The two (former) professionals are Olzhas “Naiman” Batyrbekov and Dan “Alchemixt” Walton. The two lesser known players were only identified by their gamertags, XzaM and Damnery. While Blizzard has banned players for offenses like botting and win trading in the past, this is the first time they have publicly named the players. It seems like they’re stepping up their efforts to clean up the professional scene as Blizzcon gets clo

We’ll be interested to see if Wales Interactive releases the game during the fall, when we expect many major titles to launch, or if the developer will opt for a release date when things are a little quie

Broken Age Act 2 will be released in the U.S. on April 28, 2015, and April 29 in Europe. According to developer Double Fine Productions, Act 2 will be free to any PC gamers who already own Act 1 . For those looking to purchase both acts, the game will be available as a single purchase for $24.99. The full game will also be available soon for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation V

Dota 2 is by far one of the most popular games to both play and watch. The game has a constant and high following on services like Twitch and YouTube , and has seen impressive attendance at past tournaments. Tickets for the upcoming Dota 2 tournament went on sale this week, but weren’t available long. In fact, despite the $99 price tag, the first round of tickets sold out in just six minutes. The second round of ticket sales beat the first round, selling out in an impressive four minu

Once again, _ HotS _ doesn’t have this problem due to the shared experience. There are certainly heroes that have a more potent role early on, or are more effective in the late game, but the role of the damage dealer is no more or less important than any other role on the team. Likewise, this helps to keep egos more in check in the Blizzard M

The speed by which the tickets sold out is definitely a strong indicator that the eSports industry is alive and well. With viewers of tournaments growing alongside the award money, we’re sure this is still only the beginning of eSports. The prize pool for the previous Dota 2 International tournament, for instance, reached $11 million. Esports is definitely here to s

On a slightly cheerier note, Galactic Cafe’s funny and cerebral indie title The Stanley Parable also scored four nominations, as did the dystopian bureaucracy simulator Papers, Please , which is up for a Best Game award. Other nominees for Best Game include Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Super Mario 3D World . Tomb Raider has three nominations, as does mobile title BADLAND and Beyond: Two Sou

After the success of Dying Light ’s parkour action adventure, we have no doubt Infinity Runner will do well on the Xbox console. The above video shows the game is fast-paced, with various obstacles and enemies to overcome as players sprint through 14 levels in an attempt to escape a spaces

Considering the game is only six months old, we would expect a Game of the Year edition to surface sometime in the fall, or possibly next Spring, given the plethora of new games planned for later this year. Whenever it’s released, though, we have no doubt Shadow of Mordor MOBA Game Guide of the Year edition will sell well among gam

The final map was the Dragon Shire and Cal-Berkeley ultimately prevailed in a back and forth fight. Blizzard has not yet uploaded video of the grand final to its official site, but highlights can be watched on ESPN.c

We also received confirmation this week from NetherRealm Studios that long-time Mortal Kombat veteral Liu Kang will be joining the Mortal Kombat X roster. With just a few weeks left until release, the Mortal Kombat developer is releasing information at a rapid rate, so we’re sure to see even more reveals and rumors hit the streets s

This made for an extremely competitive awards season, as each gaming site elected its own Game of the Year , and last week saw The Last of Us dominating the D.I.C.E. Awards . Now the games of 2013 are set to go head-to-head once more in the British Academy Games Awards, which will take place in mid-Ma

BAFTA announced the nominees today, and somewhat unsurprisingly The Last of Us is top dog once again with an impressive ten nominations. These include a Best Performer nomination apiece for Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, as well as nominations for Artistic Achievement, Action and Adventure, Audio Achievement, Original Music, Multiplayer, Story, Game Design and – the big one – Best Game. Naughty Dog may well end up needing a wheelbarrow to carry home those golden ma

Ironically, in this vein, the things I like most about Legend of Solgard are the things that would dissuade more casual players from continuing throughout the game. The game’s RPG-inspired progression system in-tandem with its role-playing turn-based strategy elements breath longevity into each facet of the game. In this regard, tried and true mid-core gamers will feel right at home. For every middle-aged Bubble Witch Saga player that Legend of Solgard may lose due its various mechanics, it will gain just as many die-hard Clash of Clans fans. For every possible critique that one could lobby against the different systems and mechanics working in Legend of Solgard , the game would almost certainly be less fun–or at the very least–less addicting without t