Gaming
GDC 2015: How eSports shapes League of Legends
GDC 2015, or the Game Developers Conference, has been invaded by GeekReply! Yep, that’s right! Yours truly has managed to infiltrate this incredible week long gaming extravaganza featuring professionals from all over the world who gather to share, learn, and discuss all facets of video game development. This morning I had the pleasure of sitting in on a fascinating discussion where Riot Games Design Lead, Ryan “Morello” Scott, chatted about the impact that eSports has had on the League of Legends design team. For those of you who don’t know, eSports is not the name of a sports bar internet cafe, but is the official term used for competitive gaming. The popularity of eSports has exploded in recent years (much like putting Peeps in a microwave), thanks to multiplayer online battle arena or MOBA games like League of Legends.
Contrary to what stereotypes may have you believe, eSports teams do not look like this.
Competitive League of Legends players dream of snagging the top prize at the League of Legends World Championship that last year drew over 27 million viewers worldwide and was cast in 19 different languages. Millions of League of Legends and eSports fans watched the top teams in the world battle it out for the $1 million dollar prize. As you can imagine, the League of Legends team at Riot Games feels the pressure that comes with such intensive worldwide attention, massive corporate sponsorship and more. Here’s some insight into how Riot Games balances eSports’ rigorous demands while still ensuring that they have an enjoyable game.
Casual LoL players after queueing with serious LoL players.
One of the biggest challenges that Design Lead Ryan Scott mentioned was how to ensure that League of Legends could still be enjoyable for both the casual gamers and the most serious and competitive League players. How does Riot do that? They selectively insulate their game design processes from outside influences like competitive LoL players. Riot takes the ‘mentos and diet coke’ approach when involving high level players into the design processes meaning that they only mix the two when they want to have a blast. Why? This is because that highly competitive players have very focused goals (like winning, duh) whereas the Riot design team wants to create a fun and rich gaming experience that can be enjoyed by diverse group of players. So when does Riot reach out to their super advanced community? Testing is one instance where Riot turns on the Bat, er, LoL signal to summon top tier LoL players to help. Since Riot has been mostly reactionary in balancing and making adjustments to gameplay, they hope that with the help of diamond level LoL players they can be more proactive in future League designs.
Riot does not take the Scrooge McDuck approach to game design.
Another way that Riot wants to ensure that LoL remains an engaging and fun game is by working to keep business and pleasure separate. This has been more of a priority as LoL’s popularity as an eSport draws large sums of money. Ryan Scott said that the Riot’s designers take a K.I.S.S. approach to their design but not in the gross Gene Simmons tongue kind of way, but in that they Keep It Simple, Stupid. They design the game with the core idea that if you make cool stuff that people want to buy, they’ll buy it. And if League of Legends’ eSports popularity is any indication, it would appear that the gaming community likes the way the Riot Design Team K.I.S.S.
Helldivers 2 proved to be a surprising success, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. As per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently ranks as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date, trailing behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima. It’s only been on the market for less than three months and is not even being sold at full price.
According to Piscatella, a significant factor contributing to the game’s success is its release on PC. He mentioned that, based on Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the game has consistently ranked first in terms of active users on Steam in the US since its launch, including April. The release of Helldivers 2 on both PlayStation and PC has been an extraordinary triumph.
He stated that Helldivers 2 has already become the seventh highest-grossing Sony-published game in history. Without a PC, it would not currently be considered one of the top 20 games. While I’m emphasizing the success of the PC SKU, it’s important to note that I’m not disregarding the success of the PlayStation SKU. I just wanted to clarify that. This launch has proven to be incredibly successful.
Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Sony made it clear that they would be launching their live service-style titles simultaneously on both the PS5 and PC. The success of this approach will undoubtedly strengthen their strategic vision. It will be intriguing to witness if the company reveals official sales figures in the near future, as the title appears to be one of the platform holder’s most successful sellers to date.
Gaming
The developer of Stellar Blade for the PS5 Expressing gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support amidst a recent controversy surrounding censorship
Shift Up, the Korean developer, seems to be reconsidering its contentious alterations to the Stellar Blade outfit. In a message to fans, they have urged everyone to stay tuned for updates and expressed gratitude for the passionate feedback from players. For those who may not be aware, a petition gained significant attention over the weekend when gamers discovered changes made to a few of the game’s costumes through a day-one patch.
The launch day update includes a fantastic New Game + mode, but some players were disappointed by the changes made to protagonist Eve’s outfit. These alterations sparked debates about censorship. Director Hyung-Tae Kim later clarified that this was the studio’s original vision, but he acknowledged that it may require further persuasion to win over users. Internal discussions were also underway to address any concerns.
Thanks to all our Stellar Blade fans for your passion & feedback. Stay tuned for updates🤍 pic.twitter.com/jCRzM4OQBS
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) May 1, 2024
There is no definitive confirmation regarding the reversal of the outfits, but considering the language used in the statement and the widespread controversy surrounding the alterations, it is highly likely that a future patch will restore the original costumes. If you want to get a sneak peek at all of Eve’s different outfits and learn how to unlock them, be sure to take a look at our comprehensive guide, All Outfits and How to Get Them.
It’s quite possible. Fans all over the world are interested in Shift Up’s highly anticipated action-adventure game, Stellar Blade. With its captivating post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Nier and a compelling protagonist named Eve, it’s no wonder the game has generated such widespread attention.
The game consistently impresses with its stunning visuals and high-octane action, leaving players in awe with each new trailer.
Yet, just like other noteworthy second-party and third-party game releases, fans are pondering: Will Stellar Blade be available on PC?
In this article, we delve into the details to determine the platform availability of the highly anticipated title.
Will Stellar Blade be available on PC? Allow me to provide you with the answer.
Unfortunately, Stellar Blade will not be available on PC, at least not initially. Currently, the game is only available on PlayStation 5 starting on April 26, 2024.
Regrettably, it appears that there is no indication of a potential PC release for Stellar Blade in the future. In most cases, trailers for PlayStation timed-exclusive titles conclude with a disclaimer that specifies the duration of their exclusivity.
In the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launch trailer, it is explicitly stated that the game will only be accessible on other platforms starting on May 29, 2024.
Regrettably, when it comes to the stellar blade, there is no indication of such.
It’s important to note that Sony Entertainment Interactive published Stellar Blade, unlike Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This means that the chances of it being released on PC or other platforms in the near future are even slimmer.
However, it is worth noting that there is a chance the game might be released on PC in the future, given PlayStation’s track record of bringing their exclusive titles to the platform. However, it could be a while before this comes to fruition.
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