Saudi Arabia To Host First Olympic Esports Games

On the 14th of June, 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its proposal for an Olympic Esports Games, and that further news would follow. We now know that the IOC has not only secured its first host and partner for the event but that the first-ever Olympic Esports Games will begin in 2025.

The Games will be hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thanks to a 12-year deal between the IOC and the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia. This means that any Olympic Esports Games will be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the next 12 years. It is unknown how often the Games will be held or whether they will follow the Olympic tradition of hosting an event every four years.

In response to the announcement, the President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, said:

“As a ‘first’ ever Esports Olympic Games, obviously there is still much to consider and plan with the IOC, but we are committed to hosting a special event that respects and celebrates the Olympic values while boldly seizing the momentum to drive esports forward with the international platform the sport and its athletes deserve. The world will have an open invitation to join us in 2025 and celebrate this moment together.”

Related: Competitive Pokemon Deserves More Recognition as an Esport

What Games Will Be Played at the Olympic Esports Games?

It is currently unknown exactly what games players will compete in at the Olympic Esports Games. The only information on that front comes from a quote from Thomas Bach, the IOC president:

“By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports.”

How this will relate to the games that will be on the Olympic Esports Games programme is unclear. The implication is that any game that does not represent Olympic values will be unable to appear at the Olympic Esports Games. The IOC defines the Olympic values as “excellence, respect, and friendship,” so it will have to be seen which titles (specifically more violent esports titles) are deemed to meet these values.

Many of Genshin Impact‘s Natlan characters appear to be based on real cultural deities, with the new content especially borrowing liberally from Latin American and African cultures. As Rodríguez points out, the character Ororon seems to reference the supreme Yoruba deity Ọlọrun, though you’d never be able to tell with Ororon’s light skin and attire. Similarly, the Pyro Archon Mavuika correlates to the  Māori fire deity Mahuika, and Kinich is likely based on Kinich Ahau, the Yucatec name of the Maya sun god.

In total, 11 characters have been shown as part of the Natlan content, all of which have some sort of tie to real Indigenous cultures, and all of which have two things in common: a severe lack of melanin and seemingly little to do with their associated representations. Rodríguez, along with many Genshin Impact fans, are calling the depictions disrespectful and want developer MiHoYo to do their due diligence and show better appreciation when pulling from real-world influences.

Or, at the very least, darken the skin tone for some proper BIPOC representation. Fans elsewhere have taken to TikTok to share videos of themselves coloring over the new Natlan characters to add a touch of melanin. And over on the Genshin Impact subreddit, more than a few folks seem tired and resigned to the fact that MiHoYo seems to be reluctant to include “non-white” characters in the game, with one user (ValiantNaberius) saying, “I mean, I’ve seen the whitest valley girls come back from vacation with more of a tan than even our desert cast.”

Frankly, fans have every right to be upset here. Genshin Impact boasts a staggering 88 unlockable characters, and as far as I can tell, you can count on one hand how many have even slightly darker skin than their pale-washed compatriots. If MiHoYo is going to borrow from real cultures, they should at least acknowledge as such with the proper contexts and the respect they deserve.

We still don’t know much about Genshin Impact‘s Natlan content or how its characters will play into its story and world. But as Rodríguez says, “It’s 2024. We can all do better.”

The Captain America: Brave New World trailer focuses on the dynamic between Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross. It even pulls an Iron Man 2 and addresses the fact that Ross looks different. Between all the quips, though, the first look showcases how the new Captain America is still trying to find his place in the world following the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Standing in his way will be Giancarlo Esposito’s mystery villain, who pops up a couple times in the trailer, and The Leader, who was notably abscent from the first look outside of a line of dialogue and a brief shot from behind. His prescence is still felt, however, as the tag shows off the Red Hulk. Of course, in the comics, Ross turns himself into a giant monster to battle Bruce Banner, but this time around, he’s taking on Captain America for unknown reasons.

Related: Can You Buy Deadpool 3’s Necklace in Real Life?

Fighting a Hulk is no easy feat, but Captain America will have help in the form of the new Falcon, Joaquín Torres, played by Danny Ramirez, and Isaiah Bradley, played by Carl Lumbly. However, it doesn’t appear Bucky will be by Sam’s side this time around, as he’ll be busy with the Thunderbolts.

With Deadpool & Wolverine hitting theaters this month, it’s going to be a long wait before the next Marvel Studios movie, as Brave New World isn’t releasing until February 14, 2025. However, that’s probably for the best, given the MCU’s recent track record. The powers that be need all the time they can get to get things right.

A lot of gamers have already pre-ordered the game because they want to take advanatge of the early access period, but others will wait to avoid hurting their wallets. Well, QVC is here to help those on the fence, offering a very good deal for College Football 25.

