In the current financial report, Ubisoft officials surprisingly announced the discontinuation of development on the new shooter set in the universe of The Division.
Which game is it about? The Division: Heartland, officially announced in May 2021, was being developed by Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft and was intended to be released with a free-to-play model for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
The third-person shooter with survival elements was planned as a spinoff of the previous games in The Division series and was also meant to be closely linked with The Division 2 and The Division Resurgence. Now it is clear: This ménage à trois will not happen.
R.I.P. The Division: Heartland – here’s another look at the gameplay of the shooter:
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The developers of The Division Heartland talk about the gameplay of the upcoming shooter
What has Ubisoft announced? In the current financial report from Ubisoft, the decision-makers announced the end of development on The Division: Heartland:
“Furthermore, Ubisoft has decided to discontinue the development of The Division: Heartland in line with the increased selectivity of its investments and to redirect resources towards larger opportunities such as XDefiant and Rainbow Six.”
CEO Yves Guillemot further stated during the conference call that the company is back on a “profitable growth path” after difficult years. He referred to the records for annual and quarterly net bookings.
With upcoming releases such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Rainbow Six Mobile, Star Wars Outlaws, The Division Resurgence, and XDefiant, the positive trend is expected to continue. More about the new installment for Assassin’s Creed and what you should know about it can be found here: Ubisoft fulfills the wishes of fans, yet some believe the new game comes 10 years too late
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
“The Casting of Frank Stone” continues to approach its release, and the new trailer shows the first scenes related to the story and gameplay, which awaits in the cinematic gaming experience.
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The Casting of Frank Stone – Gameplay trailer shows the story
What kind of game is this? “The Casting of Frank Stone” takes place in the universe of Dead by Daylight, but it is a purely single-player game. Following the style of previous titles by Supermassive Games, the game consists of many decisions, some quick-time events, and plenty of environmental puzzles full of hidden details that ultimately form a larger whole.
Anyone who has played “The Quarry” or “The Devil in Me” will likely feel right at home.
Overall, a gameplay duration of 6-7 hours is aimed for, though this obviously also depends on the decisions made during the game.
What is the game about? The story is currently only known in rough outlines. Four friends want to shoot an amateur horror film together and venture onto the grounds of an old steel mill. However, strange incidents occur during the filming, and piece by piece it becomes clear that there is apparently a good reason why the grounds of the steel mill are no longer accessed.
Since the game takes place in the same universe as Dead by Daylight, there are also supernatural occurrences and eerie creatures like the Entity – and of course some hooks that you can be hung on.
When will the game be released? There is no exact release date for “The Casting of Frank Stone” yet, however, the release is still planned for 2024. They are sticking to this date and are allegedly “fully on course” to meet it as well.
Are you excited for a single-player adventure in the universe of Dead by Daylight?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Warlocks in World of Warcraft are already a strange bunch. They wield forbidden demonic magics and have all sorts of creepy companions that one would rather keep at a distance. But with the new expansion “The War Within”, they are enhancing their repertoire of abilities once again – because they are capable of summoning entire raid bosses and imposing their will upon them.
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WoW: The War Within – All the major features of the new expansion
What are these summons? The new summons are a new talent point for Demonology Warlocks. They receive a new “Capstone” talent, which is a talent at the bottom of the tree. Here, you can choose between two different talents (“Choice Node”):
Mark of Shatug
Mark of F’harg
The choice here modifies the existing spell “Summon Dark Horror”. Depending on which talent you choose, your horror will change and gain a new ability.
F’harg constantly emits fire around him, dealing AoE damage to all nearby enemies.
Shatug inflicts his target with an additional, strong damage-over-time effect, making him suitable for single targets.
Where do the bosses come from? The two dogs should be familiar to veterans from the expansion Legion. There, they were among the first bosses of the raid “Antorus, the Burning Throne”.
The two demons were Sargeras’ lapdogs and were imbued with the essence of fire and the essence of shadow to serve him even better – while devouring all foes of the Legion. At least until we kill the dogs.
The two dogs were raid bosses – soon warlocks will be able to summon them.
Currently, Shatug and F’harg are also really, really large in the Alpha of The War Within – almost as large as the raid bosses back in Antorus. However, since this would probably cause display issues, one can assume that the two dogs will be shrunk over the next week.
What do you think of this kind of companion? A cool innovation? Or are warlocks slowly gaining too much power?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Before the launch of Remix: Mists of Pandaria from World of Warcraft, we had the opportunity to talk with two Blizzard developers about the upcoming event. We learned some things that are not in the official preview.
MeinMMO had the chance to chat with the two Blizzard developers Ciji Bambrick (Senior Test Analyst) and Brian Dowling (Senior Game Designer) about Remix: MoP in advance of the event. During the conversation, we learned various details that are not included in the official announcement.
Through limited-time events of a different kind, Blizzard is currently bringing a breath of fresh air to the 20-year-old framework of World of Warcraft.
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3 times World of Warcraft was declared dead
What is WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria?
Let’s clarify the basics first: Similar to Plunderstorm, Remix: MoP is a time-limited event that aims to sweeten the wait for the upcoming expansion The War Within. As part of the event, you will be able to create a new level 10 character and level him to level 70 at high speed in Pandaria.
The special thing about the event: You will have access to almost all content from the entire Mists of Pandaria expansion to hunt XP, including the various dungeons and raids, the Timeless Isle, or the Isle of Thunder.
During the event, you will earn new rewards that you can also use in other versions of World of Warcraft, and of course, you can also continue to play your character leveled during the event in The War Within. So far, so familiar.
From small summoners, legendary skins, and free mounts
Now let’s get to the details that came up during our interview with Ciji Bambrick and Brian Dowling:
Remix: MoP is expected to run for about three months, until mid-August. We can assume that the expansion The War Within will start only after the end of the event.
