forces of the Absolute. She is also the lover of Lady Aylin, the daughter of Selûne, and their relationship is inseparable. The two are an absolute dream couple.
However, one could hope that they would make room for a third person. A little dreaming is certainly allowed.
In first place is our favorite bard, Alfira! She is one of the refugees from Elturel and is known for her warm-hearted personality and musical talent. It’s no wonder that you crowned her as the winner. She charms almost everyone and undoubtedly belongs to the most popular characters in Baldur’s Gate 3. Nevertheless, her heart unfortunately belongs to Lakrissa, with whom she finds a happy ending. Alfira teaches every class how to play like a bard – unless she accidentally kills them
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Riot has been receiving a lot of criticism for its pricing in League of Legends. Both the Mythic Chromas and the Ahri Faker skin have been criticized for their high prices. This doesn’t seem to stop Riot, as in the next patch there will again be €200 skins.
Which Mythic variants are involved? In the next patch 14.17, of course, new skins will be released again. Battle-Queen skins are making a return once more. This time, Gwen, Miss Fortune, Annie, and Fiora will receive new skins. There will also be new Mythic variants for God-King Darius and God-King Garen.
As with the controversial Jhin skin, the Mythic variants for these skins are again only available through the Gacha system. With a lot of luck, you might pull the variants from loot boxes, with a chance of 1%. If you open 30 boxes, you are guaranteed to get the skin. This costs around €200, when looking at the prices of 30 boxes for the Chroma Admiral Battle Bunny Miss Fortune.
At least you do not need the original skins to use the Mythic variants. Many players like the new variants, even if many are upset with the Gacha system again.
Start video
Swarm – Trailer for the new LoL PvE mode
Scam or visually appealing?
How does the community react to the new variants? The basic design of the new God-King variants is liked by the community. Especially Darius as the enlightened knight and Garen as the fallen one. However, the pricing is labeled by many as scam when looking at the comments under the skin preview on YouTube.
@leifyor: Not another Mythic scam chroma
@hakselous: 2 Mythic scams for God King, although we wanted new skins for this skin line, and a comeback for the Battle Queen skin line
@silentkaise: The Mythic Chroma for Garen is so good.
@karsonkammerzelle6955: I don’t want the skins, but I want to say that the variants for Darius and Garen tell an interesting story.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
More about Gronkh
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
How did it all start? In 2010, Gronkh began producing videos for YouTube. Initially, game reviews in video form were planned, but he stumbled upon an emerging trend from the USA: Let’s Plays.
He initially wanted to pursue this only as a hobby, to game alongside his work as a programmer. Unlike structured game reviews, the videos followed no script; it was simply a free-flowing conversation.
Thus, the success was all the more surprising for Gronkh: Who would rather watch such a video than play themselves? Gronkh explained to Der Spiegel in 2012 that it was a bit like back in the day when you watched your big brother play (via spiegel.de).
What characterized the Let’s Plays? For the viewers, it was less about seeing great gameplay; they wanted to experience the games together with Gronkh and hear what he had to say. If everything didn’t go perfectly, the fun was even greater.
Gronkh was diligent and produced tons of content: On average, he released 2 episodes of Let’s Plays per day for games like Dragon Age: Origins, Monkey Island, or F.E.A.R.
The major success came with the blocky game Minecraft. Over more than 3 years, 1,278 episodes of Let’s Play were released, totaling over 21,000 gameplay minutes. Viewers loved the funny quotes and the sometimes somewhat ditzy demeanor of the YouTuber.
Quickly, the videos reached thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands of views. Episode 001 of Let’s Play Minecraft now has over 17 million views (as of January 27, 2023).
The right mix of excitement and humor has characterized Gronkh’s Let’s Plays then and now. He is never at a loss for a witty remark – like the pun we have embedded here:
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Video Games, Travel, and a Touch of Social Critique
How did his content develop? Gronkh did not stop at just uploading commented gameplay videos on YouTube, although that remains an essential part of his online presence to this day. Together with Sarazar, he also ran the channel Superhomies.
There, they documented their private and professional travels or showed themselves trying local dishes and snacks. Gronkh now says that it was actually a total “cheap idea.” How it became so popular remains a mystery to him to this day.
Furthermore, the two of them hosted a web show called Let’s Play Together on the former German YouTube competitor MyVideo. They left the show in 2014, which meant Gronkh was no longer exclusively tied to MyVideo.
Since 2014, he has been regularly featured on Twitch. There, he essentially does the same with his “Live Let’s Plays” as on YouTube, but live and with direct interaction with viewers.
Besides the enduring favorite Minecraft, Gronkh showcases various current games on Twitch, ranging from horror to point-and-click to The Sims. He also chats with his viewers in Just Chatting and has now started doing reactions.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
Erik Range was born in 1977 in Braunschweig and has become one of the largest German YouTubers and Twitch streamers as Gronkh. We provide you with an overview of the career of the first major GermanLet’s Player and show you where he stands in 2023.
Note: This article originally appeared on January 28, 2023. We revised it on January 31 and added some supplementary information.
It was mentioned in the original version that PlayMassive GmbH still operates several websites today. However, it is now active in the fields of film production and marketing under the name White Mandala GmbH.
Additionally, Gronkh pointed out in a stream on January 29 that he was not the first German Let’s Player. However, he contributed to making the genre “acceptable”. Content creators like “PunkRoyal” were already there before him (via gronkh.tv).
Original announcement:
Today, Gronkh is hardly absent from the German content creator scene. But the road to get there hasn’t always been easy: before his online career, Gronkh worked as an entrepreneur, web designer, and programmer.
In 2007, Gronkh founded PlayMassive GmbH together with his then-friend Valentin “Sarazar” Rahmel, which operated several websites. There, there were news and reviews of various games, especially in the MMORPG sector.
But there was a problem: fewer and fewer people wanted to read long game reviews, a new medium had to come.
This article originally appeared in January 2023 and was adapted for you in August 2024.
The Big Brother of the Internet
How did it all start? In 2010, Gronkh began producing videos for YouTube. Initially, game reviews in video form were planned, but he stumbled upon an emerging trend from the USA: Let’s Plays.
He initially wanted to pursue this only as a hobby, to game alongside his work as a programmer. Unlike structured game reviews, the videos followed no script; it was simply a free-flowing conversation.
Thus, the success was all the more surprising for Gronkh: Who would rather watch such a video than play themselves? Gronkh explained to Der Spiegel in 2012 that it was a bit like back in the day when you watched your big brother play (via spiegel.de).
What characterized the Let’s Plays? For the viewers, it was less about seeing great gameplay; they wanted to experience the games together with Gronkh and hear what he had to say. If everything didn’t go perfectly, the fun was even greater.
Gronkh was diligent and produced tons of content: On average, he released 2 episodes of Let’s Plays per day for games like Dragon Age: Origins, Monkey Island, or F.E.A.R.
The major success came with the blocky game Minecraft. Over more than 3 years, 1,278 episodes of Let’s Play were released, totaling over 21,000 gameplay minutes. Viewers loved the funny quotes and the sometimes somewhat ditzy demeanor of the YouTuber.
