We’re excited to share that a half-dozen Xbox first-party titles (plus one movie) have been nominated for awards across multiple categories – voting is now open on The Game Awards official site.
You can play many of the nominees announced today with Xbox Game Pass, including top nominee Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, DOOM: The Dark Ages,South of Midnight, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Tune into The Game Awards on December 11 to see if your favorite games from 2025 take home an award.
The Game Awards has officially revealed the full list of nominees for the year, and we’re thrilled to see such a wide range of unique titles being recognized for their contributions to gaming. Even better, many of these nominees can be played today across Xbox consoles, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Cloud, and with Xbox Game Pass!
This year our first-party studios received nominations for Avowed, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Ninja Gaiden 4, South of Midnight, and The Outer Worlds 2. Troy Baker’s pitch-perfect performance as Indiana Jones was recognized with a Best Performance nomination, and ‘A Minecraft Movie’, one of the biggest hits at the box office in 2025, was nominated for Best Adaptation.
We’re also equally excited to see that many of our third-party partners have been nominated across a wide range of categories – many of which can be played with Game Pass. Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Rematch are all up for awards this year, and playable across devices as Xbox Play Anywhere titles. Additionally, Game Pass subscribers receive incredible benefits for nominees League of Legends, Valorant, and – starting tomorrow – Fortnite.
Congratulations to all this year’s amazing nominees – and don’t forget, these nominations join titles on Xbox nominated across the Golden Joysticks, and even the Grammys!
Remember, you can vote for your favorites right now over at TheGameAwards.com. See below for the full list of nominees that you can play today.
With the last few games of the League of Legends Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage just ahead of us, and the west’s two surviving teams barely hanging in there, one thing is certain: MKOI’s chances of beating T1 are slim, potentially leaving FlyQuest as the only team besides G2 who could go the distance. But can they win the championship against all odds? Well, with a bit of luck in the Knockout Stage, it’s certainly possible, and that’s coming from someone who’s totally not biased towards FlyQuest.
The first thing that needs to happen is for FlyQuest to win against CFO, who have shown amazing form at the start of the tournament, even beating T1 in a Bo1 game. However, they’ve been shaky in their Bo3 games, losing both to HLE and AL later on. If the Flying Quest beats Flying Oysters, T1 expectedly mows through MKOI, and let’s say TES beats the choking BLG as they should, we’ll be left with the following Swiss Stage results:
League of Legends Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage predictions – Image via blast.tv
Now, let’s say those predictions turn out to be true, we’ll be left with KT, AL, Gen.G, HLE, G2, TES, FlyQuest, and T1 moving on to the Knockout Stage. Here is where Lady Luck will have to smile on FlyQuest and deal them in the same part of the bracket as G2, KT, and TES, all fairly beatable opponents.
However, the mathematical odds of this happening are ~5.56%. Yes, you read that correctly, and it’s 1/18 if you prefer fractions. You can go even further and hope that G2 is their first opponent, making the odds of that happening ~2.78% (1/36). The is an example of what the brackets could look like if the scenario above plays out:
League of Legends Worlds 2025 Knockout Stage predictions – Image via blast.tv
Any true FlyQuest cope… ughm, hoper* will take those odds as a blessing, as they are infinitely better than zero. Plus, it’s fearless draft, and Bo5s at that, and there are plenty of pocket picks FlyQuest has to cook with, those that most Korean and Chinese players don’t see even when they play SoloQ.
So, can FlyQuest win Worlds? Yes, absolutely! Can others win, too? Yes, and frankly, the odds are overwhelming that some team other than FlyQuest will. But that’s no reason to lose hope, especially now that we’ve seen giants be defeated by the underdogs throughout the Swiss Stage.
Who are the real favorites to win Worlds 2025?
Images via LoL Esports
If we’re being realistic, there are four favorites to win Worlds 2025, and they areAnyone’s Legend, T1, Gen.G, and Hanwha Life Esports. All of those teams have shown amazing performances this year, from their regional championships to MSI, and now at Worlds. However, upsets can happen, so let’s not completely write off anyone for now.
League of Legends Worlds 2025 FAQ
How does the Knockout Stage draw work?
Eight teams will rise from the Swiss Stage: • 2 teams at 3-0 • 3 teams at 3-1 • 3 teams at 3-2 Each 3-0 team draws a 3-2 opponent and is placed on opposite sides of the bracket. The rest are drawn in sequence—no restrictions, no protections, just pure bracket fate.
When does the Knockout Stage start?
The draw for the Knockout Stage will hapen right after the last Swiss Stage game, on Saturday, October 25 – 1 p.m. CST / 7 a.m. CET. Then, the first game of Knockout Stage will begin on Tuesday, October 28 – 3 p.m. CST / 9 a.m. CET.
Is there a losers bracket in the Knockout Stage?
No, there is no losers bracket.
Will FlyQuest win worlds?
Probably not… *sobs*
Do you have any crazy Worlds 2025 predictions? If you do, let us know in the comments, because our Pick’Ems have been nothing but cooked so far, and that’s because we used logic, reason, and statistics to make them—a rookie mistake, it turns out. Maybe that spells a blessing for our FlyQuest prediction, but let’s not jinx it just yet!
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A popular League of Legendsesports player, Bwipo, has been suspended by his organization after he said on a Twitch stream that women shouldn’t be playing competitively while menstruating. Bwipo, whose real name is Gabriël Rau, told viewers on a Twitch stream: “I think there’s just not enough support for female pro players… women’s anatomy and their monthly cycles are just extremely different from males, and there’s no proper support system for women to go through what they’re going through.” And before he mentioned women’s anatomies, some viewers were probably thinking that he was going to talk about how there should be more support for women in esports. But then he continued:
“…even men just tilt out of their f—ing minds when they’re playing League of Legends. So, when a woman is on the wrong part of the month and playing competitively, there is a time of the month where you should not be f—ing playing competitive games as a woman, in my opinion.” He justified his statement by saying that it’s based on his experience “living with one for a while.” He claimed the woman he lived with played League of Legends made it “really obvious when she was just getting irritated at every stupid little thing.” Bwipo added: “This is not me trying to be sexist or anything.” His video circulated on Reddit, but it’s no longer available.
In a response to his statement posted on TikTok, the host and co-creator of League Awards, Eefje “sjokz” Depoorter, criticized and opposed his views. “I thought we’re past that,” she said about Bwipo calling a woman’s period the “wrong” time of the month. “That’s such a crazy take,” sjokz continued, talking about how women make Olympic records, climb mountains, work 24-hour shifts, are providers for their children, and care for the elderly, all while bleeding buckets and experiencing pain. “Also the notion that men aren’t emotional in games of League…” she trailed off and made a sound.
Bwipo’s organization, FlyQuest, then posted an announcement on X, acknowledging that he “made sexist comments” and that they were “antithetical” to its core values. “Comments that might discourage even one young woman from pursuing her dream of becoming a pro player harm the future of esports, and we take that very seriously,” it wrote. FlyQuest has decided to suspend “Bwipo from play for the next series in the LTA playoffs,” which he’s currently in. The organization is also donating his prize money from the event to causes that support women in gaming. To note, FlyQuest has an esports team called Red that showcases “women and gender expansive folks in gaming.”
After FlyQuest’s announcement, Bwipo posted an apology on X, admitting wrongdoing. “I’m sorry to those I hurt,” he wrote. “I regret using my platform to fuel vitriol and sexism instead of support.”
There are very few things that can hype you up for the next series at Worlds more than an epic anthem. Now, the question is, which of all anthems to date was the best? Well, we will be looking at that in our definitive LoL Worlds songs tier list. Scroll down to check it out.
League of Legends (LoL) Worlds Songs Tier List
Image Source: Riot Games & TierMaker via Twinfinite
Image Source: Riot Games & TierMaker via Twinfinite
Image Source: Riot Games & TierMaker via Twinfinite
S Tier LoL Worlds Anthems
RISE – Worlds 2018
RISE might just be the best and most epic League of Legends Worlds song to date. Plus, its animation is absolutely wild, featuring the greatest players in the world at that time, such as Ambition, Uzi, Perkz, and Faker.
Warriors – Worlds 2014
Warriors is probably the most famous of all of LoL’s Worlds anthems. Its legendary animation and lyrics can send the chills down the spines of both veteran and new players, and it’s one of the few songs that you will never get tired of listening to between games.
GODS – Worlds 2023
I’m not as big of a fan of NewJeans as Keria, but GODS is the reason I wanted to hear more of their stuff. It was the first Worlds song in years that could come close to the epicness of RISE, both in its video and audio, and it still remains one of the most viewed New Worlds anthems.
Legends Never Die – Worlds 2017
2017 was special not only because it was the year Bronze Scrapes was created but because it had one of the most hype Worlds anthems ever, Legends Never Die. However, it falls a bit short of RISE and Warriors.
A Tier LoL Worlds Anthems
Burn It All Down – Worlds 2021
Burn It All Down sounds like a rougher version of Phoenix, with lyrics that are much more memorable and the animation to match it. At the time of its release, it was arguably the best Worlds anthem animation-wise.
Take Over – Worlds 2020
Take Over tried to match the vibe of Warriors and RISE, but it came just short. Still, it came really close and is still among the better new anthems. Plus, its exquisite music video made plenty of us rewatch it multiple times.
Phoenix – Worlds 2019
When I think of Phoenix, I remember the pre-game screen right before a game between prime FPX and prime Invictus Gaming, with elimination from Worlds on the line. It wasn’t as hype as the songs before it, but it still remains one of the most loved anthems to date.
Heavy Is The Crown – Worlds 2024
Heavy Is The Crown is as epic as Worlds anthems go, though, unlike RISE and Warriors, it takes a more alternative rock route, which is natural considering that Linkin Park made it. The only thing that bothers me is that, for some reason, Linkin Park almost gets more screen time than the players. Faker’s exit from his castle does make up for it, though.
