Back

Clouds Over Crypto-Gaming ⛅

Hi friend!

Great news! It’s Wednesday! YAY! This means another edition of the inStreamly newsletter. I’m taking a bit of a twist with this one, to help you with readability and getting to the bits you’d be most interested in.

This time we’re looking at:

🔒 Steam ban on blockchain games
🏆 latest MOBA tournaments results
📺 games being made into TV series… and vice-versa
🚧 Facebook working on tech straight from a Black Mirror episode
🚨 biggest DDoS attack that almost happened

Enjoy!📘

Let’s talk gaming

Games with cryptocurrencies: Valve says: NO! Epic says: YES!

If there’s one thing grabbing the attention of everyone and their dog in virtual space, it’s ‘blockchain’. News about cryptocurrencies pops up in our feeds every day. NFTs are redefining virtual property. Cyberpunk-ish visions of metaverse loom over the horizon. It’s hard to wrap your head around the implications of blockchain technology.

Last week Valve decided to ban all ‘applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow the exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs’. In short: Steam will not be hosting any games with crypto-potential. The answer from Epic Games, Steam’s main competitor, has been almost immediate. Epic confirmed that games with cryptocurrency mechanics will be accepted on the Epic Store.

The two opposite stances of the biggest players in the game distribution space, summarise the current take towards blockchain in a broader spectrum. Some see cryptocurrency as a revolutionary technology bringing ideas of decentralisation and virtual property to its long-awaited realisation. Others see it as a dangerous gamble in a huge, inflated, speculative bubble.

Regardless of the point of view, blockchain technology is here. Whether the Valve decisions turn out to be one of the best or the worst decisions of the company remains to be seen.

Read more about recent declarations about blockchain gaming in our weekly news digest. What’s more? Biggest DotA 2 tournament – The International 10 is over with Team Spirit taking the main prize of $18 million. Worlds 2021 League of Legends is still in full swing.

In other news, some of the most popular games are supposed to be made into TV shows. Some TV shows are being made into games. Meanwhile, Facebook is working on a dystopian future for everyone and Microsoft confirms the biggest DDoS attack that almost happened.

Grab a coffee, bite that bagel and let’s dive into our weekly dose of news!

Gaming week review

Steam ban on blockchain games

🚫 Good Riddance: Steam Bans Games That Feature Crypto And NFTs

Steam is no longer allowing games built on blockchain technology

👍 Epic says it’s ‘open’ to blockchain games after Steam bans them

Following Valve’s ban on blockchain games, Epic confirms it’s open to the idea as long as games follow basic guidelines.

Esports

🎉 Team Spirit wins $18M Dota 2 championship in close finals

Team Spirit blew a 2-0 lead, but came back for a 3-2 victory over PSG.LGD.

🎖️ Worlds 2021: Group stage scores, standings, and results

The latest scores, standings, and results for the League of Legends tournament.

Games and TV

⚡ System Shock is being made into a live-action series

Nightdive Studios is branching out.

🧟 The Last of Us HBO TV show – cast, release date, more

HBO’s The Last Of Us adaptation is in development and here is everything we know about it including casting news, its release date, and more.

🔫 Epic is reportedly considering a Fortnite movie

The publisher has plans for a new entertainment division headed up by ex-Lucasfilm executives.

📺 Sable, Night Call, System Shock all named as potential new TV series

Publisher Raw Fury announced a new first-look deal with dJ2 Entertainment for adapting their publishing catalogue into film and television series.

🦑 A Squid Game videogame could happen, Netflix says

Netflix Asia executive Minyoung Kim says a Squid Game videogame is being considered.

Cybersecurity

🤯Facebook is researching AI systems that see, hear, and remember everything you do

AI tools that could one day appear in Facebook’s AR glasses.

⛔ Microsoft says it mitigated one of the largest DDoS attacks ever recorded

Microsoft says it was able to mitigate a 2.4Tbps Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack.

Insight

The beauty of the gaming (and streaming) community is that it welcomes people of all ages and personalities. At inStreamly we care deeply about the inclusivity and diversity of the gaming community. Making the streaming world a better place.

So today we want to give you the opportunity to meet our community member – L3g3ndaryPhoenix. He is a passionate gamer, he enjoys playing Minecraft and he loves streaming. And he is not just a gamer, he is also a person with autism spectrum disorder, learning disability and ADHD.

Read our interview with him and find out how streaming looks like for people with those kinds of disabilities? 🧠