Quickly, the videos reached thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands of views. Episode 001 of Let’s Play Minecraft now has over 17 million views (as of January 27, 2023).
The right mix of excitement and humor has characterized Gronkh’s Let’s Plays then and now. He is never at a loss for a witty remark – like the pun we have embedded here:
Video Games, Travel, and a Touch of Social Critique
How did his content develop? Gronkh did not stop at just uploading commented gameplay videos on YouTube, although that remains an essential part of his online presence to this day. Together with Sarazar, he also ran the channel Superhomies.
There, they documented their private and professional travels or showed themselves trying local dishes and snacks. Gronkh now says that it was actually a total “cheap idea.” How it became so popular remains a mystery to him to this day.
Furthermore, the two of them hosted a web show called Let’s Play Together on the former German YouTube competitor MyVideo. They left the show in 2014, which meant Gronkh was no longer exclusively tied to MyVideo.
Since 2014, he has been regularly featured on Twitch. There, he essentially does the same with his “Live Let’s Plays” as on YouTube, but live and with direct interaction with viewers.
Besides the enduring favorite Minecraft, Gronkh showcases various current games on Twitch, ranging from horror to point-and-click to The Sims. He also chats with his viewers in Just Chatting and has now started doing reactions.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
Erik Range was born in 1977 in Braunschweig and has become one of the largest German YouTubers and Twitch streamers as Gronkh. We provide you with an overview of the career of the first major GermanLet’s Player and show you where he stands in 2023.
Note: This article originally appeared on January 28, 2023. We revised it on January 31 and added some supplementary information.
It was mentioned in the original version that PlayMassive GmbH still operates several websites today. However, it is now active in the fields of film production and marketing under the name White Mandala GmbH.
Additionally, Gronkh pointed out in a stream on January 29 that he was not the first German Let’s Player. However, he contributed to making the genre “acceptable”. Content creators like “PunkRoyal” were already there before him (via gronkh.tv).
Original announcement:
Today, Gronkh is hardly absent from the German content creator scene. But the road to get there hasn’t always been easy: before his online career, Gronkh worked as an entrepreneur, web designer, and programmer.
In 2007, Gronkh founded PlayMassive GmbH together with his then-friend Valentin “Sarazar” Rahmel, which operated several websites. There, there were news and reviews of various games, especially in the MMORPG sector.
But there was a problem: fewer and fewer people wanted to read long game reviews, a new medium had to come.
This article originally appeared in January 2023 and was adapted for you in August 2024.
The Big Brother of the Internet
How did it all start? In 2010, Gronkh began producing videos for YouTube. Initially, game reviews in video form were planned, but he stumbled upon an emerging trend from the USA: Let’s Plays.
He initially wanted to pursue this only as a hobby, to game alongside his work as a programmer. Unlike structured game reviews, the videos followed no script; it was simply a free-flowing conversation.
Thus, the success was all the more surprising for Gronkh: Who would rather watch such a video than play themselves? Gronkh explained to Der Spiegel in 2012 that it was a bit like back in the day when you watched your big brother play (via spiegel.de).
What characterized the Let’s Plays? For the viewers, it was less about seeing great gameplay; they wanted to experience the games together with Gronkh and hear what he had to say. If everything didn’t go perfectly, the fun was even greater.
Gronkh was diligent and produced tons of content: On average, he released 2 episodes of Let’s Plays per day for games like Dragon Age: Origins, Monkey Island, or F.E.A.R.
The major success came with the blocky game Minecraft. Over more than 3 years, 1,278 episodes of Let’s Play were released, totaling over 21,000 gameplay minutes. Viewers loved the funny quotes and the sometimes somewhat ditzy demeanor of the YouTuber.
Quickly, the videos reached thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands of views. Episode 001 of Let’s Play Minecraft now has over 17 million views (as of January 27, 2023).
The right mix of excitement and humor has characterized Gronkh’s Let’s Plays then and now. He is never at a loss for a witty remark – like the pun we have embedded here:
Video Games, Travel, and a Touch of Social Critique
How did his content develop? Gronkh did not stop at just uploading commented gameplay videos on YouTube, although that remains an essential part of his online presence to this day. Together with Sarazar, he also ran the channel Superhomies.
There, they documented their private and professional travels or showed themselves trying local dishes and snacks. Gronkh now says that it was actually a total “cheap idea.” How it became so popular remains a mystery to him to this day.
Furthermore, the two of them hosted a web show called Let’s Play Together on the former German YouTube competitor MyVideo. They left the show in 2014, which meant Gronkh was no longer exclusively tied to MyVideo.
Since 2014, he has been regularly featured on Twitch. There, he essentially does the same with his “Live Let’s Plays” as on YouTube, but live and with direct interaction with viewers.
Besides the enduring favorite Minecraft, Gronkh showcases various current games on Twitch, ranging from horror to point-and-click to The Sims. He also chats with his viewers in Just Chatting and has now started doing reactions.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
Erik Range was born in 1977 in Braunschweig and has become one of the largest German YouTubers and Twitch streamers as Gronkh. We provide you with an overview of the career of the first major GermanLet’s Player and show you where he stands in 2023.
Note: This article originally appeared on January 28, 2023. We revised it on January 31 and added some supplementary information.
It was mentioned in the original version that PlayMassive GmbH still operates several websites today. However, it is now active in the fields of film production and marketing under the name White Mandala GmbH.
Additionally, Gronkh pointed out in a stream on January 29 that he was not the first German Let’s Player. However, he contributed to making the genre “acceptable”. Content creators like “PunkRoyal” were already there before him (via gronkh.tv).
Original announcement:
Today, Gronkh is hardly absent from the German content creator scene. But the road to get there hasn’t always been easy: before his online career, Gronkh worked as an entrepreneur, web designer, and programmer.
In 2007, Gronkh founded PlayMassive GmbH together with his then-friend Valentin “Sarazar” Rahmel, which operated several websites. There, there were news and reviews of various games, especially in the MMORPG sector.
But there was a problem: fewer and fewer people wanted to read long game reviews, a new medium had to come.
This article originally appeared in January 2023 and was adapted for you in August 2024.
The Big Brother of the Internet
How did it all start? In 2010, Gronkh began producing videos for YouTube. Initially, game reviews in video form were planned, but he stumbled upon an emerging trend from the USA: Let’s Plays.
He initially wanted to pursue this only as a hobby, to game alongside his work as a programmer. Unlike structured game reviews, the videos followed no script; it was simply a free-flowing conversation.
Thus, the success was all the more surprising for Gronkh: Who would rather watch such a video than play themselves? Gronkh explained to Der Spiegel in 2012 that it was a bit like back in the day when you watched your big brother play (via spiegel.de).
What characterized the Let’s Plays? For the viewers, it was less about seeing great gameplay; they wanted to experience the games together with Gronkh and hear what he had to say. If everything didn’t go perfectly, the fun was even greater.
