/WARCRAFT III: REFORGED NOW AVAILABLE FROM BLIZZARD
The modern reimagining of the classic real-time strategy game, titled Warcraft III: Reforged, has been released on Battle.net. Blizzard basically rebuilt the game from the ground up. This includes a refresh of the graphics, rebalance of gameplay, and a new multiplayer matchmaking system used via Battle.net. This game includes all of the content from the base game and its expansions, Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne.
Community-driven content: Including the game’s built-in modes, Blizzard is supporting custom game modes. Competing esports games like Dota first found life as a custom game mode in Warcraft III before being bought by Valve. This means players can create tower defense, MOBA, ARPGs, and even survival games. All of this is available via the World Editor.
The impact of Reforged: This is technically the first game release Blizzard has made since Overwatch released years ago. Additionally, this is the first RTS game to come from the company since StarCraft II. Though it remains in the Warcraft franchise, the gameplay for Reforged is significantly different from the MMO, World of Warcraft. In this, you take control of a faction; command units; and gather resources, build buildings, and make more units.
Room for esports: Blizzard has effectively built Reforged for the esports scene, which will now be run by ESL. The game is included in the Pro Tour, which is a different strategy than they’ve done with their other games ,like Overwatch League.
/YOUTUBE AND TWITCH MARKET SHARE
One of the main driving forces behind streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube is esports viewership. Multiple leagues kicked off their seasons and started broadcasting from the two popular streaming sites. Here’s a quick breakdown from StreamHatchet of live Average Minute Audience (AMA) between the two platforms.
The breakdown
/BIG COMPANIES DONATE TO STOP CORONAVIRUS
The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc throughout China, which is sending shockwaves through the esports community. Every delay toward finding a cure means many more people will become sick and may yet die. However, organizations such as Tencent have made significant donations to help combat the spread of this virus.
Donating to the cause: Several esports organizations have given some help to the city of Wuhan. This includes Game publisher and software giant Tencent, which donated more than 300 million yuan to designated charity organizations. These funds have been used to purchase 1.5 million face masks, which are currently being distributed throughout the region. This money will also go toward purchasing advanced equipment for front-line medical professionals.
Additional efforts: Tencent is also leveraging some of its technology to assist the crisis. This includes an out-patient clinic map, which allows WeChat users to locate nearby fever clinics. The map currently provides information on more than 1,900 out-patient clinics in 52 cities. Additionally, Tencent has partnered with several online education companies to provide free services to teachers and students in the Hubei province, allowing students to study at home rather than risk traveling and being exposed to the virus.
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Fortnite: Due to Ninja getting his own skin, the community has come up with their own ideas for skins were such a thing to be done for individual players.
/ANDA AND 5FIRE SIGN ON DUE TO VISA COMPLICATIONS
Due to the visa complications Evil Geniuses has been dealing with, the team was forced to come up with a new roster arrangement. Instead of fielding the original jungler Kadircan “Kadir” Mumcuoglu, the team instead signed on Andy “AnDa” Hoan as his replacement.
About Kadir: The jungler recently played with Hjarnan on ad hoc gaming, a German Prime League pro team, but most fans remember him from OpTic Academy in 2018.
Additional struggles: Evil Geniuses also had troubles trying to finalize the visa for Ahmad “Giyuu” Charif and instead signed Scouting Grounds talent, Aidan Joseph “5fire” Reckamp to cover for this open position. While they’re keeping Giyuu on their roster, they’ll use 5fire until the visa approval comes through in the coming weeks.
/MORE TEAM NEWS
Overwatch: The latest patch is sure to change the overall landscape of the game, and here’s a breakdown of the notes.
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