Latest news with #Counter-Strike2
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Here's why Roblox's Garden Game just went mega viral and became bigger than counter-strike
What do carrots, a 16-year-old coder, and a casual game have in common? Apparently, a ticket to Roblox superstardom. Grow a Garden, the unexpectedly addictive farming simulator, is now dominating Roblox's charts, and not just by a little. It is outgrowing some of the biggest games on the planet. A simple idea that blew up If you log into Roblox today, chances are more than 2 million players are already watering their pixelated blueberries. Last weekend alone, Grow a Garden hit an eye-watering 8.8 million concurrent players, leaving even the likes of Counter-Strike 2 (1.86M) and PUBG (3.25M at its peak) looking like modest backyard operations. All this started when a 16-year-old developer released Grow a Garden on March 25, 2025. The game has since racked up over 3.4 billion visits. What is wild is that it is not even a flashy battle royale or anime crossover. It is just farming. And yet… it works. Gameplay: Just dirt, seeds, and a dream In Grow a Garden, each player gets a humble patch of land and 20 Sheckles (yes, that is the currency) to buy seeds, think carrots and basic crops. But as gardens blossom, so does the gameplay. Sell produce, earn more Sheckles, unlock cooler crops like mangoes, grapes, and even orange tulips. Your garden grows even when you are offline, so the progress is tangible, and endlessly satisfying. It is farming, but make it aesthetic, social, and subtly strategic. And unlike most Roblox hits, it is not trying to be an anime fighter or combat sim, it is softcore wholesome, and Gen Alpha is clearly obsessed. Behind the scenes: From teen project to Roblox royalty While the game's original creator is still involved, the meteoric rise caught the attention of DoBig Studios and Jandel's Splitting Point, major players in the Roblox scene. Janzen Madsen of Splitting Point said they noticed the game when it had just 2,000 concurrent users, and helped scale it with a proper live-ops strategy and regular updates. The rest, as they say, is garden-fuelled history. As it climbs closer to Fortnite-level numbers (15.3M peak), Grow a Garden is proof that Roblox is not just a platform, it is a global gaming force.
Engadget
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Valorant is finally adding replays and upgrading to Unreal Engine 5
The hugely popular first-person shooter game Valorant is getting some long-awaited upgrades as the game approaches its 5-year anniversary. In the latest dev update , the Valorant team announced the long-anticipated replay feature. They'll function about the same as replays in other online shooters like Counter-Strike 2, allowing players to revisit their previous matches and watch them from the perspective of any player in the game or from a free-roaming camera. Replays will initially launch on PC with patch 11.06 in September and will come to consoles later in the year. After initially developing and updating the game in Unreal Engine 4 for more than ten years, the dev team announced a port to Unreal Engine 5 with patch 11.02 around the end of July. The Valorant devs say this will bring higher frame rates and faster future patch downloads without changing the current gameplay feel. In their video update , the team teased that moving to Unreal 5 will enable a whole host of possibilities in the future. Competitive players will take particular note of new anti-smurfing initiatives. Smurfing is the practice of higher-ranked players using lower-ranked accounts to gain a competitive advantage by playing against players far below their skill level. In an attempt to further curb this behavior, Valorant will be asking suspicious accounts to complete multi-factor authentication and is exploring requiring it on all competitive accounts. These guardrails will launch later this year with more details to come. Additionally, users who wish to report other players for smurfing can now select a specific "Rank/Matchmaking Abuse" category to help the better identify those accounts. The update also showcased some gameplay balancing measures involving character abilities, teased a new competitive map and highlighted the team's vision for the future of Valorant in esports.
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Elden Ring Nightreign is From's worst-rated game in years
FromSoftware's multiplayer Elden Ring spin-off has hit over 300,000 players on Steam, but it's proving a divisive experience. Elden Ring Nightreign launched today around the world and while it doesn't necessarily play to developer FromSoftware's strengths, it has had a strong start on Steam (its success on consoles is much harder to track). As recorded on SteamDB, the co-op multiplayer spin-off has hit a concurrent player peak of 313,593 within its first day on Steam. This is significantly lower than Elden Ring's overall peak of 953,426 players, but it's pretty good for a lower profile and lower budget game. At the time of writing, Elden Ring Nightreign is the fifth most played game on the platform, behind Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG, and er… Bongo Cat. However, not everyone is happy with the experience so far, and it's already become FromSoftware's lowest rated title on Steam. As of May 30, Elden Ring Nightreign has a 'mixed' rating on Steam, with only 66% of 9,000+ reviews being positive. This is technically the lowest of all FromSoftware's available PC games (if we aren't counting the delisted Ninja Blade), although technically DLC The Ashes Of Ariandel for Dark Souls 3 is lower at 59% rating. Many of the negative reviews for Elden Ring Nightreign have highlighted the lack of voice chat, the absence of duos mode, and the minimal variety during runs as particular sore points. 'I hate to say it, but I think we've finally see a bit of a miss from FromSoftware,' one user review reads. 'One that I think is still salvageable, and really could be turned into a much more interesting game – but as it is right now, it's got a bit more bad than good going for it.' However, some are seeing the positives even if they do come with caveats. 'Super fun game,' another review reads. 'Your enjoyment will most likely be based on your teammates and how good your communication is.' In terms of critical response, Nightreign is currently at 77 on Metacritic, which isn't a disaster but is well below that of any of From's other major titles, since they hit the big time with Dark Souls in 2011. The only games to score lower are experimental VR title Déraciné and a suite of mech games, including Armored Core 5, in 2012. More Trending Speaking in an interview with IGN earlier this month, the director behind Elden Ring Nightreign, Junya Ishizaki, said they are considering adding a two-player mode post-launch, so there's a chance some of these issues could be fixed further down the line. The big question is whether Elden Ring Nightreign will attract a dedicated player base in the coming months to make these updates worthwhile, or if it's simply riding the popularity of Elden Ring. This multiplayer experiment, which many suspect started life as Elden Ring DLC, is perhaps also a test for FromSoftware's next multiplayer offering: The Duskbloods. The PvPvE game is set to be released next year as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Hell Is Us hands-on preview: 'AAA games are so bloody bland' MORE: Cyberpunk 2 release date narrowed down as production ramps up MORE: Xbox handheld delayed claims report as Microsoft refocuses on Windows
