@HANCXCK genuinely wish I had thought of this

As a tourist in both games It's insane how hard CS2's competitive scene absolutely mogs Valorant it's not even close

RT @Dexerto: A man who goes by The Ringler bought a Steam Deck using only Steam trading cards He had to sell over 20,000 cards to buy it,…

I agree that it's overblown and that it's incredibly difficult to make something previously free a paid product. However, them hiding the change initially was a huge miss. Also, the fact that they've kept the changes they made to offset free chests while now making chests no longer free is a valid criticism. Much of this could have been avoided by being upfront about the issue, the way Riot handled it makes it feel underhanded and I don't know if there's a way to fix that sentiment.

Here's the full article for context While I wish things had gone different up until this point, I still stand by what I wrote. Smite 2 is worth believing in.

RT @Dexerto: LoL pro player ‘Ucal’ fell out of his chair on stage after his penta was stolen

Let's talk a little about Smite. Yes, this is going to be long. Those of you who are here from my work in esports won't know about how pivotal this game was to the path I walk in life today. With how troubled my childhood wound up being for a variety of reasons, Smite was pretty much it for me as far as social outlets go. I played for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. For years, I lived and breathed Smite. It took a while, but I got good. Very good. From being one of the game's biggest streamers for a while to queuing with a pro player regularly (<3 you DaretoCare), I put all the effort I had into being a part of this wonderful, tight-knit community. That once a year SWC was what I had to look forward to. Seeing my real friends, the people who I felt most at home with. Meeting up with the game's best pros and content creators who, for some reason I can't fathom to this day, knew me and wanted me around. A lot of the people who worked on Smite saw me grow up. There are devs and pros who, even after me disappearing for several years, were still happy to see me when I came to the very last SWC in 2024 to try out Smite 2. People who couldn't believe what I was doing now, that I managed to find a path into the games industry where I was there not as a fan, but as a professional. Some of those players were people who I talked into letting me interview them as part of my very first job in esports. And the rest is history. The doom queuing Smite for years to hanging out with Faker pipeline has been one hell of a journey. While I have choice words about choice people who run the show at Hi-Rez, I also have immense respect for the devs past and present who have worked to create the game that changed my life. A certain dev I won't name for the sake of not getting them in trouble even gave me a Smite 2 dev team shirt when I was there. Because they thought I deserved it. I still have a lot of unpublished content from my visit to the last SWC. Unfortunately, with how many responsibilities I have in my current role at Dex, sitting down to work on something substantial is a luxury, especially considering that Smite is a relatively niche game. However, I'm now motivated to find the time to publish some of this stuff somewhere, anywhere I can. A long and tearful conversation with Thom, a.k.a. F., about his good friend John Finch, someone who deserves to be remembered. A drunk 3 a.m. interview with Zapman the night he got eliminated, a conversation where we talked about Allied. David 'Allied' Hance was a man whose kindness and positive outlook completely changed the way I viewed the world. And also a man who, like John, was taken from us too soon. Talking with a nervous PolarBearMike right before his last Smite 1 pro match ever, where he cemented himself as one of the greatest pro players of all time. All of this to say that, while the news is heartbreaking, that it's good to remember things fondly. Don't be sad it's over, be glad it happened. And, whether you choose to support Smite 2 or not, don't let that memory die.

writing about this physically hurt

As someone who wouldn't have a career if it wasn't for Smite, seeing everything on the TL rn is tough Wishing everyone the best Hopefully at a company with better management

Up to late night big backtivities

I say this with due respect to Arnold and Gen.G's wonderful efforts in the space This is possibly the worst announcement video I've ever seen and should be condemned AI is no replacement for the incredible people looking for work in production rn

HiRez staring down their fairly successful Vegas LAN before deciding to erase their entire esports department

@JakeSucky I feel you

Accidentally found something insane looking through job listings An ARPG in the LoL universe would be so sick

Hey, not bad

@driftymims @HyperionPrince Yeah I think the handling of their slot in the LCS and the fact that it seemed so likely at first they'd be leaving the league 100% is one of the biggest PR fumbles in LoL history Everyone came away from their announcement confused

I do honestly hope this whole "provisional guest slot" thing gives them a path to staying in the league. 100 Thieves spent years building up Sniper as a talent and are actually trying to build a brand around their KR import players rather than viewing them as a quick way to get championships. They're doing things right.

@Landon_D_ brother how do you just turn GoDing characters into a side quest