Gronkh was diligent and produced tons of content: On average, he released 2 episodes of Let’s Plays per day for games like Dragon Age: Origins, Monkey Island, or F.E.A.R.
The major success came with the blocky game Minecraft. Over more than 3 years, 1,278 episodes of Let’s Play were released, totaling over 21,000 gameplay minutes. Viewers loved the funny quotes and the sometimes somewhat ditzy demeanor of the YouTuber.
Quickly, the videos reached thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands of views. Episode 001 of Let’s Play Minecraft now has over 17 million views (as of January 27, 2023).
The right mix of excitement and humor has characterized Gronkh’s Let’s Plays then and now. He is never at a loss for a witty remark – like the pun we have embedded here:
Video Games, Travel, and a Touch of Social Critique
How did his content develop? Gronkh did not stop at just uploading commented gameplay videos on YouTube, although that remains an essential part of his online presence to this day. Together with Sarazar, he also ran the channel Superhomies.
There, they documented their private and professional travels or showed themselves trying local dishes and snacks. Gronkh now says that it was actually a total “cheap idea.” How it became so popular remains a mystery to him to this day.
Furthermore, the two of them hosted a web show called Let’s Play Together on the former German YouTube competitor MyVideo. They left the show in 2014, which meant Gronkh was no longer exclusively tied to MyVideo.
Since 2014, he has been regularly featured on Twitch. There, he essentially does the same with his “Live Let’s Plays” as on YouTube, but live and with direct interaction with viewers.
Besides the enduring favorite Minecraft, Gronkh showcases various current games on Twitch, ranging from horror to point-and-click to The Sims. He also chats with his viewers in Just Chatting and has now started doing reactions.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
Erik Range was born in 1977 in Braunschweig and has become one of the largest German YouTubers and Twitch streamers as Gronkh. We provide you with an overview of the career of the first major GermanLet’s Player and show you where he stands in 2023.
Note: This article originally appeared on January 28, 2023. We revised it on January 31 and added some supplementary information.
It was mentioned in the original version that PlayMassive GmbH still operates several websites today. However, it is now active in the fields of film production and marketing under the name White Mandala GmbH.
Additionally, Gronkh pointed out in a stream on January 29 that he was not the first German Let’s Player. However, he contributed to making the genre “acceptable”. Content creators like “PunkRoyal” were already there before him (via gronkh.tv).
Original announcement:
Today, Gronkh is hardly absent from the German content creator scene. But the road to get there hasn’t always been easy: before his online career, Gronkh worked as an entrepreneur, web designer, and programmer.
In 2007, Gronkh founded PlayMassive GmbH together with his then-friend Valentin “Sarazar” Rahmel, which operated several websites. There, there were news and reviews of various games, especially in the MMORPG sector.
But there was a problem: fewer and fewer people wanted to read long game reviews, a new medium had to come.
This article originally appeared in January 2023 and was adapted for you in August 2024.
The Big Brother of the Internet
How did it all start? In 2010, Gronkh began producing videos for YouTube. Initially, game reviews in video form were planned, but he stumbled upon an emerging trend from the USA: Let’s Plays.
He initially wanted to pursue this only as a hobby, to game alongside his work as a programmer. Unlike structured game reviews, the videos followed no script; it was simply a free-flowing conversation.
Thus, the success was all the more surprising for Gronkh: Who would rather watch such a video than play themselves? Gronkh explained to Der Spiegel in 2012 that it was a bit like back in the day when you watched your big brother play (via spiegel.de).
What characterized the Let’s Plays? For the viewers, it was less about seeing great gameplay; they wanted to experience the games together with Gronkh and hear what he had to say. If everything didn’t go perfectly, the fun was even greater.
Gronkh was diligent and produced tons of content: On average, he released 2 episodes of Let’s Plays per day for games like Dragon Age: Origins, Monkey Island, or F.E.A.R.
The major success came with the blocky game Minecraft. Over more than 3 years, 1,278 episodes of Let’s Play were released, totaling over 21,000 gameplay minutes. Viewers loved the funny quotes and the sometimes somewhat ditzy demeanor of the YouTuber.
Quickly, the videos reached thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands of views. Episode 001 of Let’s Play Minecraft now has over 17 million views (as of January 27, 2023).
The right mix of excitement and humor has characterized Gronkh’s Let’s Plays then and now. He is never at a loss for a witty remark – like the pun we have embedded here:
Video Games, Travel, and a Touch of Social Critique
How did his content develop? Gronkh did not stop at just uploading commented gameplay videos on YouTube, although that remains an essential part of his online presence to this day. Together with Sarazar, he also ran the channel Superhomies.
There, they documented their private and professional travels or showed themselves trying local dishes and snacks. Gronkh now says that it was actually a total “cheap idea.” How it became so popular remains a mystery to him to this day.
Furthermore, the two of them hosted a web show called Let’s Play Together on the former German YouTube competitor MyVideo. They left the show in 2014, which meant Gronkh was no longer exclusively tied to MyVideo.
Since 2014, he has been regularly featured on Twitch. There, he essentially does the same with his “Live Let’s Plays” as on YouTube, but live and with direct interaction with viewers.
Besides the enduring favorite Minecraft, Gronkh showcases various current games on Twitch, ranging from horror to point-and-click to The Sims. He also chats with his viewers in Just Chatting and has now started doing reactions.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
A particular highlight is the annually held charity show Friendly Fire, which he organizes together with the gaming group PietSmiet. It alternates on the channels of Gronkh and PietSmiet.
These social aspects are very important to Gronkh: In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explained as early as 2016 that while his content serves entertainment, he still incorporates important topics and positive values.
I play games and talk about them. You don’t win an Oscar for that, and you rather occupy a niche program. I am aware that the “Let’s Play” format does not have the highest intellectual demands. But I want to entertain people well and take them emotionally along while playing. And I also occasionally weave social critique into my program, advocating for unity. This can only be superficial, but I would at least like to touch on the topic.
By the way, Gronkh is also active as a voice actor: for example, the YouTuber was heard in Just Cause 3, The LEGO Batman Movie, Spider-Man: A New Universe, and Life is Strange: True Colors.
The Greatest Successes So Far
This is how successful Gronkh became: From one of the first German Let’s Players, Gronkh developed into the largest YouTuber in Germany. Between 2014 and 2016, Gronkh had the most subscribed YouTube channel in Germany.
For his work, Gronkh has already received several awards. He won three times at the German Web Video Award in 2012, received the Golden Play Button in 2013 for having more than one million subscribers on YouTube, and made it into the Hall of Fame of the Computer Game Museum in Berlin in 2014.
He can hardly fathom the latter even nearly 9 years later:
Being in the Computer Game Museum is still a great honor for me. It still sounds strange to me, but it really means a lot to me to be there. […] I just love gaming; it is a part of my childhood, it is a part of my entire life.
There were further awards at the German Web Video Award in 2014 and 2015, and in 2020, Gronkh was awarded “Best Streamer” at the Gamescom Awards.