B Tier LoL Worlds Anthems
Ignite – Worlds 2016
Ignite was quite a bit different from the songs before it and those that came right after it in the sense that it lacked epicness and hype. For that reason, it still remains one of the least favorite Worlds songs among fans. Nevertheless, it seems to be a perfect background track for those late-night solo queue grinds.
Worlds Collide – Worlds 2015
If you were to play Worlds Collide to ten LoL fans, chances are that at least half of them wouldn’t even know that it was a Worlds anthem. It’s fairly bland and repetitive, and it can hardly hype you up for the next game the way Warriors or RISE can.
C Tier LoL Worlds Anthems
STAR WALKIN – Worlds 2022
STAR WALKIN seems to be the only song on this list that just doesn’t feel like a Worlds anthem. Instead, it sounds like something you’d listen to while working or as part of a sports game’s soundtrack. I don’t know; maybe Riot programmed us to expect a RISE-tier song every year, and now we’ll just be disappointed each time we don’t get one.
That does it for our tier list of all LoL Worlds songs. To get more League of Legends-related content, be sure to follow Twinfinite. Also, if you’re looking to take a break from League and try out something single-player to chill out, I wholeheartedly recommend you check out Frostpunk 2, Black Myth: Wukong, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Each has its own quirks and is bound to help you recover from that solo queue-induced trauma.
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Riot Games has announced that they will introduce a League of Legends Hall of Fame in Season 14. Plenty of names deserve to be in it, some more worthy than others. So, here is our list of top 20 best players who deserve to be in the League of Legends Hall of Fame.
10 Retired Pro Players Who Deserve the League of Legends Hall of Fame
Smeb
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Of all the top laners in the world, both retired and active, Smeb is the only one we’ve included on our list. He is ahead of some of the greatest players the League has ever seen, such as Khan, MaRin, and TheShy. The main reason for that is his consistency and ability to 1v2 or even 1v3 on the island that is the top lane.
However, he never won a World Championship or an MSI title. He had a good chance for that when he had Score, Deft, Mata, and PawN on his team. Yet, they always ended up eliminated by the eventual winners of that season’s worlds.
Still, he is one of the most underrated top laners ever and the one who deserves to be in the League of Legends Hall of Fame the most.
Mata
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Before he got on the same team as Smeb, Mata had already made a name for himself. He was a prolific Thresh player who often got compared to MadLife, and so far, he was the only support player ever to be awarded the MVP of a World Championship. This led many to regard him as the best support ever to pick up a mouse.
Moreover, his prowess extended beyond the bot lane. He is known for having multiple accounts in KR Challenger, maining a different role on each one. You probably don’t know this, but he even beat Faker in a 1v1 All-Stars Tournament back in 2016. Not too shabby for a support main, eh?
Ambition
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Before swapping to the jungle, Ambition was regarded as the most consistent mid-laner in Korea. He was even selected to represent Korea at All-Star Shanghai 2013 in mid. However, his greatest achievements came after he role-swapped to the jungle.
The champions with whom he was especially dominant were Lee Sin, Jarvan IV, Nidalee, and Zac. Also, he was noted for his aggressive playstyle, invading, tower diving, playmaking, and team fighting. Ultimately, if there is one jungler on this list deserving of the League of Legends Hall of Fame, it’s Ambition.
Bengi
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Bengi is the only player besides Faker to win three or more World Championships, achieving that in 2013, 2015, and 2016 with SKT T1. He also popularized champions like Vi and Zac in combination with mid-lane assassins. Enemy teams would often ban either Vi or Ahri to stop him and Faker from executing their obnoxious tower dives.
However, being on a team with Faker shouldn’t diminish his own accomplishments. He won almost every major tournament he competed in as a player and even helped T1 as a coach after retiring. Not that many junglers can compete with that kind of resume.
Bang
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
One of the first players to reach 1,000 kills in the LCK, Bang is still regarded by many as a prime example of what an ADC should look like. Mechanically gifted, especially on Ezreal and Kalista, Bang was unfortunately often overshadowed by the rest of his T1 squad.
Nevertheless, I still remember that moment during the 2015 Worlds when he had an insane 70+ KDA as they reached the quarterfinals. It really showed how consistent and methodical he was in the bot lane. The only ones who could match him at that time were Uzi and Deft.
Finally, count in a couple of World Championships, MSI, and LCK wins, and you won’t have any doubt that Bang deserves a spot in the League of Legends Hall of Fame.
inSec
Image Source: Riot Games via LoL Fandom
Even though he never won a Worlds title, inSec will forever be remembered as the flashiest jungler the pro scene had ever seen. Solely because of him, there are probably more Lee Sin montages on YouTube than for any other champion in the game.
Furthermore, he remains an inspiration for every other jungle player in the game and represents what god-like micro looks like. He was also a prolific Zed and Shaco player, capable of pulling off combos even Faker himself would be jealous of.
Doublelift
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Players from Korea and China have dominated the pro scene since the earliest days of LoL. Nevertheless, a few names from the EU and NA deserve mention, the first one being Doublelift.
Doublelift is one of the players who has been around the pro scene since its inception and has always delivered for his team. He also became the first player to achieve 1,500 kills in the LCS. If it wasn’t for his face-checking addiction, he might have been even greater.
Ultimately, even though he had never won a Worlds or an MSI title, Doublelift has been a great ambassador for League of Legends and Esports in general, deserving a spot on our list of Hall of Famers.
xPeke
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
xPeke is the only Western player on this list to claim the title of a World Champion. He did it with Fnatic in the first season of League’s pro play. Additionally, he is the reason why everyone yells “xPeke!” while backdooring due to his outstanding Kassadin play at IEM Katowice.
Besides Kassadin, his champion pool included Katarina, Fizz, Diana, and Kha’Zix (when he was still a popular mid-pick). He was also one of the first players to run unconventional picks, such as Caitlyn on mid-lane, inspiring many others to do the same afterward.
MadLife
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Ming, Missing, and Mata are all great supports, but no one yells their name when throwing a Thresh Q in League. The reason for that is MadLife. He is the OG support player even the most casual LoL fans know about.
His most famous trait was predicting enemy flashes and hitting hooks perfectly. These montages are some of the most watched of any pro player in League history. However, he never won a top-tier tournament, with his team hurting his legacy quite a bit.
Another thing he is known for is pioneering full AP support champions and promoting strong micro-skills as something that a good support player must possess. But even without all that, he is still one of the GOATs of League of Legends and deserving of a place in the Hall of Fame.
Dopa
Image Source: Twinfinite via Official Dopa YouTube
Dopa is the most controversial pick on our list and my personal favorite. His pro career was very short-lived, but he got to play on the Rebels Anarchy, which was eventually rebranded and is now known as Kwangdong Freecs (he is still good friends with the KF coach cvMax and was just a couple of months away from playing on the same team as TheShy).
Nonetheless, he impacted the League’s community so much that many consider him a better mid-laner than Faker. His greatest achievements are hitting rank 1 with multiple accounts almost every season that he has played on both the Korean and Chinese servers.
His signature picks are Orianna, Twisted Fate, and Viktor. Most of the tactics and concepts used when playing these champions were invented or popularized by him. Currently, he is doing his mandatory military service, and it’s questionable whether we will ever see him streaming League again.
10 Active Pro Players Who Deserve the League of Legends Hall of Fame
Faker
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Just like S1mple is the GOAT of CS:GO, N0tail of Dota 2, and Flash of StarCraft, Faker is the undisputed GOAT of League of Legends. Dubbed The Unkillable Demon King by OMG Cool, he is the personification of the ultimate League of Legends pro player. His achievements speak for themselves:
The only player to win four World Championships.
Two MSI wins.
Numerous MVP and Finals MVP titles.
Ten LCK split wins, most of any other player.
Player who has competed at the highest level for the longest time out of all pro players.
And the list just keeps going. Whatever you say about Faker wouldn’t do him justice. His legacy and fame are so great in the gaming community that almost any gamer in the world would recognize his name. Ultimately, if there is a single player from this list who will get his name immortalized in the League of Legends Hall of Fame, it’s Faker.
Uzi
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Ask any ADC main who their idols are, and Uzi is sure to pop up among those names. Regarded by many as the strongest player ever mechanically, Uzi paved the way for all other great ADCs from China, most notably GALA and JackeyLove.
Even though he never won the League of Legends World Championship, his individual accolades are more than enough to make him a Hall of Famer:
First ever player to reach 2,000 kills in pro play and the first to get 500/1,000/1,500/2,000/2,500 kills in the LPL.
He has the most CS/M in every LPL season he has played in since 2015.
Unfortunately, injuries plagued his later career, and many fans still wonder what more he could’ve achieved. Hopefully, his great solo queue form indicates a return to a competitive squad in the near future, where he can show us why even Ruler considered winning lane against him an unsolvable puzzle.
Rookie
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Rookie is an LPL legend and probably the second-best mid-laner ever. In 2018, he broke a streak of six consecutive Korean World Championship victories and took it away with Invictus Gaming. This was also the first Worlds win by an LPL team.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see him and Faker face each other off more throughout the years, partly due to the lack of international tournaments and partly because the League’s tournament formats almost never had them in the same group or bracket.
However, they did end up in the same group during MSI 2019 when IG beat SKT in under 16 minutes and set the record for the fastest MSI game ever. If you count all the other records he has set in the LPL and the international scene throughout the years, there is no doubt that Rookie will one day end up being a League of Legends Hall of Famer.
Ruler
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Even though he is one of the youngest players on our list, Ruler has an esports resume that few can compare to. He won the World Championship, MSI, LCK, LPL, Worlds MVP, LCK MVP, an Asian Games Gold Medal, and multiple All-Pro team appearances.
