*By Zane Bhansali*
Epic Games' release of the Boombox item the day of the 100,000 tournament WSOE 3 fits into a well-established pattern. For pro players like Ghost Gaming's Justin "Kayuun" Ha, that pattern is highly concerning.
"I just don't think Epic is serious about creating a competitive environment for their tournaments," says Kayuun. In his opinion, the chaos that Epic's item releases create is carefully planned to advertise the newest changes to their game to their casual player base.
"As a competitive player, it's very, very frustrating," says Kayuun. "Every tournament it feels like they're trying to take control away from their players to perform the best they can."
Despite his struggles with Epic's patching strategy, Kayuun maintains that he enjoys playing the game. Epic's woes come matched against incredible highs ー the gaming giant recently reported a $3 billion profit in 2018.
Fortnite's Winter Royale is an Epic failure, Astralis secures yet another CS:GO championship, and the best Cyber Monday deals around. Featuring esports journalist Rod 'Slasher' Breslau and Team Liquid and HTC Esports designer Jason Pun.
Since a Supreme Court ruling in May, seven states have legalized sports betting ー and Adam Small, the CEO of gambling magazine USBets thinks Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana may be next.
George Steinbrenner IV, the son of the New York Yankees co-chairman and grandson of the famous Yankee owner, told Cheddar how he wants to take the family business of winning to the race track.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
MLG co-founder Mike Sepso takes a seat at the podcast table for a discussion on the lazy summer that inspired MLG.
On today's show: the collapse of the H1Z1 Pro League, the announcement of the "League of Legends" European Championship, and "Fortnite"'s first open cash-prize tournament in the Winter Royale ー plus, PlayVS announces $30 million in funding. Featuring CEO of PlayVS Delane Parnell and DreamHack Global FGC Director Alex Jebailey.
Discussion of Smash Summit 7, Dreamhack Atlanta 2018, Red Bull Conquest, and Chris Pratt's Fortnite ads in Korea.
Featuring former NFL running back Ahman Green, Kelsey Moser, Amanda Stevens, and NYXL Product Dev Manager Samira Behrouzan
PUBG announces their global league for 2019, Red Dead Redemption 2 releases, and Riot faces down a lawsuit for workplace discrimination. Featuring Guy Blaze, ESL brand partnerships SVP Paul Brewer, and CEO of Electronic Gaming Federation Tyler Schrodt.
Alex Garfield re-enters esports, Cloud9 pulls off a miracle, Rocket League executes a win, and Z-Event raises 1 million euros. Featuring ESL SVP Brand Partnerships Paul Brewer, VP Pro Gaming Michal "Carmac" Blicharz, and Former MLB Professional Pitcher Jim Hoey V of Logitech G
SonixFox wins IPS 2 and donates 10k, the Game Award Nominees, Pokemon Let's Go, and big changes to Overwatch and Fortnite. Featuring NYXL Head of Business Development and Events Ben "MrBitter" Nichol, ReKTGlobal Esports VP Kevin Knocke, Cameron Davis, and Astro Gaming's Thadeous Cooper.