In addition, there were television appearances, such as with Stefan Raab and Jan Böhmermann.
An rather unpleasant milestone for Gronkh came in 2018: After several large streamers came under the scrutiny of the state media authorities, he became the first German content creator to apply for and receive a broadcasting license – albeit under protest.
Also Successful as a Voice Actor
What else does Gronkh do apart from gaming? Gronkh’s voice not only sounds good in streams or Let’s Plays. As a voice actor, the 47-year-old has also achieved some success.
Initially, he only voiced small roles in indie games like “Harvey’s New Eyes” or “Chaos on Deponia.” He then received a somewhat larger role as Chief of Police Heat in the game “Just Cause 3”.
He quickly made the transition from video games to films: in 2017, in the feature film “Resident Evil 6: The Final Chapter,” the Joker in “The LEGO Batman Movie,” or as Fisk in the animated film “Spider-Man: A New Universe.”
Where Does Gronkh Stand Today?
Unlike other early stars of the German YouTube scene, Gronkh remains active to this day and has stayed true to himself. He still regularly uploads 1-2 Let’s Plays per day on YouTube and streams on Twitch.
The concept still works: His main channel remains one of the most subscribed German YouTube channels with 4.9 million subscribers.
In December 2022, he ranked 6th among German-language channels, but now has to concede defeat to Julien Bam. Gronkh, however, sees this as justified: JulienBam is the Netflix among German YouTubers; one simply has to respect what he is creating.
These types of success were never especially important to the content creator: he didn’t want to be in the spotlight; he preferred to be on eye level with his viewers. Today, he seems to focus mainly on what makes him happy: creating Let’s Plays and having a good time with his viewers.
On Twitch, Gronkh regularly makes it to the top 5 biggest German streamers. On average, between 15,000 and 20,000 people watch him live when he is streaming – when he participates as Bronko the Brachiale at the Pen’n’Paper event H.O.R.D.E, it is even more (via sullygnome).
In a YouTube video from June 20, 2024, Gronkh mentioned that he is currently enjoying streaming more than recording Let’s Plays. In the future, we will likely see more streams and have to wait for the familiar Let’s Plays.
While playing Forspoken, the AAA disaster from Square Enix, Gronkh even ranked as the most-viewed streamer ahead of English-speaking giants like Asmongold (via sullygnome).
In February, Gronkh was once again the biggest streamer in Germany with the survival favorite Sons of the Forest. For fans, this evoked many fond memories of how the streamer played the first part in 2018.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new cinematic for World of Warcraft showcases the backstory of Alleria – and in an interesting “anime look”.
Following a brief teaser two days ago, Blizzard has now released a new cinematic for the upcoming expansion World of Warcraft: The War Within. Besides the backstory of Alleria, we also see a new way of presentation, as Blizzard opts for a cartoon look this time, exciting the fans.
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Alleria: Light and Shadows – WoW Cinematic to The War Within
What can be seen in the video? The cinematic “Alleria: Light and Shadow” shows, as previously suspected, the backstory of Alleria. She is one of the protagonists of the new WoW expansion “The War Within” and will play a significant role in this addon and probably also in the next two ones (“Midnight” and “The Last Titan”).
Alleria tells her story. During the Second War (“Warcraft II”), she defended Quel’Thalas alongside Sylvanas, but ultimately chose the Alliance over her own people. She traveled to the shattered world and fell in love with Turalyon, with whom she later had her son Arathor.
She left Arathor in the shattered world when she set off with Turalyon to the twisting Nether to fight against the Legion and later to join the Army of Light. There, Alleria also came into contact with Void magic, which she ultimately used to save Turalyon, even though he did not approve of the development.
Alleria is sure she wouldn’t have made any other choice. She sees herself as a “soldier of Azeroth” and is ready to defend her homeland – even if it means giving up everything else.
This is how the community reacts: The special thing about the cinematic is clearly the form of presentation, as it is a fully animated “cartoon” sequence reminiscent of 90s series. Since World of Warcraft already relies on comic graphics, the style fits quite well and is also massively praised in the comments on YouTube. However, most fans want this to finally become a full series and not just a 5-minute video.
“I would like to order this with 10 seasons, each with 21 episodes. Thank you in advance!” – syclis192
“How awesome was that?! Please Blizzard, do all of us a favor and make a series out of it!!” – Aisuru91
“Arcane and Edgerunner have shown that video game series work. So Blizzard, please hear our prayers.” – blueeye1415
The hunger for “more” of these animations is clearly there. However, there are currently no indications that a full series is actually in development. But at least a little hope can be held, especially since the rumors of a second part of the Warcraft film were just figments of imagination.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fortnite starts today with Chapter 5 Season 4. A new theme, weapons, and skins await you in the big update, but what do the details say? We show you everything important about the release and leaks for the upcoming season.
Update, August 16: The article has been reviewed and updated with the downtime times.
When does Chapter 5 Season 4 start? If all goes according to plan, Chapter 5 Season 4 will start on August 16, provided there is no prolonged downtime. So far, Epic Games has revealed via x.com (formerly Twitter) that the servers will be shut down at 8 PM CET on August 15. Leakers believe (via x.com) that the downtime will last up to 5 hours.
During this time, we will have a ticker running and will provide you with the most important information. So feel free to join us!
With our directory, you can quickly jump to specific topics.
[toc]
Fortnite: Chapter 5 Season 4 is a Marvel Season
What theme will be released? After a small live event opened the box of Pandora, Doctor Doom came and opened it to absorb its powers. This was followed by a short trailer that revealed the new theme of Season 4: Absolutely Doom.
Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5 Season 4 – Official Trailer to Absolute Doom
In Chapter 5 Season 4, everything revolves around superheroes from the Marvel universe again. In this season, you will once again be able to use the powers of the Avengers to uphold justice and order, or side with evil to defeat the good – the choice is yours.
Fortnite: Chapter 5 Season 4 – All Skins from the Battle Pass
Which skins will be in the Battle Pass? The entire lineup of the upcoming Battle Pass has also been revealed. You can expect the following skins:
Gwenpool (first skin in the Battle Pass)
War Machine
Peelverine
Emma Frost
Captain Jonesy
Mysterio
Shuri
Doctor Doom (secret skin)
All skins from the upcoming Battle Pass of Chapter 5 Season 4
How will the map change? Players could already see in the trailer how Doctor Doom pulled his large green castle out of the ground. However, with his castle come many other map changes as well as a large dark tower that spews red smoke.
Will there be a big live event at the end of Season 3? That is very unlikely. Recently, Epic Games released a small live event in which a pipeline from Doctor Doom was blown up to open the box of Pandora. After that, a short trailer was released announcing the new season.
Now there are only a few days left until the start of Absolutely Doom, and leakers have also found nothing in the data that would suggest a live event at the end of Season 3.
These were all the important details about the end of Chapter 5 Season 3. Are you excited about a possible Marvel season? And which heroes would you like to see in the Battle Pass? Let us know in the comments! More about the upcoming weapons can be found here: Fortnite: All weapons from Chapter 5 Season 4 at a glance
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Elden Ring and the release of Shadow of the Erdtree led to a major financial success that came at just the right time for the parent company of FromSoftware.
