Keep up with the top gaming news from March 11-15, 2024. Below are the newest game launches and major events shaping the gaming industry.
Riot Games Unveils Plan for LoL Esports
Riot Games recently shared an update on its strategic vision for esports, particularly focusing on League of Legends (LoL) Esports. Since launching LoL Esports 14 years ago, Riot has witnessed remarkable growth in the sector. This led to the introduction of a second major esport, the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT). With this experience, Riot has gained insights into the dynamics of successful and sustainable esports operations.
Acknowledging the rapid evolution within the esports landscape, Riot Games has announced a shift in its business model for professional teams in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). This new model aims to offer more stable revenues for teams. It leverages in-game digital items to connect fans’ support directly to the esports ecosystem.
Riot’s new partnership model with team partners is similar to the implementation in the VCT. It promises fixed stipends and shared revenues from digital content sales, moving away from reliance on sponsorship sales. This model aims to reward teams for competitive performance and fan engagement.
PS5’s Update: Superior Sound, Sharper Communication, and More
The PlayStation 5 is receiving a significant update that promises to elevate the gaming experience. After a beta phase last month, this comprehensive update is now available to all PS5 users.
A standout improvement is to the PS5’s DualSense controller, which now boasts a higher volume output from its built-in speakers. This allows gamers to experience in-game sounds and voice chat with greater clarity. Additionally, noise cancellation on the controller’s microphone has been notably enhanced. Using a new AI-driven machine learning model, the mic effectively suppresses background noise.
The update also introduces new functionalities to the Share Screen feature. Players can now interact dynamically with shared screens by moving a pointer, sending pings, drawing lines to highlight objects or guide gameplay, and expressing themselves with emoji-based reactions. These interactive features will be integrated into the PS App later this month.
Furthermore, PS5 users can now customize the brightness of the console’s power indicator light for a more personalized setup. This adjustment can be easily made through the Settings menu under Beep and Light options.
Discord Unveils SDK: Invites Devs To Make Games Playable In Its App
Discord invites developers to create games that are playable directly on its platform. With the upcoming release of the Embedded App Software Development Kit (SDK) on March 18, 2024, developers will be equipped to integrate games seamlessly into Discord. This move follows the introduction of Activities in 2022, Discord’s initial foray into integrating watch-together tools and simple games for voice calls.
Activities originally featured a collection of basic games developed by Discord’s team exclusively for Discord Nitro subscribers. The platform later expanded access to all users, adding third-party games like Gartic Phone and Colonist, similar to Catan. The new SDK aims to broaden this library further by enabling developers to embed their games directly within an iframe in Discord.
Discord’s strategy doesn’t stop at offering new gaming experiences. The platform also plans to introduce discovery and monetization tools, making it an attractive venue for developers to showcase their games. In a push to encourage innovative game development on Discord, the company announced a funding initiative for the most compelling app pitches focused on Activities. Developers can secure up to $30,000 in development funding, with the community voting for their favorite prototypes starting June 27. Submission for pitches is open until May 1, marking an exciting opportunity for creators to contribute to Discord’s evolving ecosystem.
Genshin Impact and Discovery Channel Unite Against Climate Change
Genshin Impact is joining forces with the Discovery Channel in an unprecedented partnership to raise awareness about the pressing issue of climate change. The Teyvat Nature Discovery Tour campaign is a multi-faceted initiative featuring a mini-documentary voiced by celebrities, including Kit Harington of “Game of Thrones” fame.
The Teyvat Nature Discovery Tour encompasses an online event in Genshin Impact and offline benefit sales around the globe from March 15 to April 13. These events educate players and fans about the importance of preserving natural habitats. All proceeds go to Cool Earth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rainforest conservation.
The initiative also includes an educational web event, “Discover Traces, Explore Nature,” launching on March 16. This event will allow players to engage with educational challenges, win in-game rewards, and claim an exclusive furnishing for their Serenitea Pot. Five characters from Genshin Impact will guide players through various habitats within the game, mirroring real-world environments threatened by climate change.
Offline benefit sales are scheduled in France, Germany, Italy, Korea, and the UK, offering fans the chance to purchase Genshin Impact merchandise. This charitable effort emphasizes the gaming community’s role in supporting environmental conservation and showcases video games’ potential as platforms for raising awareness on critical global issues.
Missed out on last week’s Gaming updates?
That’s all the most exciting gaming news from March 11-15, 2024! Missed the gaming news last December? Click here for the gaming updates from March 4-8, 2024, 2023.
