'Destiny' expansion introduces private matches, augers move into esports

Destiny

's upcoming expansion Rise of Iron introduces a plethora of standard new features along with a complete game-changer: Private PvP matches. Previously, Destinyonly supported matches assembled through the game's matchmaking system, and now players can set up their own games against other teams.

By giving players the ability to choose who they play against in PvP, Destiny is setting itself up to enter the world of esports. If the new feature isn't enough evidence that the game is dipping its toes into competitive gaming, the game's developer Bungie also released guidelines and licensing information for hosting Destiny competitions.

The new PvP features

The new private match feature, which was announced on Tuesday by Bungie during Gamescom, allows up to 12 players to compete in Crucible matches with customizable settings. Players can pick which map they play on, score and time limits, and certain game modes.

With the new expansion comes a new game mode, Supremacy, which is identical to Call of Duty's Kill Confirmed mode. When a player gets killed, they drop crests, which can then be picked up by anyone. If you pick up crests from a player you killed, you get points. If you pick up a crest from someone else's kill, you get points. You can also pick up crests that drop from your own killed teammates to take your enemy's points, which means the game encourages close-range kills.

Along with the new mode there are three new maps: Last Exit, Skyline and Floating Gardens. 

Rise of Iron also introduces viewable Clan rosters. Previously, if players wanted to see their fellow Clan members they had to go online. This expansion allows you to connect and interact with Clan members in the game.

Destiny entering esports

By allowing players to set up their own matches with hand-picked opponents and specific settings, Bungie is pushing Destiny into competitive gaming. Matchmaking helps players get into competitive games and grow, but tournament play requires private matches.

For Destiny players who are more interested in PvP than PvE, private matches open up a whole level of competition. Top teams can now specifically practice together without worrying about denting their matchmaking rating. Also, online Destiny tournaments can be organized.

Bungie hasn't announced any plans to specifically promote or put on any tournaments by itself, but the company is giving everyone else the go ahead as long as they follow the rules. Organizers who are looking to pay out more than $5,000 in prizes, charge in-person fees or set up other large-scale ordeals will have to obtain a license.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is expected to arrive on Sept. 20. Players do not need the expansion to play in private matches, but Rose of Irons is required to play any of the new maps or the new game mode.

Virtus.pro beats Fnatic to become ELeague season one champions

Virtus.pro, the Polish Counter-Strike dynasty, bested Fnatic in a close 2-0 match to become the first ELeague champions. 

Both teams went into the grand finals on Saturday after handedly winning their semifinals matches 2-0, but Virtus.pro ended up on top, continuing their streak of never losing in a tournament's finals.

Fnatic started out strong on the first map, Cobblestone, out-maneuvering and out-shooting Virtus.pro on almost every round. With the rounds at 7-1, though, VP started to turn it around a bit, and Snax nailed an impressive triple kill in the tenth round to help get the comeback rolling. The half ended with Fnatic in the lead, 9-6.

Virtus.pro kept the ball rolling as they took the terrorist side in the second half, getting an astounding seven-win streak to put them up 13-9. The tables turned as Virtus.pro started out-maneuvering Fnatic, making for some impressive Counter-Strike. Fnatic only managed to get one round in the rest of Cobblestone, losing to Virtus.pro 16-10.

The second map, Mirage, is Virtus.pro’s best map, but Fnatic did not let them take it easily. Fnatic took the first round quickly, and for the next two rounds Virtus.pro saved up their money. Dennis took advantage, getting an ace with an M4A4 from Bombsite A.

With enough money saved up, Virtus.pro was able to grab a couple rounds, but Fnatic wasn’t going down easy. Once Virtus.pro tied it up 4-4, the half was over for Fnatic. VP got a streak going and took the first half of Mirage 10-5.

Fnatic brought it back for the second half, winning the first three rounds, but just couldn’t hang on. PashaBiceps started amping it up, getting two clutch plays to put the ball back in Virtus.pro’s court. VP started racking up the wins, riling up the crowd and getting fans on their feet in Atlanta. Virtus.pro couldn’t be stopped, winning Mirage 16-8 and taking the ELeague championship.

