„How many Hs does guinea pig have?“ – German TV presenter is currently going through the roof on Twitch

The older generation is likely familiar with this internet personality. Now, he is making his debut on Twitch and gaining popularity among the younger generation. We at MeinMMO introduce you to the new star in the streaming sky.

Who is this streamer? This is Max Schradin, who has been streaming on Twitch under the pseudonym “MaximalSchradin” since May 2021. His career began in 2003 on television as a host for the shopping channel Sonnenklar.TV.

He became known to most people when he began hosting a call-in quiz show on the channel 9Live in 2004. He was also the face of several call-in quiz shows on other channels like Sat1, Kabel eins, and ProSieben. Now he has given his career a new twist and streams regularly on Twitch.

Max Schradin usually streams on Twitch in the categories “Just Chatting” or “Grand Theft Auto V”. Initially, his numbers were on the lower side: in the rage game “Only Up!” he reached an average of 245 viewers. A year later, he averaged 2,000 viewers with the rage game “Chained Together”.

Even though Max Schradin has been streaming regularly since 2021, his viewer counts have only recently skyrocketed. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Twitch giant MontanaBlack also started small. In our video, we show you his very first video:

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

“Hawk has two H!”

What distinguished Max Schradin on TV? One of his most famous appearances on those quiz shows was on the channel 9Live, where viewers had to name an animal with only one H in its name to win money. After several incorrect answers, Max Schradin became increasingly angry and continued to yell.

When a caller initially gave “Guinea pig” as a solution, Max Schradin lost it, saying, “How many Hs does Guinea pig have?” He went further off the rails as more callers named “Hawk” or “Cow,” prompting him to yell even more. Phrases like “Hawk has two H!” or “How many Cows does H have?” were thrown around.

A recording of the outburst was posted by Max Schradin on his TikTok channel. These outbursts became his trademark and also inspired his merch. References to his choleric past on TV are still frequently made today.

That’s why Max Schradin is blowing up on Twitch

What makes Max Schradin so special on Twitch? Not only his former outbursts define Max Schradin in the Twitch bubble, but also his age. At 46 years old, he is definitely above the average age of most Twitch streamers. Accordingly, he stands out and is regarded in the bubble as the “retiree streamer”.

This characteristic also leads to teasing between him and his Twitch colleagues. For viewers, Max Schradin has a recognizable appeal.

A significant catalyst for his current hype was definitely the roller tour in July 2024. He was traveling for several weeks with Trymacs and Ronny Berger on e-scooters from Milan to Munich. When he broke his shoulder while doing a judo roll over his colleagues, even more people took notice of him due to this report.

What does Max Schradin do on Twitch? His previous fame as an outburst-prone TV host has definitely provided a good entry point for his career as a Twitch streamer. By now, the former TV host has arrived among the Twitch stars.

For instance, he did an IRL stream with the Twitch streamer Zarbex or played together with Trymacs, Knossi, and Zarbex in the game Chained Together. In December 2023, he co-hosted MontanaBlack’s Christmas event with Marc Gebauer and Adam from Skyline TV.

Max Schradin’s career and standing on Twitch are strengthened by his appearances in highlight compilations by Satter Hugo and collaborations with major German Twitch stars.

Max Schradin has successfully expanded the fame he gained from hosting on television into the social media industry. Nowadays, he is one of the largest Twitch streamers and is a guest at various streaming events. A very different career path was taken by Gronkh, who went from Let’s Plays in Minecraft to becoming one of the largest Twitch streamers.

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

The First Descendant: “More than useless” – Players say you should rather avoid certain weapons

As in every shooter, The First Descendant has multiple types of weapons. Every player has their own favorites. However, a user now shows that one weapon type in the game is so bad that even fans should consider using a different weapon.

Which weapons are we talking about? The user PizzaCrusty analyzed the shotguns in The First Descendant in a post on Reddit. He concludes: Shotguns are more than useless. In his post, he mentions that he tested shotguns in the endgame at the lab.

First, he shows that accuracy mods do nothing for shotguns. In two images, he shows the barely visible difference between a shotgun with and without mod. You can see the post here:

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Regarding the magazine of shotguns, he notes that no matter how high you set the capacity value, the magazine only increases by 1. He also shows a mod that is supposed to increase the value by 30%. However, this is not quite correct, as the user SnooBananas510 points out in the comments. Thus, Shell Capacity is supposed to increase the amount of bullets fired.

Meanwhile, you can fight through crowds with a new descendant: The first new heroine of the Steam hit The First Descendant is finally playable, reminding fans of Guitar Hero

Start video
The First Descendant shows the skills of the new descendant Luna in the gameplay trailer

The damage also leaves much to be desired

For his test, the user also looked into critical hits. He found that except for one shotgun, all only have a crit chance of 1%. The highest has 3%. When landing a critical hit, the damage is only increased by 1.0 to 1.1%, which is essentially nothing. So, it doesn’t matter if you hit critically, it doesn’t change the damage much.

By the end of his post, he also noted that snipers and rocket launchers are better than shotguns for taking down enemies in close combat – even though they are actually designed for that. Most users under the post are hoping for changes to the weapon.

  • WashombiShwimp: Many mods, weapons, and the descendants themselves need a lot of changes, and this upcoming patch is the beginning. It will give us a good idea of where they are heading.
  • that1LPdood: It feels like they didn’t even test it. It feels like they just added shotguns because it’s expected from a shooter; that’s the only reason.
  • AkariBocchi: Shotguns should be changed to orange ammunition.

It seems that the developers still need to tweak the shotguns a bit. However, the developers of The First Descendant are known for quickly addressing criticism. It wasn’t too long ago that a patch buffed a weapon: “I loved it from the very first second” – Player in The First Descendant is overjoyed that his favorite weapon is finally strong

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

Twitch: Rezo ends the stream in tears, viewers are worried

The YouTuber and Twitch streamer Rezo ended the stream in tears after answering a “weird question” from the chat. Now, viewers are worried.

Who is it about?

  • Rezo is a German Twitch streamer and YouTuber.
  • Rezo gained considerable fame in 2019 with his video “The Destruction of the CDU,” which was shared beyond his usual viewership. The video now has over 20 million views.
  • On Twitch, Rezo mostly streams the “Just Chatting” category, where he reacts with his viewers to videos or viral discussions.
  • In the past 90 days, Rezo averaged over 9,300 viewers when he was live. (via SullyGnome)
Start video
Rezo confronts Karl Lauterbach about how he plays an ego shooter with Merkel

A question totally throws Rezo off

What happened in the stream? Rezo was live on Twitch on July 28, 2024. While watching a video by the YouTuber “Sashka” about the clothing brand “Oceansapart,” the streamer received a so-called donation (a type of contribution that can be accompanied by text).