Heading to the QVC website will reveal an offer for $30 off of a customer’s first purchase over $60. So, while veteran QVC shoppers will be ineligible, newcomers have the perfect item to use it on. College Football 25 for both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 are available on the site, and after entering the promo code HELLO30 at checkout, it will be under $50 total with shipping.

Related: All Legends & Alumni in College Football 25 Ultimate Team (CUT)

Now, it’s important to note that the QVC website says that the item will not ship until July 19, which is the game’s release date. That means there will be a brief waiting period while the game is in transit. However, with a discount this large, a few days or even a week isn’t a big deal. It just means there’s more time to say goodbye to NCAA Football 14 before the new game arrives.

With Dynasty Mode returning and the debut of the brand-new College Ultimate Team, College Football 25 has something for everyone. But just because the game is in demand doesn’t mean people should sleep on a deal this good.

EA Sports College Football 25 releases on July 19, 2024, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Exploring the depths of a procedurally generated planet with your buddies has never felt better than it does in DRG, and we all know that a quick stop at The Abyss is in order after a successful dig. Dwarves tossing around some “rock and stone” after tossing back a few ales and dancing the night away is always on the menu, and we may finally have an official theme song for our upcoming adventures.

Powerful riffs, booming bass, and thunderous drums roar from Wind Rose in the single “Rock And Stone,” lovingly named after the iconic phrase uttered from the mouth of the dwarves in Deep Rock Galactic. Whether you’re giving a Rock and Stone after a successful dig, or use it as a rallying cry to let your friends know that you’re not giving up in the face of adversity, it’s a powerful phrase for players to hear. Something that Wind Rose completely understood when undertaking this rather mammoth task.

If you’re familiar with the source material, “Rock and Stone” does a phenomenal job of bringing this Deep Rock Galactic collaboration to life. Even if you’re not a Deep Rock devotee just yet, this may be the final push that you need to take to the caves of Hoxxes IV. If you’re hoping to check out the video and the song for yourself, you’ll find the full music video below:

I think the best part of this whole track is that it isn’t as cringy as one may expect. When I think of people creating music based on video games, my mind can’t help but think of the admittedly meme-worthy Minecraft videos from yesteryear, but I can’t deny — I would happily blare this while driving down the freeway without a care in the world. I really hope this shows up in the in-game jukebox in a future update. FOR KARL!

Destiny 2 Titan Buffs Announced

During the livestream, the developers announced two buffs for Titans. The first is an increase to the damage of the Solar super ability Hammer of Sol. The second is an increase to the damage and range of the new Void super ability, Twilight Arsenal. It’s worth noting that, despite complaints regarding to viability of Prismatic Titan, these buffs are not aimed at the new subclass in particular. In fact, Hammer of Sol isn’t currently available for Prismatic Titans to use. The developers also stated that they are looking at the class closely for potential future changes.

Why are Titans Controversial in Destiny 2?

Many players have felt that Destiny 2‘s Titan class has fallen behind in power in comparison to Warlocks and Hunters. With the release of The Final Shape, all classes received new Super abilities and the Prismatic subclass. The main complaint is that the new content for Titans isn’t as strong or as varied as Hunter and Warlock, with many arguing that Titans are limited to melee builds. Similarly, the strongest new exotic weapons and armor, like the must-have Still Hunt, have benefitted Hunters and Warlocks more than Titans.

This power disparity was most clearly seen in the Salvation’s Edge World’s First Race. Reddit user Selpix_ noted that of the first 50 teams to beat the Raid, only three players played Titan. That’s three out of three hundred, or one Titan per one hundred players. This pretty clearly demonstrates that, at least for the hardest Destiny 2 content, the Titan class currently lacks power and utility that the other classes have.

According to reports, it has now been confirmed that the Shinjuku Showdown arc, which has been unfolding in the manga for months now, will be the final story told in Jujutsu Kaisen. This was unveiled in a Q&A with Akutami where he heavily indicated this would be the closing saga.

The good news for fans is that this doesn’t mean that the manga is going to end anytime soon. It’s always possible that this overarching story could be extended with the addition of new sub-stories within the arc, including the merger we’re all expecting to happen in the coming months.

It is also possible that translation issues could be misinterpreting the meaning of Akutami’s words, but in this situation, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Shinjuku Showdown has always felt like a natural endpoint for the series, especially with the major developments and character deaths that have happened along the way. If you’re up-to-date reading the manga then you’ve probably already felt that “final fight” feeling that has been unfolding in recent chapters.

Those who are anime-only fans can rest assured knowing there is still quite a lot of content to adapt, so even if the Shinjuku Showdown does wind up being the final arc in Jujutsu Kaisen, there will still be multiple new seasons on the way.

