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Riot used 'League of Legends' chat logs to spot bad staff
Sadly, bad language and a general lack of respect is an expected and, now, almost accepted part of playing video games online. It's a problem that permeates not just the community around each game, but also the people that are working on them. Riot Games, developer of the MOBA juggernaut League of Legends, has looked at employees' chat logs and found a surprising correlation between their behavior in and out of the game. So if someone has been a jerk or generally difficult in the game, there's a reasonable chance that they've expressed similar behavior in the office.
Arizona State University wins 2016's 'Heroes of the Dorm'
Arizona State University's "Real Dream Team" won't have to pay for tuition for the rest of the time they're enrolled. How's that? Over the weekend these runners up from last year's premiere Heroes of the Dorm competition beat out rivals from UConn and the University of Texas at Arlington in Heroes of the Storm, where top prize is gratis education. Before you start wondering if they can repeat this, maybe give the guys a break and let 'em bask in the victory of not only free college, but of their eSports exploits being broadcast in primetime on ESPN 2.
'DOTA 2' VR spectator mode may be as exciting as playing the game
The next time you want to follow an eSports tourney, you might find yourself strapping on a virtual reality headset. Valve just teased a VR spectator mode for DOTA 2 (scroll down to the video above "you're not starting from scratch") that gives you more information than you're used to seeing during a MOBA match. The actual game is front and center, but look around and you'll see details of each team's heroes, a visually rich map and nice-to-know stats.
Free, third-person MOBA 'Smite' heads to PlayStation 4
Smite is already popular on PC and Xbox One, and this year it's hitting another major platform: the PlayStation 4. The game is in closed alpha on PS4 today, though it's only for a small number of "dedicated" players, Hi-Rez Studios president Stew Chisam says in a tweet. The closed beta goes live in March and anyone interested can opt-in right here.
'League of Legends' is now fully owned by China's Tencent
After buying most of the studio behind League of Legends in 2011, Tencent now owns it outright. California studio Riot Games told employees that the Chinese internet giant behind WeChat had purchased the remaining equity in the company. There was no word about the price, but League of Legends reportedly makes $1 billion a year via in-app purchases. Tencent should be able to afford it, though, as it was recently valued at $200 billion, ahead of China's Alibaba. Tencent also owns big stakes in Activision Blizzard, the maker of World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, and Gears of War developer Epic Games.
'Gigantic' creator layoffs show that MOBA games aren't easy
With Blizzard, Riot and seemingly everyone else making a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, the field is getting pretty crowded... and unfortunately, it's clear that some of those developers are facing greater challenges than others. Gigantic creator Motiga has revealed that it's delaying its take on the genre to 2016, and is laying off 16 employees to make this happen. This is a startup with "finite" resources, the company says, and there's only so much it can do without letting people go. It's no doubt a tough decision -- here's hoping that Gigantic can stand out despite the heavyweight competition, and that Motiga's former workers land on their feet.
'Gears of War' studio is making a MOBA for PS4 and PC
Epic Games, the studio best known for the Gears of War franchise, is building Paragon, a new multiplayer shooter for the PlayStation 4 and PC. It's a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), meaning its gameplay is reminiscent of titles like League of Legends, Smite or Dota -- two teams of five players fighting for control of a single map. Paragon includes a card-collecting aspect, too, because if you're going to make a game that appeals to a large online audience (Hearthstone, anyone?), it might as well have all the bells and whistles. Paragon enters open beta on PS4 and PC in summer 2016, followed by a paid "early access" launch in early spring. Epic announced Paragon during today's PlayStation Experience keynote address.
'Dota 2' is the first title running on Valve's new game engine
If you want a look at just how much PC gaming powerhouse Valve (and gaming as a whole) has changed consider this: When the company launched the original Source Engine back in 2004 it did so with a beta for a new version of Counter-Strike (Counter-Strike: Source) and then went wide a few months later with Half-life 2. The first game running on Valve's follow-up engine, Source 2? Dota 2. Specifically, Dota 2 Reborn. As Eurogamer points out, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) has been running in Source 2 in beta since June, but now the game's sporting a new UI and more game modes on Source 2, including support for 20-person matches.