With the Remix event, the developers want to focus on story content from WoW that has not been experienced by many players for many years. They took inspiration from the seasons in Diablo 3.
The fact that the Remix event is now leading us to Pandaria has nothing to do with the plans of the Classic team. We should not conclude that after Cataclysm Classic, there will definitely not be a continuation with MoP Classic.
The Pandaren expansion was a good choice because the associated content feels modern, but Pandaria offers some particularities such as the scenarios, the large number of daily quests, or some of the most popular raid challenges in WoW history.
The raid instances of Remix: MoP can be accessed during the leveling phase via the Raid Finder. Alternatively, you can find teammates through the general group search, chat, or your guild.
Entering the normal mode of the Mogu’shan Vault at level 25 or the Heart of Fear on Normal at level 35 will present a huge challenge, comparable to today’s heroic raid instances. At level 70, these raids should actually feel like “normal” raids. The respective LFR mode, however, should be significantly easier.
The Dungeon Finder for scenarios and dungeons (including heroic difficulty) opens already after the intro, at level 10. Anyone starting with heroic dungeons should expect a challenging experience.
Level up to 20 in Remix: MoP and this mount belongs to you!
At vendors, you can buy scrolls that remove debuffs or provide you with important buffs that are not available to your group at lower levels.
There are over 60 gems with special effects that you can socket into the new items. You will obtain these through quests, dungeons, raids, and vendors. The goal is for every player to have access to the full array of gems before reaching level 70, to experiment.
The upgradeable Cloak of Eternal Potential is, of course, a reference to the legendary cloak from MoP. Of course, this also changes its appearance with each upgrade. Anyone reaching a certain milestone can even earn the spectacular wing animations of the original legendary cloaks as a new toy.
Unfortunately, the Combat Guild will not make a comeback in Remix: MoP.
In Remix: MoP, there is for the first time the chance to play a low-level summoner while leveling and in dungeons and raids. Normally, the Dragon Isles race starts at level 58.
Up to level 20, anyone interested can try out Remix: MoP with a free trial account. Any player who reaches level 20 during the event will be rewarded with the stylish flying mount Exalted Phoenix. After level 20, you can continue only with an active WoW subscription. You do not need to own the current expansion.
In Destiny 2 Bungie has revived the old exotic mission “Zero Hour” after its recent Weekly Reset. Players can unlock an iconic Exo-rifle blueprint there, and we will show you why you should do it.
At its release, the weapon was considered a powerful DPS king, and it could hold its own against raid bosses. Although the weapon is still a solid choice in combat, Guardians now use other rifles for their loadouts.
The weapon has therefore faded into obscurity, but with the new version of this rifle, you should start to remember. The Perfected Outbreak is back and stronger and better than ever before.
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Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Gameplay trailer for the new talents
Perfected Outbreak is being perfected
Why is the Exo now stronger? The Perfected Outbreak has improved thanks to Ada-1. She gives you the opportunity to build the rifle in the enclave according to your specifications. You can adjust the barrel, magazine, trait, and even your stock.
With this freedom, the Perfected Outbreak can indeed be perfected. Reload speed and handling were not the strengths of the rifle, but with the right attachments, these deficiencies can be eliminated.
Additionally, the selectable trait “Rewind Rounds” provides an overloaded magazine. You receive as much ammunition as hits scored. If the generated nanites, which are also responsible for hits, apply, the rifle becomes a true DPS monster.
We will now show you how to obtain and refine the weapon and reveal the God Rolls.
How can I build the Exo? To build the Perfected Outbreak, you first need the quest “Well-Guarded Goods” from Ada-1 in the Tower. Now you have to complete the Exo mission “Zero Hour” and speak to Ada-1 again to be donated a specimen with an extractable blueprint. Now you can build the weapon.
You can immediately add your old catalyst if you want
What is the God Roll? Depending on where you want to use the weapon, you will also need to choose different perks. You should pay attention to the following perks for PvE and PvP:
How do I unlock the remaining perks? The traits are tied to the quest “Refined Outbreak.” You receive the first part of this quest immediately from Ada-1 after completing her quest “Well-Guarded Goods.” Therefore, when you complete the first part of this quest, you unlock the trait “Quickdraw.”
Additional attachments like barrels, magazines, and stocks will be unlocked when you weekly complete the puzzles for the new Exo ship. You will also receive the catalyst when you complete Zero Hour on legendary.
Season 4 brought numerous changes to Diablo 4: The hell tides have also been revamped. Mobs spawn everywhere, and huge worms spit out enemies. It’s quite chaotic – and the players love it.
The hell tides have also been revised. They are now available not just at world tier 3 and 4, but already from world tier 1.
How is the hell tide received now? Even on the PTR (Public Test Realm), the “new” hell tide excited numerous players. Here, the monsters no longer wait somewhere for players to be slaughtered, but “hell wants to hunt and kill you.” And shortly after the release of Season 4, the community praises the hell tide.
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Diablo 4: The boss explains Season 4 in 60 seconds
Community feeling in complete chaos
What do players love about the hell tide?On Reddit, the user “SirAelic” wrote on May 15 in his post that the new hell tide boss is fantastic. It never gets boring to place three corruption hearts into the sockets, summon him with it, and see “dozens of players sprinting in for a boss fight.”
“SirAelic” describes his experience in the hell tide in the Reddit post:
It was even better when I was just at world tier 3 and we were all level 35-40 and could barely kill [the boss]. There were definitely 15 or 20 players who kept rushing at him and dying constantly. It was so much fun, I’ve never felt such a sense of community in a Diablo game before. I can’t wait to play again tomorrow!