In the donation, the viewer wrote: “Weird question, but is Clara still alive, how is she?” Clara is the dog of a good friend of Rezo. He responded that Clara was doing well, but she hadn’t been with him for a while.

Afterwards, Rezo seemed thoughtful, and the question apparently unsettled him. Shortly after, he disappeared for a few minutes and then asked the viewers: “Can we just keep watching the video? Can we please just keep watching the video?”

As he says this, the streamer already has glassy eyes and seems to be struggling with his emotions. A few minutes later, Rezo then ends the stream:

I don’t think I can continue, sorry guys. I would like to end the stream now, if that’s okay. I thank you all for the stream, I had a lot of fun. Don’t overthink this, everything is cool, everything is good. I had talked to you about this, currently there are things that are just a little […] difficult for me right now. Everything is cool, don’t worry, everything is cool. […] But I’m just not feeling the stream anymore. Thanks for understanding.

Rezo via Twitch

What exactly triggered this reaction in Rezo is unknown. But many viewers are worried and express their sympathy.

You can see a montage of the scene on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ja.lol.ey.ja/video/7398874195674893600

Viewers are concerned

How are his viewers reacting? Even during the stream, many viewers showed their sympathy by sending hearts in the chat of the streaming platform. Some asked what was wrong, while others wrote that he didn’t have to continue watching the video. Many agreed: he doesn’t have to force himself. There was much understanding for him ending the stream.

In the comments on TikTok, some viewers are also worried. One user writes: “Does anyone know what is going on? I’m worried about Rezo,” another user says, “I hope that whatever he is going through, he gets better soon.” Many speculate on what might have triggered the reaction.

Since the incident, the streamer has not been seen on Twitch.

Streaming breaks are often not easy for content creators

Why is this a difficult situation? Twitch streamers are often online for many hours at a time, usually several days a week. When such a large part of life takes place in front of live cameras, it can be challenging to conceal the fact that one isn’t feeling well.

However, those who frequently have to end or even cancel streams always run the risk that viewers may not return. Many content creators report more or less directly that platforms like Twitch invite self-exploitation: to grow, one must constantly be online, “grind,” and cannot easily take a break.

Rezo seems to have built a community that empathizes with him and wants him to be well. When he is ready to stream again, his fans will likely welcome him with open arms. But especially smaller streamers often do not have this luxury: With success came pressure – “I experienced anxiety attacks bordering on panic attacks”

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

Harry Potter: The 6 Strongest Women in the Power Ranking

In the Harry Potter films, there are many impressive and powerful wizards. But which witch is actually the strongest? In the ranking, we are looking for the 6 strongest women who have what it takes.

How was the ranking created? All significant female characters from the films were included in the evaluation. Characters who have already passed away, like Lily Potter, were not taken into account. The evaluation is based on their combat skills, strategic thinking, their magical abilities, their inner strength, and their knowledge.

The ranking was created based on the personal assessment of MeinMMO author Fabienne Kissel, a long-time Harry Potter fan who proudly identifies as a Hufflepuff. She watches the films every year anew and now wants to delve back into the books.

Start video
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions shows gameplay in new trailer

Rank 6: Luna Lovegood

Harry Potter: Luna Lovegood
Image source: Filmstarts

Luna Lovegood stands out primarily due to her unique personality. She is often ridiculed for her unusual behavior, but that doesn’t bother her. Despite the many challenges and dangers she faces, Luna keeps a clear head and knows exactly how to act strategically.

She endures numerous dangerous situations with her remarkable calmness and inner strength, even when she is captured by Death Eaters. Luna is brave, exceptionally intelligent, a talented witch, and possesses deep knowledge of the magical world—particularly about magical creatures. Overall, she is a remarkably strong and cool woman who definitely deserves her place in this ranking.

Rank 5: Nymphadora Tonks

Harry Potter Tonks
Image source: Moviepilot

Nymphadora Tonks is an Auror and a Metamorphmagus, which means she can change her appearance at will. This ability makes her extremely versatile and hard to catch in battle. She is also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and only the most powerful and clever people get in there.

As an Auror, she is very well trained in combat and spells. Her courage, fighting strength, and ability to change her appearance make her one of the most impressive witches.

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

Baldur’s Gate 4 was partially playable, but Larian decided against the game

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the big hit of 2023. Players love the world and the possibilities that arise. There will likely be no Baldur’s Gate 4, even though Larian Studios already had playable aspects, as revealed in an interview.

What about Baldur’s Gate 4? Despite the massive success of their role-playing game, Larian decided against a fourth installment. The studio announced in March that they did not want to make a DLC or a sequel. They wanted to move away from D&D.

However, the idea of a fourth installment was probably not completely off the table from the start, as Swen Vincke revealed in an interview with PCGamer. There were even playable sections; ultimately, however, Larian Studios decided against a fourth part.

Nearly a year after release, the game is still doing well: Baldur’s Gate 3 turns 1 year old, still has 100,000 players daily on Steam, and I know why

Start video
Launch Trailer for the Role-playing Game Baldur’s Gate 3

No desire for the easy way

In the interview, Vincke explains that work on Baldur’s Gate 4 began because they were still in the groove from the third part. It went so well that they had playable sequences that players apparently liked.

I believe you would all have liked it. I’m even sure of that. And we were actually quite fast because the production machine was still warm. You could already play things. But it was played and watched, and, well, that’s okay.

Swen Vincke on Baldur’s Gate 4 (Source: PCGamer)

Why did the team decide against Baldur’s Gate 4? Meanwhile, considerations came up. Did they really want to make Baldur’s Gate again for several years after having spent six years on it already? The idea of Baldur’s Gate 4 sounded good to him because they were already experienced and the players would love it.

However, he and the team ultimately decided against a fourth part because they did not want to deal with the same things, the exact same mechanics, the same problems that [they] had already solved, just further developed. Moreover, they would then have to put planned things on the back burner.

For the team, it was the right decision. Vincke explains in the interview that the team felt good about the decision. They felt free and the morale should be high because they were doing something new. We are doing our own thing again, we are not rehashing, we are not trying to turn the rules from 50 years ago into something new.