Ruler is also regarded as the best ADC in the world for years now, and he is probably still early in his prime. Attesting to this is the fact that he has won or reached the semi-finals/finals of all major tournaments but one in the last four years.
Finally, we can all hope that this is just the start of Ruler’s dynasty, with many more fruitful years to come. Even now, though, his legacy as a micro god and penta-kill machine worthy of a Hall of Fame status is undisputed.
Caps
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
We might have seen more LEC talents here if the competition wasn’t so tight. In the end, the one that deserves the status of a League of Legends Hall of Famer the most is Caps.
Even though fans call him Craps sometimes, he has won an MSI, LEC splits ten times, Rift Rivals, innumerable MVP and All-Pro rewards, and made multiple Worlds finals appearances. This all makes him by far the most accomplished LEC player ever.
Moreover, he is the only Western mid-laner besides Perkz capable of matching Chinese and Korean players. He even scored a penta against SKT T1 with Akali in the semi-finals of the 2019 MSI. Only he, Rain, OnFleek, and Ruler managed to do that.
Doinb
Image Source: LoL Esports via Twitter/X
You might consider that too many mid-laners are already on this list, but we couldn’t leave out Doinb. Very few LPL pros can come close to his record in terms of accomplishments, both as a pro and as a solo queue player.
He possesses a deep champion pool and concept knowledge similar to Faker. Furthermore, he pioneered many of the off-meta picks now played on mid, such as Nautilus, Pantheon, and Kled, successfully using them in pro play.
What he’s most famous for is his farming and lane dominance, especially with Ryze and Viktor. He managed to even get 400 cs in 24 minutes in a solo queue game. However, not playing Azir, Akali, and other meta picks as much as the others lowered his chances of getting more titles considerably.
Meiko
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Meiko is the player with the most played games in the LPL and one of the most loyal ones at that. He was the main support of EDG for nine years and 26 days before joining Top Esports.
Furthermore, he is the first LPL player to win every major tournament he participated in (Worlds, Demacia Cup, LPL, MSI, Rift Rivals, Asian Games). All these titles make him the most internationally accomplished support besides T1 Wolf.
However, his regional achievements shouldn’t be disregarded either. He achieved and still holds almost every win, games played, and assist record in the LPL. Not bad for someone who is only 25 years old right now and still in his prime.
Scout
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
Besides Meiko, Scout is the youngest on our list of players deserving to be in the League of Legends Hall of Fame. At only 25 years of age, his accolades are already comparable to those of his veteran LPL rivals, such as Rookie and Doinb. Here are a few:
World Champion and Finals MVP 2021.
Three LPL titles and two LPL MVPs.
He made the LPL All-Pro team in almost every season he has played in.
Two Demacia Cups victories.
Two Rift Rivals titles.
Ultimately, he still has his best career years ahead of him, and whether or not he will win another World Championship and further facilitate his legacy as one of the best mid-laners ever is uncertain.
Deft
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
China has Uzi, and Korea has Deft. Arguably, he is the only bot-laner who could match Uzi in his prime in terms of mechanics and ADC knowledge. However, SKT dominated the scene at the time of his prime, limiting his international success.
All that changed in 2022. After ten years of play and eight World Championship appearances with six different teams, he finally won it in an upset five-game victory over T1. There were even speculations that he would retire if he didn’t win it, but thankfully, they never came true.
His most noteworthy titles besides Worlds are:
MSI Champion.
Two-time LCK split winner.
Two-time LPL split winner.
Four Demacia Cup titles.
Ultimately, even if he were to retire tomorrow, Deft would undeniably be Korea’s most influential player besides Faker and worthy of being immortalized in the League of Legends Hall of Fame.
CoreJJ
Image Source: LoL Esports Photos via Flickr
We had to include at least one LCS legend, and that is none other than CoreJJ. Even though he never won an international title with an LCS team (he won it with SSG in 2017), he still remains at the top of the support food chain after ten years of professional play.
Furthermore, he has raked up numerous MVPs, All-Pro Team appearances, and LCS titles throughout the years. But even without all that, his love of the game, sportsmanship, and being one of the best ambassadors of League of Legends would earn him a spot on our list.
What Is the League of Legends Hall of Fame?
In Season 14, League of Legends will induct the first generation of players into the Hall of Legends (very creative naming). They announced this, along with many other things, in a blog post explaining their plans for the future.
A panel of industry veterans and experts from every region will vote on who the inductees will be. Riot hasn’t revealed how many players will be inducted into the Hall of Fame or when, as a matter of fact. Still, we will update this post once there is more information.
That concludes our list of 20 players who deserve to be in the League of Legends Hall of Fame. If you want to read more League of Legends stories and guides, see the links we included below. There is even one on player distribution, which might be useful, especially if you play a lot of ranked.
About the author
Aleksa Stojković
Aleksa is a passionate gamer with an extraordinary ability to solve puzzles in video games, which is not surprising considering his sudoku addiction. He also has a love-hate relationship with League of Legends and Counter-Strike 2.
Updated, 01/31/24, 2:00 p.m. ET: After announcing her departure from Twitch, Imane “Pokimane” Anys posted on X/Twitter that her first-ever YouTube broadcast will occur on February 1 at 12 p.m. PT.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga’s Air Combos Make Me Feel Skilled AF
It’s a streamer showdown between some of Twitch and YouTube’s most popular creators, including Ludwig and Pokimane (repping Team Red) and TinaKitten and Ryan Higa (repping Team Purple). The five-on-five brawl will see the streamers playing Codenames, League of Legends, and Valorant, with each winner getting 100 gifted subscriptions.
In addition to announcing the YouTube broadcast, as reported by Dexerto, Pokimane also released a new episode of her podcast in which she went into detail about her reasons for leaving Twitch. In it, she voices many issues with Twitch’s conduct in recent years, saying at one point, “I personally am done with Twitch’s messy behavior in the sense that I’m not done with Twitch, but I’m done with, like, being emotionally invested in the changes that this company is doing.”
“Moving forward, I’m going to try streaming on other platforms,” she said, citing YouTube, Tiktok, and Instagram. “I just want to be able to partake in different platforms and things either as I see fit or as I find excitement in doing it.”
The original story follows below.
One of Twitch’s most popular ladies won’t be streaming exclusively on the platform where she first became a star anymore. Calling it “the end of an era,” Imane “Pokimane” Anys announced her departure from the Amazon-owned site in an X/Twitter post on January 30. Accompanying the tweet was an official promotional image of the Twitch app featuring her face, an indication of just how closely she’s been associated with the site in the past.
Pokimane has been streaming since at least 2012. She officially created her Twitch channel in 2014 and in the decade since, she’s amassed some 9.3 million followers. Her personality is effervescent and she’s known for her great sense of humor. Her tenure on the platform has not been without controversy, of course; in November of 2023 she embarked on a cookie apology tour after calling one viewer who complained about the price of a snack she had launched a “broke boy.” Still, Pokimane has grown to become one of the faces of Twitch. Now, though, she’s saying her goodbyes and departing for greener pastures.
“Twitch has been my home for a decade,” Pokémon said. “But it’s time to say thank you for all the memories and love during my League, Fortnite, & Among Us days.”
The Amazon-owned company hopped into Pokimane’s mentions to congratulate her on the “incredible journey” she’s had these last 10 years, saying everyone’s proud of everything she’s accomplished while looking forward to seeing what she does next in her career. According to a Dexerto report, Pokimane explained that she’s not resigning a contract with Twitch because it’s “messy,” citing her desire to no longer be “emotionally invested in the changes” the company undergoes around things like artistic nudity. Basically, Pokimane just wants to have fun as a content creator, and as a result, she’s opting to take her talents everywhere instead of locking them to Twitch exclusively. You should expect to see her streaming on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube now.
Kotaku has reached out to Pokimane for comment.
We’ve had hints that this was coming for a little over a year now. Back in September 2022, Pokimane said that Twitch wasn’t “creatively fulfilling” any more, specifying that her intention was to stream less and use other platforms more. It seems she’s making good on this intention, as she hasn’t streamed on Twitch in about four days, but has been more active on other social channels.
It’s not hard to like Vander, who was initially presented to Arcane fans as a humble bartender with a rough past. He’s one of the most compassionate characters in Arcane, and watching him meet his fate is arguably one of the darkest moments in the series.
Arcane fans know Vander to be a noble figure in Zaun, who became the adoptive father of Vi and Powder. But League of Legends players and Runeterra lore fans have other theories regarding Vander and what he has become after the series. Now that Riot has confirmed that Arcane is canon to League of Legends, there might be more truth to those fan theories about Vander.
In his youth, Vander was an aggressive man and a skilled fighter. He and Silco, whom he treated like his brother, fought against Piltover’s oppression of Zaunites. But Vander changed and became diplomatic towards Piltover, choosing negotiation and mediation over direct violence. This caused a rift between the two brothers, and in a flashback, Vander tried to drown Silco.
Years later, Zaun lost their rebellion against Piltover. Vi and Powder’s parents got caught in the crossfire and were killed by Piltover’s Enforcers. Vander took pity on them and decided to adopt both Vi and Powder. He also took Mylo and Claggor in, who became Vi and Powder’s adoptive brothers.
Vander took responsibility for a robbery gone wrong by his children. But on his way to jail, Vander was abducted by Silco. It was clear during their conversation that Vander was a changed man who would die for his children. Silco, however, was still willing to make sacrifices to achieve control of Zaun and have a fighting chance against Piltover.
The children tried to free Vander, but Mylo and Claggor died during the rescue. When he saw that Vi was alive under the rubble, Vander charged at Silco and tried to kill him a second time. This attempt failed, and Vander took shimmer as a last-ditch attempt to save Vi.
