Pokémon GO's Shocking Ban Wave and Apex Legends' Chaos Leave Player Communities in Turmoil

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The gaming industry had a busy week, from leaderboards getting wiped to characters and major maps being unveiled. This week, we’ve summarized some of the top news stories in the gaming industry. Read on to find out what all the fuss is all about. 

Pokémon Go Forced to Stop Players 

Image via Niantic

Pokémon GO recently hosted an Adventure Week: Taken Over for fans to battle Team Rocket Go and save the Shadow Pokémon. The whole point of the game was to take on the enemy, Team Rocket Go, yet players were banned for doing exactly that. During gameplay, many were getting the pop-up message that they were banned for ‘violating the terms of gameplay.’ This even had famous Pokémon Go players stumped, but apparently, for some of them, this glitch wasn’t new. Find out more here.

Apex Leaderboard Fuming

Image via Respawn Entertainment

Apex die-hard fans recently had a harsh reality check when their ranked progress was completely wiped out on August 12. The strange competitive glitch left players stranded with no progress to help their ranking. Players were expecting this reset but not for another month, catching a few off guard and, therefore, leading them to spam the messaging board in the game. Read about it in detail here

Deadlock Suffers Major Leak 

Image via Valve

The new Valve-developed game has taken the industry by storm and has players keen to learn about new characters. Deadlock was released in May 2024 and pitched itself as a six-versus-six-player game with a wide range of heroes to choose from. Some of these characters include the newly leaked Viscious, a not-so-vicious hero who uses goo to stop their enemies in their tracks. Other characters include the red robot Bebop, the gunslinger assassin Haze and Inferno, the fire-whisperer. Find out more here

Modern Warfare Gets a Makeover 

Image via Steam

This Call of Duty update takes you back to the nostalgia days with a 2009 reboot and makeover. In 2020, the game shook the gaming community when it lacked multiplayer mode, but four years later, our prayers have been answered with an update that has the perfect amount of nostalgia at the same time as being a modern warfare game worth your attention and excitement. They’ve managed to bring back that good old feeling whilst still releasing a game that can keep up with the other big fish in the industry. You’ll be able to access all the classic weapons and kit upgrades but with a few more combos to unlock and explore. Fight the natural disasters threatening your existence and go on exciting side quests that will teach you about the surroundings and the rich history. Find out all about it here

Ancient Worlds Expansion Pack 

Image via Paradox Interactive

It feels like just the other day that Milennia was released, but they’ve released the Ancient Worlds expansion pack, which is update number five, and a mod-focused upgrade to the popular Millennia. Players take the role of a group of travelers who never settle and seek out the natural and historical wonders of the frozen landscape. Read about it in depth here.

The industry has had a busy week, and it’s been far from boring. Banning players for doing exactly what the mission was? Leaking your own hero characters for the hype? What’s next? Tune in next week to find out.