However, he also makes it clear that they have no problem with D&D itself. It will always be one of the coolest things he has worked on. In the future, Larian Studios wants to focus on other projects that offer the team new challenges. The new challenge will also be to develop two games simultaneously: Instead of Baldur’s Gate 4: Larian is working on two new games

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

12 of the most famous players from World of Warcraft

In the past almost 20 years, a handful of players from World of Warcraft have made a name for themselves beyond the borders of Azeroth. MeinMMO presents some of the most famous heroes and villains from WoW who were not created by Blizzard.

World of Warcraft looks back on two turbulent decades, during which the MMORPG from Blizzard conquered the mainstream, secured a firm place in pop culture, and was elevated to the – chosen by the MeinMMO community – best online role-playing game of all time for PC and console.

Anyone who accompanied WoW during this time witnessed unforgettable moments, where iconic heroes and villains such as Thrall, Arthas or the Lich King, Illidan, Jaina, and Co. took center stage.

However, over the many years, some players have also made a name for themselves with their actions. In this special, MeinMMO introduces you to some of the most well-known personalities from the WoW community.

[toc]

WoW has often been declared dead in the past:

Start video
3 times World of Warcraft was declared dead

Leeroy Jenkins

In May 2005, a certain Leeroy Jenkins charged into a room full of dragon eggs, causing the most famous wipe in World of Warcraft history, captured in a nearly three-minute long clip that has accumulated countless millions of viewers over the decades.

From the humorous video emerged one of the most famous memes from the gaming world, with references and allusions in other Blizzard games but also in external media like Mass Effect, How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl, or Psych. Even the U.S. military repeatedly used the clip as a talking point for studies.

The fact that Leeroy Jenkins can still excite today is demonstrated by our news from March 2024: 20 years later, Leeroy Jenkins goes viral again: Professor uses famous WoW meme in lecture.

Doubleagent

There is hardly another WoW player that MeinMMO has reported on as often. The neutral panda Doubleagent refused to choose one of the two factions during Mists of Pandaria. Instead, he simply stayed on the giant turtle and leveled peacefully by collecting herbs and ores.

What sounds like a short-term whim has developed into a project that has now been running for many years. Also at the start of Dragonflight, Doubleagent was there to reach the new, old maximum level of 70. Twelve days after the launch of the expansion, it was already done. At that time, the panda had a total playtime of 212 days and 22 hours.

Uncle Barlow

Who remembers Barlow’s wonderful WoW blog about all classes of World of Warcraft, but also about special topics like random dungeons, the LFR tool, or classic servers? Phrases like “Healing was actually done” or “Hey dude, your mom skills Improved Sap!” have been etched into the brains of a whole (German-speaking) WoW generation. All episodes can still be found today on YouTube.

The likable bald guy, who brilliantly parodies the clichés of Azeroth, is actually named Georg Zaal and has done much more in his career. He was an editor at GIGA and SuperGamesTV, the narrator of Allimania (via allimania.fandom.com), and of course a podcaster on the “Podcast without (real) name” (via acast.com).

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

The creator of Final Fantasy says: Games are not modernized because of the players

In both film and gaming, there is often criticism that no risks are taken. There are many remakes, remastered versions, or sequels. Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, sees the blame not only on the companies but also on the players.

Who is Hironobu Sakaguchi? Before Square merged with Enix, Sakaguchi was instrumental in the creation of the Final Fantasy series. He worked on the series from the beginning until part 12, with varying degrees of involvement. In 2004, he founded his own studio, Mistwalker.

With Mistwalker, he developed less-known but quite popular titles among genre fans such as Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. However, he has a problem with the current industry because it is not daring to try anything new. He does not believe that the blame lies entirely with the companies, but also with the players.

Hironobu Sakaguchi is also an enthusiastic gamer: Final Fantasy 14: The creator of Final Fantasy admits to spending 80% of his time in the MMORPG

By now, the main series has reached part 16:

Start video
Final Fantasy XVI Ascension Trailer

Sakaguchi sees the problem with us

As Jeuxvideo reports, Sakaguchi discussed this issue with Yuji Horii in an interview on a Japanese radio show. He explains that developers often face many expectations from players who do not want anything to change. This forces studios to repeat what is already known to work.

He does not fundamentally see it as a bad thing to please the nostalgia of players; however, it ensures that there are no resources left for the development of new IPs. Despite the supposed urge for the familiar, Sakaguchi believes that players will eventually get bored.

What does Sakaguchi say about criticism of his own games? In the interview, Sakaguchi addresses the criticism that his games have too many cutscenes. He is irritated by this and states that to properly play his games, one should experiment and explore everything.

Are there really too few new IPs? Of course, there are endless new ideas and brands in the indie sector. In the AAA sector, that’s a bit trickier. New games like Immortals of Aveum are flopping hard, and when looking at the top 20 from the USA in 2023, there is not a single game on the list without a well-known brand behind it. (via Gamespot)

One can place blame on both sides. Large companies are afraid of a huge flop, and marketing a new game to players is significantly more difficult than letting Spider-Man and the Harry Potter universe speak for themselves.

However, 2024 looks a bit different. With games like Stellar Blade or Palworld, it can be seen that small studios have the power to make even unknown brands big. However, it must be said that these two games can practically market themselves through their concept and design. At least Final Fantasy continues to experiment with its gameplay. For MeinMMO author Cortyn, this has worked really well in part 16: Final Fantasy 16 is the game you all should buy a PlayStation for

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

Helldivers 2 threatens you now with equipment that you constantly refuse if you do not kill 1.5 billion enemies in time

Helldivers 2 has been trying to give you new mines for months, but you simply don’t feel like it. Now a new command is supposed to ensure that you can’t refuse.

What kind of threat is this? The new general command from Helldivers 2 initiates a test of the current mine stocks. You are supposed to eliminate a total of 1.5 billion enemies.

However, the command has a special feature, as the Over-Earth threatens you: If you fail to eliminate the 1.5 billion opponents in time, you will receive new anti-tank mines – whether you want them or not.

The anti-tank mines have been rejected by players multiple times. Whenever the community had to choose between the mines and something else, they opted against the mines. Now you have no choice. Either you execute the command successfully, as befits a proud Helldiver, or you fail and get mines. So you better put in some effort.

In a few days, Helldivers 2 will receive the biggest update of the shooter so far. Here you can watch the trailer:

Start video
Announcement for Helldivers 2: Escalation of Freedom shows extreme battles

Players are not interested in new mines

What is behind the rejection of the mines? It all started when the players of Helldivers 2 had to choose between the anti-tank mines or the RL-77 air detonation rocket launcher in April 2024 . The community chose the rocket launcher but regretted this choice shortly after: The rocket launcher resulted in a lot of unintended team kills.