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"We came back," Virtus.pro's Taz said. "We are so freaking happy and proud as a team... There were a lot of hard moments, especially in the beginning of the year."

Virtus.pro started off the 10-week-long tournament coming in second in their group stages, meaning they had to make it to the top of their last-chance qualifiers bracket to make it to the playoffs. They made it through, alongside Mousesports, and ended up facing the German team and winning in the semifinals.

Byali was Virtus.pro's shining star at ELeague, racking up an impressive number of clutch plays and kill streaks to get the team all the way to the championship win. His consistency — along with Snax's reliable AWPing, Neo's grenade and support skills, Pasha's ability to adapt to any opponent and Taz's leadership — made this a tough team to contend with.

Virtus.pro is going home with the first place prize of $390,000 and another tournament title under their belt. This tournament win could be the team's return to form after a long slump, and it won't be a surprise to see VP win another tournament or two before the end of the year.

ELeague is owned by Turner Broadcasting, which also is an investor in Mashable.

Best 'Counter-Strike' plays of the ELeague semifinals: Virtus.pro vs. Mousesports

Virtus.pro and Mousesports both got second chances at the ELeague finals, beating out the other contenders in the last chance qualifiers and making it through the quarterfinals. The two Counter-Strike teams fought Friday night for a place in the grand finals, giving it their best until the very end.

Virtus.pro made it through to Saturday's finals, but Mousesports put up a good fight. While Mousesports had some great plays throughout, it just wasn't enough to top the powerhouse that is Virtus.pro. VP took the first map 16-7 and the second map 16-10.

Here are the best plays from their semifinals match.

Virtus.pro's Snax gets a no scope through smoke

Virtus.pro got off to a rocky start, finding it difficult to get a decent economy after losing the first four rounds. But the player that turned it around was Snax, grabbing a quick snipe in a 2v1 and planting the bomb. With just Denis left, Snax dropped a smoke and set himself up to take out the aggressor, no-scoping him the second his legs appeared in the smoke.

Niko and Byali play cat and mouse

After both teams are taken down to a 1v1, Mousesports' Niko tossed down a smoke grenade to make things a little more interesting and to shield himsef as he moved out to Bombsite A. Niko walked through at the same time as Virtus.pro's Byali and they switched places.

Niko got a peak at where Byali was headed with the bomb, so he slowly and carefully chased him down, killing Byali with a spray just after he placed the bomb.

Virtus.pro's Taz gets a quick quad kill

Taz was sitting on Bombsite B with a P90 when the entire Mousesports team decided to walk in with pistols. Taz did what he does best and took them all down without batting an eye, rounding up an impressive quad kill to win the round.

Snax hits a snipe through the wall

Mousesports' ChrisJ found himself in a 1v2 situation against Snax and Neo, and managed to rifle Neo down to make it a 1v1. But it was a risky play; the his weapon's noise gave Snax a bead on his location. Snax took the shot and hit ChrisJ through the wall. Maybe next time. ChrisJ,  go for a knife kill.

PashaBiceps kicks off the second map with three headshots

Virtus.pro's PashaBiceps did not have a stellar first map, but he turned it around right as the match entered its second game. From a distance, Pasha lurked around to take on Mousesports from the garage. He picked off three Mousesports players before they could take him down, giving VP a big advantage that they did not lose for several rounds.

Byali gets a great double kill but can't defuse the bomb

Down to a 1v2 situation on Cache's Bombsite B, Byali launches out an incendiary grenade on the platform and manages to take out the two defenders in an impressive double kill. But as he runs up to defuse the bomb, his own fire is blocking his path. When it finally exstinguishes, he runs up to defuse — only to have it blow up in his face with one second to go.

