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Stormgate's Ex-Blizzard Devs Want Players To Invest In The Company
19.2.2024
As 2024's big bad—Late Stage Capitalism—continues its grim rampage, some developers are looking to more innovative approaches to avoid the publishing industry’s self-sabotaging need for impossibly endless growth. Stormgate creator Frost Giant—a studio created by former StarCraft 2 devs—is following...
Overwatch 2 Esports Is So Back, Baby
23.1.2024
The Overwatch League, the Overwatch 2 esports league that (somewhat ill-advisedly) adopted an NFL-like franchise model, died last year. The brainchild of former Blizzard president Bobby Kotick, it failed to flourish thanks to expensive buy-ins, the covid pandemic kneecapping in-person events,...
Twitch Is Suspending Operations In Korea in 2024
6.12.2023
Twitch is shutting down operations in Korea, effective February 27, 2024.Read more
How K-Pop Made League of Legends Immortal
6.12.2023
The longevity of League of Legends is astounding. Across the industry, developers are trying to grab a share of the lucrative live-service games pie. Since 2009, the enduring popularity of this multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game has made it a golden goose: often imitated, but never...
Dear Video Game Industry, Please Name A Woman
14.11.2023
It’s been nearly a decade since GamerGate, the misogynistic game industry tantrum that harassed women under the guise of demanding journalistic ethics—yet 2023 has felt like we’re not that far past it at all. Read more
That's The End Of Activision Blizzard's $120 Million Overwatch League
8.11.2023
Activision Blizzard has confirmed the end of the Overwatch League, its massive bet to cash in on the rise of esports with an NFL-style franchise system. It will reportedly pay the 20 teams involved $120 million as everyone quietly parts ways from what was reportedly a financial debacle—despite...
Super Smash Bros. Got YouTuber Ludwig In Trouble With Nintendo
26.10.2023
Gaming YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren, widely known as Ludwig, has claimed that Nintendo came for his throat with a “baby cease-and-desist” letter a few months ago. The move was prompted by modifications he wanted to make to the company’s supremely popular crossover fighter Super Smash Bros. Melee for...
New Nintendo Rules Cause Massive Smash Bros. Fan Freakout
25.10.2023
Nintendo’s relationship with the grassroots competitive scene around its Super Smash Bros. games has never been great, But today it may have hit an all-time low. Fans of the company’s enormously popular fighting game franchise are collectively freaking out about a new set of tournament guidelines...
Ben Affleck Sounds Incredibly Bummed About Valorant Nerfs
29.8.2023
Riot Games’ free-to-play tactical hero shooter Valorant nerfed a bunch of characters in its latest update, and actor Ben Affleck doesn’t sound too happy about the tweaks made to one of the game’s most goated characters.Read more
Young Super Smash Bros. Melee Player Takes Selfie Mid-Match, Owns
25.8.2023
Every now and then I get a reminder that the kids are alright. Sure, they’re gonna be facing some of the worst economic hardships in memory after AI replaces our jobs and capitalism finishes ruining everything else, but apparently they’ll be straight-up vibing as the world burns. The latest...
Twitch Bans Promotion Of Counter-Strike Gambling
3.8.2023
Streaming megasite Twitch has updated its community guidelines, and now prohibits streamers from promoting or being sponsored by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin gambling sites. This new ban could impact many CS:GO streamers who have lucrative deals with these controversial websites. Read more
Despite Advancements, Games Still Aren't Doing Enough To Stop Toxic Voice Chat
21.7.2023
I started regularly playing competitive online games in 2007, with the launch of Halo 3. Back then, participating in in-game voice chat was harrowing for a 17-year-old girl whose voice betrayed her gender and her youth. I was subjected to such frequent and horrific hostility (rape threats...
The Overwatch League As We Know It Is Dead
19.7.2023
Things are looking dire for the Overwatch League (OWL), the competitive esports scene built around Blizzard’s popular hero shooter, as the company laid off some 50 employees on July 18.Read more
Popular Former Fortnite Pro Tfue Retires From Twitch At 25
20.6.2023
Turner “Tfue” Tenney, a former Fortnite pro and ex-Faze Clan member who courted controversy after controversy during his time creating content online, announced his decision to retire from livestreaming at the age of 25.Read more
Gaming Just Isn't About You: Consoles Are Thrashed By Casual Games
19.6.2023
Gaming still isn’t all about you. New data released by PwC shows that “traditional” games make up only 26.7 percent of the revenue earned by the U.S. games industry, the vast majority of 2022's $54.1 billion coming from social or casual games. Esports, meanwhile, contributed just 0.8%. Added...
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Pro Dies In Russia-Ukraine War
15.6.2023
The war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2014 but ramped up in February 2022 as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has claimed yet another life. 21-year-old Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Ostap “0ni” Onistrat was reportedly killed in action defending his home country...
Another Call Of Duty Streamer's Skin Getting Removed Over Anti-LGBTQ Controversy
12.6.2023
Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar is getting his wish. Activision will remove the streamer’s cosmetic bundle from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone, a spokesperson for the publisher confirmed. Betar said he didn’t want the bundle to remain after friend and fellow streamer, Nicholas “Nickmercs”...
Call Of Duty Pulls Faze Member's Skin Over 'Anti-LGBTQ Dog Whistle'
9.6.2023
Activision has pulled a Call of Duty skin based on Faze clan member Nickmercs after he made what has been most accurately described as a “thinly-veiled anti-LGBTQ dog whistle during Pride Month”.Read more
League Strike Called Off After Riot, Player's Union Reach Agreement
9.6.2023
Two weeks ago it looked like League of Legend’s North American season was going to be thrown into turmoil when the player’s union called for a strike over Riot’s plan to make cuts to the North American Challenger’s League, and Riot responded by suspending the entire LCS. After negotiations between...
Stranger Things Twitch Streamer Dishes On Gamer Toxicity After FaZe Clan Fallout
7.6.2023
In Grace Van Dien’s first online appearance since her signing with gaming influencer crew FaZe Clan ignited a whirlwind of drama and misogyny, the Stranger Things actor turned Twitch streamer sat down with Call of Duty content maker Ashtronova to discuss toxicity in gaming. The conversation appears...