Vander as Warwick
Vander was shown to die in Episode three of Arcane because the glow of the shimmer went out, but League of Legends fans think otherwise.
He was known as “The Hound of the Underground” during his life. Another champion with wolfish features that roams the alleys of Zaun is Warwick, who was transformed into a beast by Singed. This is unconfirmed, but Vander grew in size and gained enormous strength after consuming shimmer.
Although widely believed to be dead after he entrusted Powder (later Jinx) to Vi, it’s also possible that Vander was taken by Singed for further experimentation. The short clip from Arcane’s official Twitter account shows a wolfish figure hanging from Singed’s lab, which might confirm Warwick and Vander’s connection in the second season of Arcane.
Don’t get me wrong. I adore HBO’s The Last of Us. The thing is, I loved the original video games going into the show. While the TV series is brilliant, the adaptation is not what makes me love that story. Whereas when it comes to Netflix’s Arcane, set in the world of Riot Games’ League of Legends, I’ve never been particularly interested in the game, but I adore the compelling, emotionally affecting show.
The adaptation itself is worthwhile, whether you’ve played League of Legends or not. Think pieces galore cite The Last of Us as a turning point for quality game adaptations. But we’ve already had great ones. Arcane is one of them.
A first look at season two of Arcane!
Netflix just released an intriguing “First Look” at season two of Arcane, which will be arriving on the streamer in November:
In it, we see Singed (Brett Tucker) in a chair seemingly coming in and out of consciousness while engaged in more science experiment f*ckery. He’s in the middle of some kind of strange blood transfusion, blood traveling from his arm down some tubes into some larger glass canisters…but to what end?
It isn’t until the final shot of the dialogue-free clip that we see the end point of all the traveling blood and fluid. A large, mutated monster is hanging from the ceiling. If you are familiar with League of Legends lore, and if you look closely at the feet, the head, and the telltale glowing green canister coming out of its back, you might recognize who it is.
Holy crap, is that….?
After lots of fan speculation, it looks pretty definitive that Warwick will be joining the story of Arcane in the show’s second season. So, who is Warwick, anyway?
Warwick, aka Subject #1088, is a character from League of Legends with some compelling and traumatic backstory. Warwick was born human, and had been a gangster who ended up trying to live a better life and walk the straight and narrow.
When Singed went looking for a new subject for his experiments in transmutation, however, he saw in Warwick a “beast.” According to the in-universe story, “Engineering the Nightmare,” Singed wrote that he, “Procured a cutthroat hiding among the populace and feigning civility. Only a disciplined eye could recognize the beast within, yearning for release. How could I refuse? For what is my work if not an attempt to reveal life’s hidden truths through science?”
Singed’s experiments end up turning this reformed criminal into a bloodthirsty, wrathful lycan in constant pain for whom the very smell of blood will cause a frenzy that assures the bleeding person’s death. Thankfully, he only seems to seek out the criminals of Zaun when looking to feed. At least he has a code, I guess?
When are we getting a second season of Arcane?
Back in November 2023, Variety reported that Netflix has officially announced that season 2 of Arcane will arrive on the streamer in November 2024! While they didn’t announce a specific date, at least we now know what month we can expect it. This makes sense, as fans of the show have been speculating online that November is a likely premiere month, as it would not only be in line with when the show’s first season premiered, but also line up with League of Legends‘ 15th anniversary.
Turns out that the fans were right!
Back in September, SFX reported that Tencent, League of Legends‘ Chinese parent company, announced at their Video V Vision Conference that season two of Arcane would be arriving in Q4 of 2024. So it seems that Fall was always likely, and as progress has been made on the season (and now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is officially over), the companies involved have been able to zero in on more exact timing.
Arcane‘s nine-episode first season was Netflix’s highest-rated series within a week of its premiere, ranked first on the Netflix Top 10 Chart in 52 countries, and ranked second on the chart in the United States. So, it would’ve been foolish for the streamer not to give the series another season.
Back in November 2021, shortly after Arcane‘s first season ended, the League of Legends YouTube channel released this video announcing that season 2 of Arcane was in production!
According to then-Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent, it took them six years to make the first season of the show. And while he said it shouldn’t take that long for season 2, he also said that it wouldn’t be happening in 2022:
So yeah, we are working on #arcane season 2. The good news: you won’t have to wait for 6 years (the time it took us to making season 1) The bad news: it’s not coming in 2022 ? https://t.co/IQoPyLnw1J
It is now 2023, and Laurent has transitioned out of his position at Riot Games and into an advisory role to focus on family and move back to France. As reported by The Verge, Riot Games’ Global President Dylan Jadeja has stepped into the CEO role.
It’s unclear how (or if) this changing of the guard has impacted production on Arcane, but it’s heartening to know that despite needing to wait a year, there’s a definite end in sight.
What can we expect from Arcane season 2?
(Netflix)
The first season of Arcane focused on the relationship between orphaned sisters Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder (voiced by Ella Purnell) who struggle to survive the brewing tensions between the wealthy city of Piltover and its oppressed underbelly, the city of Zaun. As young Vi and Powder get older, are separated through misunderstanding, and grow up under very different influences, they end up on opposing sides of Piltover and Zaun’s clashes over class, power, and arcane technologies.
The season ends with Powder having grown into a new, unstable persona and going by the name Jinx. Try though she does to reach Jinx, Vi pushes too far and after some traumatic events, Jinx fully embraces her new self and commits an explosive act of terrorism.
Season 2, then, would likely be dealing with the aftermath of that. Who survived Jinx’s attack? Will Zaun gain independence from Piltover? And most importantly, will Vi and Jinx ever be sisters again?
“You’re going to be on the edge of your seats. You’re going to be conflicted in such a way that I don’t know if it’s good or bad. Like, your emotions will be pulled out of you and you’ll be like ‘OH MY GOD!’ That’s how you’re going to end. It’s so good! This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been part of.”
What about the cast and characters of Arcane season 2?
(Riot Games)
While the first season two video announcement above featured no show visuals, it did feature snippets of dialogue from various characters. Digital Spy reported that one bit toward the end was particularly significant:
“Arcane fans are convinced they can hear the mechanical heartbeat of League of Legends’ champion Warwick, a part-werewolf, part-machine who doesn’t remember his life before he was experimented on in scientist Singed’s laboratory.”
So yes, fans have been speculating about Warwick since last year, and it looks like they were right to do so!
Sadly, we still have to wait the better part of a year for a new season of Arcane to drop. Thankfully, the brilliant first season is available to watch as much as we want on Netflix.
And who knows? Maybe I’ll even give the game a whirl.
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, misogynistic remarks, sexually inappropriate comments, you name it) that I eventually started screaming back, a behavior my parents still bring up today. And yet, voice chat is essential in competitive online games, especially modern ones like Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Valorant, and Overwatch.
All of these popular games require extensive amounts of teamwork to succeed, which is bolstered by being able to chat with your teammates. But in-game voice chat remains a scary, toxic place—especially for women.
Unfortunately, despite efforts from developers to crack down on toxicity in voice and text chat, it still feels, at times, like I’m stuck in the same world as that 17-year-old girl just trying to compete in peace. And I’m not alone in that feeling. I spoke to several women about their voice chat experiences, as well as reps from some of today’s biggest online games, to get a better understanding of the current landscape.
A 17-year-old me playing Halo 3 circa 2007.Photo: Alyssa Mercante / Kotaku
Voice-chatting as a woman
Competitive online games are intense, but doubly so if you’re identifiable as outside the industry’s so-called core playerbase for the last 35 years: white, straight, and male. “Marginalized users, especially women, non-binary people, and trans folks, are more likely to experience harassment in voice and video chats,” game researcher PS Berge told Kotaku’s Ashley Bardhan last year.
The moment a woman or woman-presenting person speaks in voice chat, they run the risk of being identified as an “other” and thus deserving of ridicule, ire, or sexual harassment. For many, that fear of being othered and how it could (and often does) lead to harassment directly affects their willingness to speak in competitive game settings.
“I usually wait for someone else to speak first so I know what the vibe will be,” video game level designer Nat Clayton, who regularly plays Apex Legends, told Kotaku via email. “Though I feel more comfortable chatting in Apex than I do going back to older PC games like Team Fortress 2 or Counter-Strike—games where the expectation of bigotry seems absolutely set in stone, where you feel like you cannot turn on voice chat without immediately experiencing a flood of slurs.” Both Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike came out in the early 2000s and still attract an older, male-leaning playerbase, many of whom can be hostile to women.
This problem has been long-standing, but companies are doing more to dissuade people from being toxic or abusive in in-game voice and text chat now than they were 10 years ago—though it often doesn’t feel like it.
Microsoft recently announced a new voice reporting feature that will let players save and submit a clip of someone violating the Xbox Community Standards, which a team will then review to determine the next course of action. “Reactive voice reporting on Xbox is designed to be quick and easy to use with minimal impact to gameplay,” reads the press release announcing the new feature. This means that Xbox players can report toxic voice chat no matter what game they’re playing, which adds another layer of protection on top of the ones set up by individual developers.
Those protections include ones laid out In the uber-popular battle royale game Fortnite. If a player is found in violation of Epic’s community rules (which have guidelines against hate speech, inappropriate content, harassment, and discrimination), they could lose access to in-game voice chat—a newer approach to punishment that the company introduced in 2022—or have their account permanently banned. Epic wouldn’t share specific numbers on bans, but did tell Kotaku that its team is “planning to introduce a new feature for voice chat soon.”
But Fortnite “[relies] on player reports to address violations of our voice and text chats,” which places the onus squarely on those who are on the receiving end of such violations. And for games that don’t record or store voice and text chat, reports can feel especially useless. When asked if she has reported people in Apex Legends, Clatyon replied, “Many, and often, but unfortunately the current Apex reporting system doesn’t monitor/record voice interactions and so doesn’t take action based on voice chat.”