Who is the parent company of FromSoftware? The Japanese studio is 69.66% owned by Kadowaka, a media company that operates in various sectors. In addition to games, they also release films, such as the critically acclaimed Your Name, celebrated by many anime fans, and print media.
In June 2024, the company fell victim to a cyberattack. A business report shows that Kadowaka suffered significant losses (via automaton-media.com). Fortunately, shortly thereafter, the DLC for Elden Ring was released.
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Elden Ring shows the DLC ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ in the story trailer
Video games saved the day
What did the losses look like? The attack resulted in data losses and disruptions to the company’s various services. Additionally, compensation payments had to be made. In total, Kadowaka reports losses of about 2 billion yen, which is approximately 12.2 million euros.
For the company, this meant a decline in net profit of 10.1%. Despite these losses, there was a significant increase in profits. The reason? Video games, which helped the parent company of FromSoftware achieve a total profit increase of 84.6% compared to the previous year.
Among the releases are Elden Ring and especially the DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, which also released in June. The expansion was well received by both the press and fans, though it was not without criticism. Overall, it likely brought in considerable revenue for Kadowaka. This is also highlighted in the report. Particularly the sales in Japan, both of the main game and the expansion, were key factors for the tremendous growth. Specific sales figures are not mentioned.
Overall, Kadowaka’s video game sector is growing rapidly and has increased by a whopping 80% compared to the previous year. With such blockbusters like Elden Ring, that’s not surprising.
In this case, the Japanese company had luck in misfortune. The timing of the release of Shadow of the Erdtree was just right and spared the parent company from a significant loss. By the way, the game is full of little details that many of you may not have noticed while playing. A YouTuber has now shown why one of the DLC bosses is a masterpiece in its own right.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In addition to the technical issues of the current Pokémon games, the difficulty is a major point of criticism. Many find the RPG series simply too easy. Until Scarlet and Violet, there was a way to make the game harder, but hardly anyone used it.
The Pokémon games are far too easy. This is especially disliked by adult fans of the series, who have long been wishing for a hard mode. At least the option would sweeten the experience for many players.
Interestingly, there has been an option since the beginning of the series that made the game significantly more difficult, but hardly anyone used it. In the settings, you can switch your battle style. You can choose between Switch and Follow. With Follow, the game becomes significantly more challenging.
The latest Pokémon installment no longer offers this option:
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New trailer for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet divides fans: ‘Ambitious’ and ‘rough’
Option that is rarely used
What does the setting Follow bring?Switch is automatically activated and ensures that when you defeat an opponent’s Pokémon, there is a message indicating which Pokémon will be called next. You can then switch in a new Pokémon without sacrificing a turn.
This gives you an advantage over the NPC, allowing you to react without any downside, for instance, to compensate for type weaknesses.
With Follow, it looks very different. There, the opponent’s next Pokémon is called without warning. If you want or need to switch, the new Pokémon has to withstand an attack from the opponent. Pokémon Legends Arceus only had this option.
Follow is used by very few players, as it was mostly hidden in the settings. If you want to change that, you have to do it consciously. This is often configured by players during so-called Nuzlocke challenges, precisely because of the difficulty.
The latest installment of the series, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, no longer had this option. Whether the setting will return in the future is unclear.
A Pokémon game has tried even more. Pokémon Black 2 had the Hurdle Mode. As Pokéwiki explains, the games then had the following difficulties:
The levels of opponents are increased by up to 5 levels
Gym leaders and Elite Four have more Pokémon and different moves and items
Unfortunately, you could only unlock the mode after the Pokémon League, meaning you could not choose it from the start. After the story, you unlock the Hurdle Key, which makes everything harder for you in the postgame. If you want to start with that directly, you have to have a friend send you the key.
A total of 248 games from a single developer have suddenly disappeared from Steam. This is by no means a mistake, but rather a deliberate action by Valve.
Which studio is involved? During your forays into the Steam store, you may have come across the name “Atomic Factory.” This developer has an absurdly high number of games on Steam, most of which are low-budget productions.
“Atomic Factory” is a studio that employs the method of “asset flipping.” They purchase pre-made assets, meaning elements for a game, and reuse them with little modification. A popular case of a game that resulted from this is the recent scandal surrounding The Day Before.
However, this alone is not enough for Steam to simply delete nearly 250 games from the platform. The real issue lies much more in the methods by which “Atomic Factory” made money in the past.
This is what the gameplay of Valve’s new game Sleet Fighter looks like
Expensive games and many positive reviews
How did the business model work? Many games from “Atomic Factory” waited on Steam with absurdly high prices. Here, one paid well over the classic full price of 60 Euros. 90 Euros and more were normal, and some games even cost up to 260 Euros.
If one was willing to spend that much money, the understandably high expectations were disappointed. The games were of low quality and not worth the price asked. Nevertheless, they had numerous positive reviews on Steam. How was that possible?
The trick was to initially offer a game cheaply, often for just under a Euro. After that, positive reviews were purchased and the rating improved. Then the studio gradually raised the price of a game to such an extent that hardly anyone would buy it through conventional means.
The games then found their way into Random Key Bundles, which users can purchase through third parties. These usually cost only a few euros and promise a certain number of random games – while also guaranteeing a certain quality based on Steam reviews.
Since the games from “Atomic Factory” already had many (purchased) positive reviews at this point, they fell into this category. In this way, the studio sold its titles actively, just through key bundles. A developer on Steam has 5,000 keys available per game.
By the way, it is not relevant whether buyers of the key bundles leave a bad review afterward. Because the bundles only count reviews that come from direct purchases. Keys do not count.
Valve has now intervened in this case and deleted a large part of the catalog of “Atomic Factory” from Steam. Were you already familiar with the studio and their games? Have you played one? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments. Another game on Steam recently faced accusations of being a scam. Read on MeinMMO to find out what it’s all about and what experts have to say.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
If you enjoy dull and bloody fighting against zombies, then you could let loose in Dead Island 2 in 2023. In Los Angeles, you fought against countless undead, including in co-op mode. The studio behind the game has now announced that it will deliver two new modes for free in October.
What kind of game is Dead Island 2?Dead Island 2 had a chaotic development history. Fans had to wait for years for the sequel, but it finally appeared in 2023 and was a solid success. In the game, you must defend yourself against zombie hordes in L.A. You have a variety of crazy ranged and melee weapons at your disposal, some of which can be combined with new elements and other weapons.
All of this can also be played in co-op. After the release, there were two paid story DLCs. More than a year after the release, the studio behind Dead Island 2, Dambuster Studios, announced new content for the zombie game. Two new modes will be coming soon, and they are free for all players.
You can find a trailer for the main game here:
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Dead Island 2 releases after 9 years of development and is directly a hit
2 new modes with new content
What are these new modes? First, there will be a New-Game-Plus mode. In this mode, you can replay the main story of the game with a new difficulty level. To make things a little fresher, there will be a new skill slot and a new level cap.
