You don't need a massively powerful gaming laptop to play League of Legends on, but that hasn't stopped HP. Revealed today, this latest version of the Omen 16 is a limited edition, targeted entirely at the League of Legends community.

And doesn't it look sensational? Nobody can ever convince me that there is a better color scheme on Planet Earth than black and gold.

Initially up for pre-order at $1,999.99 (yeah, it's a pricier laptop) this is essentially the Omen 16 we already know, but significantly jazzed up. If you're a big League of Legends player, talk about the ultimate flex. Apparently, it has some easter eggs to find, too.

"We know how passionate League of Legends fans are about the game and expanded universe, so our sole design goal was to create something that feels like it was plucked straight out of Runeterra. And with a sleek black and gold design, custom keyboard, and plenty of easter eggs to discover, we feel like we did that"

There are two spec options, both of which use the Intel Core i7-14650HX CPU and 32GB DDR5-5600 RAM. There are two accessible RAM slots, too, so you can upgrade as you may desire.

The differences come in which GPU and display you go for. There's a choice of the RTX 5060 or the RTX 5070. Display-wise, you're looking at a 1920 x 1200 165Hz option, or a 2560 x 1600 260Hz panel. Both plenty fast enough to play League of Legends on.

HP has also announced the Omen 25 gaming monitor, the official display of League of Legends and Valorant esports events globally. It'll be available from November at a price of $419.99, and has plenty to offer the keen competitive gamer.

The headline feature is the 360Hz refresh rate paired with a 1ms response time. For competitive games such as those made by Riot, this sounds perfect. It's also packing factory color calibration, and perhaps most important of all, a built-in stand to hang your gaming headset on when you're done for the day.

This isn't the first hardware collaboration we've seen between HP and Riot Games in recent times. We've already seen the equally striking Valorant Omen desktop PC, and who knows what else could be cooking inside HP's design labs.

League of Legends was the most impactful for me and my friends of all the games I've played. It was late 2009, and I was back from college for Christmas break. I was at home, playing on my 360 when a couple of friends asked me to get on this new game. "Dude, you have to try League of Legends," they repeatedly said. So, finally, after they begged me for a week, I loaded it up on my laptop.

I was surprised once I finished the tutorial; I had never seen anything like it before. Running through the champions, I decided I'd unlock Nocturne. He looked freaking sweet, and my friends told me they needed a jungler. How could I pass up the chance to gank enemies?

It's hard to believe that was 15 years ago! I can still recall it vividly, as if it happened just last month. My journey with League has been quite the venture, and overall, it's been a positive experience (toxic gamers excluded). I was thrilled when Microsoft announced support for Riot games like League and Valorant. As a Game Pass subscriber, I had instant access to all the Champions I still didn't have.

League of Legends update: What's happened so far

Complaints started popping up a few days ago on Reddit, where players noticed the new Event Pass had been nerfed in terms of the player base's ability to acquire Blue Essence or BE for short. For those unaware, Blue Essence is the currency players can earn to unlock champions, ranging from 450 to 7800 BE per Champion.

The highest price is reserved for new Champions, who drop to 6300 BE within a week and stay there for quite a while. Often, these Champions become meta and are sought after by players to gain a significant advantage—one that newer players were going to struggle to achieve, especially if they wanted to play ranked. More on that last part later.

First, let's start with the old system. Players earned Champion Shards for every five levels they achieved in the Event Pass. These Shards could, in turn, be used to grant a significant discount on the Champion the Shard belonged to. They could also be turned in for BE. Now, they no longer exist, and neither did most of the Blue Essence bonuses. You can see previous Event Passes here.

For example, the daily reward for your first win used to grant 50 BE, meaning players could earn starter Champions for 450 BE over 9 days by just showing up, regardless of the Event Pass. Over the course of a year, that was an extra 18,250 BE that players could get. With an average price point of 3150, that's almost six new heroes!

As of now, completing the Event Pass will grant 4 Champion Capsules and 4750 BE. Afterward, users can earn BE through what are called repeatable missions, which also receive a staggering nerf. A Reddit user calculated that achieving a new Champion would take a staggering 882 hours of playtime. That's over 36 days of gameplay for a single Champion.

According to the poster, "With only repeatable missions remaining, you earn 1.5 experience per minute. Every 5 levels of the pass grants 200 Blue Essence. It was stated that 2500 experience takes 1666 minutes, meaning you get 200 BE every 28 hours, and it takes 882 hours to get 6300 BE."

Where did that leave new players?

Get ready for some necessary number crunching.

In order to play in ranked play, gamers need to reach both level 30 and have 20 Champions unlocked. Currently, a new player can obtain:

• 7 Champions and 6300 BE from early missions and rewards.
• They can then earn 4 Champion Capsules,
  • which grant either one, two, or three Champion Shards at a rate of 40%, 50%, and 10%, respectively.
  • These Champion Capsules can also grant 90 or 260 BE at a rate of 30% and 10%, respectively.

With the 4750 BE I mentioned earlier and the fact that 23 Champions are available for 450 BE, players can buy enough Champions for ranked play by the end of the Event Pass, depending on their Champion Capsule rolls.

However, with the average price of Champions, buying mid to upper-tier Champions means you won't have enough Blue Essence to buy cheaper Champions. If you buy cheap Champions, you wouldn't be playing with the Champions that many consider to be better.

Some more affordable Champions, like Malphite, Miss Fortune, Annie, and Garen, can still be played competitively. However, the most crucial factor is the meta, and these Champions aren't always considered to be so. Having a relatively decent selection of Champions to choose from in the current meta helps players significantly.

With each team banning 5 Champions each, newer players may have seen their Champs banned and unusable.

Fans were (and still are) outraged

The player base was beyond frustrated. Over the last few days, they've been making multiple posts claiming that this could be the potential nail in the coffin for League. Sure, they might be exaggerating a bit, but players are making good points.

• "Lmfao, this game's largest issue is that it isn't accessible to new players at ALL, and these clowns are just making the problem worse every single patch they release" CTM3399
• "A new player who completes the battle pass each season would get about 4-6 champs per season, depending on how expensive they were. This means they would take over 10 YEARS to get all the champs free to play." SkeletronDOTA
• "Genuinely one of the dumbest ideas I have ever seen from a company. We are getting at the point where we need to pay real money to simply unlock champs in a reasonable amount of time." HugeDegen69

My favorite comment mentions the fact that Dota 2, the number one competitor to League, has all the characters available from the start. Even Marvel Rivals doesn't block a single hero from use. Their new characters are free as they launch. In 2025, it's rare to see games take this strategy, much less double down on their efforts.

Riot's response

Riot has come out, claiming everything was a mistake to begin with. Outlining their response in four points, Riot broke down their errors and how they would fix them. "TL;DR: We meaningfully screwed up on this one. The numbers we shipped were pretty far off from what they should be for many of you. We'll be putting out fixes for that during Patches 25.S1.2 and 25.S1.3."

If you check out the response, they laid out a rather well-formatted Blue Essence sheet that broke down all how users could gain Blue Essence. After the update, newer players would see an increase of 6.94% in Blue Essence earned, whereas other players would see a massive drop-off. For example, players who put in 200 hours or more saw their BE production reduced by 71%, according to Riot.

Those 200-hour players will see an increase from what they were prior, increasing by 22.28% over the original acquisition rate. Even newer players will see an increase of up to 18%. In essence, pun intended, they're buffing progression across the board and admitting fault.

It seems odd to me that they carefully laid out these numbers in their response but somehow didn't know these were the changes they put into effect. How do you miss the mark by this much? Was this actually intentional, and this is your response to having your hand caught in the cookie jar?

Riot mentioned the cause of these problems, "When the Passes went live, we saw a large amount of feedback and analysis from many of you, which caused us to take another look at the math. When we did, we realized that we didn't factor in the First Win of the Day experience into our calculations for BE income—both directly from that XP boost and the indirect faster access to Champion Capsules from account leveling. As for account XP, the problem is very similar—we hadn't accounted for the loss of FWotD, which meant drastically slowing the progression of accounts and, therefore, access to Ranked."

