Hot Gamer Summer
Edition 24 - May 17th to May 23rd
Good morning gamers. A summer of gaming awaits us as E3 is a few weeks away and rumours are flying all over social media. Rockstar Games has some major updates coming to their most popular titles and Warzone added to its momentum with a new in-game event and tournament. The world of esports also had a big week filled with drama, changes and a major tournament win.
E3 - What we know so far
The world's biggest video game industry event is right around the corner. This year’s E3 Expo will be a four day all-virtual event taking place between June 12-15. Gamers can catch all the action live streamed for free though the official E3 online portal or the companion app. Event hosts include Greg Miller, Jacki Jing and Alex ‘Goldenboy’ Mendez.
What rumours are flying around?
Industry insider ‘Navtra’ has claimed that Square Enix will be announcing a PlayStation 5 exclusive Final Fantasy game, and a cross-gen Eidos title.
Microsoft and Bethesda have confirmed a joint conference. We expect to learn a lot more about the Xbox exclusive Starfield game, as well as more details on Halo Infinite, Fable 4, The Elder Scrolls 6 and a new Forza Motorsport title.
Nintendo usually hosts a major conference at E3 and we are expecting that to be true again this year. They should be providing further details on Metroid Prime 4, Bayonetta 3 and Pokemon Legends Arceus. Some leakers are suggesting that Nintendo will have some sort of update on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Ubisoft will be hosting a Ubisoft Forward event which should focus on Far Cry 6 and Riders Republic. We might also get some info on their new Star Wars game.
Who is missing out? Sony has once again decided to skip E3 in favour of hosting their own State of Play Events. Konami originally confirmed their conference but recently pulled out “due to timing”. EA have instead opted to schedule their own EA Play Live on June 22.
ROCKSTAR - Summer Updates
This week Rockstar Games released an article outlining the details of the new updates coming to their popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online.
GTA V will be coming to next generation consoles on November 11. The game will feature an expanded and enhanced GTA V experience, which will include new features, updates and more.
GTA Online will be available for players on both next gen platforms but it will only be free for players on the PlayStation 5 for the first 3 months. PlayStation members on PS4 will also be able to claim $1,000,000 of in-game currency in the PlayStation Store. There will be new vehicles, missions and stunt races added as part of the summer update.
Red Dead Online is getting 8 new races across the five states in iconic locations starting on May 25th. The summer update will also include new missions as Guido Martelli is working to create his own criminal network.
Red Dead Redemption celebrated its 11th anniversary this week. It seems fitting that the franchise would make headlines on its birthday week. Take-Two Interactive's financial earnings report revealed that they’re planning to make new iterations of previously released titles. According to the report, there are 9 remasters expected by the end of their 2024 Fiscal Year. As Red Dead Redemption remains one of their most popular franchises, our fingers are crossed for a remake.
CALL OF DUTY - The ‘80s Are Back
Call of Duty Warzone has been one of the most popular free-to-play games since its release in March of 2020. However, Activision was unable to provide the players with major map changes, character crossovers and the formation of an esports scene a year after release. In recent months that seems to have changed.
‘80’s Action Heroes Rambo and John McClane joined the Warzone action this week as playable characters. Players dropping into Verdansk will also be able to visit the movie inspired locations such as Nakatomi Plaza, Survival Camp and CIA Outpost. Players are encouraged to discover the hidden secrets across Verdansk as the event and areas are only available for a limited-time.
The 2021 World Series of Warzone (WSOW) will be taking place on June 23rd and will feature a $300,000 prize pool. The event is considered semi-invitational as several popular figures in the community were invited by Activision, while others must qualify via open play. Trios interested in qualifying for the event can sign up on Gamebattles by clicking here. The Qualifiers will occur daily from May 24th to May 27th, where the highest scoring team will be invited to the WSOW.
ESPORTS CORNER
🥇Congratulations to Royal Never Give Up for winning the 2021 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational.
The Future of Overwatch Competitive
Major changes are coming to Overwatch’s PvP structure. Blizzard confirmed during their Overwatch 2 “What’s Next” livestream that they will be reducing team sizes to 5 players per team instead of 6. Team structures will now consist of 1 tank, 2 DPS and 2 support players. Each role will also receive a passive role bonus; tank heroes will have knockback reduction/reduced ultimate charge gain when taking damage, DPS heroes will get movement speed bonuses and support heroes will get automatic self healing when they don’t take damage for an extended period of time.
Drama in Counter Strike
Flashpoint Season 3 is an official CS:GO tournament hosting 16 of the top European teams in a double elimination bracket. The event has a total prize pool of €50,000 and it awards RMR points towards qualification for the Stockholm Major. Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) lost their opening match to Anonymo Esports where they suffered severe packet loss. Despite the extensive evidence of technical issues, tournament organizers forced NiP to continue playing. NiP was later granted a rematch because the issues were found to be out of their control and due to Flashpoint’s security settings. After a rematch was granted Anonymo Esports contested the decision stating that at the time of the issues, they offered to play on any server or to reschedule, but the latter was rejected. Anonymo Esports publicly stated their displeasure on being pressured by NiP and Flashpoint to reschedule a match they originally tried to accommodate. The final conclusion was for both teams to replay the third map where NiP won and ultimately took the series 2-1.
ALGS Championships Crowdfunding
Electronic Arts announced that they will be expanding the prize pool for the upcoming 2021 Apex Legends Global Series Championship with the help of crowdfunding. The event already has a confirmed $1 million grand prize but fans can now help boost that amount to $3 million by purchasing in-game item bundles. EA will add $5 for each Mechmeleon, Boared to Death, Wild Speed or Silverback Bundle sold and they will add $20 for each Animal Kingdom Bundle sold (which includes all the items from the other 4 bundles). These bundles will be in the shop until June 1st.
This week in Esports
May 28 | eChampions League Finals
May 30 | Flashpoint 3 Finals
Game Review - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a fantastic remaster of the trilogy. It is a solid opportunity for new players to discover arguably the best sci-fi franchise ever made. It is also a great way for old fans to relive the story and once again be in the shoes of Commander Shepard. Playing through the trilogy again after all these years, I can proudly say that they got this one right. The graphics have extremely improved and with the enhanced game mechanics, it feels like a new game. We give this trilogy a legendary score of A and we hope to see you in your favourite store on the Citadel!
Gaming Roundup
DC Comics and Warner Bros announced last week that they’re working on an animated movie based on the 2013 fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us. The film is projected to release later this year and it will feature Superman in his most evil form.
Ampere Analysis have released their World Console Hardware Sell-Through Volume report for Q1 2021. The Nintendo Switch family sold 5.86 million units, PlayStation 5 sold 2.83 million units and Xbox Series X|S sold 1.31 million units.
Back 4 Blood revealed their official characters and zombies trailer ahead of the October 12, 2021 game release. The multiplayer FPS shooter is being developed by Turtle Rock Studios, makers of the Left 4 Dead franchise.
Deep Silver will be bringing back their classic TimeSplitters franchise. The newly reformed Free Radical Design studio, lead by TimeSplitter founders Steve Ellis and David Doak, will work on the development.
Electronic Arts launched Knockout City on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC this week. The Dodgeball multiplayer action game has crossplay and is free-to-play until May 30th.
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