In another post on Reddit, the user “Edupastore” wrote on May 15 that the hell tides are “complete chaos and slaughterhouse. And I like it, very much.”
In a comment, “TheTeeje” noted on Reddit: “When you have 10 people fighting the big boss, and everyone starts maximizing their threat, and hellborn spawn, it really gets crazy. I’ve had 10-minute fights in the boss area because they wouldn’t stop spawning. […] It’s a beautiful chaos.”
Other users write in the comments that they are currently having a “damn good time” in Diablo 4, the hell tides are “absolutely phenomenal” and it’s great that there are hell tides now also at world levels 1 and 2.
In the hell tides, you can level up the easiest and fastest from level 1, as the monster density there is simply higher than in the open world. There is also the new seasonal elixir “Desecrated Mind Cage” that increases the level of hell tide monsters by 10. We have summarized more leveling tips in our guide.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Sanji and Zoro are two of the strongest members of Luffy’s Straw Hat crew. In the anime series of One Piece, the two hotheads constantly clash. Presumably, the relationship between their voice actors, who lend their voices to the two characters in the original Japanese version, is much better. However, there is a gift where the voice actor of Sanji stayed in his role.
What kind of gift is that? The voice actor of Sanji apparently wanted to celebrate the birthday of his colleague properly. In 2020, he gifted the voice actor of Zoro something he probably didn’t expect: He wrote him a “touching” birthday message.
Here you can see for yourself what kind of “emotional” message the voice actor wrote to his colleague:
Based on the expression of Zoro’s voice actor, it is evident that he is not too happy with this gift. No wonder, as instead of a touching message he simply received a blank board with nothing on it.
Unfortunately, we do not know if Zoro’s voice actor compensated with an equally great gift. But we can imagine that this “message” did not go uncommented.
The One Piece anime is currently airing during the Egghead Island arc:
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One Piece: New trailer shows first images from the Egghead Island arc
Sanji and Zoro have a rivalry in One Piece
Why is this gift so fitting? The voice actors of Sanji and Zoro stay true to the characters they voice. Although the two Straw Hat pirates belong to the same crew, they have been enemies from the beginning. They often compete to see who is the stronger fighter:
In the fight against Arlong’s pirate crew, the two count how many fishmen they have defeated.
In chapter 655 of volume 66, there is a scene where Sanji distributes lunch to the crew. Only Zoro’s food has a special “crunch”. Oda reveals that Sanji packed rat poison and razor blades in Zoro’s food (via Screen Rant).
The rivalry between the two goes beyond normal boundaries. Sanji’s voice actor took the feud to the next level and is now playfully carrying it into reality.
How is the gift received by fans? In the comments, there are numerous users who are having fun with the message. They find that the gift is a “very nice” message and that the message is so profound that some would break into tears.
Some write that the two fit perfectly into their roles. User Devontae981 even found a photo of the two voice actors staring at each other grumpily.
Mary’s relationship with open-world games is complicated. But it’s not the games that are to blame, but mainly her playing style.
Actually, I should love open-world games. I like the idea of moving freely through a world, being able to choose what I want to do next.
However, after the initial joy of so much freedom, a certain fatigue sets in. I notice how I increasingly enter autopilot mode and mindlessly complete one task after another.
I look for the shortest paths, skip story dialogues from side quests because I lose patience, find quests exhausting where not every monster drops what I need, and I only move through the actually beautiful world with tunnel vision.
In the past, I simply dismissed this as “open-world fatigue” and made excuses: the genre is worn out, I don’t have time for such long games anymore, all side activities feel the same.
All along, it wasn’t the games, but me that was the problem.
“I need to do this now”
My playing style is the problem. Because I want or need to complete all side quests and tasks in an area before moving on with the main story.
It doesn’t matter at all whether I can’t return to the area for a while afterwards or whether the game world allows me to choose when I do what. My inner urge to complete every quest and task in the area repeatedly ruins my gaming experience.
Worse still: The feeling of needing to take everything paralyzes me to the point where I leave beloved games lying around for weeks because I think of all the annoying side tasks I still have to do.
For example, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth has been sitting around for two weeks because I don’t feel like tackling the last major area. Meanwhile, the main story is approaching its climax.
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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – Trailer
Take away my quest log and icons
Just because I have identified the problem for myself doesn’t mean I can automatically solve it. I wish I could simply walk past side quests and continue with the actually fun part.
But it’s not that simple. Therefore, I need the support of games to get a handle on my destructive playing style. How this works is demonstrated by Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which I couldn’t put down for a full 90 hours until the end.
Instead of long lists of quests or side activities, Zelda simply gives me a few markers that I can assign myself and my current quest givers. However, the quest givers only tell me which direction my goals are in, without providing the exact locations.
This forces me to actively engage with the open world and go on exploration trips. Sure: I will never find all the secrets, quests, or Korok seeds. But since the game doesn’t actively write it on the to-do list for me, I can live with it.
When I told some colleagues about the idea this morning in the office, I heard a lot of “Oh yes, I know that!”. So I have the slight suspicion that I’m not alone with my open-world problem.
How about you? Are you unlike me strong-willed and can simply ignore side quests and the like? How do you approach open-world games and what do you place special value on in side tasks and world design?
Maybe you have a secret super trick that solves my little problem. That would be wonderful. Because I really want to love open-world games, but I just can’t stop ruining them for myself.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A Canadian player of The Sims has introduced his creation in “The Sims 4,” which he created 9 years ago: An efficient, yet cruel place where the nice virtual people work until they drop dead. Six workers enable two capitalists to live a life of luxury.
This is the situation:
The Sims is a computer game series that began in 2000. Will Wright had a life simulation in mind, where avatars go to work, earn money, and can afford an increasingly comfortable life. Additionally, they fall in love, maintain social contacts, and pursue their hobbies: They live a fulfilling life.
