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Overwatch League Announces 7 Founding Cities and Owners

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After heavy speculation and trepidation on the part of esports organizations, the Overwatch League has been officially announced. OWL Commissioner Nate Nanzer revealed the first 7 cities that will be participating, along with their owners.

There are currently 5 U.S. based teams, and 2 in Asia. Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and CEO of the Kraft Group founded a team for Boston. In typical sports rivalry fashion, New York City also has a team, owned by Mets COO Jeff Wilpon.

Along with these new faces to esports, three established organizations also picked up spots. Andy Miller, founder of NRG esports, bought a spot for San Francisco. Noah Whinston, CEO of Immortals, has set his team of Los Angeles. Ben Spoont, CEO of Misfits, will have his team play for the Miami/Orlando area.

Overseas, Chinese Internet Technology Company NetEase secured a spot in Shanghai. And of course, you can’t have an esports league without South Korea. Kevin Chou, cofounder of Kabam (a social game app developer), will have his team play in Seoul.

It’s interesting to note here that there are only three confirmed teams in the league. One of which, NRG, only has three active members, and they didn’t make it past qualifiers season zero of contenders. Misfits finished last in the European group stages. Immortals won the North American season zero, establishing themselves as one of the top teams in the region.

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime had the following to say in regards to the announcement: “Overwatch is a game about a diverse group of international heroes who fight for an optimistic vision of the future, and the Overwatch League is an extension of that spirit… We’re building this league for fans—esports fans, traditional sports fans, gaming fans—and we’re thrilled to have individuals and organizations who are as passionate about professional competition as we are, and who have extensive experience in all three fields, representing our first major international cities in the league.”

The OWL also revealed information on how the inaugural season will play out. Season 1 will take place solely at an esports arena in Los Angeles, to allow owners to prepare their own venues for future home and away play. Games will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each team will also be running amateur events in their communities, to give local players a chance to show their skills on a larger stage.

Financially, the OWL announced  teams “will be able to share in the Overwatch League’s overall financial success and be rewarded for investing in their home cities.” Teams will receive a share of advertising, ticketing, and broadcasting deals, as well as keep all locally made revenue up to a set amount. After that set amount is reached, a portion goes back in for a league-wide revenue sharing pool. Overwatch players themselves can support their teams with special in-game items.

A plethora of teams (Denial, Movistar Riders, Fnatic, Dignitas, etc.) have dropped their rosters, citing a lack of trust in the league. Now that it’s announced, and there are a confirmed 7 cities and owners invested in the league, it’s only a matter of time before some of the top-tier teams (Rogue, EnvyUS, Lunatic-Hai, Runaway) buy in. With an official announcement finally here, things may actually be looking up for Blizzard’s Overwatch League.

Check out the Overwatch League announcement video here! You can read their full statement on their site here, and follow the league on twitter here.

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New PS5 Patch Introduces Rare 40FPS Mode for Avatar Game

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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has received an exciting update that introduces a new graphical mode, elevating the game’s visual experience. With a smooth frame rate of 40 frames per second and enhanced resolutions, players can now immerse themselves in even more stunning and detailed environments. Now downloadable on PS5 with the latest patch 3.2, this mode is compatible with 4K TVs that can handle up to 120 Hz. Before this update, Avatar PS5 only offered quality and performance modes. However, with this new option, players can now enjoy the benefits of both modes after downloading the 2.4GB update.

Throughout the PS5 era, 40fps modes have been a rarity, much to the disappointment of the hardcore community. Insomniac Games first introduced them in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and later added the feature to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. They also included it in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Other PS5 titles, such as Hogwarts Legacy, Lies of P, and God of War Ragnarok, also offer 40fps modes.

In addition to that, Patch 3.2 for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora brings along the following:

Worldwide:

  • Research Station Alpha now features a convenient Fast Travel option
  • The issue of controller re-mapping and resetting on game restart has been resolved
  • Addressed multiple instances of crashes
  • I corrected a few spelling errors
  • Addressed the issue of voice lines overlapping during dialogue

Primary Objectives & Optional Objectives:

  • [Main Quest: Shadows of the Past] This main quest is an intriguing journey into the depths of history. Addressed a bug that previously hindered quest progression in co-op mode

More bug fixes have been implemented.

  • [Available on all platforms] The rescued human characters no longer return to the Resistance HQ wearing masks
  • Available on all platforms. There is a noticeable improvement in the visibility of NPCs when they are at the edge of the Player’s vision

 

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Exciting news for gamers! The highly anticipated PS5 game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be joining EA Play on Thursday

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Update: It seems that the PS Store may have acted prematurely, as it has now been officially confirmed that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be added to EA Play on Thursday, April 25th, 2024. Once the active members are in, they’ll have the opportunity to download and play the complete game.

Original Story: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, released in 2023, has been added to the EA Play subscription service. This exciting action-adventure game is now available for download and play at no additional cost for active members. While EA has yet to provide any official updates, you can head over to the PS Store and find it listed as “included with EA Play.”

Adding to the mix is the recent announcement of a forthcoming price hike for the subscription, affecting both monthly and yearly payment plans. Starting on May 10th, 2024, the monthly subscription fee will be increased from £3.99 / $4.99 to £5.99 / $5.99. For those who choose the 12-month commitment, the price will be £34.99 / $39.99, which is a £15 / $10 increase.

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In April 2023, the highly anticipated Star Wars Jedi: Survivor made its debut on the PS5. After thoroughly evaluating the game, we are pleased to announce that it has earned an impressive 9/10 rating in our review. We praised the game for its ability to build upon the first installment’s foundations and improve upon every aspect. “The combat is highly enjoyable and provides a plethora of options, while the exploration reaches new heights. The incorporation of Metroidvania elements adds an extra layer of depth, resulting in captivating puzzles and rewarding experiences.”

Click the link to access a comprehensive list of all EA Play games available on PS5 and PS4. Are you planning to give Star Wars Jedi: Survivor a try on the service? We would greatly appreciate your feedback in the comments section.

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Rest assured, the highly anticipated PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade, will be available in its original, uncensored form across all regions

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Fear not; for those worried about potential censorship issues with the PS5-exclusive Stellar Blade, set to release on April 26th, Sony has got you covered. ShiftUp, the developer, proudly assures players that the game will maintain its uncensored content across all regions, including Japan.

We have to admit, we didn’t anticipate this as a potential issue or a potential selling point. The main character, Eve, and her revealing costumes have been heavily showcased in the game’s pre-release marketing. Nevertheless, it is pleasing to witness ShiftUp’s evident enthusiasm as their vision prepares to reach the hands of a vast number of players.

Regarding Stellar Blade, Yoko Taro believes it surpasses NieR: Automata, and we were pleased to learn that the game will be considerate of your PS5 storage capacity. The demo is now available for you to try, and it has nearly doubled the daily active users of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This is quite impressive, especially considering it is the game’s first console showing.

Will you be there to experience Stellar Blade on its release day? It’s certainly a relief to witness the game remaining uncensored until the last moment. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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