Titanfall’s Apex Legends, the latest entrant in the hugely competitive Battle Royale space, has hit 10 million players within 72 hours of its launch, along with having over a million concurrent players.
The free to play game by EA has garnered a lot of excitement since its launch on Monday, and currently is the most streamed game on Twitch with over 200k viewers.
Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn said:
This has been a truly incredible journey. We tested and tweaked. We argued and agreed. We got to a point where we felt some magic. We knew it would be risky to take the franchise in this direction, to go free to play, and do a surprise launch. But we fell in love with Apex Legends and wanted, needed, other people to play it too.
For those living under a rock, Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale game set in the Titanfall universe, and it’s a game that mashes together elements of some of the most popular online shooters. It features Overwatch-style hero characters, along with the core gameplay of Fortnite and PUBG. Notably, it also requires players to squad up in groups of three, though it includes a number of accessibility features so that you can play it without voice chat.
“We hoped you’d love it as much as us, but never in our wildest dreams could we have expected the outpouring of support and positivity we’ve seen. From all of us at Respawn, thank you for giving us and Apex Legends a chance. Thank you for joining us on this journey. This is just the beginning! We have so much more in store for you this year.”
To put things in perspective- The most popular Battle Royale Game Fortnite took 2 weeks to hit the 10 million mark, while overwatch took a month. Although it is way behind the 200 million user base that is holding Fortnite firmly at the number 1 Battle Royale game- the start seems very positive for Apex Legends to displace it in the coming months.
Navi has announced that it would be partnering with esports analytics platform Shadow, by producing content under the Navi banner, which will showcase how Shadow uses data insights and aggregation to improve the performance of teams.
Shadow CS:GO features a match database, automated strategic analysis, and the Shadow Holo-Engine which is unique in its ability to create a 3D replay of a match directly in the Shadow web client. This allows teams to seamlessly review demos in both 2D and 3D on a single platform.
Mykhailo “Kane” Blagin is very excited about the partnership.
“The pro scene is constantly changing, and keeping track of new and unique tactics is very difficult. Especially when you find out who your next opponent is at night, and you need to face them the next morning.”
“In such situations, Shadow comes to rescue — an analytical program that focuses on the details and allows you to track the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. It shows the purchases of the teams, and also gives information about the preferred positions of the players. We can pinpoint how the enemy plays on force buys or where the snipers usually position themselves.”
“Anyone who works with replays(demos) knows how long it takes the game to rewind. If you need to study a certain round, you have to wait each time while the game rolls it back to the start. In Shadow, you can instantly replay the most important moments of the game, saving minutes of precious time that would have been wasted. Also, CS:GO replay system does not show the Molotov and grenade trajectories. This is fixed in Shadow.”
The main aim of the partnership will be to highlight the changing dynamics of the esports industry in terms of data analytics and the use of technology and AI to improve performance- and show the esports fraternity how Shadow makes full use of it.
Tim “Magic” Sevenhuysen, head of Shadow, said:
“Our goal at Shadow is to be relied on daily by the world’s best esports teams. We’re thrilled to strengthen our partnership with NAVI to not only showcase how effective the right analytics can be when put into action at the highest levels of competition, but also to delve deeper into what a team like NAVI needs so we can continue to improve Shadow with new innovations and lead the charge for the esports analytics industry.”
Meanwhile, Navi has also announced that it would extend its deal with Monster Energy as the main sponsor, which will see it running till 2019. The deal will see Navi producing promotional content and player-driven campaigns while acquiring Monster Energy’s dedicated consumer fanbase along the way. Monster is already known to have a big stake in the Esports industry, with previous partnerships with Team Liquid, Fnatic and Team EnvyUs.
According to several sources and a report from prominent esports journalist, Jarek “DeKay” Lewis, StarLadder could well receive the honour to host next Valve sponsored CS:GO major. The 15th major is expected to be hosted in Germany and it would possibly be the first ever event for Ukraine based tournament organiser in Germany. The prestigious Valve major is expected to take place in September, six months past the on-going major, IEM: Katowice 2019.