But a Canadian player created a family called “My Sweatshop Family” in “The Sims 4” in 2015 and sent them into a life consisting only of work and suffering.
People look fascinated at his creation, which he shares in a series of screenshots on Twitter.
The Sims 4 is a service game that has been continuously developed with numerous updates and expansions over the years, thus becoming a cash cow for Electronic Arts:
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The Sims 4 – Trailer for the Expansion High School Years
What is the life of a Sim in his sweatshop like? The Canadian has built two separate buildings with his meager starting funds:
An absolutely barren factory with 6 single beds, a kitchen, and 6 workstations with a PC
A luxuriously furnished bedroom with a double bed
Novels and scripts are written on the assembly line
The player says: He designed the sparsely equipped workspace after his last job, he says. Here, he forced his slaves to write novels and scripts so that he could collect a pile of money in royalties every morning.
One of his slaves died after just 20 minutes:
“He got off easy, I believe,” scoffs the Canadian.
To further humiliate his “slaves,” the player made them wear hot dog costumes.
On the left, the rich and beautiful live; on the right, the sweating masses.
Workers toil so that the elite can live in luxury
How did it continue? The player said: He quickly realized that writing scripts brings in little money. Therefore, he had them create paintings instead and sold them.
Writing novels or painting are actually “creative hobbies” in The Sims 4. As a byproduct, the Sims improve in these skills, and the objects they create become more valuable.
With the money that the enslaved workers amassed, he continued to expand the beautiful part of the house and treated himself to a piano while the workplaces remained bare and miserable.
Painting in sweatshops and in a hot dog costume.A little tinkling in luxury.
He will only work for me, never go to school
And what happened when they got older? The Sims grew older.
The player concluded: The workers would just die. While the “hot red-haired baroness” can afford the life serum to stay eternally young.
So what to do? The player set up a “hot dog breeding chamber” to ensure offspring.
The workers then had children as well, but the boss was tough. They would never go to school, but would “work until they drop dead” for him.
A new generation of workers is needed.This boy has to learn to paint as a child and will never attend school.
Tweet about the lives of the Sims goes viral
What’s behind it. This is a bitter satire on the fundamental idea of The Sims. Normally, one strives for the family – like in a role-playing game – to lead a balanced life and have fun.
However, the player here uses The Sims for social criticism: The masses toil themselves to death while the selected elite lives in luxury.
Apparently, he has hit a nerve, as seen in the many positive comments.
It is said that this is not so far-fetched at all; many companies actually work like this.
With Season 4 came numerous changes in Diablo 4. One of the most important relates to the aspects and the Codex of Power. Players are thrilled and looking forward to empty spaces in their chests.
Since May 14, Season 4 has been live in Diablo 4 and is exciting many players with the new features. The entire loot system has been revamped, item drops are clearer and more rewarding. One of the most significant changes concerns the aspects on items.
Previously, players collected aspects and items with matching aspects in their chests:
the aspects themselves, in case they want to use them on other items
Items with good aspects, in case they want to extract them to use on other items
This led to cluttered and confusing chest spaces. With Season 4, that has changed.
What have the developers changed?The biggest and most important change is happening to the loot system: There are now fewer, but better affixes and you can customize items through crafting. Instead of having to extract affixes, you recycle Legendaries and the aspects automatically go into the Codex of Power. The best variant that was disassembled is always stored instead of just using the low base value.
This excites the players of Diablo 4, as they have been complaining about lack of space since the release of Diablo 4. In between, the developers have revised items to allow for more space, such as having gems drop as fragments that do not appear in the inventory.
In the video, you can learn more about the new item system in Diablo 4:
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Diablo 4: The developers explain the new item system and the new endgame dungeon
The overhaul is an absolute “game changer”
How does the community react? The fact that aspects now go directly to the Codex of Power when items are disassembled pleases the players. On Reddit, user “angry_dingo” writes on May 15 that not having to deal with aspects decreases 80% of the problems.
In his post, he writes:
Collecting aspects was a torment and destroyed chest space. Managing aspects was one of the worst things in Diablo, and even with the very rudimentary search function, it took way too long. Forcing players to carry the aspects they wanted to use was the peak of […] massive, time-consuming mechanics.
Not having to deal with that anymore, but simply being able to choose from a list of available aspects is the absolute best improvement in Diablo. This is absolutely game changing. Bravo!
He adds that he only has three items in his chest at level 40. And other users agree with him. Below, we summarize a few comments from the thread:
EnderCN writes on Reddit: “That you no longer have to pick up and sift through rare items is just as important to me as the change to the Codex.”
Worth_Performer7357 writes on Reddit: “That’s true. […] the item/aspect management was always the sticking point that made me quit every season after one or two weeks of hard grinding.”
race-hearse notes on Reddit: “I am more willing to play other classes since the inventory management is easier now.”
Particular-Act-8911 states on Reddit: “I knew it was bad… but now that it’s gone, I realize how bad it was.”
Another user notes on Reddit that he really enjoys the changes in Season 4. Not having to deal with aspects anymore and “having to look at and weigh each one to see if you want to keep it” is the best part about it.
He writes: “When I press ‘Disassemble All’ and know that all my aspects are going exactly where I want them, that’s probably the biggest dopamine hit I’ve gotten from this game so far.”
The affixes have also been revised for Season 4. Rare items now have only two affixes instead of three, while Legendaries have three affixes. Thus, you can safely leave “yellow” items behind if you don’t want to equip them. This saves inventory space, and you still don’t have to forgo important materials: The most important material in Diablo 4 is much easier to obtain in Season 4.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The survival game Valheim has received a new expansion called “Ashlands.” The update is already live and introduces a new area to the game that, according to the developers, is not for the faint of heart.