Mousesports' Nex gets a clutch triple kill and bomb plant

With a one-round lead on Virtus.pro, Mousesports' Nex was in a sticky 1v3. He got a quick kill and moved toward Bombsite A, taking out Neo as he lay in wait. After planting the bomb, Nex sent out a molotov cocktail and sprayed down PashaBiceps while he advanced through the fire, giving Mousesports the advantage in the second half.

Snax banks an amazing molotov for the win

Virtus.pro made a successful advance through the warehouse on Cache and traded two of their own team for three of Mousesports' players. In a 3v2, Snax opened up the warehouse door and tossed a grenade through a breathtaking series of bounces, landing it right on Spiidi and taking him down a second before he defused VP's bomb.

Snax gets a clutch double kill with eight health

Snax found himself in a difficult situation, going into a 1v2 to defend the bomb, but with only eight health remaining. He managed to pistol down Spiidi and then switched to his AWP to take out Niko. He missed a couple shots, but whipped the pistol back out and nailed Niko for the win.

The ELeague finals take place Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, and all the action is being broadcast live on Twitch, Twitter and TBS.

ELeague is owned by Turner Broadcasting, which also is an investor in Mashable.

Twitter will stream its first eSports competition, starting today

It’s no Twitch, but Twitter this weekend will live stream its first eSports competition on its service, thanks to a partnership with Eleague. Twitter will provide live coverage of the organization’s semifinals and championship held today and tomorrow in Atlanta, where teams will be playing Valve’s “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Game.”

The first semifinal takes place today at 5 PM ET, and will be followed by the second semifinal at 10 PM. The season one championship is then held on Saturday at 4 PM ET with the top two teams going head-to-head in a best out of three series, says Eleague.

However, this will not be an exclusive live streaming deal for Twitter. Eleague, which is part-owned by Turner along with WWE | IMG, will also air the matches live on TBS as well as offer a live stream of all three matches on Amazon-owned Twitch.

That said, the eSports organization is poised to take advantage of Twitter’s audience, using the network as a way to interact with fans and promote competitive gaming in general. The Eleague Twitter account (@EL) will be tweeting out highlights, GIFs, stats and score updates throughout the match, while Twitter-owned Periscope will feature on-air talent and behind-the-scenes footage of players, the company notes.

For Twitter, the deal is a way to tap into a growing audience of gamers, which the company claims are some of the more active users on its network. Of course, Twitter hasn’t always had an easy time managing its gamer user base – a smaller subset of gamers, the #GamerGate crowd, have been responsible for some of the most vicious trolling the site and its users have ever faced.

At least by focusing on eSports, Twitter has a chance to bring in a more diverse group of gaming fans, beyond those who like to anonymous target and harass women in the gaming industry.

“Esports fans go to Twitter to see and talk about what is happening now in competitive gaming,” said Anthony Noto, Twitter’s Chief Financial Officer, in a statement about the new deal. “Gamers are one of the largest and most engaged audiences on Twitter, and we are thrilled to partner with Turner and WME I IMG to bring them the live content from Eleague and Twitter commentary they are already looking for, all on one screen.”

Also of note: during the live stream on all three platforms, including Twitter, Eleague says it will be taking some limited commercial breaks. These will feature ads from Domino’s, Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Credit Karma. 

Eleague’s partnership is now only of many Twitter has made over the past several months as it moves into live streaming, and one of several in the wider “sports” category. The company also live streamed Wimbledon, and has made a deal with the NFL to stream Thursday Night Football this fall. It recently added a partnership with Pac-12 Networks for university sports, too, and will exclusively live stream two original NBA programs weekly next season.

Outside of sports, Twitter also partnered with CBSN to live stream convention coverage and Bloomberg for financial news.

Smash Sisters: Why all-female gaming tournaments are good for everyone

I did not expect to play in a Smash Bros. tournament, ever. 

Yes, I played Super Smash Bros: Melee on GameCube during its heyday — a lot — and after that, I got in a few matches now and then for nostalgia's sake. While Melee's continued competitive growth 15 years after its launch fascinated me, I didn't think I'd have the skill to face anyone beyond a friendly match at the office. Especially not in a crowded venue. Or a tournament streamed to hundreds online.

