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Warzone removes Solos & replaces it with Casual mode in Season 4

by admin May 28, 2025

Battle Royale Solos has been removed from Warzone to make way for a solo version of the popular Casual mode.

Since Verdansk returned to Warzone in Season 3, Casual mode has been a popular addition to the COD battle royale. By creating lobbies with a mix of real players and bots, it has become the ideal place for newer players to learn the ropes.

It’s also perfect for those looking for a break from the high intensity of regular BR matches, allowing them to rack up some kills and practice their aim in a more forgiving environment. It’s far from perfect, as sweats invading the mode has been an ongoing concern, but it’s certainly gone down well with the community.

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This led to calls for a solo version, as it was previously only playable in squads. With the Season 4 update, these wishes have finally been answered, but it’s come at a cost.

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BR Solos removed from Warzone

In the Warzone Season 4 patch notes, the devs revealed that they’re replacing Battle Royale Solos, which is where most players who don’t have a squad tend to go, with Casual Solos.

“Since launching Battle Royale Casual – a blend of players and clearly identifiable bots – we’ve seen it become a considerably popular option with positive reception overall,” said the blog.

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“Given its popularity, combined with our ongoing effort to keep playlist options focused and manageable, we’re going to experimentally replace core Battle Royale Solos with Battle Royale Casual Solos.”

Activision

This means that for the foreseeable future, solo players who don’t want lobbies with a mix of bots will have to play Duos or Quads and use the Squad Fill feature. So, while this doesn’t stop them from accessing the game in any way, it does mean that many fans will be left with no choice but to play with randoms if they want the full Warzone experience.

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The devs have mentioned that they’re aware of these issues, but the decision has been made based on Battle Royale Solos being one of the less popular modes.

“While we understand the impact this will have for players who prefer core Battle Royale Solos, it is a compromise we’re comfortable with given the larger engagement with other playlist options,” they explained.

It isn’t clear right now if this is a permanent change, but the devs assured everyone that they will be “closely monitoring player feedback” and the engagement to decide on what action to take.

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May 28, 2025 0 comments

Esports

‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ Season 33: Good Guy vs. Bad Guy

by admin May 28, 2025

May 28, 2025, 12:01 AM ET

“The Ultimate Fighter” returns for its 33rd season this month, but with a unique twist. Instead of featuring active fighters coaching up UFC hopefuls, this season the coaches will be UFC Hall of Famers-turned-analysts, as former double champion Daniel Cormier will lead a team opposite former two-division title challenger Chael Sonnen.

TUF has been a major pipeline for UFC talent over the years, providing the promotion with a handful of champions and even more MMA stars. Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Kamaru Usman, Robert Whittaker, TJ Dillashaw and Rose Namajunas have all won champions after appearing on the show.

In most of the previous seasons, the show has allowed fans to see what fighters must go through for the chance to earn a spot on the UFC roster, while also allowing them to see the tension build between the coaches ahead of a future matchup between them. With two coaches who have long been retired, that likely won’t be the case this season.

This season’s TUF competition, which will begin airing May 27 on ESPN2 and ESPN+, is at welterweight and men’s flyweight. Results of this season can be found at the bottom of this story.

Jump to episode recaps

How to watch ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ on ESPN2/ESPN+

Season 33 of “The Ultimate Fighter” debuts Tuesday, May 27, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN 2 and ESPN+ and continues weekly. Rewatch episodes after they air and watch past seasons anytime on ESPN+.

Get ESPN+ | Download the ESPN App

The coaches

Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen will coach Team Sonnen on Season 33 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Record: 30-18-1
Age: 48
From: Clackamas County, Oregon
Notable:

Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier will coach Team Cormier in Season 33 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Record: 22-3-0, 1 NC
Age: 46
From: Lafayette, Louisiana
Notable:

The fighters

Welterweights

Diego Bianchini

Record: 9-1
Age: 28
Fighting out of: São Paulo, Brazil
Notable:

Andreeas Binder

Record: 10-2
Age: 28
Fighting out of: Galway, Ireland
Notable:

Five wins by knockout
Trains at SBG Charlestown — the same gym as PFL fighter Leah McCourt
Former Level Fight League lightweight champion
Has not fought since July 2023

Jeff Creighton

Record: 11-2-1
Age: 29
Fighting out of: Poway, California
Notable:

Fought in LFA and Bellator
Trains at The Arena MMA, the same gym as former Bellator champion Liz Carmouche

Matt Dixon

Record: 11-1
Age: 29
Fighting out of: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Notable:

Daniel Donchenko

Record: 11-2
Age: 23
Fighting out of: Ukraine
Notable:

Trains at Tiger Muay Thai gym, the same gym as UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and former UFC men’s bantamweight champion Petr Yan
Has seven wins by knockout

Richard Martins

Record: 9-1
Age: 26
Fighting out of: Campinas, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Notable:

Alex Sanchez

Record: 15-3
Age: 31
Fighting out of: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Notable:

Fought in LFA
Has not lost a fight since November 2020
Trains at Entram Gym, the same gym as UFC welterweight Michael Morales

Rodrigo Sezinando

Record: 8-1
Age: 28
Fighting out of: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Notable:

Has won each of last four fights by knockout
Trains at Nova União, the same gym as former UFC fighters Renan Barao and Matheus Nicolau

Flyweights

Idiris Alibi

Record: 10-0
Age: Unknown
Fighting out of: Aktau, Kazakhstan
Notable:

Roybert Echeverria

Record: 10-2
Age: 29
Fighting out of: Miami, Florida
Notable:

Eduardo Henrique

Record: 13-2
Age: 29
Fighting out of: São Paulo, Brazil
Notable:

Tumelo Manyamala

Record: 6-1
Age: 26
Fighting out of: Cape Town, South Africa
Notable:

Arshiyan Memon

Record: 7-0
Age: 30
Fighting out of: Maharashtra, India
Notable:

Joseph Morales

Record: 12-2
Age: 30
Fighting out of: Sacramento, California
Notable:

Former A1 Combat flyweight champion
Had three fights in the UFC in 2017 and 2018
Trains at Team Alpha Male, a gym founded by UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber

Imanol Rodriguez

Record: 5-0
Age: 25
Fighting out of: Mexico
Notable:

Has fought in Fury FC and Combate Global
Has finished each of his opponents (four knockouts, one submission)
None of his professional fights has reached Round 3

Furkatbek Yokubov

Record: 14-4
Age: 30
Fighting out of: Uzbekistan

Fought in Karate Combat and LFA
Fought UFC fighter Vinicius Oliveira in UAE Warriors in November 2020, lost by first-round knockout
Has knocked out each of his last three opponents

Recaps

Episode 1: Henrique vs. Morales
The coaches evaluate the Season 33 talent and choose their respective teams. No. 1 picks Eduardo Henrique and Joseph Morales face off in the first flyweights fight of the season. Find out who wins on ESPN+.

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May 28, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

The Internet Reacts To The Last Of Us’ Second Season Finale

by admin May 28, 2025

The Last of Us concluded its second season on Sunday with a pretty big cliffhanger, as HBO plans to adapt the story of The Last of Us Part II across three seasons in total. Here at Kotaku, I’ve been recapping each episode of the show, and I have not been having a good time. Frankly, I find it to be a mostly irredeemable attempt at adapting the narrative of the PS4 game. But what about the rest of the internet? Surely not everyone is as disappointed as I am and plenty of them enjoyed the show, right? Well, yeah. But they’re not quite as loud as the folks who weren’t thrilled with the finale and season at large.

PlayStation’s Days of Play Brings Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, NBA 2K25 & More To PS Plus

To start on a positive note, despite fans being divided over Bella Ramsey’s performance as Ellie, with some criticizing it for its more immature approach to the character compared to Ashley Johnson’s in the game, several fans sang their praises of Ramsey’s work in the finale. Personally, I appreciated that the show pulled off Ellie’s disillusionment with the people of Jackson despite what I felt was poor writing, and Ramsey’s execution of this tension finally boiling over received some praise.

However, with the show reaching one of its most climactic moments in the finale, many game fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the embellishments HBO has made. Some take issue with how certain characters’ personalities have been altered, like Jesse being an asshole instead of the golden retriever we once knew, and Abby lacking the muscle that once signified her obsession with killing her father’s murderer. Despite some praise for Ramsey’s performance, many longtime fans remain critical of Ellie’s newfound sadism and how she seems far less confident than her game counterpart. This is on top of weeks of criticism from fans who think that Ellie feels infantilized in the show, especially when compared to her girlfriend Dina, who is carrying the angry, vengeful torch in her stead.

Character traits are one deviation from the source material fans are up in arms about, but perhaps the most controversial change in the finale involves the death of Mel. As in the game Ellie kills Mel, one of Abby’s friends who was with her on the expedition to kill Joel, but unlike in the game, here it’s an accident. Ellie fires a bullet at Mel‘s partner Owen and she just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as the shot goes right through him and into her. In the source material, this is one of the most impactful moments of Ellie’s revenge tour, as it also results in the death of Mel’s unborn child, making Ellie confront just how much collateral damage she’s caused in her myopic need for vengeance. Fans argue that by making this kill an accident, the show is undermining Ellie’s story which originally showed her undergoing a deliberate descent into violent rage, and instead lets her off the hook by shifting the blame.