In addition, there will be new skins and weapons with which you can defeat new enemies.
The more interesting new content is the mode Neighborhood Watch, which translates roughly to Neighborhood Watch. In this new horde mode, you must defend a house with your friends from hordes of zombies.
The mode will take place in 5 stages, structured as Days. You must complete missions, set traps, and upgrade your arsenal. On the fifth day, a massive wave will come that will demand a lot from you.
This mode will also feature new weapons, skins, a new location, and new mechanics that did not exist in the game before.
When will the update be released? Patch 6 is scheduled to be released on October 22, 2024, which will provide the New-Game-Plus mode and Neighborhood Watch for free for everyone. You can play the game on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic.
How long should streamers take a break after being publicly exposed? For the streamer DrDisrespect, the answer is “About 51 days.” That’s how long his vacation has been so far, but it seems to be coming to an end soon. Not everyone is excited about that.
What is he returning from?
DrDisrespect announced on June 24 that he was moving up a planned vacation and disappearing from the public eye for a while. What he frames as a “I actually wanted to be away for a while anyway because everything is annoying me, so I’m doing it earlier” decision was, in the eyes of many critics, a consequence after he was publicly exposed and lost all his sponsors.
The announcement of the vacation came when his own gaming studio distanced itself from him amid a scandal: DrDisrespect admitted to exchanging messages with a minor in 2017 that were “occasionally” somewhat inappropriate.
But now it seems he has had enough of the vacation.
The ban of DrDisrespect has been one of the biggest mysteries in the gaming world for years. It was suspected that Twitch had parted ways with him due to a financial dispute:
Start video
DrDisrespect was a celebrity on Twitch – His ban remains a big mystery to this day
What does he announce: Today around midnight, he announced he would be back soon. There’s a lot to discuss.
How is this commented on? His return is largely met with very nasty comments:
“They call you a child-molester on X, Doc.”
“Yeah, right, we know on which island you spent your vacation” – a reference to the pedophilia scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein, who allegedly did unspeakable things on a private island in the Virgin Islands.
Someone also posts the meme where someone is “putting on a good face for a bad game.”
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Where does DrDisrespect want to return to? That’s a problem:
He can’t return to Twitch; he is permanently banned there.
On YouTube, where he has streamed for the past few years, he is also no longer welcome. While he can still stream there, he has been cut off from earning money there.
Kick seems to be the only option left. The controversial platform, closely tied to a crypto casino, appears to be the hottest candidate for a return right now.
The new Borderlands movie is disappointing in every way. A German director seems particularly pleased about this. He mocks the very low box office result of the video game adaptation on Twitter, even though his own works performed even worse at the box office.
Who is mocking Borderlands? The German director, producer, and screenwriter Uwe Boll is likely a name many of you recognize. In the 2000s, he was THE guy when it came to bringing gaming franchises to the big screen or to video rental stores on a somewhat low budget but with some well-known actors.
At the same time, he was one of the main reasons why video game adaptations earned a bad reputation for years. His filmography includes:
House of the Dead (with Jürgen Prochnow)
Alone in the Dark (with Christian Slater, Tara Reid, and Stephen Dorff)
BloodRayne (with Ben Kingsley, Meat Loaf, Michael Madsen, Udo Kier, Michelle Rodriguez, Kristanna Loken) plus sequels
Postal (with Zack Ward, Ralf Moeller, J.K. Simmons)
In the Name of the King – A Dungeon Siege Tale (with Jason Statham, John Rhys-Davies, Ray Liotta, Burt Reynolds, Ron Perlman, Claire Forlani, Kristanna Loken) plus sequels
Far Cry (with Til Schweiger, Udo Kier, Ralf Moeller, Emmanuelle Vaugier)
Uwe Boll is also known for not holding back his opinions and is willing to fight critics in the boxing ring if necessary (via spiegel.de).
Here is one of the trailers for the new adaptation of Borderlands:
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English trailer for the video game adaptation Borderlands
The wrong man for the director’s chair?
What does Uwe Boll say about Borderlands? The new video game adaptation of the Borderlands franchise is directed by Eli Roth (Hostel, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds, Thanksgiving), who also has a well-known cast – including Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Haley Bennett, and Jack Black.
However, many of the viewers so far have expressed disappointment with the quality of the film – including MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes. The disappointment is reflected at the box office: According to boxofficemojo.com, only about 15 million US dollars have been made worldwide so far, with production costs of about 115 million US dollars (not including marketing and distribution costs).
A corresponding report from IGN is commented on by Uwe Boll via X with a bit of schadenfreude: “Ha ha. My movies were rated for audiences 18 and over and made more money than this one. Now you wish I had directed it.” Boll is confident that he would have made a better film – the ultimate punishment for Eli Roth’s team.
In response to the well-supported observation by YouTuber SSFF via X, that Boll’s films “House of the Dead,” “Alone in the Dark,” “BloodRayne,” and “Dungeon Siege” performed even worse at the box office, the director replied with “Wrong” and the image: “Boll is back! 41 billion illegal downloads!”
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What is Uwe Boll doing now? The German filmmaker is now a podcaster (via podcasters.spotify.com) and an author (via amazon.com), but he also continues to work as a director, screenwriter, and producer. His current project is called “First Shift,” which is set to hit theaters in the fall of 2024 and revolves around the dangerous daily life of cops in New York.
If you’re interested in some exciting anecdotes from Uwe Boll, we recommend episode 18 of the Pixelkino podcast (via pixelkino-podcast.com). In this episode, hosts Christian Genzel and Heinrich Lenhardt talk to Uwe Boll about some of his video game adaptations, mistakes made, and current projects.
For instance, Boll mentions that he reportedly owned the licenses for Fear Effect and Baldur’s Gate at one point, but nothing came of these two projects. The same goes for a Dungeon Siege production that the director wanted to do for Netflix. These were not the only rejections for Boll: The German director wanted to make the Warcraft film – but Blizzard found him too bad
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Genshin Impact is one of the most popular free-to-play games today. With the latest update, the world level is increased, which brings some advantages for the players.
What are the new features in the update? Update 5.0 brings a lot of new things. Here are the biggest changes:
Unlocking World Level 9
the new Natlan region
better loot opportunities
new characters
In the new trailer, Genshin Impact already teased the new Natlan region:
Start video
Genshin Impact teases the Natlan region and new characters
Here’s what the new update looks like
What will change? The world of Genshin Impact has only been levelable up to level 8 since the game’s release. This means that players who have reached a high level did not see any real challenge in the enemies. However, this is supposed to change with the 5.0 update.
The developers are adding World Level 9, which you can unlock at Adventure Level 58. The enemies are supposed to become roughly ten levels harder, but will also drop more loot. The base drop rate of the following enemies will be increased:
Wraith
Abyss Mage
Nobushi
Kairagi
Ruins Guardian
Ruins Hunter
Ruins Colossus
Additionally, it will be easier to collect materials to level up your characters. If you defeat a world boss, you will receive at least three materials for character enhancement. This greatly speeds up the leveling of your characters.