What expansion is it? The survival game Valheim has received a new update called Ashlands. A testing phase took place at the end of April, and now the expansion is accessible to everyone and can be played.
Ashlands primarily brings a new biome, or area, into the game. The new region is immediately very inhospitable at first glance. Hot, boiling waters, undead, Valkyries, and other new enemies are set to challenge even experienced players.
Here you can see the animated release trailer for the expansion:
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The trailer for the new Valheim expansion heats things up
“We are entering endgame territory here”
What does Ashlands offer? According to the developers, the expansion clearly constitutes endgame content. This means you should set out well-prepared for the dangerous region. Numerous challenges await players. But they apparently prefer it challenging anyway.
To cross the previously mentioned waters, you will need robust ships. Building outposts is also expected to become more important and should feel like a constant struggle. To attack enemy bases, siege weapons can be constructed, such as catapults or battering rams.
The game’s producer, Andreas Tomasson, explains:
Ashlands should feel like a battle, and players should expect a challenge. Every square centimeter of territory you claim must be fought for, and every outpost must be reinforced before you push further in. We are entering endgame territory here, and players need to be prepared for what is coming in the deep north.
In addition to introducing new enemy types, the update also brings over 30 new weapons and 70 new items into the game. Furthermore, there is new music, interesting new locations and events, which also enhance the overall impression of the survival game. Valheim already belongs to the forefront of its genre and is also featured in our list of the best survival games.
What’s next? Ashlands currently introduces the penultimate biome into the game. Only Deep North remains, a region full of ice and snow. Quite a contrast to the fiery Ashlands.
The publisher of Elden Ring, the Japanese company Bandai Namco, has taken action against a former employee, obtained an arrest warrant, and demanded the return of 600 million yen in stolen goods. Additionally, some heads rolled in the company: superiors of the ex-employee had to go because they allowed the person to get away with a blatant theft for 7 years.
What did the man do? On May 14, the head of Bandai Namco stated in a statement (via bandainamco) that a former employee of the Japanese developer has been sued and arrested for “embezzlement of company property.”
The person is not named, but it is alleged that they embezzled a total of 4,400 mobile devices owned by Bandai Namco between April 2015 and April 2022.
Without Bandai Namco’s explicit permission, the employee sold the 4,400 devices over a period of 7 years, making a profit of 600 million yen, which is about 3.6 million euros.
When this was discovered, the employee was terminated in December 2022, about six months after the thefts had stopped.
Start video
Elden Ring shows first trailer for the new DLC ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’
Heads rolled at Bandai Namco
This is how Bandai Namco responded: The developer filed a lawsuit in a civil court in January 2023 and then obtained a ruling against the employee in December 2023. Following that, a formal complaint was filed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, which led to the arrest of the ex-employee on May 14.
This is the consequence for the company: The developers also self-critically say that they have implemented internal measures to prevent such incidents from happening again. They plan to improve internal control systems and also bring in external experts. Additionally, they aim to collaborate as a group to avoid such incidents.
As the report indicates, some heads rolled: The number of directors in the company has been reduced, and “strict disciplinary actions” have been taken against the direct superiors of the individual.
The 3.6 million euros are not expected to affect the publisher’s financial figures for the next fiscal year. Apparently, it is anticipated that the new Elden Ring DLC will bring in so much money that the few million yen will not really make a difference: Elden Ring DLC: ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ – Overview of release, prices, and editions
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The continuation of Steam hit Kingdom Come: Deliverance is supposed to have even more dialogues than the first part, be twice as large, and become more diverse. MeinMMO reveals the information.
Even in the first part of the role-playing game, there are plenty of dialogues, but the sequel takes it a step further. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the main character already has over 500 hours of dialogues.
Here you can watch the launch trailer of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2:
Start video
Kingdom Come: Deliverance presents itself in the launch trailer
Record-breaking Dialogue Recordings
How many more dialogues will there be? The voice actor (Luke Dale) behind the main character Henry (German: Heinrich) has recently completed recording the dialogue lines for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – after 508 hours in the studio, spread over 127 sessions. That amounts to a whole three weeks of dialogue.
This is recording material. Whether that many hours will actually be used in the end is still unknown. But there’s definitely a lot of stuff.
Here you can see the X-post from the voice actor:
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What else can we expect? The developers emphasize that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be what the first part should have been from the very beginning. They assure that the game will introduce many new immersive systems. The developers aim for a more reactive world that will respond to, reflect, and comment on our actions.
The spokesman of Warhorse Studios, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, reveals in an interview with IGN the following details: The map in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be twice as large as the one in the predecessor and will offer a variety of possibilities.
This means not only more landscape and longer paths but also a larger number of quests, random encounters, and other content. There will also be new features such as the introduction of crossbows and a blacksmith mini-game.
In addition, the game is supposed to have more diversity. “Of course, one can expect a wide range of ethnicities and different characters that Henry will meet on his journey in a place like this,” says Tobias Stolz-Zwilling to IGN.
We are trying to portray a realistic, immersive and credible medieval world, reconstructed to the best of our knowledge and belief.
Should I have played the predecessor? Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You will once again take on the role of Henry (Heinrich) of Skalitz, whose quest for vengeance after the murder of his family in the 15th century causes chaos in the Bohemia of medieval Europe.
The first part dealt with Henry’s rise from a simple citizen to a knight squire, while the second part is supposed to bring the actual conflict back into focus.
While it might be beneficial to have played the first part to better understand the story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is also supposed to be accessible for newcomers. However, there is no confirmation yet whether there will be a summary for newcomers. If you want to sweeten the waiting time or are looking for a new role-playing game – we have presented you with the best ones on Steam: The 11 best role-playing games on Steam
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fans of Masters of the Universe have every reason to be happy: One of the most iconic figures is available as a high-quality action figure. If you want to own it, however, you must not be too stingy.