Not everyone hates the change, though. Again, Ramsey’s skill at communicating Ellie’s devastation has received praise, and some view it as a moment of the character’s true compassion coming out.

A lot of this discourse can arguably be chalked up to “Game fans are just precious about the original scenes.” Some might believe the show should be judged on its own merits rather than compared to the game it’s adapting, but many, myself included, feel that even on its own terms, the show is a mess of tonal contradictions and confused characterization. To me, examining it through the lens of Sony’s attempts to further capitalize on the series, even to the detriment of its story and integrity, is the only way that it’s even interesting to talk about. If you take those elements away from the discussion, in my opinion the show is just bad in a boring way, with amateurish writing and inconsistent performances.

A lot of those problems are rooted in what seems to be an attempt to sanitize the original text and avoid controversy. However, the show’s inconsistent writing makes it feel like mash-up of competing stories in which Ellie’s motivations swap at the drop of a hat, which is frustrating to follow even without the context of playing the games. It’s easy to handwave criticisms as game fans simply not liking changes from the beloved source material, and if someone’s critique starts and ends with “the show is different than the games,” that’s not in and of itself making a qualitative point, it’s merely an observation. But as much as some people on both sides want to reduce the argument to dismissive extremes, the truth of the discussion exists somewhere in the middle, and right now it feels like some diehard game fans and show newcomers are ready to dismiss each other’s claims and praise on principle without hearing each other out.

Personally, I’ve found the show rewarding as a game fan because it’s been interesting to unpack why I think these changes are problems, rather than just being upset that it’s not recreating the game beat for beat. A lot of the show’s embellishments have felt like change for change’s sake. The Last of Us games felt very intentional in the story they wanted to tell, so taking a wrecking ball to so many characters and moments has made the show feel like a much less confident and coherent text. I don’t think it can be salvaged after this, but we’ll see if season three, which will primarily star Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, can turn things around.

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May 28, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

The Best Class For Season 8

by admin May 28, 2025

Since the game’s launch, and for every season thereafter, I’ve told myself I’d dive in and play a different class. But I don’t. I always play Barbarian. Despite nerfs and buffs and stagnation, it’s a go-to class for many that, now in season eight, continues to excel. In this case, my preference doesn’t affect the choice here. Barbarian is still one of the best classes for Diablo IV in its eighth season, all thanks to a few buffs in the patch notes!

Diablo IV – Bear Bender Build

The best class to play in Diablo IV, Season 8

Screenshot: Blizzard / Brandon Morgan / Kotaku

As one of the most entertaining classes to play, thanks to its hard-hitting abilities and satisfying number of weapons to wield (and the best cosmetics for your armor and weapons), the Barbarian remains one of the toughest classes. It’s a top-tier zone-clearing class capable of speeding through an area with abilities like Whirlwind , and its damage scales alongside Strength—the main stat of the Barbarian. You’ll constantly outdo yourself as you level.

The Barbarian’s heavy reliance on gear is its one downside. At first, without a sufficient kit, you’ll feel weak. Plus, the early-game dragsto the point where you might want to surrender and play another class, like the Spiritborn or Necromancer. For those who persist and unlock better weapons, you’ll find the Barbarian clears endgame content with relative and unique ease.

The best Barbarian skills for Season 8

Screenshot: Blizzard / Brandon Morgan / Kotaku

For this particular setup, your Basic, Lunging Strike, won’t see copious amounts of use, but it’s worthwhile to spend a point or two simply to unlock your Core, Whirlwind, along with having a Fury generator on standby. With enough Fury, you can continuously pop Whirlwind and swim through your foes.

Basic: Lunging Strike
Core: Whirlwind
Defensive: Rally Cry
Defensive: Challenging Shout
Brawling: War Cry
Ultimate: Call of the Ancients
Key Passive: Unconstrained

Whirlwind is, of course, your main focal point here. It saw a significant buff this season, making it a viable zone-clearing ability once more. Everything else feeds Whirlwind or allows you to focus on wiping those mobs out with the Core skill.

Diablo IV Season 8 is ongoing now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.

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May 28, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

This death was “one too many” for The Last of Us season two

by admin May 28, 2025

One particular The Last of Us Part 2 death was “one too many” for the showrunners to include in the show’s second season.

Please note there will be spoilers for The Last of Us – both the show and the games – below.

The Death of Console Exclusives Is Inevitable and I Don’t Know How I Feel About It. Watch on YouTube

The Last of Us Part 2 isn’t short on death and misery. Seattle is carnage, with warring factions the WLF (Wolves) and the Seraphites (Scars) taking no mercy on each other, and that’s before you add Ellie or any of the Jackson community into the mix.