Valve opens up 'Dota 2 Reborn' to beta testers
Dota 2 Reborn is now open for beta testing like Valve promised, and just in time for the weekend. You will need to install Dota 2 if you haven't yet, so you can access the Reborn tab and download the game. The two versions share your match history, MMR, cosmetic items and friends, but Ranked Matchmaking isn't available in the beta yet, as the game developers want to focus on testing and improving the basic features first. Reborn runs on Valve's new Source 2 game engine, which makes it easy for people to create user-generated content. According to PC Gamer, it has a stunning UI, and it feels like a brand new game instead of an update to Dota 2 -- plus, the Custom Games tab made possible by Source 2 looks promising. The only bad news? Like many other betas (and far too many commercial releases) your worst enemy at this point in time is serious connectivity issues.
'Battleborn' has the trappings of a modern shooter and more
The folks at Gearbox Software want you to know a few things about Battleborn, the incredibly colorful "hero shooter" ahead of its grand showing at E3 in a few weeks. Why? Probably so it can expand upon the following details and/or show off even more stuff in Los Angeles. Let's get down to business. First up, the game has a story mode that you can play solo or co-op -- either split-screen or online, with replayability encouraged so you can go back for better loot when the mood strikes. There's also some 25 playable characters, all with different abilities, armaments and personalities according to a press release. Of course, there's multiplayer as well, which is where the MOBA-inspirations perhaps show through strongest.
Blizzard's 'Heroes of the Storm' officially launches today
You're entirely forgiven if you thought that Blizzard's take on the MOBA genre (or multiplayer online battle arena if you aren't into the whole brevity thing), Heroes of the Storm was already released. What, with the massive beta and equally sizable ad campaign that's taken over late-night TV recently that's perfectly understandable. However, the official release is actually today, and with it comes a commemorative in-game portrait and experience-point boosts for those playing for this first week and the first three weeks, respectively. In case you haven't given it a go yet and are curious what it looks like when Starcraft characters duke it out with those from Warcraft, there's really not much stopping you from at least giving it a try. The game is free to download and play, after all. And who knows, if you dig it you could be the next hero of the dorm.
JXE Training Day: Picking the right 'League of Legends' Champion
We covered League of Legends basics in Training Day Episode 1, and in Episode 2 we took a long look at how to actually play through your first match. Today Loc Tran, he of San Jose State University's rising League team, will be teaching us how to select the right Champion. What's a Champion, you ask? That's precisely what Training Day is here to answer! Join us as we take an in-depth look at the many different characters and roles they can play in League of Legends.
JXE Training Day: How to play your first 'League of Legends' match
We covered the League of Legends basics during our very first episode Training Day. Loc Tran, he of San Jose State University's rising League team, gave us the lowdown on just what multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games actually are, what it's like to play them and which ones are right for beginners. This week, we dive into matches against live players. What do you need to know the first time you play League of Legends? What class of character is good for you? We'll answer those questions and more on today's Training Day.
Dozens of Blizzard's biggest game characters are getting figurines
You're typically lucky if you get even a few figurines based on your favorite games. That's certainly true with Blizzard -- despite its deep game universes, you seldom get more than a handful of characters. Thankfully, that relative drought is about to end soon. The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) is launching a collectible line based around Blizzard's multi-franchise online battle arena, Heroes of the Storm, and it's planning figurines for all 34 playable characters. If you want to have a Diablo III demon hunter or StarCraft II's Tychus on your desk, you can.
Rumor: Leak suggests the next WoW expansion is nearly feature-complete
So, ready to jump on the rumor mill? Because it's churning out big stuff about Blizzard today. An anonymous source from inside the company has apparently claimed that World of Warcraft's next expansion has quadrupled its art outsourcing and is nearly feature-complete. The source also claimed that Hearthstone is doing banner business, with its next expansion set to release in April with a heavier PvE focus. Darker news was revealed for the other franchises under the company's banner. The next part of StarCraft II is done but with no release date. Overwatch is in the midst of debates over business model and payment plans, with the studio pushing for a 2015 release but most likely going for 2016. Meanwhile, Heroes of the Storm has low expectations among the upper management and the Diablo III team has been "completely gutted." It's up to you you believe the rumors, of course, although come April, they might look rather plausible.
