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Pornhub's year in review defined by 'Fortnite' and Stormy Daniels
Like Twitter before it, Pornhub is crowning its biggest trends of 2018. There's no mention of its parent Mindgeek's age verification tool for the UK -- which could see it become the gatekeeper for porn in the country -- or its custom VPN and launch of closed-captions for viewers with hearing loss for that matter. Instead, this flashback is all about porn searches. And what a year it's been for the web's leading purveyor of potentially pirated adult entertainment.
Overwatch League lands major merchandise deal with Fanatics
Blizzard's Overwatch League is teaming up with Fanatics for a multi-year merchandise deal that should pull eSports apparel a little closer to the mainstream. It marks the first eSports partnership for Fanatics, which handles merch and e-commerce stores for major leagues such as the NBA and NFL.
Federal Trade Commission agrees to investigate loot boxes
The Federal Trade Commission has agreed to investigate loot boxes in games, along with their impact on kids. The agency's commissioners committed to the probe after Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) raised the issue at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee hearing. Loot boxes offer players in-game items, but because you can often buy them with real money and the virtual goods within are awarded at random, some claim they're tantamount to gambling.
You'll have to reinstall 'Overwatch' to get its next big update
Blizzard is apparently planning to release a patch for Overwatch so enormous, you can't download and install it like an ordinary update. A company representative has posted a warning on its forum, telling players to prepare for a massive rollout that will force the client to fully reinstall itself. The rep said it will bring some pretty substantial back-end changes to Overwatch, and Blizzard couldn't find a way to get it to install over the current version of the game.
Lego reveals six 'Overwatch' sets that are coming next year
Overwatch has been such a phenomenon that it's starting to take eek into everything. The latest example of Overwatch creep comes to the world of Lego. The company is releasing six Overwatch-themed building sets that feature vehicles, characters and weapons from the game. The Lego Overwatch collection will be available starting next year.
The latest 'Overwatch' hero is gunslinging gang leader Ashe
As ever at Blizzcon, Blizzard had a new Overwatch hero to reveal. The 29th playable character is Ashe, the damage-dealing leader of the Deadlock Gang. Along with her main weapon, a semi-automatic rifle, she can use her coach gun to knock enemies away and thrust herself backwards. Her dynamite attack sets enemies on fire, dealing some extra damage over time. For her ultimate ability, she can call in her Omnic cohort, B.O.B., to barrel through the opposing team and attack them with his arm cannons.
Blizzard tweaks its Overwatch Contenders feeder league
Blizzard has officially announced the modifications it's making to Overwatch Contenders 2019 following the leak of some of the most divisive changes. The biggest alteration will see the size of the various Contenders divisions scaled down from twelve teams to eight in most regions -- though the structure of the China division has yet to be confirmed.
Blizzard esports app keeps you on top of league matches
BlizzCon is right around the corner, which means big tournaments are imminent -- and Blizzard unsurprisingly wants to be sure you can follow along. It just launched a Blizzard Esports app for Android and iOS that provides news, schedules, score and live viewing (including alerts) for competitive events in the developer's various franchises, such as the impending finale for the Overwatch World Cup. If you're stuck at work when the US team is taking on South Korea, you won't have to dig through news sites to get scores or tune in.
New 'Overwatch' viewer gives you broadcast-worthy camera control
Blizzard is stepping up its efforts to improve Overwatch esports viewing ahead of the World Cup's climax at BlizzCon. As part of a developer update, the studio has introduced an Overwatch World Cup Viewer that will give you the kind of spectating controls normally reserved for esports broadcasters. The PC-only beta feature will let you view live matches from any perspective, including a top-down map view that shows players' statuses. And when a match is over, you can watch replays at different camera speeds -- if you want to see how that D.Va player wiped an entire team, you can slow the replay down to study their actions.