The TV series has remained faithful to most of the game’s key deaths. As in Part 2, The Last of Us’ second season sees Joel, Nora, Mel, Owen and Jesse murdered, the latter three all in the series finale. One character, however, makes it out alive despite being killed in the game: Alice.

Alice is one of the WLF’s canine companions in The Last of Us Part 2, and while she may only be an animation, at the end of the day her death was one that actually hit me hardest when I played the game for the first time. When Ellie makes her way into the aquarium during her search for Abby, Alice is alerted by the noise and attacks her. Ellie then fatally stabs Alice with her switchblade. However, this doesn’t happen in the show.

Why? There are two reasons. The first is that The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin, who also penned Chernobyl, felt he couldn’t do another pet killing scene. Chernobyl is a historical miniseries which revolves around the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, and one moment sees pets culled in a bid to stem the spread of radiation.

“I think you get like one dog murdering episode a lifetime,” Mazin said when the topic of The Last of Us’ Alice came up during a recent press event (thanks, Polygon). “There are two cardinal rules in Hollywood. One: don’t spend your own money. Two: don’t kill a dog.”

The showrunner added that “because it’s live action, the nature of violence becomes much more, well, graphic. It’s more graphic because… it’s not like there’s an animation between you and it, [and] it’s very disturbing”.

So, that’s Mazin’s reason for not including Alice’s death in the show’s second season, but what was Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckman’s? Well, essentially, the finale had too much death already, with Ellie herself nearly dying at the hands of the Seraphites, before she proceeds to kill Owen and Mel (and by extension Mel’s unborn baby) pretty soon after. Then, before the episode wraps for good, Jesse is shot in the face by Abby, and dies immediately from his wound. It is all quite harrowing as it is, let alone if we then had to also see a dog get murdered in the name of revenge.

“And in our conversation, we’re like this [is] probably one too many,” Druckmann concluded.

Image credit: Naughty Dog

Earlier this week, the cast and crew shared a little more about where and who The Last of Us season three will put its focus on.

For more on the show, you can check out my discussion feature: The Last of Us season two wraps with episode seven, but was it a satisfying finale?

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May 28, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Ruben Amorim: Missing Champions League could benefit Man United next season

by admin May 27, 2025

May 27, 2025, 05:56 AM ET

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has said not playing in the Champions League next season could benefit his team.

United finished 15th in the Premier League — their worst-ever finish — and missed out qualification for the Champions League through the Europa League, losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

It means United will not play European football for just the second time in the Premier League era.

However, speaking at United’s post-season tour launch in Malaysia, Amorim said he could see the benefits of not playing in Europe.

Manchester United will not play in Europe next season. Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“I have to say that for us not to be in the Champions League could be an advantage to perform well, to perform better, to prepare better [for] the games,” he said.

“To build that core that we need for the future so I think it’s a good thing for us to take advantage not to have European games.”

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Amorim also reaffirmed his support for captain Bruno Fernandes, who cast doubt over his future at Old Trafford after the defeat to Spurs.

“We had some difficult moments [this season],” Amorim said. “In [those] difficult moments you can see that Bruno is the guy that takes that responsibility.

“It should be, because he’s the captain, he has that experience so he’s really important for us and really important for what we want to build with this team.”

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May 27, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Last Of Us Showrunners Tease Season 3’s New Direction

by admin May 27, 2025

The Last of Us Season 2 ended on a dark note that should be very familiar to players who experienced The Last of Us Part II. Things are going to be very different in The Last of Us Season 3, and showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have noted that some fan-favorite characters may not about around as often when the series returns.

Warning: This story contains some spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 finale. Stop reading now if you haven’t seen it yet.

Ellie (Bella Ramsey) spent most of Season 2 hunting down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) for murdering Joel (Pedro Pascal). But in the closing moments, Abby had the drop on Ellie and fired her gun before the perspective shifted to Abby’s first day in Seattle. The Last of Us Part II had a similar transition when Abby became the playable character. Since Season 3 is Abby’s story, there may not be much room for Ramsey and the other returning cast members. But Mazin wants to assure viewers that they will be back.

“All I can say is we haven’t seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever and we haven’t seen the last of Bella Ramsey, and we haven’t seen the last of Isabela Merced, and we haven’t seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story,” explained Mazin via Variety.

“Whether you will see them on screen or not, their presence will be there throughout,” noted Druckmann.

Mazin went on to indicate that Season 3 will explore the origins of the Seraphites, the identity of their prophet, and the origin of their war with the WLF. He also said that the motivations of Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) will become clear and that the story behind the explosion in Season 2, episode 7 will be explained.

