Next week, on January 10, 2024, Valorant Episode 8 is scheduled to launch, bringing with it the first big update of the year. Valorant developers have officially announced that Icebox will be making a comeback to the competitive map pool. Before release, it will receive some improvements to bring it up to date. Since Lotus is staying in the rotation through 2024, it will also receive some improvements in addition to Icebox. 

With Haven temporarily removed, the complete active competitive map rotation will consist of Icebox, Lotus, Sunset, Breeze, Ascent, Bind, and Split. Except for custom games and Team Deathmatch, which uses a different map pool from the base game, every mode in the game will use the same map pool as competitive play.

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Official Lotus Changes And Possible Icebox Updates Coming To Valorant Episode 8

Riot Games is prepared to introduce big improvements to Lotus with Patch 8.0, laying the groundwork for Valorant in 2024. The new episode will bring with it a new rotation for the competitive map pool, which will include the controversial decision to replace Haven with Icebox. All of these changes are set to go live on January 10, 2024. With their new and improved looks, Lotus and Icebox will offer greater variety for teams in professional and solo queue play. Although these maps weren't particularly unpopular in the past, these upcoming adjustments could encourage attackers to consider more angles before starting an extensive attack for site control by giving defenders new sightlines and expanding the map.

A Main, A Link, and B Site now have new corner cubbies, while other locations appear to have been extended to give players holding sites extra places to hide. Since the plant area has been drastically altered, it provides players with a new spot to place the spike in the former C bend section of the map. While attackers will have to learn new line-ups and holding techniques for when they succeed in putting down the spike, defenders trying to recover the site for a defuse will have to worry about new angles and hiding areas.

Icebox was removed from the competitive map pool by Riot in April 2023 and hasn't been seen in almost nine months. Players are eager to see what kinds of adjustments are in store for a map that has caused a rift in the community due to its unconventional sight lines and angles, particularly when rushing onto an attack spot.

A recent data miner leak indicates that the majority of the changes will take place in and around the lead-up to B Site. Players will be prompted to push out a little bit more for information in the Attacker Side Spawn as a new box has been added to block the extended sight line giving the impression that players may no longer be able to look toward mid. A new sightline has been created in B Tube for snipers to hold as they fight an opponent team push. This window allows defending players to peek into mid. Another fresh box stack inside the tube should provide more cover for defenders as well.

Redesigned B Orange and B Snow Pile sections include the removal of the outdoor pathway that runs alongside B Hall. Players can only now get to B through mid by running through either B Kitchen or B Orange. Overall, more angles to track attacking players and the removal of one extra way for simpler rotations should make it easier to defend B.

The upcoming map pool, starting from Episode 8 is as follows:

• Sunset
• Breeze
• Ascent
• Icebox
• Bind
• Split
• Lotus

All game modes, except for Team Deathmatch and Custom Games, will now use the seven-map rotation. The Outlaw sniper rifle, a rumored new weapon, may also make an appearance in the game for the first time in Valorant Episode 8 when it launches on live servers on January 10, 2024.

BGMI developer Krafton has recently acquired Tango Gameworks. The Japanese game developer earlier with Microsoft, who had recently announced they would be shutting the developers' operations. With this deal, Krafton is taking its first step into the Japanese video game market. After this deal, Krafton also holds rights to the Hi-Fi Rush franchise.

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Krafton Buys Tango Gameworks, Announces Expansion

Tango Gameworks has been known to develop games like Ghostwire: Tokyo, The Evil Within and Hi-Fi Rush is the flagship of the Japanese developer. In a press release, Krafton informed their players and audience about the expansion. 

As part of this strategic agreement, Krafton intends to collaborate with Xbox and ZeniMax to ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity at Tango Gameworks, allowing the talented team to continue developing the Hi-Fi Rush IP and explore future projects. 

Krafton also announced that will continue to work on future projects that Tango Gameswork was working on. Tango Gameswork had been working on a lot of games and the franchise of Hi-Fi Rush is also likely to continue and will not be impacted by this change of power in the studio.

Krafton intends to support the Tango Gameworks team to continue its commitment to innovation and delivering fresh and exciting experiences for fans. There will be no impact on the existing game catalog of The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and the original Hi-Fi Rush game.

Tango Gameswork came into being in 2010 and the first game the studio developed was The Evil Within. In May 2024, Microsoft announced that it would be shutting down three studios that were under Microsoft. Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Studios, and Tango Gameworks were the three studios. 

Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws is nearing its release this month, and fans are excited to see how the French developers will deliver a Star Wars game to gamers. Before this, Ubisoft had only made one Star Wars title, Lethal Alliance, in 2004. With Ubisoft showcasing more of their upcoming title at the Forward event from two months back, gamers have been wondering when will Star Wars Outlaws come out.

According to the publisher, Star Wars Outlaws is set to release on Friday, August 30, 2024. The title will be available on PC, through Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store, alongside Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

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Star Wars Outlaws Will Come Out Later This Month

Star Wars Outlaws is one of the most anticipated Ubisoft titles this year. The game was announced in January 2021. The game was later revealed in the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2023. Following the reveal, in April 2024, Ubisoft revealed two special editions for Star Wars Outlaws.

Star Wars Outlaws will be an open-world game action game, where players will assume the role of Kay Vess, a wanderer in the galaxy. She will also accompany her companion, Nix, as they partner up for heists across different locations.