Since then, players have continuously been presented with the mines as an option. The saga of the mines reached its peak when it was stated: Either you save a planet that gives you anti-tank mines or sick children. There was no special in-game reward for saving the sick children.

Players once again opted against the new equipment and saved the sick children. For this heroic decision by the community, the developers of the coop shooter donated money to the organization “Save the Children”.

On the way to avoid the mines again

Will the players succeed in the command? The general command reached the Helldivers on August 2. Since then, they have achieved about 30% of the target, almost 450,000,000 opponents eliminated.

Players now have almost 48 hours left (as of 04.08.24 at 11:00 AM) to eliminate the remaining 1,050,000,000 opponents if they want to avoid receiving the mines once again. It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible either.

However, it might be good for you to actually receive these anti-tank mines this time. With the upcoming update “Escalation of Freedom,” there will also be a new tank on the robot side. Some players feared they shouldn’t have saved the children: Helldivers 2: Players heroically save sick children, now regret it.

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

Steam: The shooter Spectre Divide takes the gameplay of CS2 and Valorant and gives it a unique approach

Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is a well-known streamer and former CS:GO pro. He is regarded as an aim god and is a legend in the shooter genre. In March 2023, shroud announced that he is making his own game. For the first time, gameplay for this game can now be seen.

What kind of game is it? Shroud’s game is a tactical shooter called Spectre Divide, which is set to be released as a free-to-play title on Steam and is being developed by Mountaintop Studios. On August 3, you had the opportunity to take a first look at the gameplay during a short stress test.

A release date for Spectre Divide is currently not known. However, it states on Steam “coming soon.” Additionally, the stress test could indicate an upcoming release. Many developers use such tests to put their servers to the test right before the release.

Tactical shooter with a unique approach

What is the game about? Spectre Divide is partially a classic tactical shooter like Counter-Strike or Valorant: One team attacks, one team defends. The attackers’ goal is to plant a bomb. The defenders’ goal is to prevent the planting or defuse the planted bomb.

In addition, you earn money with each round played, which you can use to buy weapons and gadgets/abilities. These range from flashbangs to protective barriers to smoke grenades. However, there is no respawn. If all players on a team are eliminated before the bomb is successfully planted or defused, the round ends.

However, the gameplay, despite the similarities, differs significantly from CS2 and Valorant. Instead of 5v5, Spectre Divide is played in a 3v3 format. Moreover, you make much more use of aiming down sights and are also accurate while shooting on the move. The big feature of the shooter is called “Duality.”

The video provides an in-depth explanation of the game principle:

Start video
Spectre Divide provides detailed insights into the gameplay of the shooter

Duality: Two bodies, one brain

What makes the game unique? Spectre Divide differs in various aspects from games like CS2. However, the biggest feature is the so-called Duality system: Each player has two bodies that they can control within a round. The second body is called Spectre.

The second body opens up various tactical possibilities. For example, you can defend the A site with one of your two bodies and place the second body on the B site. When the opponents attack B, you can quickly switch to your Spectre on B with the push of a button and support your teammates in defense.

Moreover, your Spectre also provides you with a second chance. Although there is no respawn in the shooter, if your first body dies, you can continue to play with the second body.

Spectre Divide adopts a style that, according to the developers, is inspired by 90s anime. The setting and the graphic style are therefore not realistic and differ significantly from CS2. In the comments on YouTube, some players write that the shooter looks like a mix of Valorant and Borderlands. Therefore, the style might be less appealing to CS2 fans.

While Spectre Divide could become a competitor to Counter-Strike and Valorant, Sony’s new hero shooter Concord has to be compared more to Overwatch. Unfortunately, the Open Beta has not yet convinced MeinMMO editor Dariusz of the game: Sony’s new shooter for PS5 and Steam needs to make some changes if it doesn’t want to die within a week

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

Destiny 2: We now know the exact moment when Bungie made a terrible mistake – It has been 5 years

In recent days, the developer of Destiny 2, Bungie, has shocked the gaming community with horror news one after another. When did it all go so wrong? MyMMO author Schuhmann states: pretty much exactly 5 years ago, on September 30, 2019.

These are currently the horror stories from Bungie:

  • Bungie has now announced two major rounds of layoffs in a year, in November 2023 and just a few days ago. The studio has now dropped from 1,300 employees to 850.
  • In addition, they have canceled projects, meaning new games, that they had worked on for years, some since 2017. It is said that “they took on too much” – currently only Destiny and Marathon are still in development.
  • They have also lost some of the best and most experienced employees like Luke Smith. Morale is at an all-time low – employees are openly demanding the resignation of Pete Parsons, who was generously compensated for the purchase by Sony.

The Final Shape could not turn the tide for Destiny:

Start video
Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Gameplay trailer for the new talents

Bungie aimed to become a leading global entertainment company by 2025

When did it all go wrong? The point at which Destiny took a final wrong turn can be pinpointed to September 30, 2019. At that time, Bungie had separated from Activision Blizzard and was preparing for a future where it wanted to be both publisher and developer again.

In an interview with IGN, the CEO Pete Parsons paints a fantastic picture of the future as he raises hype for Shadowkeep, a ultimately weak expansion that was seen as significantly weaker than its predecessor “Forsaken” in the eyes of the gaming press and players. Forsaken had, according to Metacritic, 86% on Xbox One, while Shadowkeep only had 73%.

Parsons states:

  • The plan is for Bungie to be one of the “best entertainment companies in the world” by 2025.
  • It is already “a wonderful place to work because it has such outstanding and diverse talent”.
  • By 2025, they not only want to completely transform Destiny but also create other new worlds like Destiny and launch at least one other major game world.

Parsons emphasizes in the video interview that they have recently hired an extremely high number of outstanding developers.

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Bungie overestimated itself – Thought it could achieve everything

What was the problem? The problem from today’s perspective is that Bungie completely overestimated itself in September 2019:

  • They thought they could develop many more games by pulling existing developers from Destiny and letting them lead new teams with newly hired developers.
  • They believed Destiny was a fantastic game and would always perform better – especially when it came to exciting new platforms like Steam and Stadia.
  • They hoped to manage being both a developer and a publisher simultaneously, just as they did in the 90s.

All these points were complete miscalculations and led to the situation we are seeing now in 2024:

All new games they developed are dead – the executives they pulled to develop the games have been laid off.

Destiny has been selling worse over the years. Lightfall was a low point in 2023, The Final Shape was qualitatively better in 2024 but apparently sold even worse than Lightfall.

The publishing aspect didn’t work out at all – in 2022 Sony bought the company.