During HBO’s Inside Episode 7 video, Mazin indicated that Season 3 will mirror The Last of Us Part II’s approach of letting fans experience Abby’s perspective in order to empathize with her journey.

“We’re used to telling ‘good guy, bad guy’ stories in Hollywood,” explained Mazin. “What we try and do with The Last of Us is tell ‘people’ stories. And in this case, everybody, no matter which side they’re on, has a strong case to be very angry at someone. And that anger comes out as violence. It comes out as retribution. It comes out as lies. And the question is, where does it all end? Can it end? And if so, how?”

HBO hasn’t set a date for The Last of Us Season 3 yet.

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May 27, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26: Schedule, brackets, and more

by admin May 27, 2025

DreamLeague Season 26 will be the last chance for teams to qualify for this year’s Dota 2 championship in the Esports World Cup 2025. With 29,200 EPT Points available for teams to secure qualification to EWC, the qualified teams have everything to play for. Every team’s performance in this tournament will also play a big part in receiving an invite to The International 2025.

Featuring a prize pool of $1,000,000, DreamLeague 26 will set up the road to The International with only a few tournaments remaining for teams to showcase their prowess for an invitation to TI14. Given that Patch 7.38 was released almost three months ago, we might get to see a new patch around the time of the tournament.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 2 tournament.

Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26 teams

PARIVISION are the defending ESL One champions heading into DreamLeague Season 26. Image via ESL

Sixteen teams will compete for the Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26 trophy. While four teams have qualified directly based on their EPT points, the remaining 12 teams had to go through regional qualifiers to secure a place at the tournament. Here’s the full list of teams and their roster, along with how they qualified for DreamLeague Season 26:

TeamRosterQualification processPARIVISIONSatanic, No[o]ne-, DM, 9Class, DukalisEPT PointsBetBoom TeamPure-, gpk, MieRo`, Save-, Kataomi`EPT PointsTeam Falconsskiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t-, SneykingEPT PointsTeam LiquidmiCKe, Nisha, SaberLight, Boxi, InsaniaEPT PointsNAVI Juniorgotthejuice, Niku, pma, Zayac, RiddysRegional Qualifiers – Western EuropeGaimin Gladiatorswatson, Quinn, Ace, tOfu, MaladyRegional Qualifiers – Western EuropeAVULUSSmiling Knight, Mo13ei, Xibbe, dEsire, SoNNeikORegional Qualifiers – Western EuropeAurora GamingNightfall, kiyotaka, TORONTOTOKYO, Mira, pantoRegional Qualifiers – Eastern EuropeNigma GalaxyGhost, SumaiL, No!ob, Omar, GHRegional Qualifiers – MESWABOOM EsportsJaCkky, Armel, Jabz, TIMS, JaunuelRegional Qualifiers – Southeast AsiaTalon EsportsTBD, Mikoto, Ws, Jhocam, KukuRegional Qualifiers – Southeast AsiaShopify RebellionTimado, Yopaj, Pakazs, Hellscream, skemRegional Qualifiers – North AmericaOG.LATAMK1, DarkMago, ILICH-, Elmisho, MoOzRegional Qualifiers – South AmericaEdgepayk, PiPi, Vitaly, Michael, YadomiRegional Qualifiers – South AmericaXtreme GamingAme, Xm, Xxs, XinQ, polosonRegional Qualifiers – ChinaYakult Brothersflyfly, Emo, zeal, Pyw, Oli-Regional Qualifiers – China

Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26 schedule and format

Similar to previous iterations of DreamLeague, Season 26 will feature two separate group stages before heading to the playoffs. The first group stage will kick off on May 19, 2025, from where the top eight teams will make their way into the second group stage, while the bottom eight teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

A total of four teams will make their way into the playoffs after the second group stage, as the top two placed teams will fight it out in the upper-bracket final for a spot in the Grand Final. However, the third and fourth-placed teams from the second group stage will start their playoff journey from the lower-bracket semi-final, while all the teams placed between fifth and eighth in the second group stage will be eliminated after this point.