Image: Microsoft
New ways games are combatting toxicity
Companies don’t always rely on players, though. Activision, Blizzard, and Riot Games all use a mix of automation and human moderation for multiplayer modes in Call of Duty, Overwatch 2,and Valorant.
As detailed in an official Call of Duty blog post from last year, an automated filtering system flags inappropriate gamertags, while human moderation of text chat helps identify bad actors. The aforementioned post (which is from September 13, 2022) boasts 500,000 accounts banned and 300,000 renamed thanks to enforcement and anti-toxicity teams. We don’t have more recent data from the Call of Duty publisher.
After the launch of Overwatch 2, Blizzard announced its Defense Matrix Initiative which includes a “machine-learning algorithms to transcribe and identify disruptive voice chat in-game.” Though Blizzard did say what it considers “disruptive voice chat” or what the algorithms entail, the company did say the team is “happy with the results of this new tech” and has plans to deploy it to more regions and in more languages.
But women still often find themselves deploying strategies to deal with the toxicity that isn’t caught by these systems. Anna, a UI/UX researcher who regularly plays competitive games like Overwatch 2 and CS:GO, told Kotaku over email that she also waits to see what the vibe of the chat is before diving in. She’s “more inclined to speak up if I hear another woman too because there’s potentially more safety in numbers then,” she explained. Others, myself included, play solely with friends or offer to group up with women they meet in matches to avoid encountering agitated players.
Toxicity persists, which is likely why companies continue to try new methods and approaches. When Kotaku reached out to Riot Games for details on its efforts combating disruptive behavior and toxicity in Valorant, executive producer Anna Donlon said via email that:
In addition to the player reporting tools, automatic detection system, and our Muted Words List, we’re currently beta testing our voice moderation system in North America, enabling Riot to record and evaluate in-game voice comms. Riot’s fully-dedicated Central Player Dynamics team is leveraging brand new moderation technology, training multi-language models to collect and record evidence-based violations of our behavioral policies.
While companies struggle to find a solution to an admittedly complicated problem, some women have been discouraged from trying altogether. Felicia, a PhD candidate at the University of Montana and full-time content creator, told Kotaku that she used to say hello at the start of every game (she mainly plays Fortnite and Apex Legends) but that willingness eventually “turned into waiting to speak, then not speaking at all.” The shift came as a direct result of her experience using Overwatch’s in-game voice chat function. “It got so bad I’d only talk in Xbox parties,” she said of the feature which allows you to group up and voice chat with friends.
Jessica Wells, group editor at Network N Media, speaks up in her CS:GO matches despite the threat of toxicity. “I say hello, give information, and see how it goes. If my team is toxic to me, I’ll either mute individuals or mute all using the command,” she said via email. “I used to fight it—and I mean really fight the toxicity online—but I find toxicity breeds more toxicity and the game goes to shit as a result.”
Image: Blizzard
Toxicity persists and worsens in highly competitive games
If you’ve played ranked matches in games like Overwatch or Valorant, you’ve experienced this direct correlation: Verbal harassment increases when competition levels increase. And no one experiences this phenomenon more acutely than women.
Alice, a former Grandmaster Overwatch1 player, told Kotaku over email that her experience with the original game “changed how [she] interacted with online multiplayer.” She was ranked higher than her friends, so would have to queue for competitive matches alone, and said she’d get “the usual ‘go make me a sandwich’” remarks or requests to “let your boyfriend back on” in more than half of her games.
Overwatch is a curious case when it comes to harassment and toxicity. Despite a cartoonish visual design that suggests a more approachable game and a diverse cast of characters, competition is at the heart of the team shooter’s identity. Over time, patches and updates have focused on balancing competitive play, and its popular esports league encourages highly competitive gameplay. Overwatch players who regularly watch Overwatch League may be more prone to “backseating” (telling other players what to do) or be more judgmental of the way people play certain characters. And the more extreme ire is often directed towards women—especially those who play support or the few playing Overwatch at a professional level.
“Sometimes someone else on the team would stick up for me, but most of the time the other players would stay silent or join in.” Alice’s experience may not be surprising when you consider the one study that tracked over 20,000 players and found that men played more aggressively when their opponents or their characters were women. “Through our research, we found that women did perform better when they actively concealed their gender identities in online video games,” the study said.
Me, likely playing Call of Duty: Black Ops or Modern Warfare III circa 2011.Photo: Alyssa Mercante / Kotaku
Because of her consistently negative experiences in Overwatch voice chat, Alice plays Valorant now—just not ranked. She chooses not to play at a higher level because competitive Valorant (which also has its own, uber popular esports league) is a cesspool of toxic masculinity.
Anna, who regularly plays Riot Games’ 5v5 hero shooter, told Kotaku over email that she’s “encountered increasing amounts of toxicity in Valorant…which can include anything from sexual assault threats, threats of general violence or death threats, to social media stalking.” Male players have told her to “get on [her] knees and beg for gun drops, and proceed to use their character to teabag or simulate a blowjob.”
Anna says she changed her Riot ID to a “common household object” to try and prevent harassment from male players.
Stacy, a full-time streamer, told Kotaku via email that the harassment has bled into the real world, too. “Threats of DDOS, stalking, assault, murder and other crimes – a lot of which ended up on my live stream…I’ve had people ask me for my personal connections and accounts like Snapchat…as well as my phone number, and have even had people use my PSN account name to find me on social media like Instagram for non-gaming related reasons. [They even found] my email address to try to either harass me, send me unsolicited photos or attempt to bully and berate me beyond the console.”
The future of competitive games for women
It’s clear that even with automated moderation systems, extensive reporting options, and loud declarations against toxicity from publishers and developers, women who play competitive online shooters still regularly experience harassment.
“I have reported people in the past and it was an easy report button but with all the toxicity I encountered it made it feel like reporting them wouldn’t make a difference,” Felicia said. “I stopped reporting for the most part unless they come into my stream or in my comment section being toxic.”
Overwatch has a feature that will show you a pop-up upon login if the team has taken action against someone you’ve reported, but many players rarely (if ever) see that login. I’ve only ever seen it once.
Jessica finds that reporting players in CS:GO is virtually useless. “I can’t think of a single case where it felt like Valve directly took action,” she said.
Image: Alpha Intel / Respawn
The same can be said for Valorant, which has a similar reporting feature as Overwatch. “I think I’ve only seen [the report was actioned on] screen three or four times since it was implemented,” Anna said.
And though the process of reporting is simple, it requires women to retread traumatic territory. “With the particularly nasty people, it always feels gross having to recount the words someone used to explain how they’d like to assault me, or typing (partly censored) slurs that I’d never dream of using myself, but it feels like if my report is not water-tight, it won’t get dealt with,” said Anna.
Unfortunately, eliminating toxic game chat, like so many other problematic things in the gaming industry, requires changing the perspectives of people perpetuating the problem. We need a holistic approach, not one that’s centered solely on automated monitoring or the reports of victims.
“I think more than anything it is a cultural problem,” said Alice. “FPS games are ‘for boys’ and until we change that perception, I think people will continue to be rude in them, especially when there are minimal consequences.”
Game studios can and should center more women and marginalized creators, players, and developers in marketing materials, streams, and esports events—and they should make it explicitly clear that a toxic culture has no place in their games. Instead of shying away from providing details on banned or otherwise penalized players as a result of toxic behavior, studios should wear them like a badge of honor, presenting them proudly as a way of saying “you have no place here.”
FPS games like Splatoon 3 are a great example of how competitive games can be less toxic. Nintendo’s ink-based shooter has minimal communication tools and a diverse character creator that allows for some more gender fluidity, allowing it to feel less like a “boys game.” The perceived casual nature of a Switch player stands in stark contrast to the console warriors and PC try-hards, which begs the question: Can competitive games exist without toxicity?
Nat Clayton has some suggestions: “You need to visibly and publicly create a culture where this kind of behavior isn’t tolerated, to make your community aware that being a hateful wee shit to other players has consequences.”
Update 07/24/23 at 12:00 p.m. EST: The original story included a Jessica Wells quote about Overwatch, but Wells was referring to CS:GO’s reporting system, which is calledOverwatch. The quote has been adjusted to reflect that.
Twitch’s biggest streamer, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, is signing with the company’s newest rival, Kick, a streaming platform that offers better revenue splits and also appears to be centered around online gambling. The non-exclusive deal is valued at up to $100 million over two years, and is the latest and biggest blow to Twitch as creator discontent continues to mount.
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As first reported by The New York Times, the agreement will pay out $35 million per year, with $30 million in additional incentives available if xQc hits certain benchmarks. As Dexerto points out, this would make it the 12th biggest annual payout in all of sports, putting xQc right ahead of Kevin Durant.
Kick is a streaming platform startup funded by online gambling companies including Easygo Gaming and Stake.com. Following Twitch’s crackdown on gambling promotion last fall, the platform attracted big names like Adin Ross, BruceDropEmOff, and Trainwreckstv with its lax rules and 5/95 revenue split for creators. It’s not yet clear if Kick is profitable or how it plans to become so, but it has managed to benefit from a backlash against Twitch as the Amazon-owned platform has sought to more aggressively monetize the people making content for it.
A “child of Twitch” raised in its often-toxic chat, xQc started in the world of League of Legends before moving on to Overwatch, briefly competing in Blizzard’s Overwatch League before eventually being released from the Dallas Fuel after a series of suspensions for offensive comments. He pivoted to being a full-time content creator in 2018, with this mix of high-level play, unfiltered remarks, and an endless penchant for controversy turning him into Twitch’s most-watched streamer by 2021.