Parsons, however, does not see the mistakes as his fault; he believes they were simply unlucky. He cites negative economic developments as causes for the problems, both in general and specifically in the gaming industry. He also points to the poor quality of Lightfall.

As the CEO Pete Parsons, who once praised the future, now admits, they were too ambitious in the last 5 years and are now paying the price. Parsons himself is under heavy criticism, not least because he did not stand by his employees when Bungie was in trouble but needed his money for other things: Boss should have waived his salary – instead bought an absurdly expensive car a month after the layoffs.

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

People discover the Japanese version of The Boys and realize: Homelander is a jerk in every language

The antihero series The Boys has just entered its fourth round on Amazon. Fans have now come across the Japanese dubbing – and it’s something else.

The topic of dubbing is often hotly debated. In Germany, great value is placed on a good and high-quality dubbing, but particularly when it comes to anime, many find the German version simply terrible.

If you’ve ever wondered what it sounds like in reverse when a western series is localized in Japan, we have the answer for you here.

For comparison: this is what The Boys sounds like in German.

Start video
The Boys – Trailer for Season 4 of the adult superhero series

When Homelander and Butcher suddenly speak Japanese

What kind of dubbing is this? A user shared a clip from the Japanese version of The Boys on X, formerly Twitter, on August 1, 2024. The clip has been viewed over 6 million times and many are amazed by the quality.

In particular, the wickedness of the supposed hero Homelander really shines through. Many are also reminded of the iconic anime Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Others find the Japanese dubbing simply unusual and somehow funny. Here are some reactions we’ve summarized for you:

  • “This is genuinely hard, unironically!” (via X)
  • “The way he says ‘Delalalalicius’ is out of this world.” (via X)
  • “Damn, I need to watch the whole thing in Japanese now.” (via X)

You can watch a compilation featuring several scenes in Japanese here:

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How can you watch The Boys in Japanese? You can enjoy the series on Amazon in a variety of different languages, including Japanese. To do this, select “Subtitles and Playback Language.” Scroll until you see the characters 日本語 – you should find them right below “Italian.” Then you just have to choose a suitable language for the subtitles and you’re good to go.

What do you think of the Japanese version? Could you imagine watching the entire series in Japanese? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

In The Boys, Homelander is so brilliantly portrayed by Antony Starr that you love to hate him. However, the actor cannot comprehend how some fans misunderstand his role: “Homelander” from The Boys finds it disturbing that people see an idol in the character

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

Diablo 4: Uniques are supposed to break all the rules of itemization in Season 5 and allow for absurd builds

With Season 5, Blizzard is tweaking all Uniques in Diablo 4 to make them stronger again. Experts praise the changes and say: There is some “really crazy stuff” in there.

Season 5 starts in Diablo 4 on August 6 and brings new Uniques and Legendaries into the game. Additionally, the developers are overhauling the Uniques already in the game, and Uber Uniques will become Mythic Uniques. In the past YouTube livestream on August 1, the developers of Diablo 4 explained that nearly every Unique in Season 5 will receive an update. And the updates are “pretty dramatic.”

Uniques are supposed to break the rules and allow effects that would otherwise not be possible. The developers want to highlight the theme and fantasy of the Uniques through their stats and effects to create something special.

What do the developers want to change? According to Lead Class Designer Adam Z. Jackson, the overhaul of the Uniques will take place in various areas:

  • The strength of the values of Uniques is generally higher; values should break every rule.
  • Essential values of a Unique can be something that has nothing to do with its category. For example, boots whose values have nothing to do with movement.
  • Uniques break “slot rules,” such as movement speed on bows or cooldown reduction on weapons.
  • Uniques can now have higher potential values.
  • Uniques can now have toughness affixes.
  • Individual effects can be so powerful that they have the same impact as a legendary aspect on an item – this can have a tremendous effect on builds.

Uniques still cannot be improved with the crafting system “Härtung”, but they can already have toughness affixes. This means that they still have fixed affixes, but they can also include those that normally exist through toughness recipes. This is intended to allow Uniques to keep up with strong hardened items. Previously, it was criticized that Uniques are “useless” and other items are much better.

Start video
Diablo 4: Developers offer insight into the Season of the Infernal Hordes

Overhaul allows for “crazy builds”

What do experts say about build options? Content creator Rhykker says in his YouTube video that he loves these changes to the Uniques. His biggest criticism after the release has always been that items, especially affixes, are not exciting enough. “Boring, confusing affixes” were also a point of criticism from the community.

The “hardened” concept introduced in Season 4 helps a lot here, Rhykker believes – and now they are adding exactly these cool stats to Uniques. The content creator finds that this results in interesting build options. For him, this is the “Season of the Uniques.”

Furthermore, Rhykker states:

I am really excited when I look at these Uniques and think about the possibilities for builds. They are fun, they are flavorful, and they make me really curious. I’m really glad they didn’t just take the easy route and let us harden Uniques, but instead transformed each Unique into something cool and exciting. Now we have to see how they all fit into the meta.

Diablo expert wudijo notes in his YouTube video that the updates to the Uniques include “some pretty crazy stuff.” Especially a few Mythic Uniques are “really broken” (in terms of powerful) after the changes. He finds the updates to the Uniques to be great. He believes there will be very powerful builds, but each class will have some strong builds.

Particularly, the Harlequin’s Crown and Tyrael’s Might are “crazy,” wudijo believes. According to him, the changes to the armor “Tyrael’s Might” will particularly benefit Barbarians and Hunters. In a post on X, wudijo writes that the armor is the winner of the overhauls in Season 5.

In a livestream on Twitch, Diablo expert Raxxanterax stated that the updates to the Uniques change how passive skills and class mechanics interact with each other. It could be fun to create “crazy builds” with it. Particularly, one Mythic Unique is received really well by the community after its changes. It was already one of the most powerful items in the game before. You can read more about it here: Season 5 of Diablo 4 changes all Uniques, the strongest will become even stronger.

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

Pokémon GO: Where to get Mewtwo? We explain!

One of the most sought-after monsters in Pokémon GO is Mewtwo. But where can you catch this special Pokémon? We at MeinMMO have looked into it for you and will explain it.

What kind of Pokémon is Mewtwo? Anyone familiar with the original Pokémon series knows that Mewtwo is a very special Pokémon. Unlike all other monsters, Mewtwo was created in the movie through genetic manipulation by humans. Therefore, it has neither a pre-evolution nor a further evolution.

Mewtwo is a legendary Pokémon and belongs to the 1st generation. You can recognize it by its large white body with a purple belly and its long purple tail. Additionally, if you are lucky, you may encounter a shiny version. This variant differs from the normal form by having a green belly and tail.