Get your free League of Legends soundtrack now
You know what's awesome? Free stuff. Free stuff is awesome. And League of Legends is notable for giving away free goodies over the years, so we're not surprised to see that Riot's put the game's brand-new soundtrack album up on the site as a free download -- before it's going to be sold elsewhere. So if you want to get 15 generally excellent tracks (we know; we've listened to it), then head on over and snag it now!
PAX South 2015: Slaying giants in Motiga's Gigantic
Motiga's Gigantic is one part Team Fortress, one part Dota, and one part Monster Hunter. The basic match structure will sound familiar to MOBA lovers -- two teams of five slug it out for superiority by controlling resources, leveling up, and killing one another -- but the skill-based mechanics, multiple maps, and shifting strategy priorities make the game more than a three-lane farm fest. Gigantic isn't about last-hitting or memorizing meta. Instead, it's about slaying giants and aiming true. I hopped in on a quick Gigantic match with some other press folks this afternoon at PAX South 2015, and in the midst of delivering an absolute drubbing to the scrubs (kidding!) on the other side of the table, I was able to get a feel for the game's combat system, characters, and the way its massive guardians change the way battles play out.
Blizzard has begun selling Heroes of the Storm Founder's Packs
If there's any company in the world that could launch a new MOBA title without needing to sell founder's packs, it would probably be Blizzard. But we'll never know beyond the dark realms of speculation, of course, because sales have already started on the founder's packs for Heroes of the Storm. And yes, that pack includes access to the current closed beta, if its $39.99 price tag didn't already create that implication in your mind. Aside from beta access, the pack includes three heroes: Tyrande, Diablo, and Raynor, each with an alternate skin. Diablo gets to look fishy, Tyrande gets to look like a Blood Elf, and Raynor takes all of that high-powered armor off (which seems like a bad idea on a battlefield, but I guess that's why I'm not a space marine). You also get a mechanical golden wolf mount to ride around on the battlefield and 2500 gold for the game, which is more than enough money to buy anything that costs less than 2500 gold. Check out the pack trailer just past the break. [Thanks to Siphaed, deathandtexas, and Vincynt for the tip!]
Heroes of the Storm is now in closed beta
If you've paid attention to the people in the early testing for Heroes of the Storm, you likely saw a lot of feedback that amounted to surprise that the game was just in alpha. Of course, a game that feels polished and fun in alpha testing is in a good spot, which is why it should come as no huge surprise that the title moved into closed beta yesterday. Players who wish to test and have not already opted in should be sure to do so, as beta invitations are being sent out regularly. The team behind the game also took a moment to explain a bit more going on behind the scenes with character design by looking at Thrall -- specifically, looking at top-down design for Thrall as he exists within Heroes of the Storm and bottom-up design using Thrall's Warcraft III abilities as a starting point. It's an interesting look at how the same basic character could wind up inspiring two different designs in the end and well worth a glance if you're crossing your fingers for that closed invitation. [Thanks, Dengar.]
SMITE world champions receive million dollar prize, new character revealed
Tempted to proclaim yourself the best SMITE player in the world? Unless you are one of these five people, there is now demonstrable evidence that you are not on top. The first World Championship for SMITE is over, and the team known as Cognitive Prime has taken home the title and half of the $2.6 million prize pool. Worldwide viewers for the stream over the weekend came out to 78,000 people, which doesn't quite compare to the turnouts at better-known competitive gaming championships like League of Legends. But SMITE's prize pool was larger than the pools for any LoL tournament; in fact, it's the third largest e-sports prize pool ever, behind Dota 2's The International tourney's 2013 and 2014 pools. Coinciding with tournament was the reveal of SMITE's newest god, Hou Yi, Defender of the Earth. He justifies this lofty title with a variety of ranged attacks, movement tricks, and a high resistance to critical hits. Check him out in action just past the break. [Thanks to Sorenthaz for the tip!]