By 2022, leaks revealed that xQc had earned $8 million from subscriptions on the platform. That same year, he lost $1.8 million in a single month from online gambling. While his contract with Kick doesn’t preclude him from streaming on Twitch, the latter has a rule against simulcasting, making it unclear how much time, if any, xQc will still devote to the platform that helped turn him into a star in the first place.
“It’s time,” xQc tweeted on June 16, when his new partnership with Kick was announced. The post included a video promising his content would remain unchanged on the new platform. Directly below that was a retweet showing support for streamer Nickmercs, who’d recently come under fire for making anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
While rumors that Nintendo is close to closing a deal with animation studio Illumination for a Legend of Zelda film should come as no surprise in the wake of the record-breaking success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, some fans have made it abundantly clear online that they aren’t all that jazzed about this potential pairing.
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In a recent episode of The Hot Mic podcast, reporter Jeff Sneider said he’d received a tip from “a great source” indicating that Universal Pictures, Illumination’s parent company, is close to penning a deal with Nintendo for a future Zelda film.
“Zelda…is looking like the next big Illumination Nintendo franchise, which again, I think we were all sort of expecting, but I’m told that that is happening and it’s costing Universal a pretty penny because of the success of Super Mario, like Nintendo kind of knows its worth at this point, but yeah, I’m told that that is now going to be a reality,” Sneider said.
Kotaku reached out to Nintendo for comment.
Fans think Nintendo should shop around elsewhere for a Zelda movie studio
Despite Illumination having great success with the Mario film, the Despicable Me studio isn’t looking like a first-choice draft pick to adapt the fantasy video-game franchise to some Zelda fans, who perhaps see the studio’s tendency toward glossy, upbeat films as a mismatch for a series whose tales are often poignant and shot through with magical mystery.
Specifically, some fans have expressed fear at the thought of a Legend of Zelda film from Illumination that comes packed with pop song needle drops, a tendency seen not just in the Mario Bros. movie but the studio’s other films as well. (Eminem, anyone?) Zelda fans are also dreading the idea of enduring rounds of glitzy casting announcements packed with Hollywood stars for a film based on the beloved series. Here’s some of what folks are saying about the Zelda movie deal rumor.
“I enjoyed the Mario movie but I can say with full confidence Illumination is NOT the right studio to handle a Zelda movie,” YouTuber Penny Parker wrote on Twitter. “Not saying ‘it will be bad’, but they couldn’t even show the restraint to not put 80 licensed songs in Mario, a franchise already revered for iconic music.”
“Illumination making the Mario movie filled me with so much glee but the thought of them making a Zelda movie stops me in my tracks LOL,” Twitter user velsmells said. “Also I know [animation studio] Fortiche is definitely busy with Arcane S2, but it’d be so cool to see an entire Zelda movie with their style,” they continued, including images from the hit League of Legends tie-in show to support their argument.
“I agree, I don’t think Illumination is the right fit at all for the Zelda IP. I am just saying if it HAS TO BE them, Toon Link is the most fitting route to go with,” Twitter user UltimaShadowX wrote in a separate thread, referencing Link’s cel-shaded look in The Wind Waker. “Imagining DreamWorks doing a Zelda movie with The Last Wish style would be insanely hype and preferable.”
While an animated adaptation of Zelda seemingly comes with challenges that the Mario Movie didn’t, it makes sense that Nintendo might want to throw its sword-wielding hero onto the big screen, considering the fact that the Mario Movie recently surpassed Disney’s Frozen as the second-biggest animated film of all time, according to Variety.
During a Mario movie press junket interview with Japanese news publication Nikkei (translated by Video Games Chronicle), Zelda and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto expressed interest in future movie projects so long as they’re centered around “characters that are suitable for film and characters that are well known.” When asked about the possibility of a Zelda movie in a recent interview with Polygon, Tears of the Kingdom producer Eiji Aonuma expressed his enthusiasm for the idea, saying “I am interested for sure. But it’s not just me being interested in something that makes things happen, unfortunately.”
Earlier this week League of Legends players voted “overwhelmingly” to strike over plans to make rule changes that would cut the North American Challenger’s League—which only launched last year—from 16 teams to seven.
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The LCS Players Association, the body representing the region’s professional players, say the plans will see an estimated 70 people—players, coaches, etc—lose their jobs. Riot, meanwhile, say the cuts were necessary to ensure the North American leagues remain “sustainable [and] economically viable”.
Tensions escalated a day later when news emerged that pro teams had been actively looking “to field scab players”, a move that the LCSPA rightly say would “put all players’ futures at risk”, as “crossing the line undermines player negotiating power”.
The LCSPA met with Riot earlier today, and not long after, Riot published a long statement on their site addressing the walkout. You don’t have to read far to see that the company has decided to play hardball.
A large part of the post is dedicated to telling North American players that, hey, other regions can make their leagues profitable, why can’t you. The most stinging example is this line, where Riot outright rejects the LCSPA’s demands that the company “commit to a revenue pool for player salaries of $300,000 per NACL team, per year”:
That simply isn’t sustainable – and to be brutally honest, it shouldn’t be necessary. We have other Tier 2 leagues around the world which thrive on their own, and we believe the NACL can get to that place too.
The harshest language, however, is reserved for Riot’s comments on the league’s upcoming scheduling, where the company essentially says that if a deal can’t be reached in the next two weeks not only will the entire LCS summer season be called off, but LCS teams won’t be able to qualify for the 2023 Worlds either:
Hopefully, this two-week window will give us time for productive dialogue between the LSCPA, teams, and the league and then resume LCS competition this summer. The LCS will not be penalizing the teams for not fielding their rosters during this two-week period to allow everyone space to focus on constructive dialogue. We are doing our best to ensure LCS employees, contractors, and others supporting the LCS are not negatively impacted by the delay.
Delaying beyond the two-week window would make it nearly impossible to run a legitimate competition, and in that case, we would be prepared to cancel the entire LCS summer season. Carrying this forward, if the LCS summer season is canceled, this will also eliminate LCS teams qualifying for 2023 Worlds. I want to be clear: That is not an outcome we’d want, but it’s unfortunately the reality of ensuring we run a fair, competitive global system.
Crucially, despite the length of the post and the number of points it addresses, Riot doesn’t once comment on the possibility of teams using “scab” players. The LCSPA has yet to issue their own comment after the meeting; we’ve contacted them but at time of publishing have yet to hear back.
UPDATE 11:55pm ET: The LCSPA has now responded, saying in a statement:
Tonight, one thing is back in clear focus: players are the LCS. Without players, there is no league, and there is no esport. From day one, exclusion from the decision-making process drove the LCSPA players to vote to walk out. The future of the NACL and the LCS is too big to decide overnight and without player consideration.
We met with Riot Games today to ask for daily meetings or more, if needed – to reach a resolution. Starting tomorrow, we plan to begin discussions that result in meaningful collaborative action to get our players back where they want to be: competing for fans on the LCS stage.
We also want to say thank you; we remain deeply grateful to the LCS community for the incredible show of solidarity for our players – our fight is possible because of your support.
April Fool’s Day has finally come to add a little bit more chaos to the week, as jokes and lies fly around unrestricted. But we understand what April 1 is all about—a chance for developers to sneak in some humor in our favorite games. These April Fools’ jokes are getting a little more advanced and ambitious year by year, and we love April for that. Here are some of the best April Fools’ jokes currently out there:
Lechonk lovers unite
Here are two true statements: Lechonk is a perfect Pokémon, and Lechonk deserves more love than we can offer. So while there’s an underlying pain that Lechonk can only dominate Pokémon on a holiday meant for jokes, I’m still happy to report that Lechonk will get the stardom it deserves this April 1. True Lechonk fans will treat themselves to an extra chonky plush, or a porky pink playmat decked out with numerous Lechonks.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Coolest Zone Is Easy To Miss
Nintendo Switch Online will now sound more Italian
Incredible visuals This smart TV has access to a wide array of streaming services, all of which are easier to navigate, has 4K visuals for a stunning picture, and comes with an Alexa Voice Remote too.
IGN pulls a fast one here and declares that every Mario game is about to get Prattified. Can you imagine?
Xzibit levels up Pimp My Ride
Xzibit shows YOU how to PIMP YOUR motherf****** BROWSER
Opera GX is a self-proclaimed “browser for gamers,” and I suppose allowing users to mod their browser takes that sentiment to the next level. The one and only Xzibit is here to show you how to pimp out your Opera GX setup, with new aesthetic digs like a Cyberpunk theme or a more broad “anime theme.”
Disgaea throws its hat into the dating simulator ring…with a fake dating sim
It’s pretty trendy nowadays for games to also have a spin-off dating sim, like Dead by Daylight or Overwatch 2. For Disgaea, I suppose April 1 is as good a time as any to announce its otome date-sim spin-off, titled Makai no Prince-Sama. Tragically, this game has a release date slated for January 30, 20000000200, so there’s no way for me to actually take Killia out for a nice dinner. Oh well. If this game were to be true, you would wake up in the form of a Prinny (those cute penguins) to experience a heart-pounding and romantic adventure. One can only dream.
【魔界戦記ディスガイア】『魔界の♡プリンスさまっ♪』プロモーションムービー
Genshin Impact reveals four playable cats
Genshin Impact has a real love for cats, as evidenced by the playable character Diona and her “Cat’s Tail” bar. For April Fools, Hoyoverse is capitalizing on all of our feline fantasies: to play a cat. More specifically, Hoyoverse released a set of shorts and promotional images to advertise playable kitty versions of Diluc, Keqing, Kuki Shinobu, and Wanderer. Unfortunately, they will be hard to distinguish through text, as each cat is simply named “Meow,” and all they can do or say is “meow.”