Pokémon-GO-Mewtu-Shiny
Normal Mewtwo (left) and shiny (right)

How strong is Mewtwo in Pokémon GO

Mewtwo is a Psychic-type Pokémon and can have the quick attacks Psycho Cut or Confusion. Additionally, it is capable of learning a variety of charge attacks. Besides the Psychic attack Psystrike and the Electric attack Thunderbolt, it can learn the Ice attack Ice Beam, the Fire attack Flamethrower, and the Fighting attack Focus Blast.

Due to events and the Crypto variant of Mewtwo, it can also learn the normal attacks Frustration and Return, the Ghost attack Shadow Ball, and the Psychic attack Psyshock. In the past, Hyper Beam was also included as a normal attack.

How good is Mewtwo for use in PVP and raids? This Pokémon is among the best attackers in Pokémon GO. As seen in the overview on PvPoke, Mewtwo has very strong attack values (via pvpoke.com). Its stamina and defense also impress with very high values.

As a special advantage, there is also a wide variety of different charge attacks. Mewtwo is significantly stronger with its Ice attack than other classic Ice attackers, even though it actually belongs to the Psychic type. Thus, Mewtwo is a suitable candidate for both PVP and raid usage.

How to get Mewtwo in Pokémon GO

Update from August 4, 2024: Currently, there is no way to catch Mewtwo in its regular or Crypto variant in the game. As soon as Mewtwo returns, we will inform you.

Due to the special story and the strength of this Pokémon, it is in high demand among Pokémon GO trainers. However, Mewtwo cannot be easily caught in the wild and does not hatch from eggs. Niantic has made this monster accessible only through raids or as a Crypto Pokémon from Rocket Boss Giovanni.

Most recently, it was available at the event World of Wonder: Takeover in March 2024. Unfortunately, you currently have no chance of catching this special Pokémon in the game, as it is not available at the moment either in raids or with Team GO Rocket. However, Mewtwo regularly comes back into the game through these aforementioned methods.

Alternatively, you have the option to trade a Mewtwo with another trainer. However, this involves a high cost of stardust for the trade, especially if one of the two players does not yet have it in their Pokédex.

Once it is back in the game, you should definitely take the opportunity. However, when that will be is still unknown. We will, of course, keep you informed here at MeinMMO.

How do you feel about the fact that you rarely get the chance to catch a Mewtwo in Pokémon GO? Perhaps you’ve already gotten one in the past, or do you have to wait until next time? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.

By the way: In Pokémon GO, some trainers make 8 mistakes that you should definitely avoid. We have looked into what these mistakes are and explain how you can avoid them.

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

German studio boldly asks Twitch streamer Gronkh to voice in their new game

The studio Backwoods Entertainment has approached Gronkh with a cheeky request. The well-known Twitch streamer is supposed to take on a voice acting role for a new game.

Which studio is it? It is the three-person studio Backwoods Entertainment from Essen, currently working on the titles Morriton Manor Stories: Nordic Whispers and We Stay Behind. The studio team allows users to participate on Twitch while they work on the games.

Recently, the developers worked live on Twitch on the voice acting for the demo of Morriton Manor. They mentioned that they had brought in friendly voice actors for the dubbing. While considering who else to invite, they made the well-known streamer Gronkh a bold, albeit slightly cheeky, offer.

You can add the game to your wishlist on Steam. You can watch the trailer for the game here:

Start video
The trailer for Morriton Manor Stories: Nordic Whisper showcases a new mystery detective game

A job with many advantages

What was the offer? A clip of the situation on X shows that the developers are making a somewhat half-serious offer. Gronkh is supposed to take on a role for the voice acting of the demo version.

For the streamer, it also has a lot of advantages, and the developers are considering how they would write a message to the streamer: He would not be paid for the work, at least for the demo version, he would also need to have his own studio or recording equipment and, of course, be available within the next week.

You can watch the complete clip in this tweet:

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The whole situation should be viewed with a large wink. They deliberately decided not to contact Gronkh so far because they do not know each other well and the studio cannot pay for the voice acting, at least for the demo.

The community and the developers themselves find the whole situation and the resulting clip so funny that they decide to share it on X and indirectly ask Gronkh.

The studio does not have to wait long for a reaction, as Gronkh has already commented on the situation in a stream.

How does Gronkh react to the offer? As a clip on Twitch shows, the message has already reached the streamer. The developers seem to be able to enjoy the reaction, as Gronkh does not seem averse to the offer. He also mentioned that he needs to take a closer look at the whole thing, but he assumes that he would be interested in the project.

In general, the game could also fit Gronkh well, who is known to have a heart for indie games.

In another clip on Twitch, you can see how he mentions that he enjoys voice acting and isn’t sure if the studio understands what they are getting into. So we must stay tuned to see if Gronkh will soon lend his voice to a character.

This would not be the first time Gronkh lends his voice to a video game character. There is even a game he likes so much that he is currently heard in it. Which game it is and what role Gronkh takes on, you can read about here: Twitch streamer Gronkh likes the new unofficial Settler so much that he is now in the game – And people love it

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

A nearly indestructible USB stick from Germany is supposed to secure your data for 200 years – but it won’t hold a photo

Most users likely prioritize capacity and speed when purchasing their storage media, while durability plays a rather minor role. The Blaustahl Storage Device does exactly the opposite.

Note: The title image is a symbolic image via Pexels.

What kind of device is this? The Blaustahl Storage Device is a USB dongle from the German manufacturer Machdyne and boasts a storage capacity of 8 KB as well as a lifespan of 200 years. So you won’t be able to install a Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on it. However, it has some other interesting features (via 3D Juegos).

USB sticks also play a role in the “Dead Drops” project:

Start video
In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?

Password storage or letter to the great-grandchildren

What can the device do? The Blaustahl Storage Device works with FRAM, ferro-electric RAM. This makes the USB stick so durable and fast, but it also comes at a price. For just under 30 euros, you currently get only 8 KB of storage space – that’s enough for about 4 pages of text or 8,000 characters.

The USB stick also features a built-in text editor and 4 MB NOR Flash for the firmware.

However, the most outstanding feature – besides the blue LED – is probably the mentioned durability. According to the manufacturer, the Blaustahl Storage Device is supposed to securely store your data for more than 200 years, as long as it is kept at a maximum of 35 ° Celsius. At temperatures above 55 °C, the lifespan melts down to 95 years.

The stick is also supposed to be extremely durable and withstand 10^12 read and write cycles at 85 °C – that’s a trillion.