This response almost makes it worse. How do you not account for one of the most basic ways players earn Blue Essence via the first win of the day? That's been a staple for years. You just missed it? I want to call shenanigans or something.

The rage against the machine continues

Looking at the League of Legends subreddit, it looks like I'm not the only skeptical one. Players are rightfully pointing out that the update is somewhat bogus. In a post titled, "Blue Essence buffs are a trap," the poster points out that all gains are now loaded into the back end of the pass, and any promising early returns on Blue Essence are still missing.

Commenters also point out some obvious flaws and that the math ain't mathin'.

Neblinio points out, "They didn't do their math right (or are straight laughing at us). The old system's BE value shown in their table was the minimum possible (disenchant). They "forgot" yet another important aspect from the old system: most of the BE value we used to get came as champion shards, allowing a 40% BE discount on most/all champions."

Asiyt mentions that players still don't have other items that were lost in the new system, "And just to be clear, blue essence costs Riot NOTHING, we still lost account progression rewards and chests. This "fix" is literally the absolute minimum Riot should have done, and they deserve no praise for it."

Another user, BlueBunny333, theorizes Riot knew all along, "The Blue Essence nerf was known and intentional. It first divided attention from monetization and Chest nerf to a more urgent problem, and by "fixing" it fast after the expected feedback, they are banking on the majority being happy. Most people have a short-term gratification problem, so these quick information changes can quickly overwrite your hate for the nerfs."

Where does this all end? Does Riot respond again, or do they let the current outrage die out until no one is left yelling? It really depends; I've seen companies take both routes. Often enough, places like Riot believe they're too big to fail to such issues and will keep heading forward regardless of what the player base says. Let's hope for the best for the health of the game and the players affected.

Where do you land? Are you outraged by the current situation, or have you taken a back seat in this mess? Let us know below or on social media. I'd love to read what some users outside of Reddit think, for better or worse!

P.S. Game Pass gives you access to all the characters, LoL.

Video games being adapted into TV and film is not something new.

Dozens upon dozens of games have been shaped for the silver screen and streaming services alike, crafting blockbuster hits and infamous disasters alike. Even more are on the way, with more films, animated series, and live-action TV in the works for BioShock, Gears of War, Mass Effect, and many more.

To have some fun, I've climbed to the top of the mountain to sit and organize the best adaptations so far. In order to try and precede the inevitable yelling about "how dare you??!?! Clearly XYZ is the best!!" let me just set the table.

I wholeheartedly recommend each work on this list. We're not in the early 2000s anymore, and a movie being kinda fun to watch with half-decent casting for its time isn't gonna cut it. I'm sorting through the absolute cream of the crop, the best of the best, the ones that you simply have to check out. Ready? Here's the best 7 video game adaptations so far.

7. Dragon Age: Absolution

The fourth entry in the Dragon Age franchise eventually shipped as Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but once upon a time, it was supposed to be a very different game that centered around heists. That premise ended up being used in the 2022 Netflix series Dragon Age: Absolution, which centers around a group brought together to steal a powerful Tevinter artifact.

The result is a fun, animated series that provides a good look at another chunk of Thedas with a charming cast of characters, with particular mention going to the adorable Qwydion (Ashly Burch). It's not perfect, though, as the main thing holding Absolution back is that it really is just a part of a larger world, being a smaller slice of the setting than any of the games.

As a result, it's just a bit more inaccessible to newcomers than a lot of the other entries on this list. For anyone that's curious about the world of Templars, Blood Mages, and Demons, I'd still encourage you to give it a go.

6. Sonic the Hedgehog

Who would've guessed that a universally negative reaction to Sonic's initial live-action look would've resulted in one of the most surprisingly consistent adaptations a franchise has seen? The Sonic the Hedgehog films (and the Knuckles miniseries) are just plain fun to watch, capturing the energy of the title character in an enjoyable way.

A sizeable portion of that credit goes to the first film's delay, which allowed the animation teams to rework Sonic's design from an utter abomination into something that looked like an accurate translation from game into film. Praise also has to go to Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), whose physical antics are always entertaining.

The fun looks to continue with Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which is introducing franchise dark horse Shadow the Hedgehog, being voiced by Keanu Reeves.

5. The Last of Us

With PlayStation Productions and Naughty Dog working alongside HBO, The Last of Us is a faithful adaptations of the 2013 narrative survival game that sees a smuggler and a teen girl travel across post-apocalyptic America. Joel and Ellie are given life by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in a series that often tracks beat-for-beat with the game it's adapting. That's not a bad thing, but it does mean that if you've played the game, you'll often find yourself comparing the moments while watching.

As a result, the series' best moments are where it strays from or expands on its source material, such as with a chilling opening segment starring John Hannah as a concerned scientist, or the near-entirety of the heartbreaking third episode that centers around the reclusive Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).

The second season will begin to adapt the events of The Last of Us Part 2 starting in 2025, and according to some comments from series co-creator Craig Mazin, a third and fourth season might be needed as well.

4. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Studio Trigger and Cyberpunk is a match made in heaven, as the studio proved with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a prequel to Cyberpunk 2077 that tells the story of an ambitious street kid, the crew he connects with, the jobs they pull, and the danger they're all placed in when crossing paths with the Arasaka corporation.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners masterfully takes you to the peak of a story before sweeping your legs out from under you with depressing precision. It's a fantastic story, but one whose heartbreaking conclusion is made crystal clear long before it all plays out.

No one makes it out of Night City.

3. Castlevania

There's about 100 ways adapting Castlevania into an animated show could've gone wrong, but Powerhouse Animation and Netflix teamed up to tackle it with gory finesse. The saga of the monster-hunting Belmonts stretches across hundreds of years, and the writing team here has smartly honed in on some of the most interesting stories, making liberal adjustments to flesh out the backgrounds and motivations of different characters.

A firmly adult tone, sleek style, killer soundtrack, and excellent casting — Dracula (Graham McTavish), Alucard (James Callis), and Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) are downright inspired choices — propel Castlevania firmly into must-watch territory across all four of its seasons.

Its sequel show, Castlevania: Nocturne, picks up hundreds of years later without missing a step, telling the story of a vampiric conspiracy during the throes of the French Revolution.

2. Fallout

When a Fallout TV series was first announced, many (including myself) were apprehensive. Yet with Kilter Films, Amazon MGM Studios, and Bethesda working together, this series absolutely nailed the tone and setting, delivering an original story that exists in canon alongside the main games, showing a darkly comical vision of America after the nukes fell.

Vault dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell), Brotherhood of Steel squire Maximus (Aaron Moten), and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) are set on a collision course with each other in a power struggle between factions that threatens to reshape the Wasteland. It's got humor, gore, hope, and mutants, and like I wrote in my review of the first season, it's clear that everyone involved just gets the source material.

With a second season on the way, there's even more to be excited for in the future.

1. Arcane

Riot Games and Fortiche spent years and years trying to tell an animated story in the world of League of Legends. They succeeded.

Arcane is a story of dualities. Piltover and Zaun. Vi and Jinx. Oil and water. It weaves a tale of sisters torn apart and opposites attracting, even through constant heartbreak. Jaw-dropping animation and a stunning soundtrack back up a narrative focus on a handful of Riot Games' famous Champions.

More than anything else on this list, you don't need to play the game (or even be familiar with it in any capacity) to instantly fall in love with the way Runeterra is presented. Arcane is a genuine work of art, and while Riot Games is exploring new shows set in the world of Runeterra, it's possible we'll never see another series quite like this.