Which figure is it? Skeletor is the greatest villain in the world of Masters of the Universe. All he wants is to gain power and learn all the secrets of Castle Grayskull. With that, he could become the Master of the Universe. The only one who can stop him is the hero He-Man.
Many of you probably remember him and Skeletor from early childhood. Today, many people feel a great nostalgia when they think of these characters and their iconic looks.
Toy manufacturers know this as well and continually delight fans with new action figures. A new version of Skeletor is special, but it also costs quite a bit.
Netflix brings back the manliest hero of your childhood, lets him fight against a muscular skeleton
You can have Skeletor, but you need the necessary cash
Here’s why the new figure is special: The manufacturer Mondo not only provides fans of Masters of the Universe with merchandise but also takes care of brands like Godzilla and Marvel.
Their figures are designed with high quality, and that is also true for Skeletor. The villain is built in a 1:6 scale. Looking at the pictures on the website, you can see how lovingly the figure is designed. Numerous details contribute to this.
Additionally, several weapons come with the actual figure. Namely, his famous sword, a chaos staff, and an axe. Also included are several interchangeable hands and an additional head.
But be warned: If you are a fan of Masters of the Universe and want to jump in excitedly, you should not overlook the price. Because Skeletor comes at a cost. The figure is priced at a whopping 235 US dollars. At least shipping is free according to the website, as long as you live in the EU, Canada, the UK, or the USA.
Is the offer worth it? The answer to this question probably depends on how much of a fan you are of Masters of the Universe. Surely there are many people who will seize it without hesitation. Others might think twice about the purchase given the price.
To progress in Pokémon GO, collecting XP and Stardust is particularly important. Now, a trainer has raked in an insane amount with just one throw. We at MeinMMO show you how he did it and how you can do it too.
What content is this about? In addition to Pokémon, experience points (XP) and Stardust are among the most important content in the game. Because of these, you can level up and also power up your Pokémon. For this reason, trainers usually try to grab as much of it as possible.
The Reddit user matthewormatt has now shown in his post how insane amounts of Stardust and XP can currently be obtained when catching. We have summarized how much he collected in total and how he managed to do it for you below.
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Pokémon GO: This is what the new season ‘World full of Wonders’ looks like in the trailer
One throw gives trainer insane amounts of XP & Stardust
How much Stardust & XP did he get? As Reddit user matthewormatt shows in his post , on May 14, 2024, he gained a lot from his first throw of the day. He managed to secure a total of 27,450 Stardust and 44,340 XP with just a single throw.
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Several factors played a crucial role in obtaining these amounts of Stardust and XP, which ultimately boosted these values. For instance, you are rewarded for fabulous throws, curveballs, hitting on the first throw, and having an active, suitable Mega Evolution with additional XP and Stardust. However, the following points were ultimately decisive for matthewormatt’s results:
First throw of the day: The throw shown by matthewormatt is his first catch of the day. This gives you during the event Catch Wonder, which runs until May 19, 2024, at 8:00 PM, 10 times the XP and 5 times the Stardust. In his specific case, he can secure as much as 30,000 XP this way.
7-day bonus: Additionally, you are rewarded for catching a Pokémon for 7 consecutive days. This was also the case for matthewormatt. As seen in his picture, he was able to benefit from a series bonus of 12,000 XP. And there is also a bonus for a catching streak of 7 days for Stardust. According to Niantic’s information, this currently amounts to 3,000 Stardust.
Selection of the Pokémon: The selection of the “right” Pokémon can also be crucial for getting particularly much Stardust. There are 22 monsters that consistently provide you with more Stardust when catching. Since Audino is the Pokémon that gives the most Stardust when catching, matthewormatt specifically sought it for his catch, according to his own statements.
It already provides you with 2,100 Stardust without a lucky egg, weather boost, or event bonuses. He then also combined this with a lucky egg and a star piece to maximize his XP and Stardust.
He writes in the Reddit comments: The Catch-Wonder event gives you 10x XP and 5x dust for your first catch of the day. My 7-day streak coincidentally fell on the first day of the event. Equipped with a lucky egg, star piece, and Mega Evolution, I started. I specifically hunted Audino to make it the first catch of the day. I just needed that weather boost!
Unfortunately, he did not have the weather boost during his catch, as he further explains in the comments. This would have given him even more Stardust.
In the Reddit community, trainers are thrilled about this catch with such a high amount of Stardust. Some are particularly surprised that matthewormatt actually found a wild Audino to use it for his 7-day streak and thus benefit from the numerous bonuses. You can read the following in the Reddit comments:
B-Sauce: And I thought my Wailmer Stardust was good.
HarvestMoonRS: I am even more impressed that you managed to find one.
Capta1nAsh: Well done. I believe my 7th day is the day after the end of the event. RIP to anyone who got the catch before it started.
What do you think of matthewormatt’s insane catch? Have you also managed to secure such a high amount of Stardust? Or are you more focused on experience points? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO and exchange ideas with other trainers about it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In his podcast, a German comedian complained about his current hardware. He was so annoyed at one point that he was on the verge of throwing his expensive PC out the window and quitting gaming.All he wants to do is play a simulator that has already driven his fans to fury with the new DLC.
Who is it about? Alexander Bojcan is certainly better known to most people by his stage name Kurt Krömer. In his role as a always neatly dressed Berliner with a sharp tongue, the comedian has now also become one of the most well-known podcasters in Germany.
In his podcast “Feelings” (every Thursday you can listen to a new episode for free on podcasts.apple ), he meets guests of all sorts without prior knowledge. Sometimes the minutes before the guest arrives are also exciting. Here, Krömer, as a passionate gamer, likes to share an anecdote from his gaming everyday life.
