Riot Games has made a drastic decision by severely sanctioning the Brazilian streamer Yiok, banning him from accessing all of the company’s games due to violations of its new conduct policies. This measure represents an important precedent in the fight against toxicity in gaming communities, an aspect that Riot has approached with some reluctance in the past. A drastic but necessary measure. Until now, the developer had been known for its relatively permissive approach to inappropriate behavior, but Yiok’s case marks a significant turn. He was the first to be sanctioned under the […]
Riot Games has made a drastic decision to severely sanction the Brazilian streamer Yiok, banning him from accessing all of the company’s games due to violations of its new conduct policies. This measure represents an important precedent in the fight against toxicity in video game communities, an aspect that Riot has addressed with some reluctance in the past.
A drastic but necessary measure
Until now, the developer had been known for its relatively permissive approach to inappropriate behavior, but the Yiok case marks a significant turn. He was the first to be sanctioned under the recent update of the terms of service, which came into effect at the end of 2024. These terms punish improper behavior by content creators during live broadcasts, meaning that the streamer has not only been banned from League of Legends, but his sanction extends to other titles like Valorant and future releases.
Yiok was reported for repeated use of offensive language and threats of violence, even declaring that he would “storm the headquarters” of Riot Games. This type of behavior provoked a strong reaction from the company, which has emphasized that problematic behavior in a game can result in penalties applicable to all products in its catalog.
The response to the sanction has been mostly positive from the gaming community, which considers the action necessary to maintain a healthy and toxicity-free environment. Riot Games’ decision aligns with its recent efforts to control misconduct within its platforms, suggesting that the company is beginning to take the issue of toxicity in its games more seriously.
At a time when the video game industry is increasingly aware of the need for a respectful environment, the strong action against Yiok marks a step that many considered necessary in the evolution of Riot Games’ conduct policies.
Riot Games has released 2XKO, a 2D fighting game that allows fans of League of Legends to embody their most iconic characters. Currently, the game is in early access, allowing players to explore its mechanics and game modes. However, it is important to note that 2XKO requires an internet connection to play, which can be problematic in case of technical failures or interruptions in the network infrastructure. You can play even if you cannot connect to the servers Despite these limitations, the title offers […]
Riot Games has released 2XKO, a 2D fighting game that allows fans of League of Legends to embody their most iconic characters. Currently, the game is in early access, allowing players to explore its mechanics and game modes. However, it is important to note that 2XKO requires an Internet connection to play, which can be problematic in case of technical failures or interruptions in the network infrastructure.
You can play even if you can’t connect to the servers
Despite these limitations, the title offers a practice mode and a local mode that can be played offline. In these modes, players can face off against their friends or the artificial intelligence, but it is essential to emphasize that no new content will be unlocked nor will there be access to missions or challenges while the game is not connected to the servers.
To help players manage potential connection issues, Riot offers several tools to check the status of the 2XKO servers. Through the Riot Service Status page, users can stay informed about any problems affecting both 2XKO and its other titles, such as League of Legends and Valorant. Additionally, players can follow the official 2XKO account on the social network Twitter, where Riot posts updates and notices about general server outages.
In the context of gaming and its infrastructure, it is crucial for developers to focus on improving server stability, as an unstable connection can ruin the gaming experience, especially in a competitive title like 2XKO. Fans expect Riot to take the necessary measures to ensure smooth and uninterrupted gameplay in the near future.
Kai Cenat, a famous Twitch streamer, has reached an impressive milestone by conquering over a million subscribers during his recent Mafiathon, significantly surpassing other content creators like Caseoh_, who achieved 74,439 subscriptions. This event not only highlighted Cenat’s charisma but also the powerful interaction that can be generated on streaming platforms. A well-utilized promotion The largest subscription donor during the event was VALORANT, which gifted an astonishing total of 59,962 subscriptions, translating to an estimated monetary contribution of 360,000 dollars. However, it is important to clarify that this figure […]
Kai Cenat, famous Twitch streamer, has reached an impressive milestone by conquering over a million subscribers during his recent Mafiathon, significantly surpassing other content creators like Caseoh_, who achieved 74,439 subscriptions. This event not only highlighted Cenat’s charisma but also the powerful interaction that can be generated on streaming platforms.