There are also plans to provide encryption support with a future firmware update. If you want to store very small files for a very long time and securely, this device might be the right choice for you.

What is this thing good for? According to the manufacturer, the storage device is perfectly suited for saving important but usually rather small files. Here are some of the listed use cases:

  • Password storage
  • Key storage for cryptocurrency
  • Storage for notes or lists
  • Geocaching
  • Time capsules

Let us know in the comments what you would want to preserve for future generations in 8,000 characters.

Why key storage for cryptocurrencies makes sense is illustrated by the case of programmer Stefan Thomas, who received a total of 7,002 Bitcoins as a gift in 2011. Back then, they were worth hardly anything, but today that’s a fortune – there’s just one catch: A German has 2 attempts left to reach 222 million euros – An expert wants to help him, but he declines assistance

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

All 15 Star Wars Movies Ranked

Even though many fans would like to forget some Star Wars films, there are a total of 15 films. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes presents you all films in the ranking.

How was this list created? The list ranks all Star Wars theatrical films and the three TV movies in the form of the Holiday Special and the two Ewok films. Other specials or series are not considered in the ranking.

This list is based on the personal opinion of the author and does not take objective factors into account. If you disagree with an entry or have a different ranking, feel free to let us know in the comments.

[toc]

15. The Star Wars Holiday Special

Release: 1978

For the ranking, I watched this film for the first time and it was truly unbearable. The film is like a wild fever dream. The story about Chewbacca’s family makes no sense and lacks any notable qualities even as a TV event for families.

How the many actors agreed to this is a mystery to me. No wonder that the film is officially silenced and there are no official ways to watch the special.

14. Star Wars: Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker

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English trailer for Star Wars 9: The Rise of Skywalker 

Release: 2019

The Rise of Skywalker was supposed to be the grand love letter to Star Wars and there are certainly interesting visuals, but the entire story feels like a slap in the face to the fans who are truly invested.

Just the line Somehow … returned is really silly. The trilogy, despite all its flaws, introduced interesting characters but fails to bring them to a satisfactory conclusion.

13. Ewok – The Caravan of Courage

Release: 1984

Ewok – The Caravan of Courage honestly has little to do with Star Wars. The film feels like something you would have watched on a Friday at 8:00 PM on Super RTL. The set design of the film leaves much to be desired, as while some scenes look quite coherent, others appear to have been shot in the nearby woods.

However, one must give the film credit: it is charming. The Ewoks have their own charm, some costumes and animatronics are fun, and compared to the disastrous Holiday Special, one can at least watch The Caravan of Courage.

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

„Should not be allowed“ – A “very good“ game on Steam is advertising a 90% discount and players are angry

The Hitman trilogy has just received a hefty discount on Steam, but it’s not as good as it seems at first glance.

What kind of game is this? It is about Hitman: World of Assassination, which combines Hitman 1–3 along with the roguelike mode “Freelancer”. On Steam, this version of the popular stealth games enjoys a status of “very positive” with 85% recommendations. Normally, the game costs €69.99, while the Deluxe Edition costs even €99.99.

Anyone who has the game on their wish list, or types it into the search on Steam, is currently surprised by a price of €2.99 – but the discount is not as good as it seems at first glance.

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Hitman: World of Assassination combines the entire trilogy

Misleading discount and complicated purchase

What is the problem? The 90% discount only applies to Hitman: WoA Part One, which normally costs €29.99. However, this only becomes apparent when you visit the store page for the game. A user complains about this in the Steam subreddit by saying, “This should not be allowed.”

It is unclear to what extent the developers can do anything about how the price is displayed. It is entirely possible that this results from an unfortunate meeting of Steam’s system with the admittedly somewhat complex pricing structure of the game. Nevertheless, the experience remains frustrating for the user.

However, the somewhat misleading discount is only part of the problem, as Hitman: WoA is notorious for having the entire purchase process unnecessarily complicated. A user explains on Reddit: When people have to create purchase tutorials for your game because you’ve made it so difficult to understand, you should know that you’ve messed up somewhere.

Even though it may seem so, this comment is not exaggerated, as there is indeed a buyer’s guide that you can find in the subreddit for Hitman.

So what do you get for the price? Part One includes, besides free seasonal content and the ICA training missions, the 6 maps from Hitman 1 from 2016. In addition, there are 3 “Deluxe Escalations”.

However, the Freelancer mode and content from Hitman 2 and 3 are behind a paywall and must be purchased separately. The Hitman: WoA Upgrade Pack is currently also discounted and available for €25.19 instead of €39.99 (via Steam).

If you like the offer, you can still get the entire game for under €30 until August 5th.

If you decide to buy and dive into the world of Agent 47, you should make sure not to completely lose track of your surroundings. Otherwise, you could become the victim of a treacherous attack: Killer cat deletes a streamer’s progress in Hitman 3 with deadly precision

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

Developers of Star Wars Outlaws respond to “unfair” criticism of the map – “That is taken out of context”

Fans criticized Star Wars Outlaws due to the suspected map size. Now the developers responded to the criticism and dismissed it as taken out of context.

What did fans criticize about Star Wars Outlaws? In an interview with IGN, the developers of Star Wars Outlaws revealed that the planets in the game are two to three times larger than a zone from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and it would take 5 minutes to traverse them with a speeder.

These statements ultimately led to criticism from fans. Many users initially thought this sounded like a much too small map. The user MattAAW commented under the article on X that the 5 minutes many players got hung up on were a euphemism for an ‘extremely small map.’

Our colleagues from GameStar have already explored the world of Star Wars: Outlaws. You can find out about their experiences with GameStar Plus.

You can watch the trailer for Star Wars Outlaws here:

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Trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, the first open-world game in the ‘Star Wars’ universe

The criticism is unfair and taken out of context

How do the developers respond to the criticism? After the criticism, our colleagues from JeuxVideo spoke with Julian Gerighty, the Creative Director, about the players’ reactions.

He described the reactions as ‘unfair and taken out of context.’ He further explained that the indicated time was merely an estimate of how long it would take to travel in a straight line with a speeder bike without any distractions.

Other players seem to find the current criticism excessive as well. In a Reddit thread by user “spurs_legacy,” the player explained that to him, the quality of the map is more important than the quantity. This view is also shared by several other users.

This suggests a different approach than the SciFi RPG Starfield, which had countless planets that were largely quite empty.

What can players expect in Star Wars Outlaws? According to Gerighty, players can look forward to a world that offers many activities and is not disappointing due to empty space. The main goal is to create a dense and vibrant world that provides players with an immersive experience where they can immerse themselves for many hours.