Among Us expands its horse universe
Innersloth can’t stop horsing around, it seems, as the Among Us developers once again brought back the infamous “Horse Mode,” allowing players to take control of the majestic Horsemate. But Innersloth simply could not satisfy itself by rerunning the same classic “Horse Mode.” The Among Us devs have stepped their game up with the expanded “Horse Wrangling Mode.” This Hide n’ Seek game mode will allow the seeker to take the role of a “Rancher,” literally tying up these darned Horsemates instead of killing them.
Among Us Horse Mode Kill Animation
Look your best with the new Razer Razer
I’m glad Razer is finally cashing in on its homophonic relationship with the word “razor.” One might say it’s an easy target, but I believe it’s just necessary wordplay. This theoretical razor doubles as a shaving tool, as well as a high-quality gaming mouse, allowing you to look your best as you click heads or whatever it is you use your gaming mouse for.
You can sign up to be a beta tester for the Razer Razer on the official website here. Now, I’m not a betting man, but I don’t think you’ll actually get your hands on a Razer Razer. But you will enter a raffle to win a full set of Razer gear, including a keyboard, headphones, and mouse.
Razer Razer | Feel Sharp, Play Sharp
Assassinate a cuddly teddy bear in Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege likes to celebrate April Fools with a “Rainbow is Magic” event. While normally, Rainbow Six Siege does not display much in the form of rainbows, April Fools allows the tactical shooter to add some color to its universe. Unfortunately, pacifists are not welcome this time. As opposed to rescuing teddy bears, you’ll have to blow their heads off instead.
Rainbow Six Siege: Rainbow is Magic 2023 Gameplay Trailer
1v1 your cat in Street Fighter 6
Capcom is on a roll with innovative new Street Fighter 6 features. Not only will there be a new 2v2 mode, but also a “Dynamic-mode” that allows you to perform stylish combos and attacks with the simple press of a button. For further accessibility with your cat, Capcom has created a tool that lets your cat experience Dynamic mode, converting the various swats and jabs of a cat into button presses. If you ever dreamt of that, anyways.
League of Legends allows you to collect and wear a bounty of hats
League of Legends is now all about that fashion. When players enter a Blind Pick match, they’ll have the chance to wander around the Summoner’s Rift to kill minions, collecting some snazzy hats along the way. And if this Reddit post is to be believed, it doesn’t seem like there’s an upper limit to how many stylish hats you can wear, which means your stack of hats can be as tall as you dream. Some other surprises are waiting for you in Blind Pick, but I’ll be out there collecting hats instead.
While Sonic the Hedgehog is murdered, the Eggcoin currency crashes
It appears to be a stressful time of year for Sonic the Hedgehog and friends. While everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog was killed off for a free murder mystery game, there were some darker, more illicit underpinnings brewing in the Sonicverse. Apparently, Eggman has created a cryptocurrency known as “Eggcoin” that has crashed and burned, and Big the Cat is the surprising leader of a mafia crew, amongst other shocking headlines. Thoughts and prayers.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will let you cheese everything
One of the best things about Larian games is finding out how you can use the tools they give you to break their games. They’ve decided to cut out the middleman and just let you cheese outright!
VALORANT e-daters in Ranked will automatically be funneled to a dedicated queue where they can only hear one another’s voice comms
Cuffing season may be over, but if you and your situationship are tryna link over VALORANT without getting absolutely merked by your teammates, we gotchu fam.
GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS UPDATES
Shots fired while in spawn will now shoot into enemy spawn
map control is mid anyway
Jett dash is now cooldown based instead of charge based and the cooldown is now set to 0.5 seconds
we love Jett and we love cars so we made her dash cooldown 0.5 seconds. Jett boutta pull up skrt skrt
Minecraft’s April Fools Is On Fire
Revealing: The Vote Update
If you log into Minecraft today, you’re going to notice something a little different about your launcher. Don’t worry, nothing is wrong. You can put out the fire with the little water bucket. Aside from that, though, Mojang has unleashed a devilish ‘Vote’ update, which sounds like pure chaos:
From the moment you start a game, you will find yourself in a world of endless voting, where the results fundamentally change the laws of Minecraft. As you might have noticed in the video, we have created a fine selection of voteable features that include everything and anything: beelloons*, French mode, zombie mode, rabbit transformation, exploding pistons, haunted world – and much, much more.
“Studies show that gamers love to make decisions – the more the better,” said Professor Apreel Dåre of Sillington University. “The fact that Mojang Studios is willing to put decision-making in the hands of the players just shows how much they care about their community. Or that’s what I assume. I haven’t been in a community since 1857 and I don’t really play games.”
If you have no idea what to expect, that’s by design. They’re liking this to getting a box of chocolates, just one with apparent consequences.
After you download it, there is no turning back. If you delete the file, the story ends; you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You boot it up, you stay in the Overworld, and we show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
I’m sure it’ll be fine, though.
Rocket League gets positive
If you’re logging on to have a heater gamer moment in Rocket League today, bad news. The chat has been overhauled so only positive messages can go out. Also, now there’s a literal Easter Egg you can kick around.
What are some of your favorite April fool’s jokes this year?
“Back in 2013, my ex-husband and I played a game called TERA. He became obsessed with it, to the point where he brought my gaming laptop to the hospital so that he could play TERA while I recovered from giving birth (including during one of the first pictures he took with our son).
“A couple weeks after our son’s birth, he found a girl named Athena from Greece, and they started spending a lot of time together. At first, I encouraged it, but, eventually, I came to find out that he was buying her in-game stuff (using his real money). When they weren’t gaming, they were messaging constantly on Skype, even to the point that he altered his sleeping habits for her.
“I stopped playing this game because…well, I got into it for my ex-husband, and now the game was ruined. I was watching the destruction of my marriage.
“The day before Christmas Eve, he told me he was moving back to his mom’s house. On Christmas Eve, Athena sends him pictures, and he officially leaves for his mom’s house. On Christmas Day, he tells me he wants a divorce.
“Since then, I haven’t been able to play TERA. [I also now feel like Christmas is] a pointless holiday that I only celebrate and make special for my son.
“But unfortunately for me, I didn’t [immediately] learn my lesson, and it took another eight years before I was finally strong enough to leave him and never look back. I am thriving now and am being treated like I should be.
“But will never touch that fucking game again.” – Silfy, 31
Are there any games that you’ll never play because you associate them with an ex? Are there some games that are simply too good to give up? Can you ever truly recover from heartbreak? Give me all your answers in the comments.
Overwatch 2 will make adjustments to both its matchmaking process and its ranked system in the coming weeks, according to the latest developer blog posted today. This is good news for anyone who has spent the months since launch confused or frustrated by the sequel’s ranking system, or those who feel like their matches are almost always lopsided (myself included, as evidenced by my most recent take on Overwatch 2‘s competitive mode).
The lengthy blog post ensures us that Blizzard “has seen [our] feedback on matches with wide skill variation,” and has plans to address our concerns. After explaining away a few of the reasons why I either roll an enemy squad or am rolled by them, the post details what steps Overwatch 2 will take to fix its matchmaking and ranked problems.
Season 3, which will start sometime next month (there’s no set date yet) will “try to place pairs of players with similar MMR [matchmaking ranking] on each role on either team,” which means you’re less likely to get tanks with a wide gap in skill between them on opposing squads. With only one tank in traditional matches, that gap can feel like a chasm, so the goal of the update is to “make the average MMR between each role more evenly matched to each other instead of looking more broadly across the entire team to balance things out.” Yes, Overwatch 2‘s current matchmaking system does not ensure that each role is matched with an evenly ranked opponent.
The next season will also change how often your rank is adjusted in Competitive mode, as the team has heard us loud and clear that playing up to 26 matches just for your role to stay the same is infuriating. “Starting with Season 3, you’ll now get a competitive update with every 5 wins and 15 losses. In the mid-season patch for Season 3, we’re also updating the UI, so information about your progress toward a competitive update will always be viewable.” Praise be.
Oh, and seasonal rank decay and rank resets are getting thrown out the window starting with Season 4—but don’t expect a full rank reset ever, you absolute animal. “A full rating reset wouldn’t create a great experience since it would mean throwing out all the knowledge we have about players. This would cause new players to be matched against OWL pros, which is fun for about 30 seconds (we’ve experienced this ourselves in internal playtests).”
Gaming time Grants two months of access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which gives you access to Game Pass on your Xbox, PC, and Phone, lets you play online, and even adds an EA Play subscription too, for even more games at under $10.
While I can understand why players may want a full rank reset to get the nasty taste of this current ranking system out of our mouths, it’s clear that it would cause even more chaos. Let’s just be happy that we’ll get more frequent rank adjustments, a clearer picture of where the fuck our rank is going, and better matches going forward. Maybe I’ll enjoy playing again.
Cailin Russo has been making a name for herself in both the music and fashion world. With over 50 million streams and an LP, INFLUX, coming March 3rd, Russo is providing us with catchy beats that transport us from our homes to the club. Her music makes you want to get up and dance, and her new single “PSYCHO FREAK” is no exception.
Russo penned “PSYCHO FREAK” after a night out and perfectly enshrines the feeling. She keeps a cheeky tone and upbeat vibe that makes you want to get up and dance. With lyrics like “please don’t take it personal when I can’t give you my own time” and a voicemail telling you she’s currently unavailable, you can feel the fun Russo had while creating the song.
Singles like “PSYCHO FREAK” and “DIE DOWN” are showing Russo’s fans a little glimpse of what her new LP, INFLUX, is all about. It’s guaranteed to provide us with songs of the summer, perfect for spending nights out and drinking champagne with your friends. Fans and new listeners alike can appreciate Cailin’s ability to create a track that gets people out of their chairs and onto their feet.
Alongside her music, Cailin has been insanely busy releasing a sold-out NFT for “DIE DOWN” and collaborating on a track for the game League of Legends for “Phoenix.” She has modeled for brands like Kim Kardashian’s Skims and walked via avatar for the fashion house AVAVAV in the first ever metaverse fashion show.