If the reports are to be believed, this would be the fourth CS:GO major to be hosted in Germany. On the other hand, ever since 2015, USA is believed to not have a major in 2019. Also, CIS region awaits further to receive a major either. This would be the first ever major awarded to Ukraine based organisers. Apparently, StarLadder has impressed Valve with the Dota 2 major in Chongqing, China.
According to HLTV, StarLadder is also planning to establish a studio in the German capital, Berlin. Alongside this, StarLadder esports manager, Alex Trushliako tweeted that the company was ‘about to host the next Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major’. However, he further tried to clarify that he was referring to StarLadder StarSeries i-League, China, trying to clear the ‘misunderstanding’ in a follow-up tweet and blamed his lack of knowledge regards to Counter-Strike.
Like the other Valve majors, StarLadder Major: Berlin is expected to have prize pool worth $1 Million USD and it will feature in-game players and teams stickers. Apart from this, in-game GOTV and souvenir drops are quite obvious.
Igen Gaming, a Pakistan based tournament organiser has partnered up with FACEIT to bring dedicated leagues exclusively for the nation. The organization is the first and the only one to team up with the matchmaking platform to establish 4 hubs for the local community. Pakistan scene has been facing several issues with respect of latency and connectivity. Although FACEIT doesn’t have dedicated servers for Pakistan, all the servers will be hosted through Dubai.
IGen & FACEIT have established 4 Hubs:
IGen Silver League
Silver League is open to all players with FACEIT level 1-6 and the league will have a prize pool worth 15,000 FACEIT points to be distributed at the end of every month.
IGen Gold League
Gold League is confined to players falling between FACEIT level 7-10. The league will comprise of prize pool worth 21,000 FACEIT points for each month. Top two players at the end of every month will advance to IGen Pro League on a trial basis to compete with the best across the country.
IGen Pro League
Pro League is an invite-only hub which will feature 50 top players from within the country. Each month, two from Gold League will advance to Pro League while the bottom two will be relegated to Gold League due to substandard performance. The league will have prize pool worth $250/35,000 PKR.
IGen Scrim League
Scrim League is a team only hub. It is restricted to regional teams which will help to deepen the competition amongst the best and it could eventually upscale Pakistani pro circuit in general.
For the first time, ‘Players Council’ will be introduced in Pakistan. The council will comprise of 3 ‘reputed’ and ‘senior pro players’. It will eventually hold the decision to promote or demote players within the IGen Pro League.
Subscription worth $3.99/mo or $2.99/mo if paid annually is required to join IGen Hub. Alongside the leagues, subscription will also grant access to future tournaments organised by IGen Gaming.
Entity gaming have announced the signing of Đorđe ‘DJOXiC’ Niciforović, who is currently a free agent, taking their active roster size to 4.
The news comes on the backdrop of the press release by Entity to bench Simar “Psy” Sethi and Bhavin “HellRangeR” Kotwani with the recently concluded ESL India Premiership Winter Finals being their last event, which they won comfortably against 2ez.
The move to acquire ex Valiance player DJOXiC signals the direction in which the management want to steer this team, with an equal mix of Indians and Serbs, as well as a good balance between young blood and experienced players in the international scene being added.
This means that DJOXiC is set to reunite with coach Darko “soLo” Mitić, who he had played with in Valiance, a team which nearly qualified for the upcoming IEM Katowice Major. The future of psy and hellranger at this point is unknown, although it is expected to be resolved very soon.
Former BIG player Owen “smooya” Butterfield has had yet another setback this month, after having been banned in the FACEIT Pro League for being toxic against another player.
In an FPL Game last night, the 19-year-old was seen calling Ismail “refrezh” Ali of OpTic a “fucking bitch” and told him to “kill himself” after appearing to have not tried all match that led it to go to overtime.
BREAKING NEWS: PLAYER BANNED FROM FPL
I’ve been suspended for the foreseeable future for my comments towards @refrezhCS. I don’t agree with what I said nor do I think it’s right in anyway. I will take the week to relax! This isn’t any way reflective on @BIGCLANgg, it’s on me.
“After recent events and many clips that resurfaced, we decided to bench smooya in FPL to give him some time to clear his thoughts and adjust his behavior, which recently was out of control in the FPL,” FACEIT partnerships manager Milos Nedeljkovic said.