What else is new? There are also smaller changes.
regional features can now be located more easily with a new search function on the map
limit of map markers increased by 50
eight new artifact sets for conversion
the burden of the Pot of Transience and the limit of the decoration inventory will be increased
notice before using special recipes
when reviving characters, low-star foods will be sorted to the front of the list
When is the new update coming? There is no exact date for the new update yet. However, HoYoverse has announced a special broadcast on their YouTube and Twitch channel. The broadcast will take place on Friday, August 16th from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
Genshin Impact is so good for many because it is free to play. However, to unlock many of the characters in the game, you have to use wishes, which usually require real money. However, you can unlock some of the characters for free.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A motivated player in Helldivers 2 has created a balance list for all weapons that are either broken or too weak in the game with his community on YouTube in 10 hours.
Who is it about? The YouTuber ThiccFilA is a smaller content creator who deals with many topics surrounding Helldivers 2. In his last stream, he sat down with his community to work on a large list focused on the balance of various weapons.
In this Google Document, he outlined what the developers of Helldivers 2 could do to make the weapons not feel miserable in the current meta. Overall, the YouTuber spent 9.5 hours on the list, which also received a lot of support on Reddit.
Feel free to check out the following trailer for the new war bond “Flame of Freedom”
Start video
Helldivers 2 shows in the new war bond ‘Flame of Freedom’ fiery democracy
Solutions for the developers of Helldivers 2
Why a balance list? Helldivers 2 has long had the problem that many players are dissatisfied with the weapons policy and that the weapons do not match the needs of the fans well. The last patch also caused a lot of uproar and discussions. The reason for this was a nerf of the flamethrower, which fans criticized.
What adjustments are we talking about? ThiccFilA writes the following about the adjustments in his document: “This document aims to give all weapons optimal hold points against the enemies for which the weapons were designed.” Accordingly, the list primarily addresses weapon adjustments that the development team of Helldivers 2 should actually take care of.
What does the community say? Players believe that the list will not reach Arrowhead further, but they are also excited about the work and share their suggestions for suitable adjustments. Thus, ThiccFilA shows how collaboration with the community can look when working closely with them:
“The point is that he has made what people were paid for at AH absolutely free. And as far as I can tell, he is a master of his craft.” (via Reddit)
“For democracy, for longevity, for freedom and for the community, I support this document” (via Reddit)
“Bro managed in 10 hours what AH couldn’t do in 5 months lmao” (via Reddit)
“I agree with many of these changes, but I’m not sure if I agree with this philosophy: Support weapons are for heavyweights. Or super heavyweights.[…]” (via Reddit)
Is this the solution? ThiccFilA’s approach shows in his stream while creating the list how working on games and their updates can look if one collaborates closely enough with the players. Surveys and forum work with the community could be the key to a good patch.
To get the most out of your divers, there is the option to use boosters before your mission and to optimize your diver’s abilities for the upcoming mission. To do this, you should obviously know which are the best boosters: Helldivers 2: Booster Tier List – Which are the best upgrades?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Team Liquid is one of the most successful guilds in World of Warcraft of all time. Behind it is a guild culture that is surprisingly harmonious.
Among the major professional guilds like Method, Echo, or Liquid, you mostly hear about them during the “World First” races in World of Warcraft or in the dungeon tournaments. But if you are interested in the “WoW stars,” you can also follow them on their streams. Here they sometimes talk about what life is like as a “WoW pro” or why their guild is so successful.
You can see the latest trailer for the upcoming expansion here:
Start video
WoW Cinematic: Threads of Destiny
What kind of conversation is this? The guild leader of Liquid, Maximum, conducted a long interview a few days ago and answered many questions from the viewer Mikkel Agerlin. During this, Maximum also realized why his guild is doing so well.
An important point is how Liquid handles mistakes. If person A has made a clear mistake, such as not “catching” a target circle, that person is not blamed afterwards. People know on their own that they made a mistake — after all, they are all good players. Instead, others step up and say they could have helped, but they also didn’t do it.
This creates a pretty harmonious environment where no one has to “defend themselves to the death” over mistakes, but one can simply admit to errors without severe consequences. It was different back then, as Liquid was made up of many guilds; some players had to be taught this behavior first.
The entire interview is quite interesting and enlightening. If you want to become a successful guild leader, you will surely find some good advice in it:
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If you look for mistakes and blame people for 5 minutes after every failed pull – that would be terrible. You need to quickly identify, clarify, resolve mistakes, and then move on.
Arrogant players are hardly found in Liquid, at least Maximum thinks so. There is a difference between being “confident” and “arrogant.” Arrogant players tend to always blame others and therefore would never end up in the top guilds because they would simply be too difficult to work with:
In an environment where 20 people have to work so closely together, someone with such an attitude would be so obstructive that even if there were a significant skill difference, such a person would not be worth the effort. However, I haven’t had much to do with such players. They are usually filtered out before reaching this level. […]
If people from our guild wouldn’t want to play with a certain individual, we would probably get rid of that person.
What is Liquid known for? Basically, Liquid is always right at the front in every major “World First” race. If there’s a first kill to be made, the professional team is there and streams a large part of the raid progress live, so fans can follow the progress live. Only in particularly critical fights, where every little tactical advantage counts, is the stream sometimes paused.
The culture and interaction among each other are quite a big deal in Liquid and contribute significantly to its success. Besides the major professional guilds, there are also a number of other players who have achieved considerable fame in World of Warcraft. We have introduced you to 12 of these special players here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The game Let’s Build a Dungeon, which will be released for Steam, lets you develop your own MMORPG. However, it must not only make your players happy but also those who could cut off your funding.
What kind of game is it? Let’s Build a Dungeon is primarily a management simulation. In it, you take the lead of a development studio and must develop an MMORPG that is not only enjoyable to play but also financially successful.
The game is being developed by the indie studio Springloaded. They have already gained experience in management simulations with Let’s Build a Zoo. Let’s Build a Dungeon will be released on Steam, but there is no release date yet.
At least the announcement trailer already gives a first glimpse into our developer daily life:
Start video
Let’s Build a Dungeon: The announcement trailer for the management simulation on Steam
What does the trailer show? You begin your career by founding a studio – where, is up to you. Local factors like rent, internet quality, and transport connections will influence the work on your game.
Once your office is finally set up, you will first browse through resumes: After all, you need programmers and designers, among others, to bring your dream MMORPG to life. Once you have assembled your team, the actual development can begin.
Let creativity run free
What kind of online role-playing game should it be? When designing your MMORPG, you can really let loose. You not only place every single item in the game world yourself, but also determine what kind of game it should be and how players can interact with it.
Do you want to create a peaceful farming simulation instead? That’s possible. Do you want raids with boss fights, loot, and different classes? No problem. You can even dive into your own game for a short perspective change.
At the end of the day, however, your game should also generate revenue if you want to keep investors at bay. They won’t be too pleased if the release – and thus monetization – of your game keeps getting delayed just because you want to offer the best possible gaming experience right from the start.