The story of Star Wars Outlaws takes place between The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi from the Star Wars lore. The title is set to be exclusively single-player as of now, as Ubisoft has not announced any multiplayer elements for Outlaws. However, developers may add more features to the title shortly after release.

Gamers who preorder Star Wars Outlaws will receive a Kessel Runner bonus pack. Additionally, purchasing the Ultimate Edition will give gamers access to the Rogue Infiltrator and Sabacc Shark bundles, which will serve as cosmetics for one's ship. Aside from cosmetics, purchasing the Gold or Ultimate editions for Star Wars Outlaws will also give gamers access to the season pass, as well as game access three days before release.

Outlaws will possibly be the biggest open-world Star Wars game, which may borrow a lot of elements from Respawn's Star Wars Jedi series. Moreover, the title will allow gamers to traverse the open world with many vehicles from the famous universe. The title will rely heavily on stealth and Blaster combat, unlike the traditional Lightsaber battle from most Star Wars titles.

Ubisoft has revealed the PC requirements for Star Wars Outlaws. For the players who want to go to the Galaxy Far Far Away galaxy, matching these requirements will be crucial as without them, the game could be laggy and the gaming experience could also be sabotaged. Ubisoft has revealed the PC requirements so that you can make room for the game. Here are the minimum and recommended PC requirements to play Star Wars Outlaws smoothly. 

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Star Wars Outlaws PC Requirements: Minimum and Recommended

To run the game on your PC, you need to have at least these system requirements. Without these, you will not be able to play the game. Here are the minimum requirements: 

• OS: Windows 10, Windows 11 (64-bit versions), DirectX 12
• RAM: 16GB
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 3.6 GHz, Intel Core i7-8700K @ 3.70 GHz
• Resolution: 1080P, 30 FPS
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (6 GB), AMD RX 5600XT (6 GB), Intel Arc A750 (8 GB) or above
• Storage Space: 65 GB

However, Ubisoft does recommend something better for a smoother gaming experience. Below are the system requirements that are given by Ubisoft: 

• OS: Windows 10, Windows 11 (64-bit versions), DirectX 12
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X @ 3.7 GHz, Intel Core i5-10400 @ 2.9 GHz, or above
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (8 GB), AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12 GB) or above
• RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 65 GB 
• Resolution: 1080P, 60 FPS

Once they have the recommended requirements or more, they will be able to play the game smoothly. However, if the players have a better system then they will be able to play at a higher setting or even at the ultra settings. This will ensure that the gaming experience will be better and the minute details that have been added in the game by Ubisoft are shown to players clearly. 

Star Tokens in Brawl Stars is one of the most popular rare currencies which helps players unlock important items from the Mega Boxes and do more. With the return of Mega Boxes in one of the most recent updates for Brawl Stars, players have been trying to collect more Star Tokens in order to unlock their favorite cosmetic items.

Star Tokens in Brawl Stars can be initially difficult to collect, especially for newcomers. However, there is a pretty straightforward way to hoard them when followed correctly. This article will briefly guide players on how to collect Star Tokens in Brawl Stars and use them.

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Collecting Star Tokens in Brawl Stars Through Various Game Modes

After the return of the Mega Boxes, fans can finally use the Star Tokens in Brawl Stars to get their hands on various special items for their favorite characters. Here's how you can earn Star Tokens:

• Launch Brawl Stars and head to the Play section from the menu.
• While browsing game modes, look for the ones with the special icon for Star Tokens on them.
• Every game mode with the special Star Token item can give you the Star Tokens upon playing.
• Showdown, Wipeout, Drum Roll, and Mirror game modes will surely deliver Star Tokens to players upon winning them.
• One can also achieve Star Token drops from special events in Brawl Stars. These drops can be achieved through special challenges available in the Club menu.

The Star Token drops can ask players to complete specific challenges to obtain the currency. These challenges may include objectives that may require a team. The Club challenges drops are available for a limited time, and the game replaces them with newer challenges every week.

To earn the Star Tokens, one must win their matches to obtain them. Losing a match in the specific game modes will not drop any Star Tokens to players. Once they have enough Star Tokens, gamers can unlock Mega Boxes for cosmetics, and other gears for the Brawlers.

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Battlegrounds Mobile India is one of the most popular games in the country. The game is a battle royale with just one goal for the players: to be the last one standing in the match. 100 players drop down on a map and loot, eliminate enemies and be the last one standing to win. The game has many guns that players can use to eliminate the enemies. However, most players prefer using assault rifles in BGMI.

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Best Assault Rifle in BGMI To Use In 2024

BGMI offers a number of assault rifles (ARs) to choose from in the game. Each AR has a different damage and recoil. The gun players choose usually dictates the kind of mastery they have in the game. Here is a list of ARs in the game with their damage level and the ammo they use: 

Most of these guns are found throughout all the maps in the game. G36C is the only gun that is not available on all of the maps. The gun uses 5.56mm ammo and deals damage of 43 HP to the enemies. The players who enjoy using 5.56 mm ammo guns usually choose the M416. This gun is available in all the maps and has decent recoil control when all the attachments are used on it. It is a great gun for mid and close-range fights. 

For the ones who want to deal more close-range damage to their enemies, they use the mighty AKM. The gun uses 7.62 mm ammo and just uses the compensator. It takes a lot of patience and practice to master the AKM. However, the AKM and the M416 are the most used guns in the game