A well-utilized promotion
The largest subscription donor during the event was VALORANT, which gifted an astonishing total of 59,962 subscriptions, translating to an estimated monetary contribution of $360,000. However, it is important to clarify that this figure does not represent a direct donation from Riot Games, as explained by Leo Faria, Head of Esports for VALORANT, in a statement on social media. The current Twitch campaign, known as SUBtember and presented by VALORANT, means that for every five gifted subscriptions, there is one automatic sub for the platform’s partners and affiliates.
Despite the success of the event, Riot Games’ esports scene has faced criticism due to recent budget cuts. Faria insisted that the money generated through these subscriptions does not translate into a direct donation of $300,000, but rather they are acting as sponsors of an event on Twitch. This clarification has led some players, such as the Spanish HITBOXKING, to call for greater transparency regarding the exact nature of the campaign, suggesting that it may not be as economical as it is portrayed, despite its overall focus.
In summary, the Cenat Mafiathon not only marked a highlight in his career, but also raised questions about the intersection between sponsorship and transparency in monetization within the gaming community.
Riot has officially launched its fighting game, 2XKO. Or at least, its closed beta. If you are one of the lucky ones who have gained access to it or know someone who could have given you access, congratulations. If not, we are sorry. Invitations will gradually circulate and it will become easier to join, allowing more people to get in. Because there is a lot to unpack after the first 24 hours of 2XKO. Including what they have aimed to do with this new fighting game. The first thing to clarify is what […]
Riot has officially launched its fighting game, 2XKO. Or at least, its closed beta. If you are one of the lucky ones who have gained access to it or know someone who could have given you access, congratulations. If not, we’re sorry. Invitations will gradually circulate, making it easier to join, allowing more people to get in. Because there is a lot to unpack after the first 24 hours of 2XKO. Including what they have aimed to achieve with this new fighting game.
First of all, it is important to clarify the most important thing: 2XKO focuses on the universe of Runeterra. Unlike Valorant, where they wanted to distance themselves from the universe of League of Legends, in 2XKO they have chosen to embrace all the work already done. Here are all the characters you already know and love from their other games, or from the fabulous Netflix series, Arcane, each with their personality intact in the form of spectacular fighting moves.
Because this is a fighting game and, moreover, it is quite unique. It is a Tag Team. This means that we do not fight with a single fighter, but with several, among which we alternate following certain rules. In the case of 2XKO, as its name suggests, the teams consist of two characters that we can customize to our liking.
2XKO is a two-player fighting game that offers a unique competitive experience by combining combat mechanics with iconic characters from League of Legends. This title allows players to form teams of two and face off in intense battles, using special abilities and strategies to outsmart their opponents. Gameplay focuses on cooperation and coordination among team members, adding a layer of tactical depth to the fights.
A fighting game that wants you to play your way
This is perhaps the most surprising aspect at first glance. The level of detail in customization. It’s not just that we can choose any character, as long as we have unlocked it, and form the team we want, but it also allows us to customize many aspects of it. The type of team attacks, the skins, and even the automation of certain movements and combos, which we can program to be executed automatically whenever a specific sequence of simple attacks is performed.
Although this may sound against the spirit of fighting games, it is a way to make it easier for new players in the genre to enter 2XKO. There is more depth in the game than it seems, with combo breaks, juggles, and various types of specials, and it can become overwhelming for many players. That’s why the option to execute certain specials at the end of specific sequences is a way to make it easier for less experienced fighting game players to enter without having to worry about all aspects of them. Especially because, at a certain point, they will discover the importance of diversifying when they launch their specials.