This is not the first time that Star Wars Outlaws has faced criticism before its release. Back in April, the game caused an uproar because an internet connection was required for installation. You can read more about this here: Star Wars Outlaws causes trouble before release: Requires internet connection for installation

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

2vs8 is the best mode in Dead by Daylight – But it has a huge problem

The new game mode in Dead by Daylight is really good. Too good, because it creates a new, huge problem that finds no solution.

I am being completely honest: In the last few months, I have played considerably less Dead by Daylight than before. I have kept myself updated, briefly tried out all the killers to understand them and their mechanics – but I haven’t really played it energetically anymore.

That has completely changed with the currently available 2vs8 mode. Here, 2 killers face off against 8 survivors. This is the first time that killers can cooperate and you can team up with a friend to show a few survivors that they actually won’t survive.

Start video
Dead by Daylight – 2v8 explained in detail

Playing killers with someone else is indescribably more relaxing. There are several positive aspects that you suddenly have with 2 killers:

  • If you lose, that burden is shared by 2 people. You don’t feel as downhearted when things go badly – especially because you are on a team with someone and can think together about how to do better.
  • A survivor is constantly leading you around by the nose and “triggering” you all the time? Just ignore him. There are 7 other survivors you can probably get to more easily.

Additionally, the game is much simpler to play without perks. I don’t have to consider hundreds of perks in every chase and think about what the survivor might be doing and whether I might accidentally trigger any of their perks. Everyone knows what every other character in the game can do – this applies to both killers and survivors.

Too many killers – no survivors

However, there is a massive problem that is currently dampening the enjoyment of the game. The waiting times are long. Extremely long. At least when you want to play killers. Survivors have virtually “instant invites” and can get started right away.

This is because this type of experience is something new for killers. Whether you play alone or in pairs makes a gigantic difference from the killer’s perspective.

For survivors, this difference is smaller. Whether you have 3 or 7 teammates has only a marginal effect on the course of the game.

This means that there are many more killers who want to try the mode and simply too few survivors. Because it’s clear: Even in 2vs8, there must be four times as many survivors as killers for matches to occur continuously.

And this is exactly where the problem lies. There are far too many killers for far too few survivors. The waiting times for killer pairs often range between 10 and 20 minutes – with a tendency towards 20. That is a bit time-consuming and dampens the enjoyment of the game on the killer’s side somewhat.

Dead by Daylight 2v8 Survivor Bonus
400% more bloodpoints for survivors – yet that is not enough of an incentive.

The developer Behaviour has also recognized the problem early and given survivors an additional incentive to sign up: Survivors receive a whopping 400% additional bloodpoints. That is such a massive bonus that you pretty much leave every match with well over 100,000 bloodpoints. Anyone who still wants to level up characters and unlock perks should make use of this now.

However, the bonus has not actually helped to level the playing field. The waiting times are still extremely high.

But I don’t see a solid solution to this. Maybe the mode just needs more time for more people to get used to it and switch back to the survivor side. I am just worried that this massive imbalance could even be a reason to halt the development of the mode – and that would be a shame because I haven’t had as much fun in Dead by Daylight in a long time as I have had in these matches. Even more so than with the best killers that you can currently play in the real game.

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

Destiny 2: Insider report shows how Bungie lost its magic

The mass layoffs at Bungie, the studio behind Destiny and Halo, are currently occupying the gaming industry. In a major report, renowned journalist Jason Schreier reveals that Bungie may have taken on too much.

What kind of report is this? On the evening of August 2, our time, well-known gaming journalist Jason Schreier published an insider report on Bloomberg regarding the current mass layoffs at Bungie. He spoke with 10 current and former employees of the Destiny developer.

Schreier paints a picture of a studio that has grown too quickly, stretched itself too thin, and reports on the Destiny 3 that never was.

Bungie probably thought they could achieve anything

What was all this about “Bungie Magic”? The “Bungie Magic” is said to have been a mantra of CEO Pete Parsons, whom many employees now accuse of not taking enough responsibility for his misjudgments. Overall, he was described as being “overly optimistic” in his communication with staff.

Apparently, after the acquisition by Sony in 2022, Bungie thought that everything was possible: They hired hundreds of new employees and spread them across a multitude of projects, instead of focusing on Destiny 2, which Schreier referred to as the “chief money maker” or main source of income.

Among the projects were supposed mobile versions of Destiny, remakes of old games, and entirely new franchises.

Schreier compares this miscalculation, the belief that they could achieve anything, to the failure of the BioWare MMO Anthem and the once-popular studio Arkane, which was closed in May 2024.

2023 was apparently a terrible year for Bungie

What went wrong? Bungie’s major problems began to emerge in 2023. The large Lightfall expansion of Destiny 2 did lead to player records, but it left the community disappointed.

The planned extraction shooter Marathon did not come together properly, and the major story finale The Final Shape also required more time than anticipated. By the end of 2023, the dire situation was reportedly discussed in a meeting. Parsons informed the staff that the company had missed its revenue targets by 45% and was losing money.

Bungie subsequently postponed The Final Shape and Marathon, both of which received new leadership. Around 100 employees were laid off.

According to the report, employees hoped that more time for The Final Shape would lead to a better product, but even the positive reviews could not prevent the layoffs that had long been in progress by this time.

In a blog post where Parsons announced the layoffs on July 31, the CEO admitted they had become too large. Instead of “Bungie Magic,” it was said: “We were overly ambitious.”

The expansion The Final Shape was a beacon of hope for the employees:

Start video
Destiny 2 shows the launch trailer for The Final Shape

Destiny 3 was not canceled – it never existed

What kind of game was this? As Schreier clarifies, a sequel to Destiny 2 was reportedly never in development. Instead, a title called Payback was being worked on, which was to take place in the Destiny universe but would deviate far from the proven formula. Thus, it was more of a spin-off than a sequel.

Payback was said to have adopted elements from Warframe and Genshin Impact. Instead of exploring the world in first person, players were supposed to explore it in third person and cooperate to defeat monsters and solve puzzles. It has now been revealed that the project has been canceled, personnel have been fired, or reassigned to Marathon, which is set to be released in 2025.

What’s next? Destiny 2 is likely to take a different direction with new director Tyson Green, which some of the interviewed employees may view positively. While the “Money Maker” is still supposed to receive updates, it seems that instead of major paid expansions, they want to attract both existing and new players with smaller content drops.

These plans will now have to be implemented by the remaining Bungie staff with fewer people and tighter schedules. And that in a studio that probably has little in common with the one from three years ago: Fans are glad that not so many Destiny developers were fired, but the reality looks different

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