Melee events that started at the beginning of this year. 

"Our goal is to promote women in Smash by giving them a safe space to play and show that there is a supportive community," said Smash Sisters co-founder Emily "Waves" Sun.

"We want to inspire women to come to more tournaments and challenge themselves by making them more comfortable."

When I met Sun and 12 other women at Super Nebulous 4 — a tournament held in a basement in New York's Lower East Side in late March — I intended merely to report on Smash Sisters. But Sun quickly drafted me into playing, too, since having an odd number of participants meant someone else would have to sit out otherwise.

Despite not playing in over a year, I sat with three other girls in front of a CRT TV and practiced my Samus game (my standard Smash Bros. character). I promised myself that I'd at least have fun. 

Why female-only tournaments matter

Video game should seem like an even playing field, skill-wise. There isn't a biological reason to separate male and female players like there is in basketball or track and field. But when the esports world is almost entirely made up of male players, it can be nice to see someone like you in the crowd.

"It was just a small idea to have a side event for women to congregate and have fun and meet each other," Sun said. "I wanted to put this together because I wanted more female friends inSmash."

Genesis 3, a tournament held in the Bay Area Jan. 15-17, attracted over 2,000 competitiveSmash Bros. players and spectators. One attendee told me maybe 50 or so were women. 

"I went to my first tournament two years ago. When we got there, it was all boys, and I though 'Wow, this sucks. I don't have anyone to talk to,'" said Emily Forman, better known as Lyric. 

The community aspect is important, but equally important to Sun was inspiring women who haven't played before, or maybe don't play as much as they'd like. That's why Smash Sisters doesn't exist as its own event, but inside other tournaments.

"I would love if every single smasher that came out [to Smash Sisters] was also entered into the singles bracket," Sun said. "We’re not interested in creating side bracket and women-only events that are completely isolated. We really want it to fee back into a co-ed competitive bracket."

Players SadDad, Buttplunder and Jempanada receiving instructions outside before the start of Smash Sisters.

IMAGE: PHIL NOLAN/MASHABLE

Even though that didn't happen at Super Nebulous 4, many of the women (and one amazingly talented 9-year-old) received coaching from other players before and during their matches. And there was plenty of positive support (and a big cheering section) when you jumped up to play.

Even if I hadn't played in a long time, I still managed some decent play (and one kill I am still immensely proud of) before having my butt elegantly handed to me by Kaitlin Sweet, a.k.a. SadDad. Losing ignited my urge to maybe try to play a little more — all part of Sun's plan.

"Having other girls see what you can do inspires other girls to come out and play their best," said Forman "You think, 'I can be good at this game, and I'm gonna get there. I wanna be like the other girls I've played against. I want to have that movement and that combo game.'"

But then the internet trolls show up

Many tournaments have anti-harassment policies for physical attendees, but those same tournaments are also streamed live via Twitch or Hitbox. For anyone who hasn't waded in to Twitch chat, which appears to the right of any stream, it can get pretty ugly as soon as a woman even appears on screen.

To combat the normal stupidity that comes to any online chat, streams use moderators. But instead of just using one or two, Sun had seven to eight extra volunteers for this Smash Sisters stream.

"They slowed down Hitbox chat and banned a lot of accounts," Sun said. "Not all reception is going to be negative. Once we are able to normalize that feedback, we won’t really need that aggressive moderation."

But Sun, an eight-year veteran of the competitive Smash scene, wants to stress its positive aspects too. Otherwise she wouldn't be here.

"Honestly, the community is wonderful. Our message isn’t really that if you are a female, you are going to get harassed all the time. We want to show you a safe space to come over and play with us."

While the group doesn't have any future events planned, Sun said they are looking to future tournaments to find a good fit. For any other women who want to get involved, Smash Sisters has a Facebook and Twitter presence as well.