What you need to know

• Riot Games, developer and publisher of games like League of Legends and Valorant, is cutting part of the League of Legends team. 
• According to Riot Games CPO and co-founder Marc Merrill, this "tough decision" is being made not to save money, but to better position the team for success. 
• Riot Games previously laid off 530 employees in January 2024, or around 11% of the company staff at the time.
• It's not clear how many Riot employees have been laid off in this new wave of cuts.

Another week brings even more layoffs across the gaming industry. 

This time, the cuts are coming from Riot Games, the developer and publisher of games like League of Legends and Valorant. Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill shared the news via Twitter (X), where he wrote that the teams were "investing heavily in solving today’s challenges faster while also building for the future," before explaining that members of the team were being cut.

"This isn’t about reducing headcount to save money—it’s about making sure we have the right expertise so that League continues to be great for another 15 years and beyond," Merrill says, adding that the team on League of Legends will eventually be "even larger" than it is right now. Affected employees are getting six months of severance, as well as other benefits like health insurance and job placement assistance. 

Riot Games already laid off about 530 employees at the start of the year. At the time, that was 11% of the publisher's overall workforce. It's not clear right now exactly how many employees have been affected by this latest round of cuts, but I've verified that the layoffs hit art and production teams at the company, with character artists, producers, and others being let go. 

2024 brought mass layoffs across the gaming industry

While 2023 saw a number of job cuts and studio closures, 2024 has been even more brutal, with massive layoffs at Microsoft Gaming, PlayStation, Electronic Arts, and many, many more. The juxtaposition between companies working on bigger games than ever before while also cutting hundreds or thousands of employees is brutal to watch unfold. 

Merrill's comments about the League of Legends team eventually being bigger than it is now feel extra-egregious, even in the greater context of widespread layoffs. Riot Games appears to be taking the stance that it'll be easier to eventually hire top talent rather than training existing workers to get teams to where they need to be. That's certainly a choice to opt for. 

As always, my thoughts are with those affected by the cuts and their families.

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What you need to know

• SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) is striking League of Legends, the uber-popular MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game from developer and publisher Riot Games. 
• According to SAG-AFTRA, sound and talent production company Formosa Interactive tried to subvert the general video game strike called earlier this year. 
• SAG-AFTRA is filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that Formosa Interactive attempted to hire non-union talent.

One of the biggest games in the world is being struck. 

SAG-AFTRA is striking League of Legends, the union shared on Tuesday. In a press release, the union alleged that sound and talent production company Formosa Interactive attempted to subvert the general game strike called back in July 2024. Formosa Interactive allegedly tried to cancel a struck project. When informed this wasn't possible, the company then allegedly tried to hire non-union talent through a shell company.

As a result, SAG-AFTRA is filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, as well as striking League of Legends, one of many titles that Formosa Interactive helps with. League of Legends was previously not included in the general game strike.

“It’s bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair A.I. terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers. To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members. Formosa will be held accountable, starting with an immediate strike of League of Legends," said SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

Formosa Interactive is one of many companies that directly negotiates with SAG-AFTRA, alongside other developers, publishers, and production companies such as Activision, Blindlight, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, and Take-Two Interactive. SAG-AFTRA called for a general strike on new projects after failing to reach an agreement with the aforementioned companies over the ethical use of AI.

This strike comes as League of Legends and Arcane heat up

The strike's timing is particularly poignant, as the League of Legends World Championship 2024 kicks off on September 25. Meanwhile, the second and final season of Arcane, a show based on League of Legends, is set to launch on Netflix in November, with the episodes being split across three acts that each release a week apart. 

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What you need to know

• Riot Games is the developer and publisher behind multiple games set in the world of Runeterra, best known for the MOBA League of Legends. 
• Riot Games is cutting 530 jobs, or around 11% of its global workforce. 
• The company is shifting to focus more on a specific handful of internal projects. 
• Riot Games is also ending the Riot Forge brand, which saw the publisher partner with independent studios to craft games in Runeterra like Ruined King. 

It's another day ending in "y," which means there's more layoffs in the gaming industry. 

The latest round of cuts is at League of Legends developer and publisher Riot Games. The company shared on Monday that it would be laying off 530 staff, which makes up 11% of its total global workforce. According to Riot Games, this is a result of the company expanding into too many projects too quickly, and hiring slowdowns over the last several months have not been enough to stop the bleeding, resulting in "a company without a sharp enough focus" at the moment.

The company says "this is absolutely the last thing we ever wanted to do," and shared details on a severance package for affected staff, including six months of pay, cash bonuses, and the ability to retain Riot shares for vesting. 

Riot Games is winding down support for Legends of Runeterra, while the company is also cutting the Riot Forge program which saw independent studios partner with Riot Games on titles set in the world of Runeterra, such as Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, developed by Airship Syndicate. 

Riot Games claims it will be focused more on a slimmer selection of internal projects for the future, including Arcane season 2 (which is slated to launch in November 2024), updates for League of Legends, Wild Rift, Valorant, and continued development on its fighting game, Project L. 

What does this mean for players of these games?

If you enjoy playing Riot's existing slate of games outside of Legend of Runeterra, not much will change as League of Legends, Valorant, and the other ongoing games continue to receive support. 

If you were a fan of the Riot Forge program, however, then you'll see an immediate reduction in the number of games you'll be playing as this program is being discontinued. Riot Games notes that it's still open to potential partnerships in the future, but that "we would want it to look pretty different in the future" if such a thing were to occur. 

Analysis: Come on, 2024

The last year has been utterly brutal for the gaming industry, with layoffs across the board from bigger developers like Sony-owned Bungie to numerous Embracer-owned studios such as Lost Boys Interactive. Thousands have lost their jobs as studios are being closed or slimmed down, while executives at the top don't seem to be taking pay cuts or a reduction in hefty bonuses. 

Riot Games has crafted some of the best Windows PC games of all time, and it's frustrating to see this happening to some of the talented people responsible for that success. As the layoffs pile up, I can only hope that increased desire for unionization in the game industry can help push back against the seemingly-inevitable tide of shareholder-driven devastation that's currently playing out. 

What you need to know

• During the June 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Riot Games announced a partnership with Xbox Game Pass.
• The collaboration will see popular PC and mobile free-to-play games like Valorant and League of Legends come to all Game Pass subscribers.
• Xbox and PC Game Pass subscribers will earn a ton of in-game rewards and add-ons, such as access to champions, XP boosts, and more.
• On Thursday, Xbox announced that the five Riot Games titles and their Game Pass perks are coming to subscribers on Dec. 12, 2022.

It has been months since Valorant and League of Legends developer Riot Games announced its partnership with Xbox to bring its titles to Xbox and PC Game Pass. On Thursday, a definitive date for the arrival of four hugely popular Riot Games titles was finally revealed: all Xbox Game Pass subscribers are gaining exclusive access to these titles starting Dec. 12, 2022.

Initially revealed during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, five free-to-play Riot Games titles across PC and mobile were announced as heading to all Xbox Game Pass subscribers with unique in-game benefits and perks. Last week, the four PC-bound games began appearing in the Microsoft Store, although they weren't quite available. Finally, as 2022 draws to a close, that's about to change for four of the games (with a new timeframe for the fifth).