Without a doubt, there will be a changing of the guard within Weekly Shonen Jump coming soon with My Hero Academia ending in just a few weeks, and Jujutsu Kaisen seemingly in its endgame. So expect the next generation of Shonen to rise up in the coming years.

If you’re interested in catching up on the manga and enjoying the Shinjuku Showdown as it unfolds then you can binge through every chapter so far with a membership to Viz Media. If you’re just after the latest chapters you can read them for free.

The response comes from a line that dropped in the first trailer released for the upcoming film in which Reynolds, as Deadpool/Wade Wilson, insists that the only line Feige said the film couldn’t cross was drug use, specifically cocaine. That, however, was evidently just a punchline. In a Variety piece about the new film – which features Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy – Feige was asked about restrictions Disney or he may have put on the film, and the head honcho of all Marvel films said there were none.

“We were open to anything,” Feige explained. “Maybe I’m slightly prudish when it comes to drug use, but I was like, ‘Eh, it’s not that funny.'”

Related: Can You Buy Deadpool 3’s Necklace in Real Life?

“There’s a line in the red-band trailer — you don’t have to write this in the article, for crying out loud! — about pegging,” Feige went on, providing an example of how new R-ratings and Deadpool are to the MCU. “I know what pegging is — it’s in the first Deadpool movie. But there were people I work with who didn’t know what it was. I had to explain it to them.” 

Obviously, there hasn’t been anything like Deadpool in the MCU. Yes, She-Hulk broke the fourth wall in a major way, but that was all pretty tame humor. Deadpool & Wolverine is a whole different beast, and it’s clear that the film is pulling no punches. Heck, even the interview that these comments are from features teabagging, cursing, and enough potty humor to warrant a parental advisory.

Deadpool & Wolverine will be in theaters on July 26.

The website Video Games Chronicle recently reported on this news. There is a new YouTube video from Xbox titled “No Xbox? Have no fear with Amazon Fire TV Stick” that showcases its new partnership with Amazon:

The whole ad has a creepy, stalker-like vibe like the Scream franchise, with a scary voice telling a woman, “You don’t need Xbox to play Xbox,” in a condescending tone. It is not the way I would try to sell my product, but hey, I am not a marketing executive. There are also silhouettes of who appear to be Raz, the Doom Slayer, and Vault Boy, bringing to mind the vast IP Microsoft spent billions of dollars to acquire. At least the commercial mentions Halo.

As the advert makes clear, gamers can now stream Xbox games from their Amazon Fire TV Stick devices. All that is needed is to install and launch the Xbox app from their Fire TV device, sign in with a Microsoft account, sign up for Game Pass Ultimate, and connect a controller to play.

Related: All Xbox Game Pass Changes, Explained

Xbox head Phil Spencer talked about the benefits of streaming back in 2021, saying, “The cloud will allow us to completely remove these barriers to play worldwide. Of course, there’s still a place for consoles and PCs and frankly, there always will be, but through the cloud, we will be able to deliver a robust gaming experience to anyone connected to the internet, even on the least powerful, least expensive devices, devices people already own.”

It’s certainly a bold strategy to tell users they don’t need to buy an Xbox anymore to experience its library. Also, it may be dangerous to place a lot of your trust into the cloud, seeing as how streaming can be spotty in certain parts of the world. We will see what the future holds and if Microsoft’s strategy pays off, but for me, give me a physical disc or download over streaming any day of the week.

The Once Human’s Terms of Service Controversy Explained

As of the time of this writing, Once Human is currently sitting at a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam with just under 5,000 reviews. Many players have mentioned concerns over the game’s terms of service. To be fair, there are some interesting items that NetEase will have access to, including:

• First and Last Name
• Title
• Prefix
• Email Address
• Telephone Number
• Messaging Accounts
• Postal Address
• Date of Birth
• Age
• Gender
• Country/Region
• Government-issued ID (Passport, etc)
• Debit or Credit Card Details
• Account Details
• Billing Address

Related: How to Redeem Rewards in Once Human

Much of this information is par for the course, including credit card details when microtransactions are in the picture. But players have highlighted an issue with Starry Studio accessing government-issued IDs. There are a few reasons in particular that they could use an ID—let’s say, for age verification purposes—but players are seemingly not happy about that.

While the terms of service are huge in many games, it seems that Once Human has struck a chord, especially considering the need for things such as ID and even nicknames on social media.

NetEase Responds to Concerns

If you’re interested in seeing what NetEase had to say about the terms of service controversy, you can find their full Discord message below:

“We wanted to take a few moments to discuss data privacy.

NetEase takes our users’ data privacy very seriously and adheres to the data privacy principles such as data minimization, purpose limitation, and transparency.

For example, we would only collect government-issued IDs for the following reasons: where the local laws require us to do so (such as for a specific promotion), when the identity of a user’s parent must be verified to obtain consent for their child (if required by applicable child protection laws), or when the user wishes to correct their age information (again, if such verification is required by law). In any case, the ID information is deleted immediately after we have fulfilled the purpose for collecting the ID information in the first place.