The concern for the novice and casual player makes the tutorial’s harshness quite strange. Long, offering us rewards for completing it and throwing endless technical terms at us in unclear ways, it is not always as explicit and straightforward as we would like. Although it is far from being the worst we have seen in the genre.
What reasons are there to play 2XKO?
On the other hand, those who are already into fighting games will have a lot to enjoy here. With a small roster, but full of personality, it’s impossible not to find two characters that fit your playstyle. The unlock system seems generous, but we’ll have to see how it evolves over time, because being a free-to-play game could become a serious problem. And while the game aims to be accessible for people who have never touched a fighting game, it has a rewarding layer of depth that will make hardcore players happy.
Is it deep enough or different enough for them to abandon their current fighting games? Honestly, it seems hard to believe. 2XKO has some interesting foundations, but it doesn’t seem to bring anything as interesting, new, or exciting to think, at first glance, that it will represent any kind of revolution in fighting games. At least not for now.
If Riot knows how to cultivate a competitive scene worth participating in, due to its prizes and community, and manages to attract a more casual audience to fighting games and get them hooked, 2XKO could be the big surprise of the decade in fighting games. And a much-needed breath of fresh air that the genre has been lacking for a long time. But achieving this will be very difficult, even for a company as influential as Riot Games. Even if they have a solid foundation, if they know how to play their cards right, they could achieve what once seemed impossible.
2XKO is a two-player fighting game that offers a unique competitive experience by combining combat mechanics with iconic characters from League of Legends. This title allows players to form teams of two and face off in intense battles, using special abilities and strategies to outsmart their opponents. Gameplay focuses on cooperation and coordination among team members, adding a layer of tactical depth to the fights.
The first Open Beta of Battlefield 6 has been a resounding success, attracting a wide variety of players, from veterans of the saga to new recruits from competitive titles like Call of Duty and Valorant. This event has managed to revitalize interest in the franchise, which has faced criticism and challenges over the years. Defibrillators can be deadly in the right circumstances A clip that has circulated on Reddit has particularly resonated with fans, accumulating an impressive figure of 63 thousand approvals and 1.2 thousand comments. The video, shared by the user milk2key, shows […]
The first Open Beta of Battlefield 6 has achieved resounding success, attracting a wide variety of players, from veterans of the saga to new recruits from competitive titles like Call of Duty and Valorant. This event has managed to revitalize interest in the franchise, which for years has faced criticism and ups and downs in its trajectory.
Defibrillators can be deadly under the right circumstances
A clip that has circulated on Reddit has particularly resonated with fans, accumulating an impressive figure of 63 thousand approvals and 1.2 thousand comments. The video, shared by the user milk2key, shows a player who, after a long period of inactivity in the series, decides to use defibrillators to eliminate six enemies without firing a single bullet. The play has generated both laughter and admiration in the community, highlighting the humor and peculiarity that have characterized Battlefield since its inception.
The tradition of killing with defibrillators has been part of Battlefield’s DNA, a mechanic that has not only served for taunts within the game but has also fostered the creation of events where only this type of elimination is allowed. Over the years, multiple situations have been verified in which players dispose of their opponents in surprising and comedic ways, enhancing the social interaction that defines the series.
The free game Spectre Divide will close its doors in 30 days, and the developers of Mountaintop Studios will be dissolved at the end of this week. This news comes just six months after its launch, which was met with great anticipation, especially following the debut of its first season and the PlayStation version. However, the game failed to capture the necessary interest to sustain itself in an increasingly competitive market. A game with a strong start, but that has not been able to maintain its numbers In a letter signed by CEO Nathan Mitchell and the development team, […]
The free game Spectre Divide will close its doors in 30 days, and the developers of Mountaintop Studios will be dissolved at the end of this week. This news comes just six months after its launch, which was met with great anticipation, especially following the debut of its first season and the PlayStation version. However, the game failed to capture the necessary interest to sustain itself in an increasingly competitive market.