From Dec. 12, all Xbox Game Pass subscribers (indicating that Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate memberships are all valid) will be able to connect a Riot Games account and secure the following perks in these Riot games:

• Valorant (PC). The free-to-play, PvP, competitive first-person shooter is heading to the Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have access to:
  • All existing Valorant Agents
  • All future Valorant Agents as they release
  • A 20% XP boost across Battle Passes, Event Passes, and Agent Contracts
• League of Legends (PC). The legendary MOBA is also joining the Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers get the complete package, including:
  • All existing League of Legends champions (over 160!)
  • All future League of Legends champions as they release
  • A 20% XP boost across the entire game
• Legends of Runeterra (PC & mobile). This unique PvP strategy card game can be played across mobile and PC platforms, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will gain:
  • Access to the entire Foundations Set of cards
• Teamfight Tactics (PC & mobile). An auto-battler strategy game with a mobile focus, Teamfight Tactics is granting a rotating bonus to Xbox Game Pass subscribers, including:
  • 1-Star Rarity Little Legends Tacticians
  • 4 Arena Skins available until April 2023
  • 1 rotating Arena Skin available every month after April 2023
• League of Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile). The Wild Rift spin-off of League of Legends reimagines the epic game on mobile devices. While Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have to wait until January to claim extra perks in this game, they will obtain:
  • Access to all existing League of Legends: Wild Rift champions (over 80!)
  • Access to all future League of Legends: Wild Rift champions as they're added
  • 20% XP boost across the entire game

While all Xbox Game Pass subscribers across platforms should be able to redeem these perks, according to Xbox and Riot Games' announcement, that does not mean that any of these titles are heading to console... yet. Titles like Valorant and League of Legends immediately count among the best Xbox Game Pass games solely because of the included in-game benefits with the service on PC, but console players are still left without a way to enjoy Riot Games' catalog of titles.

If there are plans to bring games like Valorant to console, nothing has been confirmed. We'll have to keep waiting to (hopefully) hear more, possibly in 2023. In the meantime, players with a capable gaming PC or smartphone will be able to take advantage of their Xbox Game Pass subscription to squeeze unimaginable value out of the five games listed above.

What you need to know

• A selection of Riot Games' popular titles including League of Legends, Valorant, Legends of Runterra, and Teamfight Tactics has just appeared in the Microsoft Store.
• These titles were announced for Xbox PC Game Pass at E3 2022 as part of a new partnership between Microsoft and Riot Games.
• These free-to-play games will have gameplay features unlocked such as playable characters if downloaded as a member of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

A few months ago back in June, developer/publisher Riot Games made a shocking announcement during 2022's E3 event. They will be partnering with Microsoft to bring their massively popular free-to-play titles such as League of Legends, Valorant, Legends of Runterra, and Teamfight Tactics to Xbox PC Game Pass later in the year.

Fast forward to today and a Twitter user by the name of IdleSloth84_ has spotted that these games have just been added to the Microsoft Store via Windows. However, they're not available for purchase/download yet as of this writing.

These titles are normally free-to-play games where the game's features like playable characters, for instance, are locked behind paywalls or weekly rotations where players can play select characters for free for a limited time.

However, if you download these games as a subscriber of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you will be able to unlock those features for free. The Xbox PC Game Pass benefits for these titles are as follows:

League of Legends

League of Legends is Riot Game's iconic, free-to-play MOBA, where you control mighty champions fighting for dominance over the battlefield. When purchased through Xbox PC Game Pass, you will be able to unlock and play as all 160+ playable champions and get day-one access to new champions when they get added to the game.

Legends of Runeterra:

Legends of Runeterra is a PVP-focused, strategy card game where players must devise strategies and collect powerful cards to overpower their opponents. When purchased through Xbox PC Game Pass, players will unlock the Foundation Set that will help newcomers learn the ropes and get an early advantage over their enemies.

Valorant

Valorant is a tactical, first-person hero shooter where two teams of five agents duke it out in thrilling shootouts in many PVP game modes such as Deathmatch or Spike Rush. As an Xbox Game Pass member, you will be able to unlock all playable agents and gain day-one access to newly added agents when they become available.

Teamfight Tactics

Teamfight Tactics is an auto-battler strategy game where you must use powerful items and the strength of League of Legends' champions to seven opponents in intense skirmishes. Xbox Game Pass members will gain access to a rotation of Tier One Little Legend avatars to use in battle.

Which Riot Games title will you play first through Xbox's PC Game Pass?

While these titles aren't available yet for purchase, they may very soon will be when Microsoft officially announces the next batch of upcoming Xbox Game Pass games in December. When these beloved Riot Games titles get added, they will no doubt become some of the best Xbox Game Pass games thanks to the free content unlocks enriching their critically-acclaimed gameplay experience for newcomers.

What you need to know

• Bungie has hired Derick Tsai, who formerly worked at Riot Games as Animation Director for League of Legends shorts.
• Tsai has also worked with numerous other high-profile studios throughout his career.
• Tsai has been made Head of Development for Destiny Universe Transmedia, suggesting that Bungie is accelerating its efforts to take the Destiny franchise beyond video games.
• This news follows the recent report that Bungie is being acquired by Sony for $3.6b.

Bungie has officially hired Riot Games' Animation Director Derick Tsai, according to his Linkedin page. Tsai holds the position of Head of Development for Destiny Universe Transmedia at Bungie. Previously, Tsai has also worked with Obsidian Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, Crystal Dynamics, Marvel Studios, Universal Pictures, and many other notable studios.

Tsai's Linkedin page states that he's "leading projects and telling stories that extend the Destiny IP into new mediums including Film, TV, Animation, Books, Comics, and Audio formats," indicating that Bungie is getting serious about expanding the Destiny franchise beyond video games. Bungie previously revealed its plans for "additional media" in early 2021, and with Tsai at the helm, the studio is looking to accelerate those plans.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of transmedia projects Bungie has in store, especially since novels, animated series', and other types of non-game media have proven to be very successful for franchises like Halo and League of Legends (Arcane, anyone?). As someone who frequently plays Destiny 2 myself, I would love to see its gorgeous environments and the awesome paracausal powers of the Light and Darkness translated to an animated show. Destiny novels or comics could help flesh out its universe, too.

We won't know exactly what to expect from Bungie until the studio publicly reveals some of these projects, but since Sony recently announced plans to acquire Bungie for $3.6b, the studio's transmedia efforts will surely be backed with resources from the company. Destiny fans will also have plenty of content to keep them busy while they wait to see what Bungie's future projects are, as the Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansion is expected to release on Feb. 22, 2022 on all platforms (preorders are available now).

What you need to know

• Riot Games is a large developer and publisher responsible for games like Valorant, League of Legends and more.
• Riot Games traditionally used its own unique launchers instead of putting its games on a storefront.
• Riot Games are headed to the Epic Games Store, eschewing this long-held exclusivity.

Riot Games are headed to the Epic Games Store, as announced on Thursday. Riot Games, developer and publisher of many of the best PC games available, has long been exclusive to its own launchers, not using storefronts like Steam or the Epic Games Store.

"Riot Games is one of the world's best developers and creators of groundbreaking entertainment franchises," said Steve Allison, vice president and general manager of the Epic Games Store. "We're excited they've chosen to partner with us to bring their titles to millions of new players through the Epic Games Store."

Riot Games' titles that are now available on the Epic Games Store include League of Legends, Valorant, Legends of Runeterra and Teamfight Tactics. Future PC titles will also likely be available when launched.

If you download of Riot Games' free-to-play titles through the Epic Games Store, you'll be prompted to downlaod the new Riot Client. Additionally, League of Legends Champion Jinx is headed to Fortnite as the latest crossover character in the ongoing multiplayer extravaganza. Jinx is available as part of a bundle starting on Nov. 4, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

What you need to know

• League of Legends: Wild Rift is a new version of the iconic PC game being developed for mobile devices and consoles.
• Riot Games is planning to release the open beta in the Americas starting in March.
• New Champions like Katarina are also being added this year.

Back in 2019, Riot Games announced League of Legends: Wild Rift, a version of League of Legends being built for mobile devices and consoles. Changes are also being made in how the different champions play in order to make sure it's balanced for non-PC devices.

During today's League of Legends Season 21 Opening Day celebration, Riot Games took some time to give an update on League of Legends: Wild Rift, confirming that the open beta is coming to the Americas sometime in March. Further details, such as the exact day the open beta opens and what platforms it'll be available on, were not given. You can check out the full presentation below:

Additionally, some new Champions are making their way over to League of Legends: Wild Rift including the ever-popular Katarina. League of Legends: Wild Rift is still planned to be a free-to-play game just like the PC title, though players will be able to purchase different skins for their Champions.