Here’s the full schedule for all the matches from the first group stage of the tournament:

Group A

MatchDateTime (CDT)Team Liquid 0-2 BetBoom TeamMay 195amNigma Galaxy 2-0 Shopify RebellionMay 195amXtreme Gaming 1-1 BOOM EsportsMay 195amAurora 1-1 OG.LATAMMay 195amTeam Liquid 2-0 Nigma GalaxyMay 1910amBOOM Esports 0-2 Aurora GamingMay 1910amOG.LATAM 1-1 BetBoom TeamMay 1910amShopify Rebellion 2-0 Xtreme GamingMay 1910amNigma Galaxy 1-1 Aurora GamingMay 205amShopify Rebellion 1-1 BetBoom TeamMay 205amTeam Liquid 1-1 Xtreme GamingMay 205amBOOM Esports 2-0 OG.LATAMMay 205amTeam Liquid 0-2 Aurora GamingMay 2010amNigma Galaxy 2-0 OG.LATAMMay 2010amXtreme Gaming 1-1 BetBoom TeamMay 2010amShopify Rebellion 0-2 BOOM EsportsMay 2010amBetBoom Team 1-1 Aurora GamingMay 215amTeam Liquid 1-1 Shopify RebellionMay 215amBOOM Esports 0-2 Nigma GalaxyMay 215amOG.LATAM 1-1 Xtreme GamingMay 215amBetBoom Team 0-2 Nigma GalaxyMay 2110amOG.LATAM 0-2 Shopify RebellionMay 2110amTeam Liquid 2-0 BOOM EsportsMay 2110amAurora Gaming 2-0 Xtreme GamingMay 2110amXtreme Gaming 1-1 Nigma GalaxyMay 225amTeam Liquid 2-0 OG.LATAM
May 225amBetBoom Team 2-0 BOOM Esports
May 225amAurora Gaming 1-1 Shopify Rebellion
May 225am

Group B

MatchDateTime (CDT)PARIVISION 2-0 Team FalconsMay 197:30amYakult Brothers 1-1 NAVI JuniorMay 197:30amGaimin Gladiators 2-0 EdgeMay 197:30amAVULUS 1-1 Talon EsportsMay 197:30amTeam Falcons 1-1 Gaimin GladiatorsMay 1912:30pmNAVI Junior 2-0 AVULUSMay 1912:30pmPARIVISION 1-1 Talon EsportsMay 1912:30pmEdge 0-2 Yakult BrothersMay 1912:30pmTalon Esports 0-2 Team FalconsMay 207:30amPARIVISION 1-1 Yakult BrothersMay 207:30amAVULUS 0-2 Gaimin GladiatorsMay 207:30amNAVI Junior 0-2 EdgeMay 207:30amPARIVISION 2-0 Gaimin GladiatorsMay 2012:30pmYakult Brothers 2-0 Team FalconsMay 2012:30pmTalon Esports 2-0 NAVI JuniorMay 2012:30pmAVULUS 2-0 EdgeMay 2012:30pmPARIVISION 2-0 AVULUSMay 217:30amNAVI Junior 2-0 Gaimin GladiatorsMay 217:30amEdge 0-2 Team FalconsMay 217:30amTalon Esports 2-0 Yakult BrothersMay 217:30amGaimin Gladiators 1-1 Yakult BrothersMay 2112:30pmPARIVISION 2-0 NAVI JuniorMay 2112:30pmTeam Falcons 1-1 AVULUSMay 2112:30pmEdge 1-1 Talon EsportsMay 2112:30pmYakult Brothers 2-0 AVULUSMay 227:30amGaimin Gladiators 1-1 Talon Esports
May 227:30amTeam Falcons 1-1 NAVI Junior
May 227:30amPARIVISION 2-0 Edge
May 227:30am

Group Stage 1 tiebreaker

MatchDateTimeGaimin Gladiators 2-1 Team FalconsMay 225am

Group Stage 1 standings

Group A

StandingTeamBo2 score (overall score)1Aurora Gaming3-4-0 (10-4)2Nigma Galaxy4-2-1 (10-4)3BetBoom Team2-4-1 (8-6)4Team Liquid3-2-2 (8-6)5Shopify Rebellion2-3-2 (7-7)6Xtreme Gaming0-5-2 (5-9)7BOOM Esports2-1-4 (5-9)8OG.LATAM0-3-4 (3-11)

Group B

StandingTeamBo2 score (overall score)1PARIVISION5-2-0 (12-2)2Yakult Brothers3-3-1 (9-5)3Talon Esports2-4-1 (8-6)4Gaimin Gladiators (Won tiebreaker)2-3-2 (7-7)5Team Falcons (Lost tiebreaker)2-3-2 (7-7)6NAVI Junior2-2-3 (6-8)7AVULUS1-2-4 (4-10)8Edge1-1-5 (3-11)

The top four teams from both groups will head into the second group stage while the bottom four teams will be eliminated. Here are the fixtures for the second group stage:

Group Stage 2

MatchDateTime (CDT)Aurora Gaming 0-2 BetBoom TeamMay 234:30amYakult Brothers 2-0 Team LiquidMay 237:30amGaimin Gladiators 2-0 Nigma GalaxyMay 2310:30amTalon Esports 1-2 PARIVISIONMay 231:30pmYakult Brothers 1-2 Nigma GalaxyMay 244:30amTalon Esports 2-0 Gaimin GladiatorsMay 247:30amAurora Gaming 2-1 Team LiquidMay 2410:30amBetBoom Team 0-2 PARIVISIONMay 241:30pmNigma Galaxy 1-2 Talon EsportsMay 254:30amPARIVISION 2-0 Yakult BrothersMay 257:30amAurora Gaming 1-2 Gaimin GladiatorsMay 2510:30amTeam Liquid 1-2 BetBoom TeamMay 251:30pmAurora Gaming 2-1 Talon EsportsMay 264:30amNigma Galaxy 0-2 BetBoom TeamMay 267:30amGaimin Gladiators 0-2 Yakult BrothersMay 2610:30amPARIVISION 2-0 Team LiquidMay 261:30pmYakult Brothers vs Talon EsportsMay 274:30amAurora Gaming vs PARIVISIONMay 277:30amTeam Liquid vs Nigma GalaxyMay 2710:30amBetBoom Team vs Gaimin GladiatorsMay 271:30pmAurora Gaming vs Yakult BrothersMay 284:30amTalon Esports vs BetBoom TeamMay 287:30amGaimin Gladiators vs Team LiquidMay 2810:30amNigma Galaxy vs PARIVISIONMay 281:30pmTeam Liquid vs Talon EsportsMay 294:30amBetBoom Team vs Yakult BrothersMay 297:30amAurora Gaming vs Nigma GalaxyMay 2910:30amPARIVISION vs Gaimin GladiatorsMay 291:30pm

All the matches from the first group stage featured best-of-twos, and teams have moved on to the next round based on their performances. The second group stage features eight teams playing best-of-threes against each other, with the top two teams making it into the upper bracket, and the third and fourth placed teams into the lower bracket while the bottom four teams are eliminated from the tournament.

We will update this section with the results and standings as the matches from the second group stage progress. Additionally, the schedule for the playoffs will be revealed as we complete the second group stage of DreamLeague Season 26.

Where to watch the Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26

DreamLeague is famous for streaming multiple matches simultaneously during the group stage. You can catch all of these matches live across the various Twitch channels of ESL as listed here:

You can also check out all the VODs of the matches on the ESL Dota 2 YouTube channel.

Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

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May 27, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

The Last of Us season two finale audience significantly lower than first season’s, but HBO insists it will “grow significantly”

by admin May 27, 2025

The Last of Us season two finale, which aired early on Monday morning here in the UK, welcomed 3.7 million cross-platform viewers in the US.

This figure is significantly lower than the season’s opening episode, which premiered with 5.3 million same-day US cross-platform viewers. To compare further, The Last of Us’ first season finale set an audience record of 8.2 million viewers on its debut.

However in a press release, HBO said it expects to see the second season finale’s audience “grow significantly” following the Memorial Day holiday weekend, which contributed to lower viewer numbers.

The Death of Console Exclusives Is Inevitable and I Don’t Know How I Feel About It. Watch on YouTube

Additionally, the network states the second season of The Last of Us is now averaging close to 37 million global viewers per episode, with that number “growing”.

To give more context, following its debut in 2023, HBO said the first season of The Last of Us was averaging nearly 32 million cross-platform viewers per episode in the States. At this time, the company added The Last of Us was the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America.

Viewer numbers have continued to rise since season one’s release, and the show’s global audience now sits at more than 90 million.

The second season of The Last of Us picks up five years after the events of the season one finale, with Ellie and Joel – played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – now living in Jackson. New cast members this season include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse and Catherine O’Hara as a new character for the show, Gail.

Image credit: HBO

Prior to its season two premiere, The Last of Us was renewed for a third season. At this time, showrunner Craig Mazin said: “We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew.”

Earlier this month, the showrunner confirmed The Last of Us TV team is working on a four season plan, stating there’s “no way” the show’s narrative can be wrapped up in only three seasons. As for its next outing, earlier this week The Last of Us’ cast and crew shared some insight into where the show will go during its third season.

For more on the show, you can check out my discussion feature: The Last of Us season two wraps with episode seven, but was it a satisfying finale?

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May 27, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

‘The Last of Us’ Showrunners Talk That Shocking Cliffhanger and Season 3 Teases

by admin May 27, 2025

The wait between seasons one and two of The Last of Us was brutal, but at least that story had ended. We wanted to see what was next for Joel and Ellie, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary. That’s not the case for season two, though, which ends right smack in the middle of the story, with a cliffhanger that’s sure to frustrate many viewers. It’s all but assured that the wait for season three will be worse.