His latest story is likely to resonate with every PC gamer. Originally, the comedian planned only to upgrade to a new graphics card. But his list quickly grew longer and longer, and his frustration grew larger and larger.
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Steam: Developer is so annoyed by ignorant players that he renames his game cursing
Comedian Desperate Over Hardware: “This is complete junk”
What is junk about Krömer’s PC? When Krömer noticed that his newly purchased graphics card would not fit in his case, he made a list of new hardware that would also be suitable for an upgrade. He realized that his PC, which he had bought 2 or 5 years ago (the comedian varies this time frame, note the editor), actually needed a complete overhaul.
“This is complete junk,” he exclaims. It’s not even enough to download Windows 11. He made a list and ultimately concluded: “I can throw this thing out the window.”
He would have to buy everything new. And that, even though he had decided on a high-end product at the time of purchase. Casually, Krömer poses the following questions: “Do I now have to pay 45,000 euros every 5 years? How many podcasts am I supposed to make?”
What is all the effort for? At the end of his story, Krömer shared with his listeners why he had even considered a new graphics card. “The games I play stutter and lag,” the comedian complained.
His most current game is “Cities: Skylines.” He does not elaborate on which part it is. However, since he critically notes that he does not like the game because it is supposedly unfinished, one might assume that he is referring to the latest DLC of “Cities: Skylines II.” This DLC has received a lot of backlash on Steam. If you, too, like Kurt Krömer are interested in Cities: Skylines, we have a recommendation for you: The Big GameStar Special Issue on Cities: Skylines 2
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a Twitch stream, Gronkh reacted to a video by Maxim that addressed negative Steam reviews. Gronkh agreed with Maxim and emphasized that Steam reviews are often not very meaningful.
What does Gronkh mean by that? Gronkh reacted in one of his Twitch streams to a video by Maxim. In it, the YouTuber discussed negative reviews on Steam. One issue he pointed out is that as soon as a game is shown as balanced on Steam, many players no longer want to play it. As an example, Maxim takes the game No Rest for the Wicked.
You can see Maxim’s entire critique in his video:
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As another example, Gronkh mentions the game Cities: Skylines 2. He tried to understand whether the criticism for the game was justified. He said he wonders why the game received criticism.
He further addresses that the game struggled with problems at its release, but he still gave the game a chance. He also mentioned that he could understand the criticism, especially at the beginning.
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Reviews on Steam are not meaningful at all
How should one deal with reviews instead? Primarily, Gronkh advises not to be discouraged by negative reviews on Steam, as they are not meaningful. Nevertheless, he admits that he sometimes lets negative reviews influence him, but this only applies to games that are not important to him.
He further recommends watching gameplay of the games one is considering purchasing. He particularly suggests getting an impression of the games through YouTube or Twitch streams.
Lastly, he mentions that he sees discussions on Steam more as entertainment, but rarely uses them to seriously inform himself about a game.
Reactions from the community: Opinions on the topic seem to be mixed in Gronkh’s community. During his stream, some users are writing that they sometimes do not buy games if the review on Steam is labeled as balanced. However, many others seem to share a similar view to Gronkh.
Under his video on YouTube, some users write about the topic:
ShizuNeko writes: I do look at reviews, but when it says balanced, I usually look for videos of the game on YouTube and then decide for myself whether I like it or not. I do not let myself be influenced only by the reviews of other people.
evocatus8 comments: No matter how the Steam reviews for a game are, I watch gameplay videos and always play it for less than 2 hours so I can get a refund from Steam if I really do not like the game!
lucara notes: I have always found reviews difficult in general because, in my opinion, many people give ratings that are too high. For example, I think a 5/10 is not bad! A 5/10 is okay… not great, not terrible. But what the colleague wrote is completely unacceptable.
The doorbell rings, the pizza is here – what is the start of a cozy evening for many is increasingly a nasty form of harassment for Twitch streamers: namely, when dozens of orders are sent to their address without them having ordered anything at all.
What is this scheme with the pizza? Twitch streamers have been increasingly harassed by massive food orders for some time now. We have already reported on the so-called food raids on MeinMMO.
According to research by the ARD political magazine Kontraste and the game, a group of cybercriminals is behind these attacks on content creators. They are said to call themselves “NWO” and are also behind swatting incidents affecting 132 Twitch streamers. Here, victims are harassed by police or other emergency services due to fabricated emergency situations.
As Tagesschau now reports, the perpetrators are said to use specially developed software to harass streamers with such food orders. They refer to it as “pizza bombings”.
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Twitch streamer wants to change the perception of gaming as Miss Germany: “One should not demonize it, but also not glorify it”
Perpetrators boast about “Pizzageddon”
Where do the information come from? As reported by Tagesschau, Kontraste and Spiegel have a “huge dataset” that was partially provided to the editorial teams by the internet activist and cyber security specialist “Nella”. Nella shares her work with her more than 100,000 followers on X.
Among the collected data are also voice recordings in which perpetrators boast: “I don’t want to know how many pizzas I’ve ordered alone since last summer. … caused a real ‘Pizzageddon’ in summer.”
Delivery service claims they could prevent most attempts
What kind of software is this? The data indicates that members of “NWO” are said to use a specially developed program called “Pizzerando” to place mass orders with the well-known delivery service Lieferando.
Affected individuals accuse Lieferando of not doing enough against the pizza bombings. Perpetrators are said to be able to place up to 100 orders within a minute to an address, a streamer told Tagesschau.
The delivery service explained to Kontraste and Spiegel that they are indeed taking action against these cyber attacks: “Through advanced security systems and specialized teams, we prevent most attempts,” a spokesman for Lieferando said.