Riot Games has expanded League of Legends dramatically over the last couple of years with the introduction of Wild Rift, Teamfight Tactics and even story-driven titles like Ruined King.

Xbox Series X/S

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• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

Update: Riot Games confirmed to Windows Central that Street is working on an MMO. We've updated the story below.

What you need to know

• Greg Street, a VP at Riot, seemed to drop the news Thursday that the company was working on (and hiring for) and MMO.
• Street was previously the lead systems designer on World of Warcraft.
• Last year, Riot teased a number of projects, including Project F and Project A.

Greg Street, the vice president of IP and Entertainment at Riot, tweeted on Thursday that the company is hiring for a "massive" game in the League of Legends universe. When another Twitter user asked if it's an MMO, Street seemed to confirmed that it was.

"My recent job at Riot has been to help develop the League universe, which we're going to need! Because it is time," he wrote. "My new job is to kick off a big (some might say massive) game that many of you, and many Rioters, have been asking us to create."

A spokesperson for Riot Games confirmed the news to Windows Central, although they had no other details to add.

Last year, the company announced a huge push to make more games in the League of Legends universe, along with others. During its 10th anniversary stream, it teased a number of projects, including Project A, which became the free-to-play tactical shooter Valorant, and Project F. The latter was described as "a project that explores the possibilities of traversing the world of Runeterra with your friends" and looked to be either an MMO or a multiplayer dungeon crawler. The spokesperson couldn't confirm if it was related to the MMO Street is working on.

The company has commented on the possibility of an MMO before, but CEO Marc Merrill said it wouldn't happen any time soon.

"I would love to make an MMO, but just to manage expectations, if we were to do something like that it wouldn't be any time soon," he said in an interview with Travis Gafford on YouTube.

It seems like a perfect fit for Street, also known as Ghostcrawler both on Twitter and in World of Warcraft forums. He was previusly the lead systems designer on World of Warcraft. He left Blizzard in 2013 and has been at Riot since 2014.

What you need to know

• League of Legends is an incredibly popular MOBA PC game that is constantly expanding its game universe.
• Of the more peculiar (and successful) expansions in recent history was the creation of the virtual K-pop band K/DA.
• The band, which has been assisted by real-life K-pop stars in the, just announced their first album, "All Out," releasing this November.
• It's one of the weirder things to happen in gaming today, but it's clear Riot Games has found a creative headline for League of Legends.

League of Legends is an incredibly popular PC game that continues to expand both its player base and its brand. League of Legends has expanded its universe into all kinds of things, but one of the more unique developments from the popular Riot Games franchise has been K/DA, a virtual K-pop band tied to League of Legends. And, according to a report from the Verge, "All Out," the first EP album from K/DA, is set to release on November 6, 2020, to the surprising excitement of many fans.

For those of you who aren't aware (I wasn't until today), K/DA is a fascinating K-pop band comprised entirely of virtual characters. They've released singles, have collaborated with real-life K-pop stars, held AR concerts, and all of it has been... for League of Legends? I'm not certain where the connection is, but the bizarre mix of things here just seems to work, as K/DA appears to have a sizeable fanbase, and their every movement attracts attention for K/DA, Riot Games, and League of Legends.

If you're interested in getting into League of Legends yourself, be sure to check out one of the best pre-build PC's for League of Legends, to ensure you have a killer experience when playing one of the most popular games.

What you need to know

• Riot Games reached a $10 million settlement for its gender discrimination lawsuit.
• Two California agencies have pushed for the victims to receive $400 million, urging the court not to accept the current settlement terms.
• Riot Games has filed a rebuttal against the changes.
• Two more meetings in court will decide where things go from here.

Riot Games recently reached a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit that had been filed by multiple employees after an expose showing years of gender discrimination. Under the terms of the settlement, Riot Games was to pay out a $10 million sum, to be divided among every woman who has worked at the company since 2014.

According to two California agencies, that amount isn't sufficient. Per the LA Times, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a complaint, stating that the settlement should be "over $400 million" and believes the non-monetary terms of the settlement aren't adequate. The complaint also noted that the representatives for the plaintiffs did not engage in discovery to determine an appropriate settlement. The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) has also filed complaints.

Both Riot Games and Rosen Saba (the law firm representing the women in the lawsuit) have pushed back against these claims. On January 31, a meeting in court will determine whether or not DLSE may intervene and begin its own discovery process. A meeting on February 3 will decide if both agencies objections will be heeded or if the $10 million settlement will proceed. We'll continue to provide updates on the progess of this case.

Riot Games is the developer and publisher of the extremely popular PC title League of Legends. Recently, a new League of Legends mobile game was announced, alongside multiple other titles set in the same universe, expanding the game to different genres.

Xbox

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• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Riot Games has announced a new publishing initiative.
• It is aimed at publishing games from 3rd-party developers based on the League of Legends universe.
• This announcement comes less than a week after Riot settled a gender discrimination lawsuit for $10 million.

I hope you like League of Legends, because it's not going away anytime soon. In fact, Riot appears to have only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the franchise's potential. Riot has announced a new publishing initiative within the company that will partner with 3rd-party developers to create new games based on the popular League of Legends property (via Venture Beat).

Riot Forge, as it's being called, will complement the company's research and development program. The publishing label aims to help 3rd-party developers find "their own space to tell their story and re-imagine League in their own style."

"We are humbled by our partner developers who are so passionate to work on games set in the LoL IP, which offers limitless potential with its expansive world and deep champion pool," said Leanne Loombe, head of Riot Forge, in a statement. "We are sincerely committed to our developers' long term success and together we aim to deliver great experiences for players of all types."

Just last month, Riot had announced its own League of Legends mobile game with the promise that it would be like the original game on PC and not become a pay-to-win mess we've seen happen countless times before.

Riot Games has found itself in the public eye lately after a long history of gender discrimination and harassment was documented in a Kotaku report. A lawsuit regarding the accusations was recently settled by the company for $10 million, to be paid to every woman who has worked at the company since 2014.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Riot Games announced the rebranding of the EU LCS and FIFA announced a further three teams added to the mix for the 2019 eMLS season.

Riot Games rebrands the European LCS

The esports side of League of Legends continues to make grounds and surprise viewers with skyrocketing quality in production with each passing year, and as we prepare for the 2019 season, Riot Games announced the rebranding of the League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS). It'll now be called the League of Legends European Championship (LEC).

The LEC will kickstart on January 18 with a total of 10 organizations:

• Fnatic
• FC Schalke 04
• G2 Esports
• Misfits Gaming
• Vitality
• Splyce
• exceL Esports
• Rogue
• SK Gaming
• Origen

Even though the official name has been altered, it'll still be a fierce rivalry between North America (NA) and Europe (EU).

More teams join the eMLS

FIFA's esport league in North America, Major League Soccer, is laying down foundations ahead of expansion. The league has scored a deal with EA Sports to move into the 2019 season with three new teams: Atlanta United, D.C. United, and FC Cincinnati. All three teams will compete in the eMLS cup and League Series events, as reported by Engadget.

As well as the familiar eMLS cup, the new League Series will be hosted by the LA Galaxy in January and FC Dallas in February. All players from the 22 eMLS teams will participate with a chance to win at both events. It's an important part of the scene as the League Series will also determine seeding for the 2019 eMLS Cup.

Upcoming live events

• Supernova CS:GO - November 29 - December 2, watch on Twitch.
• DreamHack Windows 2018 - November 30 - December 1, watch on Twitch.

It's a major week for League of Legends esports fans as the Worlds championship tournament gets underway with the group stages commencing on October 10. It's also possible to throw your name into the hat to represent Crystal Palance Football Club in the ePremier League.

Worlds 2018

Riot Games kicked off Worlds 2018 this weekend with the first handful of games to wet the appetite of viewers and fans. The Playin Knockout rounds included Cloud9, Gambit, G2, and Infinity and the first two matches saw Cloud9 and Edward Gaming win over Gambit and DetonatioN FocusMe, respectively.