Similarly, we may ask our users for additional information such as social media account usernames, names, and address in user surveys that users voluntarily participate in. Users are free to provide as much or as little information in these user surveys, if they choose to respond to the survey at all.

In the spirit of transparency, we have indeed included the type of information that we may collect (which may not be the case if the users aren’t accessing the specific functionality), the purpose for which we collect the data, and how we process the data in our privacy policy. Our privacy policy also clearly states how you can exercise your rights to manage your personal information by contacting our in-game customer services. We have recently revised our privacy policy with the aim to improve clarity and transparency, which will be published soon.

We have heard your concerns and will continue to improve on how we describe our data privacy practices. If you have any specific questions or concerns after your review of our privacy policy, then please feel free to contact us.”

Likewise, Once Human has stated in their terms and conditions that this is in compliance with the Know Your Customer and age verification requirements for the online gaming sector, as instituted by the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. With that being said, it’s well worth reading the terms of service yourself.

Is Once Human Stealing Your Information?

Now, one thing to consider about NetEase is that Once Human complies with Chinese laws. As per AP News, children are only allowed 1 hour of online play per day, which could be part of this verification process. And looking through the Steam forums for Once Human brings up talks of the CCP and your information being given to them, or that the game is being used as a Crypto-mining scheme that is running multiple programs in the background while you’re playing the game.

There are no verified instances of Crypto-mining or any sort of issues regarding the ID systems, for what it’s worth. Once Human is a fantastic free-to-play experience, but you’ll have to use your own judgement when it comes to deciding to play or not.

Once Human is available to play now.

With four different editions to choose from, players will have a different cover athlete gracing them, with Jayson Tatum on the standard, A’ja Wilson on the WNBA Edition, the dynamic duo on the All-Star Edition, and eight-time All-Star Vince Carter on the Hall of Fame Edition. There’s even more exciting news to share — we’ve got a first look at some of these athletes in-game to share with you.

Alongside the reveal of the cover, 2K Sports has sent a first look at Jayson, A’ja & Vince in-game for a first look at NBA 2K25. While the NBA 2K franchise has always led the world of sports video games with its graphical fidelity, this year looks to push them further than ever. It’s somewhat uncanny how realistic these characters look now.

Related: When is NBA 2K25 Coming Out?

As per the official press release for NBA 2K25, fans playing on PC can rejoice; visual fidelity, content, and settings will be on par with the Xbox Series & PlayStation 5 versions of the game. You can read the official statement below:

• For the first time in the series, NBA 2K25 introduces mode parity between PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with the exception of Crossplay support. Players on PC with compatible specs will now benefit from the enhanced realism of ProPLAY^TM technology, and the ability to compete in modes such as MyNBA, The W, and in The City. Crossplay will only be available on New-Gen consoles.
• With NBA 2K25, players will forge a dynasty in MyCAREER, compete in new MyTEAM modes, and, for those on New-Gen platforms, players will also experience an added sixth era in MyNBA, a more compact and interactive City, along with the chance to cement their G.O.A.T. status in The W. 
• In addition to new updates in MyCAREER and MyTEAM, players on Current-Gen will experience an all-new Neighborhood metropolis to explore where they will complete quests, earn rewards, and eclipse their rivals

It’s about time that PC players could look forward to the latest and greatest version of their favorite sports game, and it seems that NBA 2K25 is shaping up to be the best installment yet.

NBA 2K25 will be released in 2024.

The character portrayals in the first season already sparked a little bit of controversy from fans, especially since Ramsey wasn’t exactly what most fans had in mind for Ellie, and it looks like that trend will continue with season 2. For starters, there are already comments that Ellie’s new arm tattoo placement isn’t accurate to the game, and neither is her bob and tied back hair.

While I’m not exactly particular about the look of the character — it’s near impossible to make a real-life actor look exactly like a video game character after all — I’ll admit the tattoo placement is a little jarring. It’s important to remember that the reason why Ellie got a huge arm tattoo in the first place (aside from looking badass as hell) is that she needed to cover up the bite mark on her arm.

While Joel and Tommy are already aware of her immunity to the cordyceps virus, no one else is, and it’s important to get that plot device right at least.

Still, it’s exciting to see the actors back on set for season 2, especially since The Last of Us Part II takes the story in some pretty fun (and very controversial) directions going forward. We already relived the whole “Was Joel wrong?” discourse with the season 1 finale, and I’m especially looking forward to the dumpster fire that will surely be the season 2 (or 3) finale discourse.

HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 doesn’t have a release date just yet, but be sure to keep it locked to The Escapist for more information and updates on the show, including my diss on the adaptation after having watched Fallout.