A game with a great start, but that has not been able to maintain its numbers
In a letter signed by CEO Nathan Mitchell and the development team, it is noted that the poor performance since the launch of the first season is one of the main reasons for the closure. Although Spectre Divide attracted approximately 400,000 players in its first week, the number of players has drastically fallen to a peak of only 1,083 in February, reflecting the title’s struggle to maintain a solid user base.
Mountaintop Studios had exhausted its financial resources trying to monetize the game, but it failed to secure new funding or a publisher to support the development. “We pursued every possible avenue to move forward,” the letter states. “Unfortunately, Season 1 did not reach the level of success we needed to sustain the game and keep Mountaintop afloat.”
The closure of Spectre Divide highlights the challenges of the live service space, which is currently dominated by giants like Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Valorant. Despite its promising concept as a tactical FPS where each player controlled a double body, Mountaintop’s innovative vision failed to capture a broad audience, which serves as a reminder of the difficulty of penetrating such a saturated market.
In-game purchases will be disabled imminently, and all payments made since the launch of season 1 will be refunded, with more details about this process to be announced soon.
FragPunk, the new Valorant-style shooter developed by NetEase and backed by Xbox for the Asian market, has begun its journey only on PC with notable success. In just 72 hours since its launch, the title has surpassed 100,000 concurrent players and has ranked among the top 10 most popular games, even surpassing giants like Apex Legends. And indeed, despite being free, much more is needed to rank among the most played. A hero shooter with team battles of 5 players Unlike the common trend in free-to-play games, which […]
FragPunk, the new Valorant-style shooter developed by NetEase and backed by Xbox for the Asian market, has begun its journey exclusively on PC with notable success. In just 72 hours since its launch, the title has surpassed 100,000 concurrent players and has ranked among the top 10 most popular games, even surpassing giants like Apex Legends. And indeed, despite being free, much more is needed to rank among the most played.
A hero shooter with 5-player team battles
Unlike the common trend in free-to-play games, which often see a drop in players after the initial launch, FragPunk has experienced explosive growth. Its free trial phase, which attracted only 22,000 players, contrasts with the more than 54,000 who joined at the official launch. This staggering increase in the player base has surprised the industry, and it has continued to grow thanks to its appeal on platforms like Twitch, where it reached nearly 200,000 viewers at its peak.
The initial reviews of FragPunk were mixed, primarily due to criticisms focused on movement speed and the implementation of microtransactions. However, as more players have tried the title and adapted to its gameplay style, the ratings have improved, reaching 72% positive feedback on Steam.
This growing interest has been driven by word of mouth, with players recommending the title to friends and expanding its community. With a launch that, although distant from the craziest titles of the season, has managed to capture attention in a market saturated with hero shooters, the future of FragPunk looks promising. If the studio behind the game can maintain player interest with content updates and balanced adjustments, FragPunk’s rise could result in a lasting phenomenon.
Riot Games has decided to take action in response to the devastating fires that have affected various areas of Los Angeles in recent days. The company will implement fundraising efforts in its popular games League of Legends and Valorant with the aim of helping those who have suffered the consequences of these disasters. According to Riot’s CEO, A. Dylan Jadeja, these are difficult times, but the union of efforts can make a difference. “We appreciate all your support,” Jadeja expressed. Starting January 22, the EX.O collection in the Valorant store will be transformed into a ‘Give Back Bundle’, where […]
Riot Games has decided to take action in response to the devastating fires that have affected various areas of Los Angeles in recent days. The company will implement fundraising efforts in its popular games League of Legends and Valorant with the aim of helping those who have suffered the consequences of these disasters. According to Riot’s CEO, A. Dylan Jadeja, these are difficult times, but the union of efforts can make a difference. “We appreciate all your support,” Jadeja expressed.