The group stage commences on October 10, which is when the Worlds tournament really steps up a gear. If you somehow missed yesterday's games, be sure to catch up on the official Riot Games Twitch.

Crystal clear esports

The Premier League and EA Sports have teamed up in the UK to launch the new ePremier League tournament. All 20 Premier League clubs will be represented in the tournament, giving players of FIFA the opportunity to wear the kits of their favorite clubs on the big stage.

Crystal Palace is but one of the clubs that will take part in the new tournament. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles are included in the tournament and registration for the ePL will open on December 3.

Upcoming live events

• League of Legends Worlds 2018 (Group Stage) - October 10-17, watch on Twitch.

The Overwatch League continues to expand its territory to cover more areas of supported regions, now totaling a total of 20 teams. And if you're somehow living under an esports rock, you may not know about one of the biggest torunaments set to happen at the end of this month, League of Legends Worlds 2018.

Four new teams join OWL

Activision Blizzard announced four expansion slots were sold for the second season of the Overwatch League (OWL). The two new positions were handed to teams representing Washington, D.C. in the U.S., Vancouver from Canada, and Chengdu and Hangzhou of China, according to reports published by ESPN. The total number of teams participating is now at 20.

Catch the ForzaRC 2018 race in London

The 2018 season of the Forza Racing Championship is heading to London, taking place at the Gfinity Esports Arena on October 20, 21. The pool of potential winners has been drained to leave just 24 drivers. With a prize pool of $100,000 and Forza champion title at stake, there's a lot on the line and you can now purchase tickets to witness the action in person.

If you aren't able to attend in person, the entire event will be streamed on Mixer.

Prepare for Worlds

League of Legends Worlds 2018 is just around the corner, kicking off on October 1. As previously announced, Worlds is heading back to South Korea where the world's 24 top teams will compete for the Summoner's Cup. All games will be played across the nation with numerous locations in Korea set to host competitive matches.

October 1 will see 12 teams compete for the remaining four group slots. After which, October 10 will see the commence of the group stage. Quarterfinals will hit on October 20, semifinals on October 27, and the grand final will take place on November 3. It'll be over before we know it.

For now, we're recovering from the excellent TSM and 100 Thieves third-place match and currently, FC Schalke 04 is attempting to take down EU LCS champions FNATIC. Regardless to which team you follow, it has been one seriously enjoyable weekend of great matches.

Upcoming live events

• League of Legends Worlds 2018 - Starts October 1, watch on Twitch.

Esports is a fast-growing industry and has been for a few years, but latest research figures show an explosion of growth in Asia. There's also the need to learn from mistakes, which is what 100 Thieves' Cody Sun has had to do over the past year. All this and more in this week's esports news roundup.

Growth of the scene

Esports as a scene continues to grow and become more of an accepted form of sport. "Southeast Asia will have 9.5 million Esports Enthusiasts in 2016, and this number will double by 2019," according to latest Newzoo figures. That's huge for the industry. Taking into account those who occasionally watch esports, the numbers could hit 20 million this year and exceed 40 million by 2019.

Established games including League of Legends, DOTA2, and Counter-Strike: GO continue to adapt and change systems to include more support and increase reach. Newcomers like Blizzard's Overwatch are designed around franchising and local representation, inviting those who may not traditionally view esports as an enjoyable form of entertainment to support their city.

Learning from Rift mistakes

Riot Games took some time with 100 Thieves owner Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag and the organization's League of Legends ADC Cody Sun. Cody Sun had quite the track record with Immortals, losing out at Worlds and having those from within the community questioning his abilities and future in the scene.

After joining 100 Thieves and taking to the NA LCS stage once again, Cody Sun and the rest of his crew have managed to turn the tables and silence many critics. We'll have to see how the squad fares in the playoffs and at Worlds should they make it through.

Upcoming live events

• League of Legends LCS - March 30 (EU), March 31 (EU, US), April 1 (US), watch on Twitch.

We've seen quite the upset in the North American LCS with newcomer 100 Thieves besting Cloud9, TSM, and CLG to taking the number one spot in the season.

League of Thieves

Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag is an ex-professional gamer who rose to fame as part of the Optic Gaming organization. After leaving the scene and enjoying a successful streaming career, Haag decided to purchase a spot in the new League of Legends NA LCS with the new franchising system, he entered into the management side of things and launched the 100 Thieves team, with the popular MOBA as the first supported game.

What makes this noteworthy is how the team managed to take first place in the league, securing a place in the playoffs semi-finals. Haag's team in its first year in the LCS managed to best Cloud9, TSM, CLG and other big names. It's a similar story to Origen in the EU LCS a few years back but 100 Thieves is managed with the players in mind, much like Immortals, which remains to be sorely missed in the LCS after not securing a spot in the franchised league.

We're going to be watching the progress of 100 Thieves closely as they move closer to heading to the Worlds stage. In the NAS LCS, Echo Fox came in second with TSM in third and Team Liquid fourth. I'm excited to see how far 100 Thieves can go, sporting talent like Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black.

More angles for the viewer

The current running PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds PGL Spring Invitational is a unique experience for viewers as the organizers have made it so all participating teams have their own stream. Not only does it allow the audience to tune into the mainstream and enjoy commentary by casters but also offers dedicated angles from the POV of their chosen team. This makes it feel more like a personalized stream by following squad players directly.

One of the issues we've had with PUBG in the past is that it's not really esport viewer-friendly. The action happened all over the place and the camera crew found it difficult to keep track of what's going on, leaving casters in the dark a little. Things have progressed since and this latest addition to the spectator toolset further improves the experience.

Upcoming live events

• PUBG PGL - March 22 - 25, watch on Twitch
• League of Legends LCS - March 23 (EU), March 24 (EU and NA), March 25 (NA), watch on Twitch

This week has been a rather quiet one in the world of professional gaming. No real controversies to report on, which is a welcomed change. What has occurred is the continued downfall of big teams in the League of Legends NA championship, namely TSM and CLG. Cloud9 dominates the league with Echo Fox close in second but things continue to look dire for other squads.

Shaking things up in the LCS

It's the final week of matches in the NA and EU LCS and things are looking rather interesting for American fans of the game. Cloud9 and Echo Fox remain on top with Clutch Gaming and 100 Thieves on their tails. Things aren't looking too bright for TSM and CLG. With but two games left for all participating squads to play, we can't see them bringing it back. Still, things could change and we have the potential for a turnaround but don't hold your breath.

Go big or go home

Arlington is a city in Texas that houses the AT&T Stadium, Six Flags, College Park Center, and the Globe Life Park. This makes it a destination for entertainment but the local authorities plan to entice even more people to visit by not only opening up a $1.1 billion Globe Life Field in 2020 but also a newly announced esports arena. Set to be the largest venue for electronic sports in the U.S., the city is teaming up with Esports Venues to open a 1,000 seat arena at the Arlington Convention Center.

Thanks to the explosive growth of esports, the center will host local, national and international games. The cost for renovating the existing center is expected to be recuperated through licensing, sponsorship, and tickets. Should you live in the local area, be sure to keep tabs on this development.

Chilling performances

Two Korean professional Overwatch players — part of Foxes — introduced themselves this week by singing Love is an Open Door from Disney Frozen on stage. The karaoke sessions took place at the start of the new minor Contenders league, showing some class and a sense of humor that gave the audience a break from the same old introductions.

While we certainly give the pair kudos for going through with it, we wouldn't recommend esports players hit up their Spotify playlist for their next match on the big stage.

Upcoming live events

• League of Legends LCS - March 17 (EU), March 18 (EU and NA), March 19 (NA), watch on Twitch

It has been a somewhat quiet week in the esports scene. A few spouts of drama, some heated action and improved broadcasts made for a few notable experiences to forget about the cold weather outside.