In the meantime, you are probably wondering a few things about not just the end of season two, but what’s to come in season three. And, thankfully, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were happy to talk about that. Below, we’ll tell you what The Last of Us team had to say about the season two cliffhanger, whether that was always the ending, how things might be changing for season three, and some of the questions you should be asking as you wait.

Season two of The Last of Us ends in the middle of a key moment between Ellie and Abby before flashing back a few days to Abby. The implication, much as it is in the video game, is that we are about to see Abby’s story moving ahead, and that’s absolutely the plan.

“We often talk about what are we promising the audience going forward?” Druckmann said in a press conference. “So, for example, it was important for Craig in episode five that we show Joel in that last scene, because then there’s a promise of where we’re going to next. And had we ended the season somewhere else, maybe like a few moments before, I think that we wouldn’t be making the right promise of what this is about. And we’re telling you next season, well, one is that there’s just an epic nature to what’s about to happen. But this other story is going to be really important coming back to Joel and Ellie and everything that you’ve seen so far.”

In the game, though, the audience has a natural pain and discomfort when the point of view shifts from Ellie, a character you have been playing as, to then playing as her sworn enemy, Abby. Mazin admits it’s one place a show comes up short compared to the video game but they hope they did as good a job as possible to duplicate it.

“We can’t… reproduce the shock of becoming another person,” he said. “In games, you are Joel. You are Ellie. You are Abby. And when that shift happens, it is jarring because you have been someone. But here we are watching everybody equally on a screen. We may identify with them from time to time in different ways, and we may be conflicted, but we’re not them. So when we go to a scene where we’re somebody else, there’s the normal thing of, ‘Whoa, I’m suddenly with Jeffrey Wright in a weird, creepy kitchen. And I’m watching him torture somebody.’ That’s a little jarring, but it’s never going to be what a video game can do when you shift perspective in a massive way like that. So I think what we do, and what we’re doing correctly, is honoring the notion that there is a time period where one person experiences it one way, and another person is experiencing it so wildly different, and yet they converge. It’s a convergent storm… And that’s what matters. But can we reproduce that gut-punch feeling? No. And I think if we had chased it, we probably would have fallen on our faces.”

Abby and Joel. – HBO

So if the show couldn’t match that moment in the same way, was there ever a discussion of changing things? Maybe ending it differently? There was, but not for long.

“Honestly, we were open to a different ending,” Mazin admitted. “We talked about it a lot. We considered everything. Of course, you want to play around. Like maybe we should just interlace the stories. Maybe we should just go back and forth. Maybe we should try this. Maybe we should try that. And then in the end, I just remember saying, ‘Isn’t this part of the genetics of how this story functions?’ It’s just part of the genetics. Now, what it means is we have to take risks as a television show and HBO has to back us taking risks. But then again, we did just kill Pedro Pascal. They understand that this show is going to be a different show every season, which is sort of a tricky thing to do when you’re a hit show. You keep asking people like, ‘I know you love this. We’re taking it away and giving you this now.’ And then hopefully they go, ‘Oh, well, you know what? We actually really like this.’ ‘Oh, that’s nice. Now we’re giving you this now’ because that’s how the story works.”

And so, in season three, the point of view will certainly shift to Abby. But, does that mean Bella Ramsey’s Ellie won’t be in season three?

“I remember when people were asking about season two, they were like, ‘And what about Joel and when he dies?’ I’m like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean ‘When?’ ‘If!’” Mazin says. “The [third] season will arrive, and it will do what it does. Even if I thought I knew now exactly how it was going to go. I’m experienced enough to know that two weeks from now, we may have a different idea of how it should go. All I can say is we haven’t seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever, we haven’t seen the last of Bella Ramsey, we haven’t seen the last of Isabela Merced, and we haven’t even seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story.”

Druckmann added, “Whether you will see them on screen or not, their presence will be there throughout.”

Isaac is looking for Abby too. – HBO

Finally, season two may have focused on Ellie’s story, and season three might focus on Abby’s, but so much else is happening too. There’s Isaac and the WLF. The Serephites. Their war. And Mazin wants fans to be aware of all of that.

“I think [all those other stories] bode well for next season,” he said. “I have so many questions and I think and I understand that the audience does too. I sort of want to assure them that those questions are correct and will be answered. ‘What is going on? How did that war start? How did the Seraphites start? Who is the prophet? What happened to her? What does Isaac want? What’s happening at the end of episode seven? What is this explosion? What is all of it?’ All of it will become clear.”

When specifically? We don’t know. In 2027 perhaps? Either way, the wait has begun. Watch all seven episodes of The Last of Us season two on HBO Max now.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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May 27, 2025 0 comments