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
RIT introduces esports scholarships for the world's best video gamers
New esports scholarships will recognize RIT students for their competitive video gaming skills and dedication to representing the university at the highest level. ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Rochester Institute of Technology is launching its first esports scholarships. The scholarships recognize students for their competitive video gaming skills and dedication to representing the university at the highest level. Since forming in 2016, RIT Esports has become one of the largest and best collegiate esports programs in the world. Starting in fall 2025, RIT will offer 20 scholarships for new students—providing $2,000 each year. The university will also offer performance-based scholarships for select current students. As the esports industry has grown—with millions of viewers and billions of dollars in revenue—more than 200 colleges have formed esports teams. Several have begun offering scholarships. RIT is not only offering scholarships for competitive student-athletes. RIT scholarships are also available to students with the skills to run esports operations teams. RIT's seven student-led support teams help run everything from designing the jerseys to running events to broadcasting live-streamed matches. "We want to attract and support these high-caliber esports students, who are hyper-intelligent and driven to succeed in all aspects of life," said Chad Weeden, director of esports and cybersecurity range at RIT. "Frankly, it's also fun to win national championships." RIT Esports has brought home 18 national championships, and students have won more than $100,000 in prizes. RIT Esports currently competes in 23 games, including Rocket League, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Overwatch. With more than 200 competitive players and around 2,600 community members, RIT Esports is bigger than many college athletics programs. RIT Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Prabu David has been a big supporter of RIT Esports. He helped to make the new scholarships happen. "These esports scholarships recognize our talented student-athletes who use their technical expertise to perform at the highest level," said David. David also noted that RIT is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 game design schools, according to international rankings from The Princeton Review. "Esports at RIT is also a community builder, bringing together students from different majors and backgrounds, including our students who are deaf and hard of hearing," said David. "We realize that esports is male-dominated and one of the goals of this scholarship opportunity is for RIT to be a leader in showcasing the talents of women in esports." Ben Feldstein, a fourth-year management information systems major and vice president of RIT Esports, worked with the provost to develop the new esports scholarships. Feldstein has also won two national championships as part of RIT's Counter-Strike 2 team. "It's like any other profession or skill, like traditional sports or playing musical instruments," said Feldstein, who is from Manhattan, N.Y. "There are so many young people who put their blood, sweat, tears, and love into honing their skills to play these titles." Feldstein continued. "I think these scholarships are going to help set up students for success after school—whether they make it to the pros or not. We're proving to everyone that we have great students here and they dream big." Apply for the RIT esports scholarship on the RIT website. Media Contact Scott Bureau, RIT, 585-475-2481, sbbcom@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE RIT Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
AsiaOne
15-05-2025
- Sport
- AsiaOne
World's best Dota 2 teams to compete for $1m prize pool in Singapore in November, Digital News
Singapore has been making a name for itself in the world of esports by hosting both Dota 2's The International 2022 and Blast Premier World Final 2024 for Counter-Strike 2. This year, the Republic is hosting another major event with Blast Dota Slam Singapore from Nov 4 to Nov 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Dota Slam, supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), will see top Dota 2 teams from across the globe vying for a $1 million prize pool. The tournament will also be livestreamed across over 50 territories and in 12 languages, according to the Denmark-based esports production company Blast. The participating teams are yet to be confirmed. STB director of sports Lilian Chee also stated that Singapore is "delighted to welcome Blast back to Singapore" with the Dota Slam. "This event further reinforces Singapore's reputation as a world-class destination for sports and live entertainment. "We look forward to welcoming the passionate fans, players and partners once again to our vibrant city," she said. Blast market development director James Woolard recalled that Singapore delivered "one of the most passionate esports crowds" that they have ever seen during the Blast Premier World Final 2024 for Counter-Strike 2. "We're thrilled to be returning with our next major arena show — this time for Dota 2 — and to once again partner with STB and AEG Presents Asia to help to further grow Southeast Asia's esports ecosystem," he said. "The response to our events in Singapore has been incredible, and this November's Dota Slam promises to be another landmark moment for fans and for the region." Fans can sign up at to receive ticketing updates and pre-sale access for Blast Dota Slam Singapore. [[nid:707867]] khooyihang@