UNILAD creates a team full of drama

Popular social and media platform Unilad has dipped into the world of esports by launching an organization. Unfortunately, for the company and everyone involved, it hasn't got off to a smooth start. The company's head of esports, Kurtis Stocks, failed to meet up with prospective Rocket League players and then UNILAD subsequently announced a completely different roster of names, leaving hopeful applicants in the dark about what's going on, why the no-show, and why the lack of communication.

Euan "Tadpole" Ingram was one of these hopeful applicants for UNILAD, who went to Twitter to reveal that there was still a lack of communication from UNILAD. Stocks then responded, accepting responsibility but only to denounce said responsibility when others complained about the situation — indeed, the Twitter conversation passed through multiple dimensions. Is it just business or should more care be given to players? I'm in the latter camp.

FC Barcelona to back PES

The huge football club announced plans to back the PES2018 esports tournament by forming a team in order to participate. It's big news for not only Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 and KONAMI, but also esports as a whole to have such an influential brand to take part in real and electronic sports.

PUBG hitting big competitive strides, controversy still follows

As part of the IEM event in Katowice, Poland, 16 of the world's best PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) teams were invited to take part. It was to be the mighty Russians, Avangar, who took the overall prize and the biggest share of the $50,000 prize pool behind some serious slaying.

Controversy wasn't far behind, though, with it becoming apparent after the tournament that one of Optic Gaming's players had been making use of a glitch during competition. The "wall glitch" allows a player inside a building that is tight up in one corner to see outside as if the wall wasn't there.

The moment it was caught on the stream, Optic couldn't have possibly gained any competitive advantage, but using glitches in a professional tournament with $50,000 on the line isn't exactly kosher. Ultimately, PUBG Corp needs to get its act together and clear out these glitches, but pro players need to have some responsibility and play fairly at all times.

From Poland, several of the teams headed out to the Ukraine to join up with some of China's best PUBG players at the Starladder event. This would see 20 rounds of PUBG played over four days, and on the very first day Team Liquid did what no team has done in a competition yet: Three chicken dinners in a row. Each day also sees a sixth game, a TPP show match to "warm the players up."

Halo World Championship 2018 gets first qualifiers

Following the dominating win from Splyce at the Halo Orlando Global Open, the show quickly flew across the Atlantic to the UK. London's Gfinity Arena staged the European Finals where the region's four representatives at the main event in Seattle would be crowned.

Eventually it was Myztro Gaming, Fable, Vexed eBuyer and Europe's current dominators, Team Infused, claiming the four coveted spots. For Team Infused, a cheque for $10,000 also went their way as the tournament winners.

Next up is the ANZ region qualifiers in Sydney before the biggest teams in Halo from North America get their chance at qualifying for the World Championship.

Halo World Championship 2018: What you need to know

Upcoming live events

• League of Legends LCS - March 2 (EU), March 3 (EU and NA), March 4 (NA), watch on Twitch
• World of Warcraft - March 6, watch on Twitch
• Call of Duty Atlanta Open - March 9 to March 11, watch on Twitch
• Overwatch League - March 2nd to March 4th, watch on Twitch

Fortnite hasn't got an esports scene yet, but that hasn't prevented some teams forming up around the popular Battle Royale title.

Other news this week includes a Canadian taking down stiff competition in StarCraft II, bagging $50,000 and the expansion of the Overwatch League to bring more teams to the league table.

Canada brings home the SC II trophy

Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn (representing Team Experts) managed to take down Kim "sOs" Yoo from Jin Air Green Wings, taking part in the $150,000 StarCraft II Intel Extreme Masters event in PyeongChang, South Korea.

It's quite the victory for the foreign player in a championship recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Taking back $50,000, Scarlett managed to destroy sOs in a 4-1 final series.

Expanding the OWL

Blizzard confirmed in the company's quarterly earnings call plans to expand the Overwatch League this year are in place, aiming to add new teams and better support regions, including Europe and Asia. Blizzard also noted that the company expects the OWL to become profitable this year, but has a roadmap to increase reach and attract more viewers.

If you've not been following the OWL, likely due to no local representation, the second season may bring a few surprises to drum up some interest. There's also some excitement for female fans of the esport as Kim "Geguri" Se-yeon is reportedly set to join the Shanghai Dragons and become the first female professional player in the OWL. Should this become reality, it's excellent news for the scene as a whole.

I've always been an advocate for mixing the sexes in tournaments (as opposed to splitting them up) and to see women making it to the stage due to nothing else than talent should attract more budding potential and silence those who continue moaning about a non-issue.

COD World League is going to Valkyrie

Xbox One Call of Duty fans won't yet be familiar with Valkyrie, one of the maps in DLC 1, The Resistance, for the franchise's latest title, WWII. Sony has a timed exclusive on that, but one thing that fans of the competitive scene weren't expecting is that a DLC map would be joining the official CWL rotation.

Valkyrie will be joining the competitive ruleset from February 20 and as such will be available for the forthcoming CWL major events in Atlanta and Birmingham, UK. It'll be playable also in any competitive mode on the console, including ranked play and Gamebattles ladder matches.

Exactly which game modes will be played on Valkyrie hasn't yet been released, but it's a much needed injection of fresh life. One of the main criticisms of this year's competitive Call of Duty (it's not a COD game without criticism) is that there's not much in the way of map variety. It's not uncommon to see London Docks, for example, on maps one, two and three in a five map series. As the remaining DLC packs come out later in the year, it'd be great to see them get the same treatment.

Fortnite Battle Royale teams start to be signed

There's no official esports scene yet for Fortnite Battle Royale, Epic Game's smash hit free-to-play title, but that hasn't stopped professional organisations signing up players and teams.

The top Fortnite player on Twitch (arguably the top player in the world), Ninja, is a professional across multiple titles and has been signed to Luminosity since before he began playing Fortnite. There are other streamers signed to organisations, such as KingRichard who represents NRG, but now it's going one step further.

Global esports powerhouse, Team SoloMid announced it has signed a competitive Fortnite roster of four consisting of:

• Ali 'Myth' Kabbani (Team Captain)
• Darryle 'Hamlinz' Hamlin
• 'CaMiLLs'
• 'Daequan'

The team also signed up three streamers dedicated to Fortnite, too. This sits alongside the existing TSM PUBG team currently competiting, so the organisation is certainly well represented in the big battle royale titles.

What exactly the future holds for competitive Fortnite is still unclear right now, but with the H1Z1 Pro League looming and the growing PUBG esports scene, it seems only natural that Fortnite would follow.

Mixer's "this week in esports" series

Microsoft's Mixer platform deserves a shoutout for its weekly esports show, "This Week in Esports." You can catch it every Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern at the channel linked below. And if you ever miss an episode, hit the same channel to catch the previous episode on demand.

It's about an hour each week, but it's well worth tuning in, which of course you can do on your Xbox One, too, in the Mixer app. You can also catch up with the show on YouTube.

Check out "This Week in Esports" on Mixer

Upcoming live events

• Call of Duty Pro League Stage One week four - February 13 to February 15, watch on Twitch or at MLG.com
• Halo World Championship Orlando Open, begins on February 16, watch on Twitch or Mixer
• League of Legends LCS - February 9 (EU), February 10 (EU and NA), February 11 (NA), watch on Twitch

When it comes to multiplayer online battle arenas (or MOBAs) three of the most widely known and popular in existence are Heroes of the Storm, DOTA 2, and League of Legends. All three titles have built massive communities over the years, host some of the largest esports competitions in the world, and are critically acclaimed by critics and regular fans alike.

But many continue to question which game is better: League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm? After playing both games for an extended period, I've developed three main reasons why I personally find Heroes of the Storm to be a better game than League of Legends.