“He will reflect on everything and calm down without potentially saying any career-ruining words in FPL, so we are giving him some time off to clear his head. Just wanted you guys to know why you won’t see him around.”
The toxicity did not stop there, as the Brit called refrezh out on Twitter after the match, by saying: “don’t queue FPL if you’re in a bad mood or something [and] don’t waste my time, thanks!”
The tweet has since been deleted.
Butterfield has been no stranger to such incidents, with a particularly striking one being that against Mousesports in StarSeries Season 6, when he was seen incessantly yelling after every round and “accidentally” buying the auto sniper in the CT side.
He has since tweeted and confirmed that the ban will be set for the “foreseeable future,” and also agreed that what he said was right in anyway, without offering any apology.
2EZ Gaming have announced the departure of Chinmay “PokI” Mehta. Earlier, it had also revealed the arrival of Saharyar “BaDMaN” Shaikh. This comes in as a surprise since the line-up qualified for ESL India Premiership 2018 – Winter Finale, Delhi and eventually secured 2nd position; falling short to Entity Gaming. 21-year-old has been a part of 2EZ family since over a year and his departure echoes several questions. The shuffle season could be around the corner.
Chinmay had been playing under the 2EZ banner since quite sometime. He has definitely impressed the scene with his raw firepower backed by decent statistics. During his tenure under 2EZ Gaming, the line-up has triumphed at ESL India Premiership 2018 – Fall Finale and eventually secured a slot in ESL Pro League Season 9 – SEA (Closed Qualifier). Apart from this, they also fell short in the hands of Entity Gaming, twice, at Dew Arena 2018 and ESL India Premiership 2017 – Winter Finale.
At the moment, it is unclear who would replace Chinmay. 2EZ’s squad post-ESL India Premiership 2018 – Winter Finale:
Entity finally got their hands on the ESL INDIA 2018 title after coming close during the Summer Phase. The fabled organization beat current holders and Fall Season winners 2ez in straight maps (Inferno 16-10, Nuke 16-8) to land their first trophy after the addition of Serbian duo of Dav and Solo.
2ez started on the T side on Entity’s map choice Inferno and went for a B fake. Entity were sold on the fake but a brilliant 3k from Solo at pit salvaged the round for Entity. The CT side got one more round on board and looked like getting the first real gun round as well, with a 2k from Dav on the B defence.
But, 2ez immediately switched up their focus and went for an A take, which ultimately saw them grab their first round and Dav save his AWP. A couple of B takes thereafter, saw 2ez take the lead before Entity bounced back with a solid defence of their A site as the Ts attempted a Patient A split.
2ez started with their unrelenting aggression and raced to a 7-3 lead with some fiery shots from Rexy, which compelled Entity to take a tactical timeout. HellRanger and Excali stepped up to the mark in the rounds after. The former Entity IGL shut down the B take with a 2k while Excali defended an Ultra late A hit with a 3k to facilitate a mini bounce-back.
But, Rexy weaved the Deagle with some immaculate precision, opening up the B site and ensuring 2ez go into the halfway mark with a lead, at the very least. With just 5 rounds on the board, Entity stepped up, defending the A site on the ensuing rounds to finish the half 7-8.
Entity hit the B site on the pistol with success to level the scoreline. Two more rounds were added by Entity as 2ez resorted to quasi buys with little impact. Antidote though, came up huge with a 3k on the B site to get one round back for 2ez.
The CT side’s economy was soon reset though, with Entity successfully executing an A site take. With the score poised at 12-9, Tito chose to go for the AWP, with the player having just 3 kills in the entire game upto the point. The provisionary 2ez IGL came up huge at A with a 4k and a couple of crazy shots to push 2ez to double figures.
Via SoStronk
Entity though, soon cracked the 2ez code, who resorted to some off-timed pushes and passive positioning. The Ts exploited the very gameplay to run up the rounds and secure their own map choice Inferno, 16-10.
Nuke began with a similar tone, with Entity notching up the pistol round and running to a 3-0 lead. 2ez landed their first round on Nuke with a brilliant defence of the Ramp area but were immediately pegged back with a brilliant lower fake from Entity.