They also stated that they work with authorities in specific cases. Additionally, they refer to the possibility of having one’s address blocked for deliveries. Furthermore, the delivery service intends to adapt its measures to the ongoing development of the program.
However, affected individuals reported to Tagesschau that there allegedly is no system to block one’s address. When they contacted the portal, they were instead told to contact the police.
Nintendo recently answered some questions in an interview and revealed how they plan to sell their games in the future.
While Sony and Microsoft are increasingly moving away from physical media and even releasing consoles without any drives, Nintendo is taking a different approach. The Japanese company remains true to itself and continues to rely on the sale of cartridges. They have no intention of changing that in the future.
This is evident from an interview with Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa.
The PlayStation 5, for instance, is also available at a lower price and without a drive. The Xbox Series S doesn’t provide any option to use physical games. But Nintendo wants to stay true to the cartridge tradition even with the Nintendo Switch 2 or Switch Pro.
Nintendo is selling more digital games, but does not want to change its strategy
What does Furukawa say about physical sales? In the mentioned Q&A, the Nintendo boss is directly asked about digital games for the upcoming Switch successor.
In response, the Nintendo president acknowledges that the trend is clearly towards digital sales and that digital distribution is very important for Nintendo. Nonetheless, according to Furukawa, Nintendo wants to maintain its sales strategy in the future and continue to offer physical copies.
The goal is not only to boost the sales of digital games but also to achieve this with cartridges. He then confirms that this strategy will not change in the future: Nintendo wants to increasingly focus on making both options more user-friendly and to constantly improve the experiences with both digital and physical sales.
Chief Developer Steven Sharif took the time during a major AMA session to answer various questions about Ashes of Creation. Especially exciting were the new insights into the dungeon and raid challenges of the ambitious MMORPG.
What was this question round about Ashes of Creation (short: AoC)? The Ask-me-Anything event took place on May 11, 2024, lasted a little over an hour, and among the participants were not only Creative Director Steven Sharif but also streamers Jamie Kaos, LoreForged, NyceGaming, and Vlahdus.
A variety of topics were brought to the table, such as dungeons and raids, the rogue class, story arcs, player trading, and the passive skills of guilds. You can check out the nearly 68 minutes on YouTube. However, we also summarize the most important points for you below.
The latest gameplay presentation of Ashes of Creation showcases impressive mage spells:
Start video
Ashes of Creation presents the mage archetype in 30 minutes
Dungeons and Raids in Ashes of Creation
Regarding the dungeon and raid challenges of the MMORPG, Steven Sharif explained:
While most gameplay content of AoC is in the open world (including dungeon and raid challenges), there will also be instanced challenges for solo players, groups, and raids.
As an example, Steven Sharif talks about the Tower of Carphin. Surrounding the tower, there is a city where various groups of three to five players can tackle the quest objectives.
The Tower of Carphin serves as a dungeon with its six levels, where three to four full groups can move around relatively easily at the same time. If it gets busier, there could be disputes over the limited opponents.
In an instanced zone, groups are protected from attacks by other players. This is different in the open world, for example, when two raids encounter a raid boss while being at war.
Characters who die in such a PvP battle receive a stackable debuff. This eventually prevents them from effectively disturbing the other group in their fight against the boss.
The difficulty of raid bosses is influenced by a dynamic system that takes into account the number of participating players. The larger your raid, the more damage area attacks cause, for example.
In AoC, not all participants in a group challenge receive a personal reward. Instead, the raid leader distributes the loot among the participants. The more players participated, the smaller each piece of the cake is. Those who master difficult group challenges with small teams will therefore be more rewarded.
While there are nodes for player economy (with auction houses), all nodes provide buildings for trading. Alternatively, you can also obtain permission to open a player shop anywhere in the world, for example in a dungeon, to supply other players with consumables.
The goal for AoC is to integrate the most important tools for guild management directly into the game. For example, there should be the possibility to involve players in communication even offline from within the game, such as via SMS messages. Additionally, guild leaders should have access to various data, such as player performance in guild events.
In AoC, there are story arcs that specifically target high-level players. However, you can also expect story-driven quest lines for a broad player base. In such a story arc, for instance, the progress of low-level heroes affects what higher-level characters must accomplish in the subsequent part of the storyline.
By providing class and role skills/talents, all aspiring tanks, healers, and hybrids with tank or healer focus should start playing differently at the beginning of the leveling phase. From level 25, players will then choose their secondary archetype through a quest to further specialize.
Later, you can switch from one secondary archetype to another. However, before making the decision, there will be no opportunity to try out all the archetypes to make a decision afterward. Your primary class cannot be changed at any time.
If players intentionally torpedo the experience of others around a controlled node through their behavior, you can respond to this aggression with a guild or node war. You can also set policies for your controlled nodes to protect your area from griefing.
Guilds in AoC consist of a core of players and additional groups that can be individually set up and managed. The strongest passive guild bonuses can only be activated for this core, so smaller guilds do not suffer too much of a disadvantage compared to large guilds.
In PvP duels, it will take about ten to 30 seconds for a defeated player to lie on the ground, depending on which classes are dueling. In group situations, multiple damage dealers can eliminate a focus target much faster.
On a guild’s plot, the guild management can assign certain areas to specific members so they can, for example, engage in farming.
Rogues have a true stealth mechanic and are expected to land on servers in the upcoming alpha phase.
The different weapon types have their own talent trees, with users of two one-handed weapons like swords, maces, or daggers receiving an extra tree for dual wielding. Shields do not get their own talents, but are optimized through the passive enhancements of certain archetypes.
The essentials about Ashes of Creation in less than a minute:
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Ashes of Creation: The Most Important Things about the MMORPG in 49 Seconds