Now, exclusively with Popdust, Cailin gives us an inside look on her music. You can listen to Cailin’s new single, “PSYCHO FREAK,” here:
Your song “PSYCHO FREAK” was written after a night out and encapsulates club energy. How do your own experiences help you make music?
My own experiences open me up and create space to write about. I don’t go out alot but when I do, I love to feel liberated and translate that same energy into the music that can hopefully be felt by the listener. I aim to make my music energetically tangible
What was your favorite part about making the song?
My favorite part about making “PSYCHO FREAK” was that our main goal was to write an easy dance song that was super light hearted and catchy. And we did that… and drank a lot of champagne in the process.
Your new album INFLUX is coming March 3 and it’s amazing…what was the hardest part about making it?
The hardest part about making the album is all the promo for me, being social is alot. And tying up loose ends in terms of finalizing business. I don’t love busy work obviously. The creation was easy, I had a vision and people that really helped me follow through.
Who’s inspiring you right now?
My broken heart is leading me where I need to go right now, I’ve been listening to ABRA, this new artist called “the fuckn arti$t” and Kaash Paige.
You’ve done work as a model, released a sold-out NFT, and are now releasing an album…how do you find a way to translate your love for fashion and art into your music?
I haven’t directly correlated those 2 really yet. I think I like to dress in a certain way that probably mirrors the way my music sounds.
Your avatar walked in the first ever metaverse fashion show in BNV for AVAVAV, what was that experience like? How was it different from your modeling at SKIMS and I.AM.GIA?
Well it was my third impression as a computer generated version of myself (I did a whole music video in IMVU and did a 3D render of myself mid 2020) but this was obviously very special to walk in a runway show. It’s a very interesting experience since you don’t have physical contact or interaction but it was very memorable and cool to be a part of.
Big arms big arms big arms. Image: Sony / Naughty Dog /Kotaku
We’re only one episode deep into HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last of Us and fans think they’ve discovered the actor who’ll play Abby.
In a recent tweet, The Last of Us News, a community-run TLoU fan account, uploaded a screenshot of the game creator, Neil Druckmann, following actor Shannon Berry on Instagram. Of course, Druckmann’s following of The Wilds actor could just be his way of pulling a Hideo Kojima by showing interest in actors who star in shows that are similar to his own works.
But give the internet an inch and they’ll take a mile because Twitter has been buzzing about how perfect Berry’s casting would be for Abby, especially when you consider how closely her face resembles the former Firefly and surprise co-star of The Last of Us Part II. It probably also doesn’t help that Berry’s followed Druckmann back on Insta, but that’s show business baby!
“Hey, she’s 22. Bella Ramsey is 19. Their age difference is spot on for Ellie and Abby,” one Twitter user wrote.
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“God, I hope it happens. She’s the perfect Abby,” wrote another.
“Whoever gets the role I really hope they don’t get the abuse Laura Bailey did!! Neither Laura or whoever gets the role for the series deserves it!” another observed.
“Becoming a Shannon Berry Abby Anderson truther as we speak,” wrote one Twitter user, who went the extra mile by making a Kpop-style fancam video of the actor after someone’s suggestion that Florence Pugh would be a good Abby.
Should Abby appear in TLoU (prestige TV edition), “Abby Anderson truthers” think the show should save her appearance for the final episode of the season, so as to create a neat throughline between the original game’s ending and its sequel.
Since The Last of Us premiered on the streamer, fans and critics alike have heralded the HBO show as the one that’s finally broken the terrible video game adaptation curse. While I think the show knocked it out of the park with its 80-minute pilot episode, I can’t help but notice the pop culture zeitgeist’s tendency to haphazardly regurgitate that accolade whenever a new video game adaptation that isn’t dog water comes out.
The ‘95 Mortal Kombat movie (which is good, don’t @ me), Paramount Pictures’ Sonic films, and Netflix’s Castlevania, League of Legends, and Cyberpunk 2077 shows have all rightfully received the same praise for their overall quality and respect for source material. But much like how Disney keeps having new “first LGBTQ characters,” gamers always tout the latest video game adaptation hotness as finally having “broken the curse” despite us having gone through this whole song and dance like five times over the past two years or so. I suppose recency bias is a bitch.
Regardless, we’ll have to wait and see whether the internet’s admittedly parasocial stalking of Druckmann’s Insta follows results in Berry’s casting as Abby. But right now let’s just appreciate how yoked out Abby is.
If you watched even a minute of Neuro-sama streaming on Twitch you knew it was only a matter of time before the AI-controlled Vtuber got banned. The channel is currently offline for two weeks due to “hateful conduct,” though it’s not immediately clear what the offending incident was.
“Okay so banned for 2 weeks obviously, not sure why something about hateful conduct,” Neuro-sama’s creator, a user who goes by Vedal, wrote in the Vtuber’s Discord earlier today. “Will try to appeal and find out more the good news for you guys is this gives me so much time to work on improvements and upgrades so hopefully by the time she’s unbanned she will be better than ever.”
Hundreds of fans responded beneath the message with crying emoji. On Twitter, the account Out of context Neuro called on Twitch to “free my girl.”
Neuro-sama started making waves in the video game streaming space back in December when she bantered with viewers in the Twitch chat while playing the rhythm game Osu! Unlike other Vtubers which are only people posing as anime avatars, Neuro-sama was the real deal, trouncing opponents in online matches while commenting on everything from Pewdiepie to League of Legends. More recently she’s been playing Minecraft and taking singing lessons.
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The potential pitfalls of an AI built on globs of internet text and viewer prompts immediately became apparent, however. Early on one user asked Neuro-sama about the Holocaust. “I’m not sure if I believe it,” she responded.
Vedal told Kotaku last week he had immediately worked to improve the Twitch channel’s chat filters and Neuro-sama’s responses after that in order to avoid similar mishaps in the future. It’s a fine line between keeping her interesting and making her un-cancelable though. A big reason some viewers tune into her streams is clearly to watch her go off script, including rants about how she smells bad or her favorite kind of weed. No doubt getting banned will only increase her street cred and hype by the time she returns.
Twitch and Vedal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As Web3 Is Going Just Great’sMolly White reports, the deal was supposed to run for seven years, and involve FTX making “substantial payments” to Riot, starting with $12.5 million for the 2022 calendar year (and escalating to $12.875 for 2023, and so on). So far only $6.25 million of that 2022 sum has been paid, and there is almost zero chance Riot will ever see another cent, so the company has filed a case with a Bankruptcy Court in Delaware seeking to have the rest of the sponsorship deal nullified.
In strictly business terms, that’s perfectly understandable. As Riot points out in their filing, FTX have declared bankruptcy, which should send the whole deal straight into the bin, no questions asked. Just in case anyone does ask questions, though, Riot have added, “There is simply no way for FTX to cure the reputational harm already caused to Riot as a result of the highly public disrepute wrought by the debacle preceding FTX’s bankruptcy filing. FTX cannot turn back the clock and undo the damage inflicted on Riot in the wake of its collapse.”
Prior to, and throughout this media firestorm, Riot’s image and reputation to its customer base, remained inextricably linked to FTX through its former CEO, Mr. Bankman-Fried. Media outlets and Twitter commentators splashed images of Mr. Bankman-Fried playing League of Legends—Riot Games’ game— at the same time that FTX was crashing. Mr. BankmanFried is famous for his affinity for the game. He is well-known among investors to play League of Legends during meetings. He acknowledged on Twitter that he played “a lot more [League of Legends] than you’d expect from someone who routinely trades off sleep vs work.” Even Mr. Bankman-Fried’s ranking in League of Legends has been the subject of online commentary with public figures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elon Musk weighing in.
Even back when this deal was first signed, in August 2021, it was agonisingly clear what the endgame for this whole scam was going to be, whether it was video game developers or NBA teams or overly-eager celebrities.
You would think Riot would know this, especially now in the middle of all this, but another part of the filing argues that the FTX deal needs to be terminated because it is preventing the company from further “commercializing the crypto-exchange sponsorship category…currently owned by FTX.” Fool me once, shame on you, etc, etc.
A group of seven lawmakers are sending a letter to the world’s biggest video game companies tomorrow, asking each of them what steps they’re taking to combat “harassment and extremism” in online video games.
As Axios reports, the seven Democratic representatives—including Lori Trahan (Massachusetts), Katie Porter (California) and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon—have all co-signed a letter, which is looking to “better understand the processes you have in place to handle player reports of harassment and extremism encounters in your online games, and ask for consideration of safety measures pertaining to anti-harassment and anti-extremism”.
Unsurprisingly, the list includes companies like Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty, Overwatch), Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (PlayStation), Roblox, Take-Two Interactive (Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K), Riot Games (League of Legends, Valorant), Epic (Fortnite) and Electronic Arts (Battlefield, FIFA & Madden).
Those are all massive international companies, most of them with thousands of employees spread out all over the world, and responsible for some of the planet’s most popular and enduring online games. To want to grill them, when so many of them are based in the US—or at least most popular in the US—is a pretty obvious move!
Hilariously, though, whoever put the list together of which companies to target has clearly just gone down a list of “most popular games”, not “biggest companies”, because among those titans of industry are Innersloth, the developers of Among Us.
Among Us may be a huge hit, but Innersloth are also a tiny team. How tiny? This tiny:
Among Us Wins Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards 2020
Innsersloth’s webiste says the studio currently has 20 employees. I don’t know how much they’re going to be able to explain when their game has you playing as a cute little astronaut, doesn’t have voice chat and only lets players communicate via a menu of pre-written lines.
But then nobody has to legally reply to the letter at all, it’s just a letter, so maybe they can just reply “sorry, think this is meant for Xbox!” and get on with their day.
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