Facing a potential reset, Antidote came up with a 2k at ramps while under pressure from the Ts as Tito pitched in as well to ensure their economy is not broken. 2ez notched up two more rounds before it looked like Entity had broken the streak with Poki facing a 1v3 retake situation at A.
Poki though, delivered and how, ensuring 2ez continue their upsurge. Solo made sure 2ez did not run away with the half, converting a 1v2 to nab Entity’s fifth round of the map. 2ez went on to add two more rounds before Entity getting their own couple of rounds on the board, with HellRanger coming alive in the last round with a 4k at Upper bombsite.
Entity made it 4/4 on pistol rounds as 2ez were unable to guard their Lower plant. Entity soon raced to 12-8 and Excali made sure 2ez did not mount any sort of a comeback, with a 3k to extend Entity’s lead.
Antidote was faced with a 1v2 situation to avoid Grand Finale point but could not convert it, thanks to a brilliant defence from Solo, which helped close out Nuke 16-8 and the series 2-0.
Entity’s win came mostly through their calculated playstyle. They did not let 2ez’s random and unbridled aggression throw them off course and stuck to the plan. On Inferno, it was more a case of exploiting 2ez’s off-timed aggression and passive defence.
On Nuke though, it was the staple Outer hit and when on the CT side, their defence had so many layers with good rotation and utility usage, something that really stood Entity apart from 2ez throughout the series.
2ez though, should not be too disheartened. They were forced to make a late change, with the lineup not being allowed to field BadMan, who has recently returned to the active 5-man roster, with Falken making way. They dealt with it well and could have stretched it to three maps had they been a bit more consistent or calculated with their CT side aggression on Inferno.
With the win, Entity nab the available slot in the ESL Pro League Asia Closed Qualifiers. But, it remains to be seen what lineup they will field in the Qualifiers.. HellRanger and psy played their last event under the Entity banner. The duo is now benched and Amaterasu will return to the active lineup along with other changes, which the organization should reveal in due time.
In a move that will come as a shock to many, Mousesports have announced that they have relieved the services of Martin “STYKO” Styk and Chris “chrisJ” de Jong from the active roster, along with coach Sergey “lmbt” Bezhanov.
The announcement comes on the back of a horrendous showing at the Europe Minor for the IEM Katowice Major where they missed out on a major spot by going out in the group stage. They had also had a 0-3 drubbing at the FACEIT Major last year, causing one of the biggest upsets in the tournament.
Announcing changes to our Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division.
“Parting ways after one and a half years and 19 offline tournaments is not easy, but sometimes a few steps back can be multiple steps forward. There are no hard feelings or any bad blood inside the team, we just drove ourselves into a situation we couldn’t get out of and something had to change,” suNny said in a statement for mousesports.
“It was the most successful run for all of us and I hope that this will change the careers of all of us for the better. Thank you guys for everything. Looking forward to a new and fresh chapter now, where we can be consistent contenders for titles again.”
The move may come as a shock for chrisJ, who was one of the more consistent players of the team, and has been in the organisation since 2013. As for Styko, he again saw himself at the end of the firing line after he had already been replaced and brought back late last year.
The move also sees the departure of coach Imbt who had been in the organisation for the past 2 and a half years. The focus will now be on finding the new players and support staff to assist the core of suNny, oskar and ropz.
Under the leader of Chris, Mouz had rebuilt following the departure of star player niko and became a consistent top 5 team, winning the ESL One New York and StarLadder i-League Season 4 among numerous other top 4 standings. The move certainly reinforces the fact that nothing at all is permanent in CSGO.
Mumbai, India: A nineteen-year-old boy committed suicide after he was refused a new phone. The PUBG enthusiast had argument with his family members. According to the local police, Nadeem Sheikh, worked as a sales executive at a company and lived with his wife, a kid, brother, and mother.
The argument was reportedly over a phone priced at INR 37,000. The elder brother of Nadeem had offered him INR 20,000 after much argument. After the argument, close to 02:00 AM the family went to sleep, leaving Nadeem playing games on his phone. The brother got up at 04:00 AM to go to washroom to find Nadeem’s body hung at the ceiling.
Police has registered an accidental death case and the investigation is on.