Blizzard CEO and president Mike Morhaime steps down
Mike Morhaime has been a part of Blizzard since it was founded in 1991 as Silicon & Synapse, Inc., and now he's stepping down from his role as president and CEO. Former executive producer and senior VP for World of Warcraft J. Allen Brack will take over as president, while Ray Gresko (Overwatch, Diablo III) will step in as chief development officer, while co-founder and former WoW lead designer Allen Adham will join the executive leadership team. In a statement, Morhaime said "After many years of working with some of the industry's most talented people to create games and worlds for you to play in, I've decided it's time for someone else to lead Blizzard Entertainment. I will now serve as an advisor to the company I so love and admire...I truly believe that this amazing community has the potential to be a shining light to the rest of the industry by setting a positive example of inclusivity, tolerance, and acceptance toward others. In the words of one of Blizzard's core values: remember to always play nice; play fair. "
'Overwatch' tests new colorblind options and tweaked Torbjörn
Ever since Overwatch debuted, Blizzard has continued to poke and prod at the game by adding heroes, game modes, maps and making tweaks to existing content to keep players interested. With a game that functions as a funnel toward its professional esports league, balance is key and that occasionally means big reworks to characters who have been seen as residing outside of the "meta" picks to increase the chance of winning. Blizzard already made major changes to one character who saw little use in its competitive modes, Symmetra, and now it's testing a rework for Torbjörn, a Swedish engineer who built turrets and distributed armor to teammates. As described by the team in a video and patch notes, his armor pack and scrap collecting feature has been removed entirely.
Blizzard bans third-party 'Overwatch' stats apps
Blizzard has declared that players are not allowed to use certain third-party Overwatch stat-tracking apps. The company said running software such as Visor and Pursuit while playing the game violates the End User License Agreement, and those who continue to use those tools could face permanent bans.
US and European gambling regulators may crack down on loot boxes
Gambling regulators from Europe and the US are turning up the heat on game developers over loot boxes, which some jurisdictions claim violate gambling laws. A group of 15 European agencies and the Washington State Gambling Commission agreed to work together to "address the risks created by the blurring of lines between gaming and gambling."
BlizzCon 2018's feature-packed virtual tickets are on sale now
There's still two months to go before BlizzCon, but fans can start getting involved now with the launch of the BlizzCon 2018 Virtual Ticket. Pick one up from the Blizzard Shop for $50 and you'll get two months of exclusive video and new content, and when the event gets going you can enjoy comprehensive livestreams covering all the major news, events and panels at the show. Handy if you can't get to the convention itself.
Overwatch League adds teams from Toronto, Vancouver and Paris
Activision Blizzard has rounded out the Overwatch League ranks for the second season of Overwatch's top-level professional competition. The company confirmed that eight more teams will compete, including new additions Toronto and Vancouver (the first Canadian teams in the league), along with Paris, which is the second European squad after the 2018 champions London Spitfire. Teams from Washington, DC, and Chinese cities Chengdu and Hangzhou are also part of the 2019 lineup. They join the previously announced Atlanta and Guangzhou teams as the number of rosters rises to 20 this time around.
’Overwatch’ is part of October’s $12 Humble Bundle
If you haven't heard of Humble Bundle, it's a service that offers discounted games and ebooks for charity. You purchase a pre-selected bundle that offers a very good value, and part of your money goes to charity. It's pretty simple and offers a win-win situation: You get the games you want at a low price, and you get to feel good while doing it. Now, Humble Bundle has announced that its October 2018 Humble Monthly will feature Overwatch.
New 'Overwatch' map spotlights D.Va and the MEKA Squad
No one in gaming does CGI cinematics quite like Blizzard. The latest Overwatch short focuses on D.Va and the weight of her feeling like she's the only person who can fight against Omnic. Without giving too much away, the results are heartwarming and a little bit explosive. More than that, there are some overt themes about it being okay to ask for help (like when you're moving the payload) present as well. There might even be a few teases about what's next for the Korean esports star if you look close enough.
After Math: What could go wrong?
It's been a week of risk in the tech world, and I don't just mean Elon Musk's recent Twitter-on-acid experiment. Best Buy is wagering $800 million on a company that teaches your grandparents how gadgets work, Saint Louis University is peppering its dorms with Echos for some reason, and Reebok is hoping folks won't be too tempted to eat their vegetable-based sneakers.
AI service gives 'Overwatch' players in-game coaching
A typical Overwatch match is hectic and fast-paced. You can't exactly consult strategy guides in the middle of a manic team fight to figure out the best course of action, so you've probably had to rely on your own experience and knowledge of the game. Your Overwatch decision making might be about to get a boost though, as an AI analytics service called Visor could help you improve at the team-based shooter by analyzing what's happening in real time and providing in-game contextual tips.
The 2018 'Overwatch' Summer Games begin August 9th
The Overwatch Summer Games is coming back for the third year and is scheduled to begin on August 9th. True to its name, the annual Games features summer-themed events within Overwatch, including the soccer-inspired 3v3 brawl Lúcioball. If previous Lúcioball arenas were based in Rio de Janeiro and Sydney, it looks like Blizzard is taking us to Asia this time -- to Busan, Korea, in particular. Not surprising considering the game's rising popularity in the country, where one of the first instances of Overwatch match fixing took place.