1. More maps available to enjoy

One of the best ways that games across all genres avoid feeling stale is by having a diverse collection of maps to play on. Both League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm understand this and as a result, contain a variety of battlefields for players to combat each other in. However, Heroes of the Storm trumps League of Legends in this in two ways: it has more maps overall, and each map also feels very different to one another, as opposed to the bonus maps from League which all feel too similar.

This isn't a major flaw of League of Legends, but the added variety in gameplay experiences with Heroes of the Storm by having a very wide map pool is one of my favorite things about the game. The different pathways and overall design in each map encourage a different strategy or hero choice. This naturally opens up the metagame and makes more heroes viable and keeps things fresh.

2. Team focused gameplay

Quite possibly the biggest difference between League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm is the fact that the former encourages solo carrying, while the latter emphasizes team play. One of the most effective and strongest strategies in League of Legends is to "put all eggs into one basket" and build your entire team composition around propping up one player with non-stop support and buffs while they focus on killing the enemy. This essentially makes it so that one player out of the entire team is actively participating in battle, and thus is the only one who gains experience.

This is often a source of toxicity in the game, as many players will argue about who gets to be the carry player. The fact that experience for actions is rewarded individually also means that the carry player is the only one on the team who gets any meaningful experience points during a match; the teammates that ensure he or she is even able to do that are left in the dust.

In Heroes of the Storm, though, the experience is pooled between every team member. This means that the team is only as strong as their teamwork: everyone needs to actively contribute. This naturally unifying design brings everyone on the team together and encourages them to cooperate. In addition, everyone is recognized for their skills in the team-based system, unlike League of Legends, in which selfish glory-seeking play is rewarded.

3. Objective-oriented design

League of Legends places a large emphasis on racking up kills. Without a doubt, one of the most important things in matches of League is your body count. This is fun, sure, but often times engagements feel very simplistic because of this. Most of the skillsets lie within your ability to animation cancel or time abilities well.

While these things do add depth to League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm takes it a step further and places an emphasis on map objectives that can greatly assist your team in achieving victory. Not only do your kills make an impact; making sure that your team is able to control the objective can (and does) too.

The reason why I think this is better than League of Legends' "deathmatch" style is that it adds another layer of skill to the game. Things like map positioning become more important in Heroes of the Storm because of objectives, and I think that the higher potential for more organized play makes Heroes of the Storm both more fun to play and to watch as a result.

Your thoughts

Which MOBA do you think is better? Are you a League of Legends fan, a Heroes of the Storm fan, or both? Let me know. Also, both games are free to play, so if you've never tried them out, make sure to do so!

ASUS' Republic of Gamers (ROG) arm has announced a new partnership with Microsoft that will see weekly League of Legends (LoL) tournaments come to Microsoft Stores. Taking place at Microsoft Stores around the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and Austraila, the tournaments will be completely open to the public.

ASUS' portion of the partnership means that players will get to dive into LoL on dedicated ROG G752VS gaming laptops. ASUS says players will also be equipped with the requisite ROG accessories, including an ROG Gladius mouse and Whetstone mouse pad. As for the game itself, players will have access to League Unlocked, an experience that includes 100 unlocked skins for the event, as well as an XP and IP boost for players' personal accounts.

Tournaments will officially kick off on August 26 at the Microsoft Store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. Tournaments will continue to take place every Saturday thereafter. You can head to Microsoft's store locator to see when and if your local store will be having a tournament and register.

Microsoft is expanding the reach of its Bing Predicts engine again, adding its picks for the winning teams in the current 2016 League of Legends World Championship. The eSports tournament for the mega-popular PC action-strategy game kicked off in late September and will end on October 29.

In a blog post, Microsoft stated:

Fans who also want to check out the results of the 2015 League of Legends World Championship can search Bing with "lol worlds 2015" to bring up the group standings, along with the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final results. You can even watch a video replay of those games by clicking on the match tiles.

Microsoft is also adding tournament and predictions for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive eSports events:

Bing users can also type in "csgo top teams" to see which CS: GO players are leading the pack, and searching for "csgo matches" will bring up past, current or upcoming professional games:

Microsoft previously added detailed eSports information in Bing for Dota 2's The International 2016 Tournament.

Razer is best known for its vast array of PC and console gaming accessories. The accessory maker produces a number of products geared towards tournament and competitive play, including the Razer Wildcat Controller for Xbox One and Windows, and the Razer Mamba Tournament Edition Mouse. But Razer's tournament ties go deeper than that…

Razer Arena is a "competitive gaming platform" for Windows that facilitates PC gaming tournaments and competitions. Arena offers a variety of features, including automatic match creation and reporting, match reminders, cheat busting, and more. That deep level of integration requires optimization for specific games – and now we can count League of Legends among those games. Read on for more details about Razer Arena and its new League of Legends support!

Razer Arena

Organizing a large-scale videogame tournament takes a lot of work. Razer Arena dramatically cuts down on that work, automating a number of tasks for the competition organizer.

Features:

• Automatic Match Creation and Reporting: Arena automates the entire process of creating matches for tournament opponents and reporting the results of those matches, helping players get into their games faster and more easily.
• Game Lobbies and Voice Chat: Powered by Razer Comms, Arena provides a suite of lobbies with support for text and voice chat.
• Match Reminder Notifications: All competing players receive reminder notifications so that nobody forgets to show up when match time approaches.
• Cheater-Free Competitive Play: Powered by FairFight, Razer Arena detects bots and cheat codes in order to help ensure a level playing field.
• Run your own Competitions: Gamers can start their own competitions of any scale, whether it's at home with family or in the office, dorm, or elsewhere. Everybody has access to the same tools available to large-scale organizers.

Becoming an Authorized Organizer

Although Razer Arena is available to all PC gamers, Razer has created an authorization process by which successful organizers gain access to enhanced features.

Hosts will need to run three successful tournaments of at least eight teams each, all rated positively by participants, in order to graduate to Authorized Organizer Status. Once Authorized, these organizers are held to a higher standard and expected to run tournaments as smoothly as possible.

To find out more about becoming an Authorized organizer, visit http://http://Razerzone.com/arena/authorized-organizers/.

Supported games

Razer Arena supports the following competitive PC games:

• Battlefield 4
• CounterStrike: GO
• DOTA 2
• Team Fortress 2
• World of Tanks

…And now League of Legends!

League of Legends meets the Arena

League of Legends is the most popular PC game in the world, played by more than 27 million people on a daily basis. It falls into the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre, pitting teams of three or five players against in each other in four exciting game modes. Due to its highly skillful nature and enormous popularity, League of Legends is one of the largest esports games in the world.

League of Legends on Razer Arena enhances the existing Razer Comms League of Legends Scouter feature that provides information about opposing teams at the beginning of every match, both of which are available in most regions worldwide. Arena integration will become available on all Riot-Servers, where it will be available in every region except China and Southeast Asia.

Razer will further support the League of Legends amateur competition scene by sponsoring tournaments with $50,000 of payouts in the first quarter of 2016. This will be the largest amateur league prize pool to date, the company says.

To find out more about Razer Arena, head to http://Razerzone.com/arena/. Grab League of Legends for Windows at LeagueofLegends.com.

Windows Central will have exciting news about Razer and League of Legends soon!

Do you play League of Legends, and have you ever participated in a tournament for it?

Microsoft has announced that it is partnering with Chinese internet giant Tencent in launching the highly popular MOBA League of Legends, along with other games published by the company, including Cross Fire and Dungeon & Fighter, on the Windows 10 store. In addition, Tencent has mentioned that it will deliver the free upgrade to Windows 10 "available to as many Chinese consumers as possible, as soon as possible."

The media giant announced that its flagship app, QQ, will be a universal app in Windows 10, and that it is collaborating with Microsoft in launching more Windows 10-based initiatives, including "additional universal apps."

How many of you are itching to get on some MOBA action with Windows 10?

Update: The announcement stirred up a lot of comments regarding a possible port of League of Legends on mobile platforms. In an email statement, Riot Games has revealed that this will not be the case:

Source: Windows Blog