Starting January 22, the EX.O collection in the Valorant store will be transformed into a ‘Give Back Bundle’, where all proceeds from the sale of cosmetics will be donated to the Riot Games Social Impact Fund. This fund aims to provide humanitarian aid during disasters. The ‘Give Back Bundle’ campaign will run until January 30.
For its part, League of Legends will offer the character Firefighter Tristana, which will be available from January 23 to February 5, with all proceeds from its sale also going to the Riot Social Impact Fund. These fundraising initiatives are part of a “double donation” campaign launched by the company, in which its employees have tripled their contributions to various charitable organizations related to firefighting efforts.
Riot Games are not the only ones supporting these kinds of causes
Riot has made direct donations to entities such as the California Fire Foundation and the International Medical Corps. However, it is not the only company that has taken action; recently, Sony donated 5 million dollars to support fire relief efforts in Los Angeles. As the gaming community and industry companies mobilize, solidarity in the face of this environmental crisis becomes evident.
Valorant is a game that shouldn’t have worked, but it did. The Counter-Strike audience is very loyal, but they managed to find a space, slip through it, and compete with one of the veterans of competitive gaming. That’s why all news related to the expansion of the Valorant universe is always interesting and well-received. Because if League of Legends has been expanding over time, there is no reason why Valorant shouldn’t do the same. This is because, during the Unreal Fest Seattle 2024, Riot confirmed that Valorant will migrate the […]
Valorant is a game that shouldn’t have worked, but it did. The Counter-Strike audience is very loyal, but they managed to find a space, slip through it, and compete with one of the veterans of competitive gaming. That’s why all news related to the expansion of the Valorant universe is always interesting and well-received. Because if League of Legends has been expanding over time, there is no reason why Valorant shouldn’t do the same.
This is because, during the Unreal Fest Seattle 2024, Riot has confirmed that Valorant will migrate the game to use Unreal Engine 5. Although this will not result in a significant change in terms of graphics or gameplay, and by extension will not cause greater performance stress on your computer, they wanted to confirm that it has unexpected implications. Because it is not a move made in a vacuum.
Although they do not want to go into detail, Riot has indicated that they are working on new playable experiences based on the Valorant universe. While they have not specified whether these are expansions, a hypothetical sequel, or new video games, it seems that Valorant will not be the only game set in its own universe outside of Runeterra within Riot’s games.
Valorant has been available on PC since June 2020, as well as on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S since August of this year. And it seems that their expansion plans have only just begun.
In the end, there are people who want to relieve their insecurity, or their bad day, or their hatred towards a stranger through their computer.
I don’t think anyone will be surprised if I say that, with few exceptions, online gaming communities are a very, very toxic scourge. You never know what you’re going to encounter, whether it’s a child spewing racist insults, an adult suggesting you end your life, or, if you’re a woman, two thousand possible ways to traumatize you. “It’s part of the game,” say the psychopaths who insist on doing it. But as they made clear today from ‘Valorant‘, no. It’s not part of anything.
After a series of insults went viral through Twitter (which I won’t mention here because I want you to keep living without feeling sick), Riot has decided that it’s time to try to tackle, once and for all, the inherent toxicity in ‘Valorant’.
It’s not that they haven’t tried so far, but in the end automation can’t do it all, and many times bans have to be “painfully manual or rely on player reports”, clarifying that it is a general problem in the industry: “In the end there are people who want to alleviate their insecurity, or their bad day, or their hatred against a stranger through their computer”.
Very well, but besides acknowledging that there is abuse, what exactly are you going to do to prevent it? Well, first of all, update your code of conduct to impose stronger punishments (such as permanent bans) for hate speech or sexual threats with a larger team that can handle manual reports.
Are they going to end this with online harassment? Well, frankly, it doesn’t seem like it. At least they have made it clear that those are their intentions, which is more than many developers: “We are not going to reach a middle ground. If you need to make really mean comments disguised as banter to enjoy your game, please play something else. We won’t miss you“. Crystal clear.