Anyone who does not want to deal with the whole management aspect can create worlds and stories in creative mode without the pressure from investors and fans and share them with other players.
The studio has delivered not only a very popular management simulation among fans with Let’s Build a Zoo, but also an accidental bestseller. Players on the Nintendo Switch have used a trick to get the game at an absolute bargain price.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Diablo 4, the screen quickly gets flooded with damage numbers and visual effects, especially when other players are nearby. For some, this makes the ARPG “unplayable.”
As soon as you fight monsters in Diablo 4, combat texts fly around you. Additionally, there are various visible effects, such as area attacks. This results in your screen being flooded with colorful numbers, texts, and areas.
Attacks from enemies can sometimes be hard to recognize. And when other players come into the picture, it gets even more chaotic. Since Season 5, you can hide the combat texts, but the visual effects remain. One player finds it “absurd” that hiding is still not possible here.
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Diablo 4: The gameplay trailer for Season 5, the season of the hell hordes
Which effects annoy the player?On Reddit, “fullmetalretard666” states that Diablo 4 is “unplayable” for him. He considers it absurd that there is still no option to hide the effects of other players. Skills turn into “screen-filling AoE effects,” and especially the fire attacks from wizards look too similar to the area damage effects – such as the rain of fire in the hellish flood, according to the annoyed player.
In his post, he attaches a screenshot displaying fire effects and the rain of fire:
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What do other players say about it? In the comments under the Reddit post, the community discusses the visual effects in Diablo 4. Some users agree with “fullmetalretard666.” “Matitjes” jokes: “What, the small, thin red circle on the dark red ground indicating a monster’s attack isn’t visible enough for you?”
In the comments, “AggravatingType9012” writes: “It’s even worse in the hellish hordes when someone chooses the hellfire rain.” And “Nggalai” explains that his player character died because he couldn’t see him anymore. For him, the hellish hordes are like the Where’s Waldo book.
The “hellish hordes” is a new endgame activity in Diablo 4. You fight against waves of monsters and select “curse and blessing” in between – like the rain of fire. You can find all info about the hellish hordes here.
“Sartura” writes that he would prefer to completely hide the other players. To this, “No_Obligation_1500” adds: “And our own effects. I don’t want to see my own frostballs or fireballs anymore.”
Is there a solution for this? For the visual effects of skills, no – as soon as other players are near you, you will continue to see their effects. But “JulezCHen” has a helpful tip for the annoyed players: “Turn on character visibility in the settings.” While this doesn’t reduce the effects, at least your player character will be more visible.
With this setting, your player character will be highlighted in color.
In Diablo 4, sometimes even small “Quality of Life” improvements can increase the enjoyment of the game. Until Season 4, you had to leave and reset dungeons if you wanted to approach the bosses again. This was not only annoying but also time-consuming, especially when farming uniques. With Season 5, this has changed: Blizzard changes a frustrating mechanic in Season 5 of Diablo 4, players say: “That’s a big win”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Diablo 4there are particularly rare, unique items – the Mythic Uniques. This time we will take a look at Andariel’s Visage. We will show you what it looks like and what makes this headgear so good.
Andariel’s Visage – What is that? Andariel’s Visage is a headgear that many are likely familiar with from Diablo 2 or 3. It is a Mythic Unique (formerly: Uber Unique) with fixed properties. All five classes can equip the item.
Do you forget to use Elixirs? Then we have a tip:
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Diablo 4: Do you forget to use your elixirs? This trick helps you.
What can Andariel’s Visage do? The Visage of Andariel has something special for builds with a high critical hit chance. When you score a critical hit, you have a 20% chance to trigger a Poison Nova, dealing poison damage to enemies in the area over 5 seconds.
Additionally, the headgear gives you a bonus to the following stats:
666% resistance to poison
All stats
Life on hit
Attack speed
max. resistance to poison
The Mythic Unique “Andariel’s Visage” in Diablo 4. Source: Blizzard
Depending on how good your drop turns out, you can receive higher or lower rolls. The mythic headgear is also a good choice for numerous builds in the endgame of Diablo 4. For example, the Andariel Hunter build revolves entirely around the Mythic and enhances the poison damage of the item.
Where can I find Andariel’s Visage? To get the Mythic Unique to drop, you can try your luck with the bosses Duriel and Andariel. They both have a chance to drop Mythics when you defeat them, making them suitable for farming Uniques and Mythic Uniques.
Additionally, it is possible to receive Mythics as a random loot drop outside of the two bosses – but this is very rare. You can try your luck with other bosses or also in the Hell Flood.
You can now also craft the Mythic Unique Andariel’s Visage at the Alchemist of your choice in Diablo 4. However, you will need “Magnificent Sparks” and a whopping 50 million gold for that. Where you can get the sparks and what you can craft with them, you can find out here: Diablo 4: Crafting Magnificent Sparks – This is how you craft Mythic Uniques with it
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the game The First Descendant, there is a new series of outfits designed for summer. The characters show a lot of skin, and one is particularly striking.
Which skin is being discussed? The skin in question is the summer vacation skin for Viessa. While the skin is somewhat more covered from the front, it shows the character from behind quite provocatively.
In The First Descendant, there are many skins that are provocative, revealing, and daring. This has already received criticism in the past, as with Bunny’s Ultimate Skin. The new skin is now causing discussions again.
Here you can see more about the new descendant Luna:
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The First Descendant shows the skills of the new descendant Luna in the gameplay trailer
Discussion about the body, not the skin
What is the discussion about? The discussion regarding the skins revolves around two points. The main topic is Viessa’s body, which is now clearly visible. However, fans are not pleased that the character has different body measurements in other skins. These body measurements are missed by the fans.
On Reddit, Glorious_Anomaly writes: “The only thing I don’t like is that I’m pretty sure her chest has been reduced from her standard outfit. I haven’t done a super deep analysis, but from a quick look comparing her ultimate skin with this one, it looks reduced. In fact, it looks overall like a different body type. Especially her hips look more like Valby hips.”
LavianMizu clarifies on Reddit: “If you go through the various skins (right-click) available to each descendant, you will see that their proportions are actually quite different, even in skin-tight outfits. […] They [note from the editor: the developers] do not use a standard model reference for every character and manipulate them.”
What else is being discussed? The X.com user @PaulTassi posted a photo of the skin on the platform and received many comments. Users like @JezCorden expressed excitement about the skin on X.com: “My innocent eyes can’t bear these well-shaped pixels.”
But there are also players who do not appreciate the revealing skins. Among them is @kuraiholy, who writes on X.com: “I’ve been with someone for much longer, […] but…..I really don’t get this? lol. I think armor and gear are much cooler. This just seems dumb? And like a joke, sure. But people make it their whole personality.”
Also, @Owen_Lars_2 finds the character designs rather boring on X.com: “One reason I stopped was the boring character design. All the women are just slightly differently sexy and almost all have the same body type, while the men just all look like soldiers. […]”
